Mail on Sunday

Tulips, Wine Trips - and a Vessel with Tsar Quality ; From Amsterdam to the Amazon, Caroline Hendrie Says There's Nothing so Relaxing As a Cruise Down the River

Could anything be nicer to look forward to in these dark wintry days than a spring break to the cheery bulb fields of Holland? A three-night round trip aboard the comfortable Princess Christina from Amsterdam has a trip to the spectacular Keukenhof Gardens, the largest flower gardens in the world, included in the price. In April the countless tulips will be in full bloom and every year there are new intricate flower mosaics to marvel at.

The Ship's Kitten ; Atomic Kitten's Liz Mcclarnon Is Used to Whistle-Stop Tours with Her Band, but This Time She Took Things Easy On a Relaxing Cruise to Explore the Med

A couple of years ago I cruised around the Greek islands and I had a really good time. So, having enjoyed that first taste of cruising, I leapt at the chance to try one from the UK, sailing out of Southampton and returning there two weeks later. The thing that really appealed was not having to board an aircraft. I'm quite nervous about flying and with the band I've had to fly a lot - ten years of flying everywhere, four times a week minimum.

Talk Like an Egyptian! ; Joyce Thomas and Her Fellow Travellers Meander Up the Nile with a Highly Vocal Tour Guide... And Just About Manage to Finish the Trip Without Losing Anyone

Rendezvous time was 1.30pm, it's well gone two o'clock and half a dozen of our party are still missing, last seen heading for McDonald's in busy, bustling, hornhonking, slightly terrifying Cairo. The capital of the Arab Republic of Egypt is one of the world's biggest, most heavily populated cities and it's all too easy to lose your way in its labyrinth of dusty streets. Jack, our tour manager, would have been concerned about anyone who'd got lost, of course, but more worryingly, a couple of o...

Offbeat Sights On the Rhine's Beaten Track ; Bollywood Pilgrimages, Half-Naked Men and a Dancefloor On Top of a Wine Barrel... Amy Watkins Enjoys a Very Wacky Cruise

Embarking on a relaxing cruise down the Rhine, I was expecting to see hilltop castles and sweeping vineyards on the trip from Basel to Cologne. But I knew this wasn't going to be a typical journey when I looked out of my cabin window in Basel to see a man in pants floating past holding on to a plastic bag, followed by a bunch of squealing children riding inner tubes on the fast current. The half-naked man deftly climbed out of the sparkling river, pulled on a smart suit and iPod that had been...

Super Mario? My Lad Would Much Rather Be in the Nile High Club ; Rory Maclean Joins His Son On an Unforgettable Balloon Flight As They Search for the Lost Egyptian King Ahmose

The dawn light struck the face of Ra. Finn stared into his stony eyes, waiting for an answer. We had come to Cairo on a mission, as well as to try to distract our seven-year-old from his longing for a Nintendo DSi for his birthday. If almighty Ra, creator of all life whose features are said to be chiselled into the Sphinx, couldn't take his mind off Super Mario, then no one could. 'Ra called each of the pharaohs into existence by saying their secret names,' our guide Mohammed whispered into h...

Great Whites to Starboard... ; Amy Watkins Enjoys a Ship's Eye View of Giant Icebergs On Her Way From Norway to Iceland in the Oarstrokes of the Vikings

I don't really believe in magic, but I was secretly hoping for some as I stood on the deck of the cruise ship MS Discovery 125 miles north of the Arctic Circle. A thick soup of fog engulfed Disko Bay off the coast of western Greenland where we had come to see the hundreds of giant icebergs that break off the Ilulissat icefjord each year. Our hopes appeared to have been dashed when suddenly a ray of hope appeared in the form of an eerie ice halo forming over the ship's bow. It was the signal f...

Goodbye Grey Skies, Hello Magical Marrakech

January can be a depressing time, so why not cheer yourself up with a winter break? Pamper yourself in the candlelit hammam at Maison Arabe in Marrakech. The luxury hideaway is in the medina, a short walk to the souk. A threenight trip in February with Morocco Gateway (www.morocco-gateway.com) costs from Pounds 210pp. Expedia (www.expedia.co.uk) offers return flights on easyJet from Gatwick from Pounds 112pp.

Turkey...With All the Trimmings ; Tv Presenter Lisa Maxwell Checks Into a Flawless Hotel and Enjoys a Magical 'Back to the Womb' Experience

Afriend told me that Bodrum was Turkey's answer to St Tropez - a charming resort, stylish and elegant. I'd never been to Turkey before but I'd heard it was very cheap, the climate was amazing and it was great for families. So I decided to give it a try. In my book, summer holidays are for Europe (it isn't worth going long-haul and risking the heat or the hurricanes of exotic places). We normally go to Italy or Spain and sometimes to France. My destination of choice would probably be Umbria or...

