Caribbean
Whether you’re running to your connecting flight at MIA, cooling your heels in San Juan, or cruising the cobalt waves of the Atlantic – a trip to the Caribbean is one to savor. While the journey is long, the Caribbean is well worth the wait. Each island is a little different. Some are French Creole, some English, some Dutch and Portuguese. The foods and sights are as diverse as the languages. What unites them are great beaches, a rich history rooted in 15th-18thcentury trading (sugar, pirates, rum, more pirates…), and their economies catering to tourist.
The Caribbean has nine regions: Bahamian, Bermuda, Eastern Caribbean, Florida, Greater Antilles, Gulf of Mexico, Southern Caribbean, Southwestern Caribbean, and Western Caribbean. The Southern Caribbean includes some of the more unique islands that I enjoyed visiting on an 11-day Southern Caribbean Cruise aboard the MS Koningsdam (Holland America Line). Here is a taste of what each island I visited has to offer.
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Mount Gay Rum Distillery
The Mount Gay Visitor Experience welcomes you to discover the secrets behind Barbados’ finest and most celebrated spirit. With five experiences to choose from, you will experience the history of Mount Gay Rum as they take you on a journey of their rich heritage and the time proven craftsmanship of the world’s oldest rum.
Four Square Rum Distillery and Heritage Park
Entrance to Foursquare is free and you are welcome to explore, learning about the various stages of rum-making. Just follow the footprints on the floor around the factory! In addition to the working factory, the Heritage Park with its historic buildings, colonial architecture and folk museum, offers a step back in time and a tribute to the important role that sugar and rum played in Barbados' history.
Rihanna's Childhood Home
Rihanna Drive (formerly Westbury New Road), St Michael, where Barbadian pop star Rihanna grew up, has become a major tourist attraction. Snap a few pictures of this brightly painted house where the current resident pays €1 a month rent!
Great Bay Beach
Philipsburg with the Boardwalk along Great Bay Beach has cleaned up impressively after the hurricane of 2017 and has become once again an attractive center of shopping, business and leisure activities. There are numerous bars and restaurants lining the beach, and even the Casino Rouge et Noir is right at the strand's edge.
St Lucia Canopy Zip-Line
The exciting zip line tour starts innocuously enough with a short walk through a peaceful part of the tropical rainforest, but that’s as pastoral as it gets. You get hitched up to a series of cables and zip from platform to platform high up in the tree canopy. If your adrenaline isn’t flowing then, a brisk hike to the next set of platforms will juice things up a bit before you zip safely and with a thrill to base camp.
St. Louis Cathedral
St. Louis Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral located in Martinique, an overseas department of France. It was built in the late 19th-century in the Romanesque Revival style and serves as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Fort-de-France.
Théâtre Aimé Césaire
An important center for art in its widest sense, the Théâtre Aimé Césaire runs a diverse program of plays, concerts and exhibitions every October until June. The building is named after celebrated Martinican author and politician Aimé Césaire, whose work made significant progress in raising awareness of racial issues for black Caribbean people.
Grand Marché Couvert
The Grand Marché in Fort-de-France, or simply the Marché aux Epices (Spice Market), is the largest market on the island. Beneath its vast metal and glass canopy, you’ll be welcomed by an explosion of colours and scents: fruit and vegetables from farms around the island, plus an array of sacks and a variety of recipients teeming with the flavours of Martinique: vanilla, spices of every description, peppers, “bois bandé”, “rhum arrangé”, energising concoctions etc. Here, you’ll also find local arts and crafts as well as restaurants open at lunchtime serving typical Creole dishes.
Fort Saint Louis
The hulking fortress that gave the city its name lurks on the far side of La Savane and dates from 1640, although most of what stands today is the result of subsequent additions. After years of being closed to the public, Fort St-Louis is finally open to tours, and it's easily the top sight in town.
Schœlcher Biblioteca
If this library doesn’t look much like your average Caribbean building, there’s a reason for that. It’s not. The entire library was first built in France back in 1889, then shipped piece by piece to the island Martinique as an exquisite monument to Victor Schoelcher, the French abolitionist writer from the early 19th century. No Caribbean travel experience in Martinique is complete without taking in this building’s unique architecture.
Caribelle Batiks at Romney Manor
Caribelle Batik has acquired an international reputation for fine batik products made of quality fabrics including the exclusive Sea Island cotton. Using ancient Indonesian methods, Caribelle produced its first batik in 1976. Caribelle has since become the Caribbean’s most sought after batik textiles. Distinctive and unique in design, our batiks cause bystanders to take notice and engage in great discussion whenever they are worn. In addition to their eye catching attributes, these products are durable and last a lifetime.
Dancing Dolphin Catamaran
Enjoy the best of the Virgin Islands on this exclusive half-day sail from St Thomas to the enchanted island of St John on board a custom-designed catamaran. Experience the thrill and excitement of sailing the Caribbean and enjoying lovely, palm-fringed Honeymoon Beach located within the National Park on St John. The brisk sail across Pillsbury Sound brings the catamaran to its special mooring destination at St John, where you can swim across to beautiful Honeymoon Beach. Snorkel, beachcomb, or simply relax under the palms. After your relaxing stay at the beach, delight in the tropical breezes as you make the downwind sail back to St Thomas.
