Day 1 Arrival

Upon arrival at the hotel, sit down to a meal with your hosts and fellow travellers to get to know each other. Perhaps during your meal, your conversation will turn towards a shared love of opera, highlighting your favourites and discussing where the passion began. D

Day 2 Faust

This morning is yours to enjoy however you wish. Perhaps stroll along Bournemouth’s attractive seafront, gazing south-west towards ‘Old Harry Rocks’, a formation of chalk stacks which mark the edge of the Jurassic Coast. Enjoy a captivating talk delivered by your hosts about the evening’s performance before dinner.

It is then a short drive to the Mayflower Theatre, where you are invited to take your seats and bask in the operatic splendour of Faust, delivered by the Welsh National Opera. B, D

Day 3 Il Trovatore

After breakfast, enjoy time at leisure to further explore the area. With access to a car, you might like to journey to Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove, or the village of Corfe Castle, which enjoys the sights and sounds of a regularly passing steam train and provided the inspiration for Kirrin Castle in author Enid Blyton’s Five on a Treasure Island.

Back at the hotel, your pre-dinner talk, delivered by Matthew and Judith, is all about Il Trovatore, performed after dinner at the Mayflower Theatre. B, D

Day 4 Russell-Cotes Museum

Your morning is occupied by a visit to the Russell-Cotes Museum, located on Bournemouth’s East Cliff. Its construction took four years, being completed in 1901, after which it was gifted by Merton Russell-Cotes to his wife Annie. The couple filled it with their extensive collection of art, artefacts and sculptures, all of which can be seen today.

The afternoon is yours to spend however you wish before dinner and a farewell concert performed by your host. B, D

Day 5 Farewell

Following breakfast, check out of the hotel and make your way home, having immersed yourself in the splendid world of operatic music, provided by the phenomenal Welsh National Opera. B