Sun, Sea, Sand...And the Sexiest Grandad in Tennis ; Former Wimbledon Champion Pat Cash Serves Up a Caribbean Treat for Wendy Gomersall

I stood in happy silence, cocktail in hand, gazing out to sea, as a fiery sunset seeped across the horizon, streaking the deep-blue sky in orange, mauve and magenta. Most of the other women aboard our yacht were not looking at the spectacular ocean view, however, but at my 6ft companion, tennis legend - and surely the best-looking grandad in the universe - Pat Cash. I smiled smugly and hummed an updated version of the Pussycat Dolls hit to myself. 'Don't cha wish your boyfriend was hot like m...

Not All Rhodes Lead to Faliraki ; the Tv Yummy Mummy Takes Her Family for a Taste of Authentic Greece

Although a trip to the Greek island of Rhodes sounded appealing at first, I wasn't overjoyed to discover that our destination of Kolymbia is next door to the notorious resort of Faliraki. 'Beery Brits abroad' and all-day breakfasts sprang to mind, but I was persuaded not to call the whole thing off when I learned that this beautiful beach resort was somewhat quieter than, and nothing like, Faliraki.

Journey to the Top of the Food Chain

NATALIE PINKHAM'S BOTSWANA DIARY PLUS EGYPT

Frankie B Goode... My Night As a Cruise Ship Rock God

As any wannabe rock star knows, karaoke is fun. But singing to a backing tape is a long way from the real thing of getting up on a stage and performing with a live band behind you. The Carnival cruise line, ever on the lookout for new ways of adding 'fun' to its onboard entertainment, has launched what it calls Superstar Live Karaoke. And it wanted me to put the concept to the test.

In Search of an Adventure, From Kilimanjaro to Hudson Bay

If you are keen to meet polar bears, Windows on the Wild (020 8742 1556, www.windowsonthewild.com) offers a range of holidays to Churchill, the polar bear capital of the world in Canada's Hudson Bay. Options include a Mother And Cubs Adventure staying at Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge, where they may wander past your window; a photo safari at Seal River Heritage Lodge with the chance to go dog- sledding and take a helicopter flight over the tundra; or a six- night trip to the Tundra Buggy Lodge at Po...

Inside

Lazing by the Pool? Gazing at the Taj Mahal? Getting Personal with a Polar Bear? What Your Holiday Says About You...

What says more about you as a person: the holidays you take or the job you do every day? In a recent survey, far more people said they believed their holidays indicated their real personality. You are, it seems, where you holiday - not where you work.

Knocking at the Pearling Gates ; Rebecca Stephens Explores the New Luxury Jewel in the Crown of Western Australia

There was a collective squeal as the pearler plunged his hands into the guts of the open mother-of-pearl shell, pushing up a marblesized lump that emerged glinting and as perfect as the ones that cost thousands in a showroom. I was at Willie Creek pearl farm near Broome, a town that was built on pearling and put on the tourist map by a friend of Margaret Thatcher.

From Brooklyn to the Bahamas with Spongebob Squarepants ; Malcolm Herdman Is Desperate to Befriend His Cartoon Shipmate On a Caribbean Cruise...If Only His 11-Year-Old Twins Will Let Him

As our ship slipped gently out of New York harbour, it was a chance to reflect on a hectic few days that we'd spent sightseeing in Manhattan. A passing sailing schooner in the late afternoon sunshine reminded me of a trip around the island in a similar vessel more than 20 years earlier. Then the sky was also blue and the Twin Towers still rose into it above the other skyscrapers of lower Manhattan. We'd been to Ground Zero on this trip, and sat at the memorial fountain next to the huge buildi...

Donald Duck, Goofy - and Lunch at the Rose & Crown ; Forget the Rides...For Now! Sebastian Lander Discovers a Disney World of Fine Dining

The fact that Mickey Mouse had neglected to put a set of scales in my room was probably an act of mercy. For a giant rodent who presumably eats mostly cheese, the main mouse certainly knows how to put on a spread. My concern over an expanding waistline was not that the food at Walt Disney World in Florida was necessarily over-calorific. It was more that my self-control was underactive, no doubt subdued by the variety on offer. In short, it was hard to say No.

...While Marco's Just Mad About the Jerk Chicken

Ireally like Jamaica and I've developed a serious passion for the food. I was there recently at the invitation of Sandals to present the local food awards in Kingston, so it was a great opportunity to rediscover eating places I had enjoyed on previous trips and meet some up-and-coming chefs. When I go to Jamaica, I love the simple jerk shacks, and buying fish from the friendly locals. This time I made sure I sampled all the traditional favourites: curried goat, jerk chicken, peas and rice. Bu...

Jamaica? It's Right Up Our Street! ; Shobna Gulati Goes From Corrie to the Caribbean with Her Teenage Son

Of all the Caribbean islands, Jamaica has been top of my wish list to visit for a very long time. I imagined it would be the most interesting and lively. And the 30-minute airport transfer from Montego Bay to our hotel, the Gran Bahia Principe in Run away Bay on the north of the island, fully bore out those expectations.