Anyone passing the Belvedere Restaurant in Holland Park, London, on Saturday must have wondered what on earth was happening. Instead of the silence of speechless diners forking out ludicrous sums of money for lunch and wine (of which more later), there was a gangway into the building and the screams of happy children emanating from inside.
This was Azura day - a brilliant few hours when some of the exciting stuff on P&O Cruises' new ship, launching April 2010, was on display for invited guests.
They had done a great job transforming the place for the event, with a Wii sport downstairs so we could practise our ski jumps and golf (and yes, there will be a Wii on Azura), and a kids' area next door (hence the happy screams). Upstairs, there was a spa and nail salon, and wine-tasting sessions.
I was treated to two spa taster treatments courtesy of Andrew - a much-needed neck, back and shoulder massage after a week of fun rock-climbing and failed crab hunting (we found five and two of them were dead!) in Cornwall and the much more exotic-sounding pada-abhyanga.
I've no idea how you say it, but it's one of three new ayurvedic treatments that P&O Cruises will be offering in the spa and was lovely. I had just 15 minutes in Andrew's hands; it didn't need much imagination to see that 30 minutes or so will be pure bliss.
Naturally I also made it to one of the wine-tasting sessions, hosted by TV wine guru Olly Smith, who is selecting the wine for the Glass House, a restaurant-cum-wine bar that will debut on Azura.
He dug out some great wines for us to try, from an almost cheap-and-cheerful £7.99 South African white (sold in the restaurant for about £79...see what I mean about the prices?), which I really enjoyed, and a £400 red (I didn't dare ask ....).
Olly will be selecting 72 wines available by the glass for the Glass House (as well as all the wine for the rest of the ship), which will be expertly matched to each course served there by the ship's sommelier.
Whoever he is, I'm sure he'll know his stuff, but I can't help thinking Olly will be sadly missed as much of the enjoyment of the session was in his inimitable presentation. He will be Azura on four times a year - and once on holiday! - so he can make sure everything is working OK.
My advice? Find out those dates and book one of the cruises. You'll hae a fun time and be able to bore your friends with your new-found knowledge about classy plonk.
Jane Archer
