Sunday, January 26, 2020

English Hotel Barge Magna Carta Family Cruises

Family Cruises Aboard English Hotel Barge Magna Carta

Did you know, nearly half of all young families travel with their children? This means that kids and young adults are getting to experience international travel earlier in life than ever.

English Hotel Barge Magna Carta - River Thames Cruises

Magna Carta's collection of themed barge vacations includes an impressive family charter, taking kids on an interactive, educational and unforgettable adventure along Britain’s majestic River Thames.

Legoland Winsor Resort

Top sights include a tour of Legoland, Thorpe Park amusement park, and the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter. Click to view choices on Magna Carta's Family Itinerary page.

Fabulous Food

With daily excursions keeping everyone entertained; parents and grandparents will especially enjoy the delights of our onboard master chef, who cooks up daily meals, served with complementary wines for the adults, and plenty of delicious options for kids.

A Magical Cruise

Experience the Harry Potter Studio Tour

Visiting the Harry Potter studio couldn’t be easier on Magna Carta. With their family cruises, you can swap up to four excursions from the barge’s classic cruise itinerary, and the "boy wizard" is always a top favorite.  Spot many of the costumes and props from the movies, experience all the wonders and magic of their iconic sets such as Diagon Alley and The Great Hall – the latter whose real-life inspiration, The Great Hall at Oxford’s Christ Church College, is also on the itinerary.

Younger children can also explore Beale Wildlife Park & Gardens, which is set on 30 acres of grounds and forests. The attraction includes miniature train rides, a toy museum and a deer park, as well as kid-friendly animals such as owls, meerkat and the llama-like alpacas.  Another option is a visit to Brooklands Museum.  Considered the birthplace of British motorsport and aviation, it offers an excellent history of transportation, including cars, motorcycles and planes, and features an aircraft factory, a flight simulator and the world’s first purpose-built race circuit.

Look Out Discovery Centre

More scientifically minded youngsters will enjoy a visit to Look Out Discovery Centre, which offers more than 90 science-themed activities for children. These include launching hydrogen rockets and building a life size house with giant blocks.  On other outings, guests can explore prehistoric caves, take archery lessons, as well as go paintballing and canoeing.  They can even waterski at Thorpe Lake Waterski, among other outdoor sports.

Enjoy Magna Carta's Hot Tub

There’s so much to do on a Magna Carta's family charter that the only time you’ll see disappointment in a child’s face is when you tell them the trip is over! But watch their faces light up again when they get back home and tell their friends about the great time they had.





About The English Hotel Barge Magna Carta


Magna Carta cruising the Royal River Thames
Moored at Winsor Castle

Magna Carta

The all-inclusive, crewed, luxury, English Hotel Barge Magna Carta accommodates up to 8 guests. She is approximately 120 feet in length and has two decks.

The lower deck boasts four full-width luxurious staterooms each averaging 200 square feet with private ensuite bathrooms. The staterooms may be configured as Kings or Twins according to your preference. Magna Carta has the most sophisticated modern amenities, including air conditioning, WI-FI internet access and underfloor heating in each of the four full width suites. Each suite has exceptionally spacious contemporary en-suite facilities and colour TVs and DVD players.

The upper deck comprises the main salon and dining areas with large picture windows and stylish furnishings. Outside you have the sundeck with comfortable seating and the spa pool/jacuzzi. There are eight bikes on board to take at your pleasure for rides along the tow paths.

The Magna Carta offers 6-night, all-inclusive private charters, as well as cabin cruises. Theme cruises such as golf, tennis, guided walking, family, flower shows, Henley regatta, antiques, etc, are available for private charters.




Interested ?  Let's reserve your spot !




Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book MAGNA CARTA
View Magna Carta's online brochure
Visit our website for more info on our barges and barging: www.BargeCharters.com
 
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Saturday, January 25, 2020

Special Offers for Solo Travellers - Italy

2 Special Offers for Solo Travellers


Special Offer #1
No Single Supplement:
La Bella Vita is waiving their single supplement fee for solo travellers wishing to experience the stunning Italian canals of Venice to Mantua.

Valid dates:
  • April 5-11, 2020 (value season) : $4050
  • April 19-25, 2020 (value season) : $4050
  • May 10-16, 2020 : $4550
  • May 17-23, 2020 : $4550
Cannot be combined with other special offers.

