Floating Grace

I don't know about you but I find men difficult to buy gifts for at the best of times, so when my granddad turned 80 last month, rather than the usual whisky or jigsaw, we wanted to treat my grandparents to something a bit different.

I looked around for some ideas, and found The Floating Grace - a dinner boat moored at The Albert Dock in Liverpool, so off we popped.

As I booked us in for Sunday Dinner we had time for a little wander around the docks, enjoying the breeze on a hot afternoon, stopping for a quick coffee in the cafe at The Beatles Store, then embarking the boat at 3pm on the dot.

We enjoyed a two-hour Sunday dinner on board, accompanied by, what the Captain called the 'hysterical' (rather than historical) talk on the fascinating history of the docks. The two-course meal was perfectly nice - Olivia had the children's pasta, I had nut-roast, and the rest of the group had the roast beef. Oli enjoyed two portions of dessert as she nicked my chocolate cake after polishing off her apple pie, and the portion sizes were perfect throughout. Service was quick, if a bit abrupt, but friendly.

The music during the meal was a bit loud and we found ourselves shouting to each other across the table, but this was the only downside to a perfectly pleasant Sunday afternoon.

After the meal, we enjoyed another drink from the fully-stocked bar, while the music was cranked up a little further and the guests enjoyed a little sing-along while cruising back along the waterways.

Overall, very reasonably priced at £25 per adult (drinks are extra), and I recommend for a small group looking for a different way to enjoy a Sunday dinner.