Discovering Spain's serene side on a Fred Olsen fly-cruise

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Warm sunshine, blue skies and palm trees welcomed me to Valencia, the Spanish city that combines futuristic architecture and centuries-old traditions, as well as being the birthplace of paella. My dad was from Valencia, and his aromatic, sizzling pans of home-cooked paella were the best.

So it was an ideal starting point to join a group of agents to experience Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ Mediterranean fly-cruise programme on a Spain and Italy sailing. The flight-inclusive range has proved popular since launching last year, with nearly half of its fly-cruise bookings from new customers.

Having been told by a well-travelled passenger on the flight from London that ‘Fred’, as she fondly referred to it, was her favourite cruise line, I wanted to see why.

Valencia oranges

Our 1,250-capacity ship, Balmoral, spent a laid-back two nights in Valencia’s port before setting sail, which meant I had two full days to explore. The near-constant sunshine in Spain’s third largest city means evergreen orange trees thrive, providing shade to the urban streets, sweet-scented blossoms and enough fruit to supply more than half of Spain’s orange exports.

In homage to the city’s citrus history, our first shore excursion took us to Huerto Ribera, a family run organic orange grove 40 minutes south of the city. Our guide Ana walked us through the lush grounds of the handsome 19th-century finca, established in 1870 and still occupied by the Ribera family.

Although orange trees were originally imported from China to be cultivated ornamentally, Spaniards fell in love with the zingy, citrusy fruit. Learning about the history of these oranges was fascinating, but sampling them brought Ana’s stories to life, as the excursion culminated in a tasting of varieties ranging from sweet clementines to juicy navel oranges.

However, don’t try to eat the fruit that grows in Valencia’s streets, as it’s sour.