Crystal Serenity, from Crystal Cruises, is a 740 berth uber-luxurious cruise ship. Featuring bars, casino, cinema, gym, library, nightclub, shops, swimming pool, spa, theatre, computer university at sea and much, much more. A floating paradise of education, fun, leisure and wellness.  Serenity’s first-class facilities put many a city to shame. Guests look forward to a […]

Wherever Crystal Serenity sails in the world, from Alaska to Zanzibar, whether it is a world cruise, an Asian odyssey or a voyage through the Mediterranean, dinner is a very special event. Every evening, guests face a dilemma. Where should they eat? What should they eat? As soon as Crystal veterans set foot on board they […]

So, why the name – voco Hotel and Spa Winchester? voco loosely translates from the Latin for an invitation and a coming together. And no, that isn’t a typo. voco, doesn’t want a capital letter. It’s as as much a state of mind as a hotel.  A unique contemporary name, free of grammar protocols and […]

Cruising north, back towards the Scandinavian lands of the midnight sun, we’re sailing from Tallinn towards the Swedish island of Gotland. Half-way through our Crystal Cruises‘ Baltic exploration of medieval cobbled alleys and contemporary eco-architecture, on seas once sailed by Vikings and then Czars, the Serenity has become more than our palatial retreat, it has […]

Stockholm, stretching across 14 islands and 56 bridges, is known as the Venice of the North, part of an archipelago of around 30,000 islands and islets. Long ago, logs, known as stocks in Swedish, were used on a holm, an islet, to protect the fresh water of Lake Mälaren from raiders approaching across the Baltic Sea. And […]