8 reasons to add APT’s Douro Delights river cruise to your travel list

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I was an unashamed river cruise newbie and am now a new convert to this calm and stress-free way of getting a taste and a different perspective of a new destination. The appeal of this way of travel is felt the moment you step on board. Keep reading for my eight reasons to add APT’s Douro Delights river cruise to your travel list. We started in Madrid, with a bus component before reaching the Spanish/Portugal border and joining the cruise along the Douro River to Porto. 

8 reasons to add APT’s Douro Delights river cruise to your travel list

1. The ship: APT’s MS Estrela 

The MS Estrela is a new river ship in the APT fleet. The 80m ship was custom-built for its tours along Portugal’s Douro River and really does feel like you’re living on a modern, coastal-inspired, luxury floating hotel – if only for a week! There are only a maximum of 114 people on board and with so many shared spaces, it feels like there are even fewer fellow travellers. 

The most stunning shared space is definitely the sun deck. I mean, that pool! It’s one of the largest pools on any Douro River ship, it’s heated and was a magnet for guests every time the sun came out. The sundeck was also the place to be every time we sailed through a lock on the river. This was simply mind blowing to this non-engineering girl!

Even when everyone is together in the lounge area or dining room, the design, layout and floor-to-ceiling picture windows makes it feel like you’re in an intimate space.

The MS Estrela has 57 staterooms and suites over three levels. I was in a French balcony suite on the upper deck and, whenever possible while sailing, I’d return to this spot, open the electronic window and just sit to take in the ever-changing view of vineyards which rise up each side of the Douro river. Arriving at a new town or village was always a treat. Sailing into Porto was something else again. Seeing the city’s iconic coloured buildings hugging the vibrant waterfront from the river was something I’ll never forget.

My 14.6 sq.m suite was just the right amount of space for me (or for a couple), and included a deluxe Queen bed, two sitting chairs, dressing table/desk combination, drawers, shelving and hanging storage. I unpacked immediately and popped my suitcase under the bed. So soothing. So stress-free. 

2. (Almost) everything is included in the cost

Apart from unpacking once, this is such a huge appeal. You don’t have to worry about ever-changing exchange rates and tipping because almost everything is included in the cost of your tour – private airport transfers at the beginning and end of your tour, the pre-tour hotel overnight stay, coach transfer to the start of the cruise, all excursions, signature experiences, all meals and most drinks (there is a small premium list of exclusions). Some suite categories include one free laundry service but otherwise there is a cost to having anything laundered on board.

3. The service is next-level responsive

From the moment you are welcomed on board this river cruise, every touch point with every member of the crew is a friendly and positive experience. You can’t fake that care and consideration. It often felt like they were already solving a potential problem before you’d even asked for help.

If you are an anxious traveller, you would feel immediately at ease. I’m not an anxious traveller but I am the chief organiser of any travel we do. What I found wonderful was handing over control of any organisation to people who only had my best interests at heart and who had thought of every little thing so that I could relax into just enjoying the discovery of a new country. What an absolute treat.

Every evening before dinner, Maria, our cruise director, would take us through everything that was happening the next day. You always felt informed and in good hands. 

4. The food and drinks

“But what’s the food on board like?” was one of the most asked about in my DMs while on tour. Short answer: amazing and varied enough so that you didn’t feel like you were eating the same things every day. Although, disclaimer: I did eat the same thing every breakfast every day – coffee, a freshly made three-egg omelette with everything except onions and yoghurt, fruit and seeds. I mean, when you’re on to a good thing! Let’s just say, coming home has been a reality check. No-one’s making me an omelette. And my own attempt didn’t look anywhere near as pretty.

The emphasis at every meal is very much on fresh, local produce (of which there is plenty in the Douro Valley region). At each town we docked in, the ship’s stores were topped up with fresh fish, fruit and vegetables. Breads and most pastries (including Portuguese tarts – pastéis de nata) were baked on board. And at lunch and dinner there were Portuguese options, offered alongside a mostly European-influenced menu. 

The wine offered on board the river cruise was local too – and it is very good. I did not have one bad glass, red or white. The region is known mostly for its port but it also is home to some incredible table wines and if I could have shipped some home, I would have. Spoiler alert: the freight cost averaged $300/dozen. Cocktails more your thing? The wait staff were always ready to whip up your fave at any time of the day.

