🌎 Back from the Med (with a useful travel tip!)

Hello again fellow travelers!

We’ve just returned from another stay in Villefranche-sur-Mer on the French Riviera, followed by an 11-night Mediterranean cruise aboard Azamara Quest.

We loved the south of France so much on our Star Clippers sailing cruise last fall that we decided to go back for more.

Why Azamara?

This time, we sailed with Azamara Cruises, which we think of as “luxury lite” cruising:

Four smaller ships, each carrying about 700 passengers each
Spacious suites available
Exceptional service, with a high crew-to-passenger ratio
Most alcoholic drinks and gratuities included

The big draw? Longer time in port

The main reason we chose Azamara is because they focus on destination immersion. Ships stay in port until 8:00 or 10:00 p.m. (and overnight for two full days in at least one port-of-call).

That gave us the freedom to plan our own days ashore without worrying about getting back before sail-away.

Instead of booking ship excursions, we arranged our own outings through Viator, GetYourGuide (like our small-group Uffizi Gallery tour in Florence) and local operators. They were less expensive and a better fit for our interests than the cruise shore excursions.

We’ll share more about Azamara once we’ve finished our full review...

💰 A hotel-booking tip that saved us money

Here’s something worth trying before your next hotel stay…

After our cruise, we spent a night at the lovely 5-star boutique Hotel Casa Sagnier in Barcelona.

We’d originally booked a refundable room through Booking.com. But a few days before arrival, we called the hotel as we needed to shorten our stay.

Surprise! The hotel offered us a better rate if we canceled our Booking.com reservation and booked directly over the phone.

Not only was the rate lower for the exact same balcony room, it was also less than the rate shown on the hotel’s own website!

Because we’d booked a refundable rate with Booking.com, we simply:

Canceled our Booking.com reservation
Rebooked directly with the hotel
Saved about $75 USD on a one-night stay

The takeaway

We often get excellent rates through Booking.com (less than hotel-direct rates) and use it all the time.

But if you’ve booked a refundable reservation, it can be worth calling the hotel a few days before arrival and asking if they can do better.

Hats off (or on!) to you

Okay, we’re not going to win any fashion awards in this photo taken at Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild in Cap Ferrat, France.

But we are winning points for sun protection, right?

➡️ The pink SunShade hat I’m wearing is a bargain (I paid less than $9 USD on Amazon). I liked it so much I bought another one in ivory and gray.

➡️ For George, we bought a light gray FURTALK men’s hat (with a slightly larger fit than mine). We may need to buy another one soon, though. Somehow, his hats have a habit of disappearing during our travels... 😄

👀 Travel news from around the world

What’s caught our attention lately:

Are Americans welcome in Europe? — The answer is a “big fat YES,” says Rick Steves. Europeans want to talk about “today’s crazy headlines” and want to learn Americans’ perspectives on what’s happening around the world.
Why your carry-on luggage may not be allowed on the flight — Even if your bag meets your airline’s size limits, it can still be gate-checked. One common reason? A full flight with not enough overhead-bin space for everyone’s luggage. If your carry-on contains essential medications, however, tell the gate agent, as that may exempt it from being checked.
What travelers should know about infectious disease risk — In this Forbes article, health experts say simple habits like frequent handwashing, keeping an eye on local health alerts and taking sensible precautions are more important than ever in today’s connected world.