With the solo travel market continuing to expand and Italy welcoming visitors once again, luxury hotel barging specialist European Waterways is relaunching its annual exclusive Solo Cruise aboard the company’s largest vessel, the 20-passenger La Bella Vita luxury hotel barge. Spacious and stylish, the vessel’s classic itinerary is canal cruising at its finest, taking guests in luxury and comfort on a scenic and gastronomic journey between Venice and the Renaissance city of Mantua along the River Po. Departing October 10, 2021, the six-night, all-inclusive cruise features a series of “extra touches” designed to enhance the solo experience among its small group of like-minded travellers.
“Today’s solo traveler is more confident and adventurous than ever before, and they’re ready to ‘go it alone’ anywhere in the world if the experience promises to enrich their lives,” said Derek Banks, managing director of European Waterways. “This Solo Cruise is exclusive to La Bella Vita – and available only once a year.”
Banks noted that, as with all European Waterways cruises, every aspect of the cruise is carefully curated to allow for maximum social interaction among guests. For solo travellers on European Waterways’ regular cruises, they will experience an ideal environment balanced between mingling and plenty of “me time” to soak in the experiences.
Classic Cruise Highlights
European Waterway’s Solo Cruise features the very best of La Bella Vita’s Classic Cruise itinerary, including dinner with a countess at her 17th century riverside villa and a private wine tasting in the ancient cellars of the 17th century Villa Widmann-Borletti. The Po River Delta itself puts on a delightful show, with shallow wetlands that teem with migrating birds such as ducks, herons, wild geese, egrets, and flamingos. There’s also truly “a movable feast” onboard, with guests enjoying gastronomic meals with vine-to-table wine pairings, prepared every day by their personal master chef.
Exclusive ‘Extra Touches’
Dotted throughout the itinerary are “extra touches” that provide unique opportunities for solo guests to “mingle with the locals”. Among these is a guided stroll through the picturesque streets of Venice, with a visit to the popular Florian Café, the world’s oldest of its kind. Guests will savour specialty coffees, wines, cocktails and desserts amidst the Café’s ornate, neo-Baroque splendour.
Guests will also stop at the island of Pellestrina to visit a local corner bar, or bacaro, and enjoy an aperitif and Venetian-style tapas, or cicchetti; take a ride in a traditional boat along the canals of Chioggia, a town that’s often called “Little Venice”; and visit the colourful fish market of Piazzetta Vigo, where the largest quantify of fresh fish is sold in Europe. Onboard, they will enjoy an “opera night”, plus interactive cooking demonstrations of regionally inspired cuisine where the master chef will reveal “secrets of the trade”.
“The atmosphere is always warm and welcoming, all excursions and special events are done as a group and – most importantly – there is no such thing as a ‘singles table’ on the boat,” said Banks. “Guests may be traveling solo, but they’ll never feel alone!”
Early Booking Special
European Waterways’ exclusive Solo Cruise is currently offering an early-booking special of 10% off per person. With the special, cabins start at €4,356 for single occupancy, a saving of €484 off the €4,840 rate. For friends sharing a cabin, double occupancy rates start at €3,141 per person – a total saving of €698 off the €6,980 double cabin rate.
Book With Confidence
European Waterways’ “Book with Confidence” policy provides flexibility in rescheduling future cruises, should they be impacted by government restrictions. The health and safety of guests are also top priorities, with strict protocols in place that include crew and passenger temperature checks as well as deep cleaning and disinfecting of all cabins and public surfaces on the boats. For more information, visit www.europeanwaterways.com
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