Our journey started in London, where we live, from where we flew via Madrid to Buenos Aires for a 2-night stay in the Buenos Aires Sofitel. From there, we flew to Ushuaia, the world's southernmost city, where we stayed one night in the Hotel Cap Polonio. We then boarded the Grigoriy Mikheev, which took us on a 12-day cruise around the Antarctic Pensinsula, before returning to Ushuaia. After a brief stay in Ushuaia, we flew back to London.
We booked most of our trip (the cruise, the flights, and accommodation in Ushuaia) through Island Holidays. They were very helpful and we would have no hesitation in recommending them. The only part we booked ourselves was our hotel in Buenos Aires, which we booked direct with Sofitel.
We booked our cruise in May 2004, which was possibly a little on the late side for a December departure. We were probably a bit lucky to get a place: I believe our cabin was the last one available on the ship. Luckily, it was a superior cabin with a double bed and en-suite facilities, neither of which comes as standard on the small ships used for Antarctic cruising.
We then left it until August before booking the flights and accommodation. This was a mistake, as we discovered that hotels in Ushuaia are heavily booked in the Antarctic cruising season, and our choice of hotel in Ushuaia was greatly restricted. We were luckier with the flights, however, and got a good deal on an upgrade to business class with Aerolíneas Argentinas, which was worth every penny.
Read more about the accommodation (including the ship)
Read our top tips for booking an Antarctic holiday