MARCUS WILLIAMS, UK, MANDALAY PAGAN PACKET, MAR 2017
Pandaw,
Mingalabar! Good morning!
I was lucky enough to win a Pandaw cruise in association with CLIA back in January so booked to travel with my partner Chloe, staying on board the RV Orient Pandaw (Mandalay – Bagan).
I have just arrived back to the UK after an amazing time away in Myanmar. Wow! What a country! But more importantly wow what an experience with Pandaw. Thank you so much for the opportunity to join the cruise to see the beautiful Irrawaddy river!
We joined the cruise in Mandalay on the 4th March after our flight from the UK via Bangkok. After a warm welcome by all the team on board we were excited to see what the week would bring. And what a week! From the hustle and bustle of Mandalay to the Temples in Bagan we were treated like royalty throughout our time on the cruise.
The food was out of this world! Considering just how small the galley kitchen is, the chefs and the dining team did a brilliant job of wowing us all with the local delights! The Burmese cusiine was to die for! Amazing fish soups, curries and salads; we were never left hungry! Not to mention there was always a friendly face to offer us a beer, gin and tonic or a lemonade to keep the heat at bay.
The boat was stunning – beautiful décor and very comfortable cabins ensured our stay was just as luxurious as the service we received from the Pandaw crew. We loved the sun deck in particular – there was always a free sun lounger to relax on whilst watching the world go by!
I loved all of the excursions and the on board activities. It was great to share the Burmese way of life with the crew – I loved the 'dress like the Burmese' where they showed us the versatile Longyi! It provided laughs all around with the enthusiastic crew members giving us an impromptu fashion show! We also thoroughly enjoyed the cooking demonstration where we learned more about the local ingredients and flavours of Myanmar.
The best thing however had to be the staff on board the cruise. From the 1st engineer to the bar staff to the captain all staff were BRILLIANT! They are all shining gems and are all a fantastic asset to the Pandaw family! They provided first class service throughout and no request was too big or too small. For example, they bought me ginger tea when I was un well as well as repairing Chloe's sunglasses when they were broken. They each went above and beyond their call of duty to help us and all passengers onboard the RV Orient Pandaw. We loved their enthusiasm, warmth and friendliness. The 'beach party' was another example of when they all excelled as a team. We loved the beautiful set up of the beach chairs, bar and bonfire. It was a shame that the wind and rain whipped up and even caused the ship to drift and the gang plank to tumble into the river! They then worked as a team to resolve the issue and we ended up having an absolute blast! It was just sad to depart them a week later after such an enjoyable trip.
I have come back with fond memories of my time in Myanmar having had a fantastic time with Pandaw. You should be so pleased with the team on the RV Orient Pandaw as well as all other staff who work tirelessly on the other ships in your fleet. I just hope I can now turn my experience into growing sales for new clients.
So may I wish you a massive thank you but a huge well done to Pandaw and the team. I cannot thank you all enough!
Kind regards,
Marcus Williams
Travel Consultant