Special Offer #2
Exclusive Solo Traveller Cruise:
Join like-minded travellers on La Bella Vita's new solo cruise in Italy. We’re delighted to announce La Bella Vita's new and exclusive “Solo Cruise” departing October 11, 2020.
The price for this cruise is  $5040 ($4050 single person + $1550 single supplement -10%),
It will be exclusively for singles. However, if two friends wish to share and pay the per person rate based on double (no single supplements), that’s fine too. 
Cruising between Venice to the Renaissance city of Mantua, this six-night, all-inclusive cruise enjoys the very best of their classic cruise, with some additional "extra surprises" along the way, that have been hand-picked exclusively for this week.

Valid dates:
  • October 11-17, 2020 (value season)
Cannot be combined with other special offers.



About The Italian Hotel Barge Bella Vita

Italian Hotel Barge La Bella Vita

La Bella Vita

La Bella Vita is a stylish 20-passenger vessel with a typically modern Italian interior, reflected in the use of vibrant colors throughout to create an atmosphere of casual relaxation. There is an inviting bar area in which to enjoy a glass of Prosecco and a spacious dining room with louvre doors that open to give a perfect view as you are served delicious Italian specialities and wines.

There are two main deck junior suites and eight lower deck staterooms, all air-conditioned and with en suite facilities. The upper deck has a huge sun deck with a large canopy and comfortable loungers to relax and watch the world drift by.

Enjoy delicious regional cuisine, fine Italian wines and the services of an attentive crew that will make this an unforgettable cruise. 

La Bella Vita offers 6-night, all-inclusive private charters, as well as cabin cruises. Themed cruises such as family, golf, opera, and wine appreciation are available for private charters.





Let's reserve your spot !



Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book LA BELLA VITA
View La Bella Vita's online brochure
Visit our website for more info on our barges and barging: www.BargeCharters.com
 




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RECIPE: Tipsy Laird

It is Burn's night (January 25th) will you be celebrating?

Tipsy Laird

Here’s a recipe for a delicious dessert -- a Scottish version of the classic sherry trifle which is often served on special occasions like Christmas or New Year’s Eve.



Ingredients

Serves 6
  • 8 sponge fingers
  • 3 tbs of raspberry jam
  • 6 digestive or ratafia biscuits
  • 1 dram of sweet sherry
  • 1 dram of whisky or Drambuie
  • A handful of fresh raspberries
  • 1 cup of double cream
  • 1 tbs of caster (powdered) sugar
  • Flaked almonds toasted to decorate
 For the custard
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1.5 ounces of caster sugar
  • 4 drops of vanilla essence
  • 1 cup of milk
  • 2/3 cup of double cream

Method

  1. Start by making the custard. Beat together the egg yolks and sugar until pale. Mix the cream, milk and vanilla in a pan and warm to just below boiling point. Pour into the beaten egg mixture, blending well. Return to the pan over a low heat and stir continuously until thickened. Transfer to a bowl and cool.
  2. Spread the sponge fingers with the raspberry jam and place in the bottom of a large glass bowl or small trifle dishes. Roughly crush the biscuits and scatter over the jammed sponge. Mix the sherry and whisky (or Drambuie) and pour over the biscuit and sponge. Leave it to soak in.
  3. Whisk the double cream and caster sugar to thick peaks and fold in more whisky if preferred. Pour the cooled custard over the sponge and top with a layer of raspberries. Spoon over the thickened cream and decorate with a scattering of toasted flaked almonds. Tipsy Laird Complete!

Enjoy!

Planning on taking a barging cruise this season? Looking at our master calendar, we noticed that the season is quickly booking up. Don't wait too long. We even have bookings for 2021 :)





Visit our website for more info on our barges and barging: www.BargeCharters.com
 


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Friday, January 17, 2020

Holland 2020: Only one week left

 * Only ONE week left *
See The Sights of Holland With A Barging Cruise This Spring
We only have one week available for a Dutch Tulip Cruise in the Netherlands for 2020: March 29-April 4. Six cabins are available aboard the Hotel Barge Panache so this week can be booked as either a private barge charter or as a cabin cruise.

This is a lower-priced, value season week and there is a 20% discount for a private charter.



