Costa Serena- Italian Voyage

I think the poor old Costa Cruise Line has taken a beating in recent times, so I thought I would share a positive story with you!

In 2007 I was lucky enough to be invited on a familiarisation trip to Italy and even luckier to be travelling with a wonderful colleague and friend of mine, Katarina!

Sightseeing in Rome- Niedra at the Trevi Fountain

We spent a night in Rome at the La Griffe Hotel, a really funky spot with a great roof garden restaurant, then travelled to Savona the following morning and boarded the stunning Costa Serena. The cruise was an opportunity for travel consultants and journalists to experience the Serena and get an idea of what our passengers could expect from their holidays.

Boarding the Costa Serena

Having never been much of a cruiser, I was blown away! The decor was elegant, stylish and opulent, there were 5 restaurants,13 bars, 5 Jacuzzis and 4 pools, unbelievable!

We were spoilt with an Ocean View Balcony room for our 4 night cruise, which was such a treat, not that we any time in there... Would you, with that many places to eat and drink??

Over the next few days, we visited Palermo in Sicily, walked around the markets and bought some gorgeous shoes, spent time relaxing by the pools drinking cocktails (and getting quite a sunburn!) and had the unique honour of cruising into Venice at dawn, a moment that I still consider one of the most magical in all my days of travelling.

Relaxing by the pool with cocktails

Another tough day on the job!

Cruising into Venice at dawn was an absolute highlight

The meals were incredible and never ending, we dined in most of the restaurants at least once! We did pay quite a few visits to the coffee and chocolate bar after our nights of dancing in the disco.. and the luxury of a cup of tea on our balcony from the lovely room service staff was a perfect way to end each day.

My beautiful friend Katarina and I on our way to dinner

One of the many wonderful staff that looked after us!

I found the Mediterranean to be a wonderful introduction to the world of cruising, it was calm, the sunsets and sunrises were breathtaking and the weather was perfect. If you are not sure about taking a holiday of the cruising variety, this is the ideal way to dip your toe in the water, I am so sure you will never turn back!

Exploring Venice