As we prepare to leave the Eastern Caribbean to begin our exploration of the Western Caribbean, we have been reflecting on our time spent and the islands we have visited. This week’s blog will focus on our traveler’s guide to the Eastern Caribbean:
The Bahamas: I am skipping the Bahamas because they are technically not part of the Caribbean. Also, we did not get to spend any quality time in the Bahamas since we were attempting to dodge hurricane season and The Stupid at the time. My one comment would be: The Bahamas are absolutely beautiful but definitely pack your credit cards because you’ll need them! Dominican Republic: An amazing island that is a must visit. Easy daily flights from the US at affordable prices. It would take a couple of weeks at least to see the DR and if you rent a car, you’ll need nerves of steel. If you only visit Santo Domingo or Punta Cana, you will miss the true DR (you can skip Punta Cana if you have been to Florida because it is basically Ft Lauderdale Jr). We would recommend visiting Samana (you can see whales from February through April), Las Terranes and Cabarete. Prices are very affordable and the people are very friendly. We loved the DR and rate it in the top three countries of the Eastern Caribbean. Practice your Spanish as English is limited outside the tourist areas. Puerto Rico: We have visited Puerto Rico three times since the beginning of our adventure and we have enjoyed each visit. Puerto Rico has the convenience of the US, the benefit that many Puerto Ricans speak perfect English and very tasty food. In PR, you can visit beautiful beaches and mountains as well as historic San Juan. Transportation from the States is very easy and a short plane ride without any customs and immigration for US citizens is a plus. So, if you are new to international travel and want to test the waters, PR would be an excellent place to start. Hotels in San Juan can be pricey but there are many Airbnb options that are more affordable. Our favorites in Puerto Rico are the forts in San Juan, Coffin Island, El Yunque (the only rainforest in US) and the barbeque along highway 175 in the mountain range above Caguas. You can also take a day trip to Vieques or Culebrita via boat which are both amazing places to visit. US Virgin Islands: Transportation options to the USVI’s from the States tend to be a little less convenient and pricier than Puerto Rico but the USVIs are worth the trip. Everyone in the USVIs speaks English and you do not need to worry about customs and immigration for US citizens. The USVIs is VERY expensive so pack your wallet. The majority of activities in the USVIs are water focused so if you can afford to charter a boat, I would recommend chartering as a good way to see the islands. However, most of the islands are accessible via ferry boat or day charters. The USVIs have amazing snorkeling and if you love turtles, the so-called “endangered” green sea turtles are everywhere here! When you visit the USVIs, I would recommend spending the least amount of time on St. Thomas, a few days on St. John and definitely get to St. Croix. St. Croix is the furthest of the islands but the snorkeling and diving on St. Croix are some of the best in the Eastern Caribbean. British Virgin Islands: The BVIs are a lovely group of islands that are worth a visit but for land folks, it can be a challenge to get there. Most of the flights to the BVIs connect through the USVIs and then you take a ferry over to the BVIs. In all honesty, chartering a boat is the best way to enjoy these islands. The BVIs have hundreds of small islands and even visiting the most popular islands, you need a boat. Ninety-nine percent of activities in the BVIs are beaches and water activities. Hurricanes Maria and Irma destroyed a large portion of the BVIs reefs so snorkeling and diving areas are limited but the local companies know where the best spots are. We recommend spending a day at Jost Van Dyke, some time in The Bight bay on Norman Island to have a drink at Willie T’s and to snorkel/dive The Indians and the Pirate Show at Leverick Bay. Brace for extremely high prices on food, drinks and lodging as these islands are not for the budget traveler! Anguilla: Unfortunately, due to Anguilla’s ridiculous daily charges for boaters (currently $100 a day!), we chose to skip Anguilla. We have heard the beaches are beautiful so we were sad to miss it. Anguilla has a ferry from St. Maarten so as you’ll see in the upcoming islands, St. Maarten can be a great jumping off point to visit other islands. St Maarten: By now, all of you regular blog readers know that St. Maarten is our favorite island we have visited. St. Maarten has easy and