I had to be invited to visit Fred Olsen’s ship Bolette, whilst it was docked in Southampton in August this year. My day started off with a relaxing train ride from Bath Spa taking me directly to Southampton station, which was then only a 5-minute car journey from the station to the City terminal port to board the ship.
When we boarded the ship, we were taken to “The Observatory” lounge, which was located on Deck 9 at the front end of the ship. This area gives you a relaxed feeling whilst giving you first-hand views through high glass windows as you sail on your journey to your destinations. Here we were given a selection of teas, coffees, soft drinks and the most delicious pastries to enjoy. This lounge has a bar area where you can sit throughout the day or in the evenings, whilst they have a pianist playing beautifully in the background adding to that relaxing feeling.
From there, we were taken on a tour of the ship, starting with a detailed tour of the Bridge, which can be organised on board with tours operating 3 times a day: morning, early afternoon & evening with an officer providing detailed explanations of what everything is/ what each thing is used for within the bridge itself. Our next stop was to view some of the different cabins available which were the: Olsen Suites, Premier Suites, Balcony Cabins, Ocean views and Interior – all of these cabins I found to be quite spacious with lots of natural light shining through the windows or sliding doors.
Following on from this, we were then taken on a tour of the different restaurants, lounges and wellness facilities available on board. They have a variety of restaurants on board, all of which have great choices of dining options available. My favourite was the “Colours & Tastes” speciality dining room, as the colourful interior mixed with the choice of food options available looked ever so inviting. My favourite area overall was the Thermal Suite, located within the Spa area. I could envision myself in this beautiful relaxation centre, enjoying the different areas from the steam room to the mineral baths. We then ventured to view more of the different lounges around the ship, my favourite was the newly refurbished “The Botanical room”, which made you feel like you were sitting in a botanical garden itself surrounded by different plants and the natural light shining. The other lounge that I loved was the “Oriental Tearoom” – this room gave off an elegant beauty with its stunning interior and spacious seating. We were able to try a refreshing drink – which was very tasteful.
To finalize our day we had the amazing opportunity to dine in “The Bloomsbury & terrace” restaurant to enjoy a delicious 3-course meal. I opted for the steak, with diced potatoes in a cream sauce for my main, which was cooked to perfection – the presentation and overall flavouring of all 3 courses were truly amazing.
I really enjoyed my visit to this beautiful ship, the elegance and relaxation from all the communal areas on the ship did not disappoint. With only a maximum of 1200 passengers on board at a time and lots of areas to venture to, you can be assured the overcrowding feeling will not happen.
