French Riviera Adventure - Part Un
7th October 2014
Reservations Assistant Manager Jodie Spong and Cruise Consultant Louise Louca set sail from Monaco and share with us their French Riviera adventure aboard Star Flyer.
Saturday:
Nice, we have arrived. We had a pre booked transfer waiting for us which took 30 minutes to transfer from Nice Airport to Monaco Port. We get our first glimpse of Star Flyer, from a high vantage point, on our way down to Monaco and she defiantly stands out against the other beautiful yachts.
A welcome aboard drink is waiting for us on arrival, plus some lovely snacks. We decide we may as we'll start as we mean to go on and indulge.
After a warm welcome we decide to go and investigate our cabin, which one of the crew happily helped us find. Our cabin is 107 on commodore deck which is a category 3 cabin. On entering we notice this is the first difference between Royal Clipper, the cabins are smaller but still have plenty of room.
7pm we have our compulsory lifeboat drill and welcome meeting, this doesn't last more than an hour. So a quick cocktail is in order before going to have dinner. The ship is not completely full so the dining room is quiet, however we still enjoy the company of some lovely passengers.
Sunday:
L’lle Rousse, after a lovely sleep and breakfast we attend the welcome meeting with the captain. 12 o’clock we dock in to L’lle Rousse, a small town, with a beautiful beach. The sports team are a shore offering various watersports. We however opt for a casual walk around the town, which has some lovely quaint shops, unfortunately most of them are closed due to it being a Sunday, so we decide on an hours relaxation on the beach before getting back on board.
Once back on board we sample the sun beds and have a dip in the cool pool, before getting ready for dinner and the fashion show!
During dinner the Captain announces that due to a pending storm the port authority of Bonificio have closed the ports to all ships. So tomorrow we are not able to go to Figari Beach or Bonifacio and will instead be heading for Ajaccio.
Monday:
This morning we arrive in to Ajaccio. Once you get passed the grey terminal building, the little town is stunning. With old traditional buildings and small boutique shops and a small market selling French cheese and hams. You can also take a ride on the small motored train around the town, or there is also the option of a bus tour which takes about an hour and half. We opted for a walk around the town and market and discovered all sorts of little shops hidden away. After lunch which today is the Seafood Buffet, we have any afternoon relaxing up on deck enjoying the sunshine and the sea breeze.
Tuesday:
We wake up as we dock in to Porto, Corsica. Star Clippers are offering a Nature Reserve excursion today, which is over lunch so they are packing the passengers off with a nice picnic. We take the tender boat ashore with some fellow passengers and have a wander around the town, it's very pretty but very hilly, so after climbing some steep hills we treat ourselves to an ice cream! We are back on board for lunch, with the ship leaving Porto at 16:00 as we head towards Porquerolles.
Wednesday:
Our final day, we are in Porquerolles for a couple of hours before we leave for Sanary-sur-Mer where we disembark. Porquerolles is again a small but pretty port, it’s a lot busier than any of the others we have been to, with lots of yachts coming and going. As we are disembarking later in the day, we just have a short walk around the harbour and then get back on board for our last lunch. Hannah, Alison and Carley, its over to you for the final 3 days – enjoy!
