Review of P&O cruise on Iona to Spain and Portugal

The main atrium on Iona. (Image: Stuart Anderson)

Cruising is a funny old thing. On the one hand, a recent survey of Brits’ holiday dreams for 2023 had a cruise ship adventure in the number one spot. On the other, cruise companies are coming under increasing scrutiny over the environmental impact of their ever-larger vessels.

Whichever way you see it, it's clear that cruising has been on the up since travel restrictions became a thing of the past. 

Iona in port in Alicante, Spain (Image: Stuart Anderson)

And Iona - the first British cruise ship to be powered by liquefied natural gas - represents how the industry is facing up to the challenges of the future. But the vessel still has one leg firmly rooted in a legacy of ease and luxury which has always made this form of travel so popular. 

The holiday my partner Bec and I were treated to was two weeks of fine dining, entertainment and fun on board, interspersed by views of Iberian landscapes, self-guided tours and organised ‘shore excursions’ in the ports of Vigo, Malaga, Alicante, Barcelona, Caditz and Lisbon. 

Here are a few highlights:

Horse riding in Andalucia
A laid-back and hilarious local called José was our guide for a trip ashore in Spain’s sunny south.

“In Malaga,’ José tells us “We have one summer and three springs. The people here are lucky, they just don’t know it.”

Horse riding outside Torremolinos in Spain (Image: Stuart Anderson)

We joined a small group of hardy adventurers on an outing to the equestrian centre El Ranchito, in the hills behind the nearby resort of Torremolinos.

The owner showed us around an arena where lordly Andalucian horses rear and strut at shows for thousands of admiring fans. 

Then it was onto the backs of our own, thankfully more docile steeds, for a ride out around a rocky olive grove overlooking the sea. 

My horse was called Farida, which I found out later is an Arabic term for ‘unique’. It was an appropriate name for an area that was part of Al-Andalus - the Muslim Iberian kingdom - for around 800 years. 

A scene from Park Güell, designed by Gaudí, in Barcelona (Image: Stuart Anderson)

Gaudí’s greatest
When I was last in Barcelona in the early 2000s I stood on a street and gazed up at the Sagrada Família church - that eternal construction site dreamed up by the visionary architect Antoni Gaudí and started over 140 years ago.

The still-under-construction Sagrada Família church in Barcelona. (Image: Stuart Anderson)

This time around I was able to step inside the cavernous nave, where twisted columns soar into the space above before splitting off into branches like an enormous granite forest. Bright hues from across the spectrum filter through the stained-glass windows, bathing the space with colour. 

The effect is spellbinding, and you can’t help but wonder just how impressive the building will look when it is finally complete.

Inside the Sagrada Família church in Barcelona. (Image: Stuart Anderson)

But with a bunch of towers still to build, and a once-hoped-for target of 2026 - the centenary of Gaudi’s death - already ruled out, who knows when that will be? 

Surprising Alicante
Having heard the Costa Blanca was a ghetto for tourists we were taken aback by how genuine, fun and beautiful Alicante was.

A scene from the beach in Alicante, Spain (Image: Stuart Anderson)

Our day began with a hike up to the top of the castle, the Castillo de Santa Barbara, which looms high on a hill like a gigantic, sandy guard dog.

Views from the peak are stunning, and you have the chance to learn about the site’s history from the Bronze Age through to the Franco era, when it was used as a prison in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War.  

On 'Mushroom Street' in Alicante (Image: Stuart Anderson)

We then headed down to explore the old town and found ‘Mushroom Street’, an alleyway filled with huge, sculpted fungi like something out of Alice in Wonderland.

The walk back to the ship involved a stroll along the waterside Esplanada d’Espanya, a palm-lined promenade lined with grand buildings and filled with street cafes.

Esplanada d’Espanya in Alicante (Image: Stuart Anderson)

Cheese and white villages
The isolated hill villages of southern Spain may not be where you would expect to find some of the world’s best cheeses, but Quesos El Bosqueño, north of Gibraltar, is no stranger to international awards.

Taking part in a cheese-making workshop at Quesos El Bosqueño, southern Spain. (Image: Stuart Anderson)

As we learned at the little interpretation centre, it comes from two rare breeds of goat which are only found in that part of the world. We even had a go at pressing the whey out of cheese-in-the-making into wicker baskets, and tried varieties fused with rosemary, mustard and even sherry.

This was followed by a stroll around another of the region’s famed ‘white villages’, Zahara de la Sierra.

One of southern Spain's famed 'white villages', Zahara de la Sierra (Image: Stuart Anderson)

Gary Barlow
Yes, the former Take That singer was on our cruise for one night only in Barcelona, cranking out his old classics in the ship’s huge Headliners theatre.

It was a hugely fun evening, and although Barlow is not on every Iona itinerary, he is a permanent presence on the ship.

Bary Barlow performing on board Iona in Barcelona (Image: Stuart Anderson)

He partnered with P&O to design the look and music of another venue, the 710 Club. And there are plenty of other places to hang out on board, including our favourite, Anderson’s.

It's a low-key bar where they serve tipples from the ship’s tiny in-house gin distillery, which is said to be the only one at sea.

Gin made on board Iona, served in Anderson's bar (Image: Stuart Anderson)

Food on board
This review would not be complete without mentioning what we ate on Iona as food is one of the main reasons people go on cruises.

The ship has more than 30 restaurants or bars spanning everything from upmarket Indian at Sindhu to American street food at the Boardwalk Diner and everything in between.

One of the dishes at the Keel and Cow on board Iona (Image: Stuart Anderson)

Lasagne at the Olive Grove restaurant on Iona (Image: Stuart Anderson)

Our favourites were the Olive Grove - which serves dishes from all over the Med including a brilliant beef kofta hanging kebab - and the Keel and Cow. At the latter you’ll find a modern twist on pub classics including the ‘Prime Minister Burger’ which claims to be the best burger at sea - I didn’t disagree!

A vegetarian meal at Sindhu on Iona (Image: Stuart Anderson)

Our verdict
This was a great, all-round holiday where we didn’t have to worry about making travel connections or changing hotel rooms - everything was made easy.

The ship offered a fantastic range of things to do, but we still got to explore some of Iberia’s highlights and lesser-known gems.

I can easily see why cruising topped that list of holiday dreams. 

*14-night Spain and Portugal cruises on Iona cost from £649, visit pocruises.com/cruise-ships/iona for more.

On board P&O's Iona (Image: Stuart Anderson)