Hello everyone, it’s been a while…

…That’s because, my husband and I have been sunning in the south of France, in Provence. We have actually just returned from cruising the Rhone & Saone with the beautiful Emerald Waterways from Arles to Lyon, and what a 2 weeks it’s been!

We flew from London down to Marseille where we spent 2 wonderful nights in a hotel overlooking the harbour. We found Marseille to be stunning with a vast choice of eateries bordering the harbour itself, and we took a lovely, but tiring walk in 30 degrees heat, up to the Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde, the highest point with amazing views over the Mediterranean and the harbour below. The street life in Marseille is amazing with plenty to see and do well into the night

Following our 2 days, we got a taxi back to Marseille airport to catch up with the ships transfer to Arles.

My husband and I were slightly apprehensive about this cruise, because, we have previously done the Danube with Uniworld who are a 5 star luxury boutique line, and it was just wonderful, but, this concern turned out to be totally unfounded, as we have nothing but good things to say about Emerald Waterways, honestly!

The beautiful Emerald Liberte

The Liberte joined the fleet in 2017 and carries just 136 passengers, has a main dining room for a buffet breakfast and lunch, although you can also order off a menu for lunch, and a’ la carte dinner. There is a bar which is also great for relaxing in during the day. In the evenings there is amazing entertainment hosted by the ship staff. A heated swimming pool with retractable roof is located aft of the ship and in the evening the pool floor rises to make space for a cinema. There is a wellness area for massage and spa, and a hairdresser, a fitness area with gym, which I did pop my head into see, well you have to make an effort. On hot days, you can sunbathe up on deck or hide under the umbrellas, and play a game of golf, if you’re up to it.

The pool, cinema, bar area, and deck

The food was always spectacular, whether you helped yourself to the great selection buffet, or ordered from the menu. In between meals, there is tea/coffee and sandwiches served, and bar snacks in the evening. Don’t worry about being hungry, because you definitely won’t be!

Although not an all-inclusive cruise line, wine and beer are served plentiful with lunch and dinner. There are also several wine packages available for you to enjoy in the evening, or pick up a bottle or 2 at port and bring them back to the ship to enjoy in your cabin. This is welcomed on a river cruise, and the staff will even cork it for you :)

We booked a balcony cabin, well, while in South of France and all that, and it was more than sufficient for the 2 of us with a beautiful little en-suite and shower. The balcony actually consisted of a slide down window, a couple of chairs and table, and it was perfect for sitting and reading, and watching the world pass by.

I did take a sneak at a couple of other cabins while empty, there were 2 single cabins with windows on the lower deck, a few grand balcony suites which had a walk-out balcony, and a couple of owners one-bedroom suites with both a walk-out balcony and drop-window balconies and a lounge area.

Grand balcony suite and owners suite

The staff were mixed nationalities, young, fun, but professional, and always helpful. Our cruise director, Jana was brilliant and very active, and did a great job getting tours organised and welcoming us back. The bar staff and restaurant serving staff were very attentive without being obtrusive. The housekeeping staff were amazing keeping the cabins and whole ship clean, and I always managed to get extra pillow chocolates from Dashanka by bribing her during the staff evening quizzes ;)

*A little towel dog and chocolate pressie from Dashanka :)*

The tours were well organised with very knowledgeable local, but English speaking guides. The great thing about the excursions on a river cruise, apart from being included in the cost that is, is the Quiet Vox earphones, so you can connect to the guide and then meander off doing your own thing and still hear what is being said. We did pay for a couple of optional excursions, one to the medieval town of Perouges from Lyon, and one to the Pont Du Gard from Avignon, and they were both worth it.

Following a wonderful week, we were upset to leave our cabin and ship. We wanted to stay, but unfortunately, we were unable to smuggle on for an extra week because they were full :( so we transferred from the ship to Lyon train station and jumped on the TGV up to Paris where we stayed for an 3 extra nights in a lovely hotel close to the Notre Dame. This was a great base to explore the city, but also itself was full of a great range of eateries and shops.

A couple of other ships we were docked with along the way, the Amadeus Provence and Tauck ms. Emerald

Please bear in mind that I do not pronounce myself as a travel agent onboard, well, not until the last day anyway, I go incognito, so my experience was purely the same as any other passenger, and this is why I would very highly recommend Emerald waterways. You know, it was the whole cruise package which really worked on this holiday - the destinations, the ship, the staff, the food, the tours, our fellow passengers, all went without a hitch.

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Dreaming of Provence

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