Coast is clear in the Caribbean
THERE’S more to the Caribbean than lovely beaches.
There’s shopping, wildlife, history, exploration . . . and did I mention the lovely beaches? While the Mediterranean is booming as a destination for holidays at sea, the Caribbean is where popular cruising began.
Although it’s a ten-hour flight away, you’re virtually guaranteed perfect weather when you get there. Cruising is the best way to see it.
You’ll wake up at a different tropical paradise every day.
And you’ll spend your evenings enjoying the bars, restaurants, casinos and nightclubs aboard your floating hotel.
Here STEVE READ looks at some of his favourite Caribbean destinations . . .
St Thomas
GREAT shopping, top water sports – and Megan’s Bay, the prettiest beach in the whole Caribbean.
Ships arriving at the capital Charlotte Amalie dock at Havensight or the former US submarine base at Crown Bay. Havensight has better shops on the quayside but Crown Bay is closer to town – where the bargains are to be found. If your ship has to anchor in the bay, it’s a bumpy 25-minute tender ride.
Duty-free shopping in town is great, especially for electronics. There are jewellery stores everywhere and top fashion brands – some fake, some genuine. If St Thomas is on your itinerary, do your shopping here.
Megan’s Bay is simply perfect. Edged with palm trees and with fine sand and crystal clear water, it’s the only beach on St Thomas with an admission charge (around £2.50) but there is waitress service for drinks.
More lively types might prefer Sapphire Beach. It has the island’s best diving and loads of other activities, including exhilarating banana boats.
If your ship stays for the evening, head for Duffy’s Love Shack in Red Hook for a top night. Just make sure you’ve booked a taxi back to the ship!
Cozumel, Mexico
THIS is one of the busiest Caribbean cruise ports, where sometimes there can be seven or eight ships in at once.
Snorkelling ... tropical seas
Two of the port’s three piers are in use – the third was destroyed by Hurricane Wilma in 2005 – and it’s unlikely that you will be taken ashore by tender.
The island has some of the best coral reefs in the world – Jacques Cousteau put Cozumel on the map in the Sixties – and tourism is the island’s only industry.
It is surrounded by one beautiful, continuous beach. There are secluded coves and livelier areas within minutes of the piers.
The best of both worlds is at Playa Mia, which has full facilities as well as plenty of space.
Divers and snorkellers will have the time of their lives. Sand Dollar beach is one of the best places to start – all the tours provide equipment, instruction and expert guides.
Duty-free shopping is everywhere and prices are good. Those Mexican masks always look nice on your mantelpiece afterwards!
Barbados
THE closer your ship docks to the busy streets of Bridgetown, the harder your captain has worked.
It’s a tight fit and takes some tricky manoeuvring. So buy him a drink when you see him!
If you’re leaving your cruise here, try to get a late flight home so you can explore this very British town – it even has its own Trafalgar Square with a statue of Admiral Lord Nelson which is even older than the one back home in London.
The Careenage is the nicest area for shopping, a former dock converted into top-notch stores, restaurants and bars – there are plenty of places for a rum and Coke!
There are also great beaches and, if you have time, there are booze cruises offering sand, snorkelling and plenty of dancing.
History is everywhere, from pirates’ coves to old British establishments with fabulous names including the Gun Hill Signal Station and the Military Prison.
A $3 (£1) taxi ride from the cruise terminal takes you to The Boatyard Beach Club which has a bit of everything – shopping, restaurants, bars and of course, a beach, with excellent entertainment for children.
Antigua
THERE are 366 beaches on Antigua and each one is an absolute delight.
The best is Jolly Beach, a short boat ride from the harbour. It’s a mile long, with powder-white sand and sprinkled with bars and diners.
A friendly local will almost certainly offer to fetch your drinks, guard your stuff while you go into the sea and – most useful – remind you when it’s time to head back to the ship. Just tip them a few dollars at the end of your day.
I’ve been there several times and have never heard of anyone being ripped off. Tourism is a lucrative business for the island and keeping a good reputation is vital to the locals.
The English Harbour is steeped in history – many of the 17th and 18th-century buildings have been restored and Nelson’s Dockyard makes a fascinating day out.
Or you can just stay in the town, St John’s. The dock can take up to four cruise ships and it’s only a few steps from the shopping streets.
St Lucia
BANANA ketchup. Piton lager. The best rum punch in the Caribbean. And all the beaches are open to the public – even semi-private ones like at the luxury Sandals resort, a short taxi ride from the capital Castries.
England and France fought over the island all through the pirate years of the 17th and 18th Century. It changed hands 14 times, until we won in 1814.
St Lucia is a tropical delight, with rainforests, mountains, beautiful beaches and remarkable wildlife.
The best way to explore is on a Rum Runners jeep tour. You’re bounced around in the back of a Land Rover along winding, hair-raising roads by drivers who all think they own the road.
But the sights you’ll see are absolutely breath-taking. Try to visit Sulfur Springs – the world’s only drive-through volcano!
Unless you’re going in a cab to a specific destination such as Sandals, St Lucia is not a place to go exploring on your own. Some visitors have been robbed so it’s best to stick with the excursions organised by the ship. The best advice is: If you’ve got it, don’t flaunt it.
Jamaica
SOME ships call at Montego Bay, others at Ocho Rios. Or MoBay and Ochi, as the locals call them.
From both, the top excursion on the island is to Dunn’s River Falls. It’s a natural, fast-flowing waterfall and is one of the few rivers in the world which fall directly into the sea. You link hands with other tousists to form a human chain to walk up it. If you are worried about falling, you can hire rubber shoes.
MoBay’s main street, Gloucester Avenue, is lined with shops and restaurants.
Make sure you try the local dish, ackee – a kind of fruit – and saltfish, washed down with a tot of local Jamaican rum which will blow your socks off.
At Ochi there’s a beach to the left of the cruise terminal. Best to take a taxi for the five-minute journey – with golden sand and great fish restaurants.
It’s a poor country, with high unemployment and some scary beggars.
But apart from zero-tolerance of gays – it’s illegal – the people are friendly and usually “ebery ’ting is ah right man”.
Aruba
TURN left out of the port at Oranjestad and walk about half a mile along the road and you’ll come to a fabulous, undisturbed, pristine white sandy beach. Turn right and you’re in a shopper’s paradise, with a giant mall and streets full of big-name stores.
If you’re going to be spending a lot, get a Visit Aruba Plus card at visitaruba.com. It costs £6 and gets you ten per cent off almost everywhere. The island has some of the best weather in the Caribbean – always sunny, often with a nice breeze – and it is one of the region’s most popular cruise destinations. For a local lunch, go to Iguana Joe’s, and if you have a late evening sailaway, try dinner at a beachfront table at The Flying Fishbone.
Although it’s a Dutch colony, there’s a big American influence – the first neon sign you see is Dunkin’ Donuts!
Dominica
CRUISING into Roseau is a delight. Be on deck early to watch the mountains appear over the horizon – a truly spectacular sight.
The island is fairly new to cruising so the shops are mostly “local” and it feels like a traditional Caribbean town.
There are two docks: One in town and the other – Woodbridge – a 15-minute walk away. Occasionally, ships have to anchor at Woodbridge but it’s only a three-minute tender ride away. The best thing to do on Dominica is head into the rainforest.
There are hikes which will lead you to Boiling Lake, where the water is heated by a volcano and really does boil. Or head up to the stunning Jaco Steps – constructed years ago and heading . . . nowhere.
Because of the volcanos, the island beaches have black sand like Lanzarote. Few have any facilities.
