Featured blog posts
I’ll see you at the bookshop!
What to Pack for a Caribbean Cruise
I first cruised the Caribbean onboard P&O’s Arvia at the beginning of 2024, and while I didn’t know quite what to expect, I had an absolutely amazing time!
Our 14 day fly cruise started and ended in Bridge Town, Barbados, with flights to the country from London Gatwick Airport. During the trip we visited lots of fantastic islands, including Tortola, Antigua, Martinique, St Maarten, Saint Kitts, and Saint Lucia, with plenty of relaxing sea days in between.
For those wondering when to cruise the Caribbean, the best time to sail is over the winter months, when the weather is more comfortable. It’s also outside of their hurricane season, which takes place between June and November.
5 Cruise Lines with Stunning Onboard Libraries
While many of the world’s most recent and largest cruise ships have foregone libraries in favour of revenue generating spaces, there are a number of lines which continue to champion the written word.
Here I will introduce you to five of the world’s most literature friendly cruise lines, all with stunning libraries onboard their ships.
Inside Den Lille Bokbutikken - Bookshop Review
Translated as The Little Bookshop, I stumbled upon Den Lille Bokbutikken while stopping in Haugesund during a Norwegian Fjords cruise.
Hotels Near Southampton Cruise Terminal
Southampton is a great place to start any cruise holiday, with plenty of amenities and a range of hotels to suit all budgets.
In this blog post I have selected the very best hotels in Southampton, broken down by price. While doing so, I only chose hotels that were within a 15 minute taxi ride from the cruise terminal - with so many to choose from, you really don’t have to stay further away.
One main point of advice is to ensure that you book your hotel room early, as Southampton is a busy city and this will ensure that you get the best price possible.
Things to Do in Haugesund From a Cruise Ship
The Norwegian Fjords is a gorgeous destination for a cruise holiday, served by a variety of cruise lines including P&O, Celebrity and Princess. Haugesund is just one of many possible cruise stops, located in the North Sea, in between Stavanger and Bergen.
The port here is large and able to accommodate a wide range of ships, including P&O’s Iona and Arvia, which are the largest British cruise ships to date.
Cunard’s Queen Anne Cabin Tour
I recently disembarked a wonderful two day mini cruise onboard Cunard’s Queen Anne and I’ve been so excited to write about it.
We stayed in cabin 7174 and paid £150 each for both nights (we travelled as a couple). For us, the cabin was perfect - it was always quiet with no noise from other cabins or entertainment venues. We also hardly felt the ship moving at all, and the lack of sunlight meant I had a fantastic sleep every night.
Cunard’s Queen Anne Cruise Ship Tour and Review
I’ve just returned from a fantastic two day voyage on board Cunard’s newest ship, Queen Anne, and I can’t wait to show you around.
As the first addition to Cunard’s fleet for more than a decade, Queen Anne is unique compared to her sisters. Not only does she have the largest capacity to date, accommodating up to 3,000 guests and 1,225 crew, she’s also the most modern, seamlessly blending luxury with traditional features. Owned by the same umbrella company as P&O, I definitely noticed some similarities to their newest ships Iona and Arvia, while still remaining remained distinct to the Cunard brand.
Arvia Cabin Tour and Review
I sailed on P&O’s cruise ship Arvia at the beginning of 2024 and had an absolutely amazing time. Although I had initially booked an inside room, I took part in the company’s bidding scheme before sailing and managed to secure a balcony cabin for an additional £395 per person.
Was it worth it? Here are my thoughts on our balcony cabin on P&O’s Arvia (number 11317).
P&O’s Iona Cruise Ship - 10 Things I Loved
Last summer (2022) my partner and I embarked on our first ever cruise with P&O’s Iona. We travelled on a return voyage from Southampton to Norway, and were scheduled to stop in Stavanger, Alesund, Olden and Haegsund over an 8 day schedule.
Unfortunately our stop at Stavanger was cancelled due to high winds, however, we had missed port coverage as part of our insurance which meant that we were given a small sum each to cover the inconvenience. While I would have loved to visit Stavanger (and had picked out a cool bookish cafe/bar to visit) I didn’t really mind as it meant that our budget trip was even cheaper.
Welcome to Zürich’s designated literary hotel, the B2 Boutique. This is somewhere that’s been on my literary travel bucket list for a very long time, and visiting was an absolute dream come true. I’m excited to show you around!
Upon entering the hotel lobby you’ll snatch your first glance of the B2 Boutique’s coveted library. The lobby area has lots of comfy seating options and doubles up as a large coworking space, making it a great place to grab an armchair and a coffee and get some work done, or just relax with a book.