5. The countries visited – Spain and Portugal

We started our tour in Madrid, staying the night before at VP Plaza España Design, right in the heart of the capital of Spain. Time poor like I was to discover this city? Drinks at the hotel’s rooftop bar gave a birds eye view of the city skyline and a tapas dinner at La Mi Venta, a five-minute walk away near the Palacio give me a taste to come back, as did the first day of our tour which took us via coach to the university city of Salamanca. It’s an incredible city steeped in history but with a foot very much in the present thanks to its 30,000 university students who come each year to study.

By the end of day one we were on board APT’s MS Estrela, for the start of the Douro Valley river cruise in Portugal. I think this is where I insert a massive apology to Portugal for not having this beautiful country on my future travel radar. It very much is now. I’ve had a delicious taste and I want more. The people are so friendly, the history so diverse and the food so good. The bonus: everyday tourist and food costs seemed much lower than I’d experienced the month before in Greece, UK and France.

6. The excursions

Every day on board the MS Estrela offered a new opportunity to explore in the area we were docked in.

I walked through the mist around the hilltop medieval border village, Castelo Rodrigo.

I learned that port comes in more varietals than just Tawny thanks to tours and tastings at Kopke (the oldest port wine house) and Taylor’s (no connection to Australia’s Taylor’s wines). Just quietly, it’s pink or white port I liked the most – best served over ice with tonic and a twist of lemon!

I learned that Portugal is home to 14 different wine regions, and a must-visit in the Vinho Verde wine region is Quinta da Avelada – for the wine and cheese, yes, but also for the gardens which date back to the 17th Century.

I walked 686 steps down a baroque staircase from Lamego’s cathedral to the town centre, for a tasting of Portuguese sparkling wine (Espumante) and a “sandwich” the town is known for, Bola de Lamego (a sweet bread with meat, cheese or fish between it) before stumbling across a flea market – oh the ceramics I could have bought! A little hand-painted antipasto dish bought for 5 EUR did make it home in one piece.

I fell in love with the tiled walls at Pinhao and Sao Bento (Porto) railway stations … and on almost every building!

I rode the cable car and walked the Dom Luis bridge in Porto – both may not be for you if heights are a problem but they do offer incredible vantage points of this picturesque city.

And I cooked up a storm in one of the most entertaining cooking classes I’ve ever experienced.

7. The Signature Experiences

APT is known for its Signature Experiences, experiences that are specially organised for each tour, experiences you wouldn’t be able to necessarily book for yourself.

The first Signature Experience on this tour was a three-course lunch, surrounded by wine barrels in a cellar at Quinta da Pacheca, a vineyard dating back to the 16th century and now one of the most prestigious properties in the region. You can even stay on site in the middle of the vineyard in a luxuriously converted wine barrel. The lunch was exquisite – the setting, the food and the matching wines all added up to one of those occasions I’d remember forever.

The second Signature Experience was an evening at the Palacia da Bolsa in Porto, starting with a private tour of what was Portugal’s original stock exchange, before a cocktail reception and an incredible Fado performance (traditional Portuguese music) in the jaw-droppingly ornate Arabian Hall. It felt like something out of a movie set and offered such a special connection to Porto’s history and its people.

8. The Freedom of Choice

Are you are a “need to tick off everything, every day”, “like to take it easy” or a “mix a both” kind of traveller? . APT crew on the river cruise work with you to ensure you can personalise your experience with Freedom of Choice excursions to suit your interests. Choose from a few options to suit your taste. With APT you have the Freedom of Choice – to say yes or no to as much or as little as you’d like to do. Yes to choice, I say.

The other question I was most asked: What age are the guests on board?

On our river cruise, I travelled with guests from a range of different ages, from mid-life to post-retirement. There were couples making new friends with like-minded people; daughters travelling with their mum on her last overseas trip; and girlfriends travelling together but in separate cabins. There is richness in travelling with a mix of different age groups and I certainly felt that on board.

Want even more? All my Stories from when on board are available to view on Instagram. Start HERE

Looking for tips on what to pack for a river cruise? Head HERE

For more about APT’s Douro Delights cruise, click HERE

This post was produced as part of a paid partnership with APT

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