The Emerald Liberte is just one year old and has lovely clean and uncluttered lines. The swimming pool is a big bonus and doubles as a cinema when the floor is slid over it. Service from the lovely young hard-working crew is amazing, all overseen by Istevan the Hotel Manager who is a huge asset to Emerald Waterways. Everything runs incredibly smoothly because of his management - a true, gracious professional.

The food is fantastic - consistently. The housekeeping team are wonderful and rooms are looked after well with an evening 'turn-down' service.

I would say to those who have never been on a river cruise, remember that you are herded together with a lot of diverse folk in a limited space. You also have to enjoy being organised in a 'hi-de-hi campers' fashion. It's not for everyone and it's not for us again. Having said that, if you are thinking of a river cruise, I'm convinced you couldn't do better than Emerald Waterways - they have style.