Ma Passion — Restaurant in Roeselare

I just completed the Western Route offered aboard the M/Y Passion Yacht, among the Galapagos Archipelago islands. It was Marvelous.

I don’t do trips like this often so please don’t consider me a veteran of such luxury trips. Having said that, the ship and the experience exceeded my expectations on most every level.

THE BOAT: M/Y Passion is a beautiful and comfortable vessel. Having arrived in the Galapagos a few days before, I was already wilting from the heat and humidity outside and so I was delighted to be led to our cool, dry, air conditioned cabin and to find gobs of storage space, a huge bathtub/shower, all the hot water one could ask for (they de-salinate seawater on the fly) comfortable beds and even a bidet!

Above us were three other public decks: the main (fine) dining and indoor/outdoor group gathering areas, both one flight up, then, above that, the bar/library/and outdoor (al fresco) dining level which includes the bridge up front (always open and available to curious passengers) and a forward sitting area, and finally the top level, all outdoors, with a hot tub and lounge chairs. The place is kept super clean including daily room upkeep and continuous ship-wide upkeep by the diligent staff.

THE ROUTINES: Every day was jam packed with offered activities. By consensus, our group of 13 guests agreed to an early breakfast 6:15 and so an early start to the day. (The sun jumps up at 5:30 AM and plummets by 6:00 PM every night so an early to bed, early to rise schedule made sense and was easy.)

All formal meals were at one of the two large tables (indoors or outdoors depending on the weather) and each was unique, with a wide variety of food types, all absolutely delicious and served hot and fresh. Lunch and dinner were three-course affairs with a soup or salad, main courses and a dessert.

The activities were all under the direction of our guide, Fernando. What can I say about a tireless, brilliantly-informed expert on the Galapagos (a very worldly man who was also raised here) who can boast a resume of extensive wildlife research and activism that was downright humbling.

I’m always hungry to learn and peppered him with questions constantly, always receiving a comprehensive answer. I learned a ton from this man and now consider him a friend.

The daily activities always included one or two snorkeling outings and usually a landing to explore the topography and wildlife. There were four presentations given as well by Fernando about the unique facets of The Galapagos that everyone attended.

All off-ship activities began with jumping into one of two Zodiac boats to bring us ashore or to a diving site, and the expert boat operators kept us safe while snorkeling and dry while traveling between ship and shore.

Returning wet from diving meant a hot outdoor shower rinse and hot tea served the moment we returned, and a hiking excursion meant a refreshing moist towel and cold fresh juice instead, all served by Carlos, our waiter/bartender/maître d’.

Aside from a welcome glass of champagne and the same for our farewell, shared with the entire staff, alcoholic beverages were available at a price ($6 for beer or wine, $12 for a cocktail.)

THE OTHER GUESTS: There is a happy phenomenon called “selection bias” at work here. The very nature of planning and executing such a trip means you are likely to find yourself among people with similar interests, in this case, an interest in traveling, perhaps a bit outside one’s comfort zone (although once on that boat, comfort was never an issue!) an interest in nature’s incredible beauty and diversity and in seeing and appreciating other parts of the world outside one’s home country. We met a couple from London, a mother and daughter from The Netherlands and the rest North Americans. We liked every single person immensely.

This was the type of educational and activities-filled week I have been dreaming of and I loved every minute. Highly...

Als zwangere vrouw heb ik me hier niet superwelkom gevoeld. Akkoord, ik heb het restaurant niet vooraf verwittigd omdat het restaurant een verrassing was mijn vader, die ik op mijn beurt verrast heb die dag met het nieuws van de zwangerschap. Bij een restaurant van dergelijk niveau zou je toch denken dat je kan rekenen op de creativiteit van de chef om hier zorgvuldig mee om te gaan. Echter werd er niets aan de hapjes aangepast waardoor ik drie van de vijf hapjes niet kon eten. Het voorgerecht werd wel aangepast maar werd met een gepocheerd ei geserveerd waarvan het eigeel nog lopend was. Toen ik de gastvrouw hierop attent maakte kreeg ik enkel als reactie dat het ei gepocheerd was, dat dat oké zou moeten zijn, maar dat is dus niet het geval. Bijgevolg kon ik niets van het eerste voorgerecht opeten gezien het eigeel overal gelopen was. Enige oplossing of een nieuw gerecht werd niet aangereikt. Spijtig. De overige gerechten...

Gaan eten met de formule " Dining with stars " , heel interessant om nieuwe restaurants te ontdekken maar na 8 heel positieve ervaringen in andere restaurants...wat een tegenvaller ! Geen enkel kwaliteitsproduct gekregen : tapenade van tomaat bij het aperitief , als voorgerecht tomaat burrata , tweede voorgerecht een minieme portie handgepelde garnalen met een crème van erwt en als hoofdgerecht , amper een pladijsfiletje met alweer tomaat mozzarella. Wij wonen in Nieuwpoort en kennen de prijs van de vis ...een tong- of grietfiletje zou toch iets culinair hoogstaand geweest zijn . Als je maar zo'n menu kan voorschotelen omdat we met die formule komen eten , dan raad ik jullie aan daar niet meer aan deel te nemen . Heel ontgoochelend, ...