The food aboard the MS Paul Gauguin certainly deserves its own post. I can't even begin to describe how overwhelmed I was with options! Okay, twist my arm. Here we go......
Breakfast: a meal I typically end up skipping during my routine at home, but on the cruise an opportunity to indulge in some of my favorite things. Made-to-order omelettes with every topping imaginable. Strong coffee - oh, how I love strong coffee! Bagels with lox and tomato and onion and capers. Fresh pastries. Fresh fruit. Fresh-squeezed juice. Did I mention fresh? The occasional mimosa (or every morning if you'd like - it's vacation!). What a way to start the day. Did I mention that you can order breakfast via room service? Just in case you wanted to sip coffee from your balcony...
Lunches. Just when you thought you couldn't possibly be hungry again, it's another meal time! Each day brought a new theme for lunches - local Polynesian, American, Italian, Greek - each one somehow better than the day before. I'm telling you, there is something on this ship for every picky eater and dietary restriction.
Dinners. Just like breakfast & lunch, you can choose one of three restaurants on board for dinner. All three serve essentially the same thing for breakfast and lunch, but the menus vary for dinners. La Veranda and Le Grill, the smaller of the three, require reservations for dinner, but it's not difficult to find availability. I had the best steak of my life at Le Grill (sorry, no photo, must have scarfed that down quickly!). And I'll share some photos of our meals at La Veranda here (this is the most upscale of the three):
The third dining option on board is called L'Etoile, the largest of the three and no reservations required. You can request a table for two if it's privacy you're looking for, or go for the larger shared tables to meet new friends. We had a blast meeting other guests on board and swapping stories of our days in paradise (our waiter Flo was quite the character!):
Les Gauguines often surprised the dinner crowd with live music:
And of course scattered throughout the day are tea times.....
Adventure Life is always an excellent choice when planning complicated, extreme, or exotic vacations or expeditions. They provide friendly professional services and advice and are enthusiastic and encouraging in helping us to prepare and thoroughly enjoy our trip. They handle all the details which greatly reduces the stress of planning a difficult trip. I'm very impressed with Adventure Life and definitely recommend them to friends and family.
Scott Trochim
2 days ago
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
4 days ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
5 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.