Tauck River Cruise

Over Easter I went with a friend on a Tauck River Cruise on the Seine from Paris to the D-Day Beaches and back.

It was so easy, Eurostar from St Pancras and met from the Gare Du Nord by a lovely really ‘dishy’ Frenchman and transferred to the Pullman Hotel, which is situated at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Perfect location for two adventurous ladies. That evening dinner was by your own arrangement, so we set off looking for an eatery. We stumbled upon a fabulous little French Restaurant, heaven knows where but it was everything we expected from a Parisian Bistro.

The next day we had a choice to either visit Versailles or Montmartre before boarding the boat, we choose Montmartre as we had both been to Versailles.That afternoon we embarked MS Swiss Sapphire, our home for the next 7 nights.

On board we were shown our cabin which was super and completely exceeded our expectations of a cabin on a River boat. A large floor to ceiling picture window and a French balcony, the perfect spot to sit and watch the countryside roll past in a comfy dressing gown. The bathroom was larger than we imagined with lots of storage space, always needed when two ladies travel and the wonderful Molton Brown products which were replenished daily.

For my friend and I the benefits of All Inclusive far exceeded what we imagined. All drink including, fine wines from the local regions, every spirit you can imagine and my favourite, a cold glass of champagne were all available at any time of the day. To enjoy dinner without the awkwardness of who would be buying the wine made for a very sociable time. One of many nice little touches was the Sommelier offering recommended wines to compliment the evening meals.

I have to admit we were hard pushed to spend money on anything, other than the little keep sakes to take back to the Grandchildren! All of the excursions including our highlight; a private dinner in one of the most beautifully appointed Chateaus I have ever seen, were all included as were the gratuities for all staff and guides. The ship had a number of bikes which any guest could use. I dragged my friend out on one in Rouen, the footpath is quite long so of course once you’re off you forget you have to come back, well the next day I felt awful my friend couldn’t move or get out of bed, poor soul. The staff were great fun and amazingly remembered what your favourite drinks were. Nothing was too much trouble and the service was fantastic. The knowledge, passion and experience offered by the staff and guides was extraordinary.

We had a great time and I would have no hesitation in recommending Tauck Tours, this is an ideal way of visiting more than one destination at once. To find out more about Tauck and Crystal Cruises please call us for complimentary tickets to our Afternoon Tea on Tuesday 2nd June at Juniper Hall, situated at the foot of Boxhill between 3-5pm.

■ Sao, Symphony World Travel
Tel: 01737 36 26 26
www.symphonyworldtravel.com

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