Sunsets in Holland are magical

A barge cruise is definitely the way to discover Holland. The Netherlands are famous, of course, for tulips, but as a land with a rich artistic and cultural history, it has a lot more besides. The western provinces of this land of water are populated by windmills which sit above the polders and along the very river that gave its name to Amsterdam, while cities such as Haarlem and Delft are meccas for lovers of pottery and art. A barging cruise uncovers some of Holland's hidden gems and is the perfect way to experience the best the country has to offer.



Windmills

Watch the windmills in their silent majesty as you sit in the opulent saloon with a delicious Jenever (Dutch Gin) and tonic in hand, 



Explore 100 acres of flowers at the world famous Keukenhof Gardens.

Keukenhof Gardens connects people from all across the globe who come to indulge in and be inspired by the natural beauty of Holland, which is famous for its bulb fields and wide variety of flowers. The theme for 2020 is "A World of Colours".



Be enchanted by the cobblestone streets and gabled houses of the 800-year old Haarlem.

After enjoying a spectacular breakfast, we cruise to the historic city of Haarlem; once a major trading port, Haarlem is an exciting maze of cobbled streets and gabled houses at the center of a major bulb growing district.



Visit Aalsmeer Flower Auction.

Aalsmeer hosts the largest floral auction in the world, with over 40 million plants and flowers from all over the globe traded here. They set the world price for flowers and plants. This happens by bringing supply and demand together by means of the auction clock. Each day, 19 million flowers and two million plants are sold through 13 clocks. The auction begins when each cart of flowers is presented to the buyers, one at a time. As soon as the carts are displayed, the famous Aalsmeer clock starts ticking down from 100, and as the time falls, so does the price of the cart. The first person to make a bid gets the cart and they have been known to sell within hundredths of a second. Buyers don't have to purchase the entire cart which is compiled of a number of crates, but the bidding continues until everything is sold.

As a visitor to Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer, you will walk over a specially designed gallery where you can enjoy the gorgeous flowers and experience the hustle and bustle of the auction.



Enjoy the excursion to Zaanse Schans during their cruise of Holland.

Zaanse Schans conservation area was created in the 1960s in order to preserve the buildings and crafts of the country's industrial revolution in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. With a dozen windmills, a collection of traditional houses and workshops and a number of museums, it offers an unparalleled insight into Dutch social and industrial history.

Learn more about the Netherlands on our web site's Destination page for Holland: CLICK HERE


About The Hotel Barge Panache

Hotel Barge Panache

The 12-passenger Hotel Barge Panache cruises in Holland & Belgium during the springtime, then through Paris to Champagne, and finishes their season in the Alsace-Lorraine region of France.

HOLLAND
Cruise Highlights
  • Tour Keukenhof Gardens with the largest display of flowers in the world
  • Visit the Aalsmeer flower auction
  • Tour the fascinating conservation area at Enkhuizen
  • Visit the Royal Delft pottery to see the world famous earthenware being hand-made and painted
  • Tour picturesque Haarlem and visit a museum of the Dutch painter, Franz Hals
  • Tour the charming city of Leiden, Rembrandt’s birthplace


Panache

The 128-foot Panache is a 12-passenger luxury hotel barge of classic Dutch design, fully air conditioned with spacious public areas and six en-suite stateroms, with your choice of twin or double bed configuration. En-suite bathrooms have twin sinks and oversize showers with massage jets. Panache is traditionally furnished in an old ship style with brass and mahogany, creating a comfortable and charming ambience. The salon and dining room have large panoramic windows for viewing the passing countryside, as well as comfortable sofas, books and music, and an always open inclusive bar. The sun deck is spacious and has a heated spa pool; a perfect place to watch the sun set after dinner.

Panache has a highly professional crew of six, comprised of Master Chef, Deck Hand, Tour guide, two Housekeepers, and led by a knowledgeable and experienced Captain, who will ensure your cruise is memorable and more.


Let's reserve your spot !




Contact Paradise Connections Yacht Charters to book PANACHE
View Panache's online brochure
Visit our website for more info on our barges and barging: www.BargeCharters.com
 
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Wednesday, January 01, 2020

January 1, 2020

Happy New Year
Bonne Année
Gelukkig Nieuwjaar
Frohes Neues Jahr
Bliadhna Mhath Ùr
Athbhliain faoi mhaise daoibh


From Paradise Connections




Click here to view current special offers



Visit our website for more info on our barges and barging: www.BargeCharters.com
 


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