Destination: Santander, Northern Spain
Day 2 was going to be a full day at sea, and we would be well into the Bay of Biscay. Having never spent so long on the water I’d been a little anxious about this part of the trip. Especially as I’ve heard the Bay of Biscay can be really unpredictable.
But the overnight crossing of the English Channel was very smooth and we slept really well in our super comfy cabin. By the time we woke, we were already leaving the English Channel. It was a gloriously sunny day, so somewhat bleary eyed, we made a cuppa and made the most of the lovely sea view.
Imagine our surprise and delight, when a pod of dolphins decided to give an impromptu display right outside our cabin window!! Sadly they were gone before we thought to reach for our phone cameras, but it was a fabulous start to our day.
I will most definitely always get an outside cabin in future.
Our cabin
There are lots of accommodation options on the Santona. I’d opted for a 2 berth outside cabin with window and TV. The cabins are actually 4 berth, but the upper berths are hidden away if there are only 2 of you travelling.
There are no tea/coffee facilities, but as I travel with a little electric kettle anyway, I just brought it with us in our ‘ferry bags’. There is a nicely laid out ensuite with shower, and a small space to hang clothes. And between the beds, a small table for drinks, snacks and charging. As I’ve mentioned, it’s european sockets so you’ll need an adapter for any uk plugs.
Here’s a little video showing the layout. As you can see we were fortunately placed very close to the rear doors of the ship, which was great to get access to the outside areas.
As I mentioned, I was preparing for a really important job interview during the trip. Sadly, trying to get any sort of Wifi on the ship was absolutely impossible, despite having paid for the premium Wifi package. So if you want to use anything online during the crossing, be sure to download in advance.
Onboard facilities
As I was effectively unable to work, I decided to make the most of the facilities on board the ship, and there were lots of them!
There was a full schedule of entertainment on board, 2 restaurants, bars, shops and even a cinema! We also had a TV in our room, but we mainly used it to track our progress across the Bay of Biscay.
We had a very relaxing day. We started the day by taking in the bar, listening to the live entertainment and then sitting on the deck in the glorious sunshine. We had a little go on the outdoor gym equipment before deciding that was just too much effort. Then we decided to try a salsa lesson which was such great fun! It was only ourselves and a couple from Scotland taking part but we were all laughing hysterically the whole way through!
Dining
After spending some more time relaxing on the deck, we decided to check out the food options onboard. As I had not pre-booked a table for the a la carte restaurant, we headed to the less formal ‘Taberna’ restaurant.
Before our trip, I had invested in a large food pass, which had been loaded onto my boarding card. This entitled us to spend £50 in any of the restaurants onboard for drinks as well as food. I would recommend buying these in advance as we got an extra £7.50 of credit by doing this. We figured out that the total credit would cover us both for an evening meal and cooked breakfast and several drinks. This was plenty, as we’d brought quite a lot of food onto the ferry with us.
The Taberna menu was great, in fact I thought it was better than the menu in the ‘Azul’ a la carte next door. As a veggie I sometimes struggle to find good food, but the veggie ‘spag bol’ option was delicious and the desserts were fantastic. It was also really nice sitting in the restaurant soaking up the last of the days warm sun.
Whale watching
Given the timing of this crossing, it was also designated as a ‘whale watching’ cruise. Due to the continental shelf, the Bay of Biscay is a great place to spot them. And there were experts on board giving talks and leading watching sessions. So having already spent quite a bit of time chilling in the bar, we decided to spend the evening taking part in one of these. Despite not seeing any actual whales, the experience was very informative, and we had a lovely chat with a lorry driver travelling to Spain from Scotland.
Besides … we’d already seen some dolphins!
As we sailed further and further south across the Bay, the colour of the ocean got darker and darker. By the time the sun was setting it was almost black. It had been a fantastic day and a wonderful crossing. On this occasion the Bay of Biscay had been very gentle with us!
I had absolutely loved my time aboard the Santona and was almost disappointed as I hopped into bed for the last time. But the end of our journey across the Bay would mark the beginning of our fabulous tour of the Iberian Peninsula! With mixed emotions, I closed my eyes and let the gentle motion of the waves rock me to sleep.