affordable daily flights from the States and you get to land at the famous airport next to Maho Beach! The variety of restaurants is amazing on both the Dutch and French sides of the island. You can travel between the two sides of the islands with no border worries so it is a bonus island….two countries for the price of one! Phillipsburg is our favorite capital city in the islands with its ocean front board walk and beautiful beach. Everyone on the Dutch side of the island speaks English and I would recommend staying on the Dutch side and then visiting the French side for day trips. Amazing food, fun people and a great energy….St. Maarten has it all! St. Barths: While St. Barths’ was a beautiful island, we cannot really recommend it for a vacation destination for the average traveler due to the exorbitant prices. We enjoyed our time on St. Barths but we had “free” lodging on our boat which was the only way we could have afforded to see the island. I would recommend taking a day trip ferry from St. Maarten over to St. Barths and you can hire a taxi to take you around the island. The island is only 10 square miles so easily doable on a day trip. Pack a picnic lunch or prepare to suffer the consequences! We paid $90.00 for one entrée, one appetizers, two beers and a Sprite! Saba: My Saba information is based on hearsay from others but it is also an easy day trip from St. Maarten. Most of Saba is a nature reserve that hikers love. We did not visit Saba due to time constraints this season but it looked worth a trip. St Kitts and Nevis: After two years of trying, we finally made it to St. Kitts and Nevis in 2023. Currently, St. Kitts visitor bureau is trying to make St. Kitt’s more accessible to visitors from the US. We enjoyed our time on the islands and there were several interesting historical spots including the best-preserved British fort and a long history of links to the early founding fathers of the US. St. Kitts and Nevis were affordable and everyone spoke English. Most of the beaches were volcanic so do not expect soft white sand beaches. St. Kitt’s is more of a hiking and historical destination than a beach bum destination. Antigua: Antigua is a history buff’s destination….especially naval history! We enjoyed learning about the British, Spanish and French trading routes as well as the battles that took place in the Eastern Caribbean. Nelson’s Dockyard delves into this rich history and was a wonderful way to spend a couple of days. Antigua also boasts having 365 beaches and they are long and beautiful white sand beaches. If you are a history buff but also like to lounge on a quiet beach, Antigua is the place to be. You can also take a day trip over to Barbuda for some famous beach bars and pristine beaches. Definitely check out Antigua! Monserrat: Due to routing issues and The Stupid, we did not stop at Monserrat. Monserrat has suffered in the past two decades from catastrophic volcanic eruptions and they have lost over half their population to migration as they fled to other countries. As we sailed past, Monserrat looked quiet and lovely. I would have liked to visit this small island. Guadeloupe: Guadeloupe was one of the bigger islands we visited and it had many attractions including lots of rhum distilleries, cool rock formations and a zoo in a rainforest. It also had one of the best botanical gardens in the Caribbean. The side islands were The Saints and Marie Gallant. We enjoyed our time in Guadeloupe more than we thought we would and made our way through with no French. As long as you can point, you can survive! Dominica: For anyone who loves hiking to remote places, Dominica should be the number one choice. With an abundance of waterfalls, boiling lakes and Pirates of the Caribbean movie sets, Dominica was a winner! While we prefer shorter hikes, we loved Dominica for the Indian River tour which was a highlight of all the islands. We also loved the friendly people and admired the pride they took in their island and their ability to survive on the land in difficult times. Dominica was building a larger airport when we were there so they are looking forward to more tourists in the future. To me, Dominica was the reason REI Sporting Goods store exists. Supply yourself and head out to explore! Martinique: The infrastructure of Martinique was the best in the Caribbean. Modern highways as well as modern traffic cameras so driver beware! We enjoyed visiting all the rhum distilleries on Martinique as well as the zoo and the Habitation Clemente distillery which had the botanical gardens with the modern art sculptures. If you do not know French, Martinique can be a challenge because much like mainland France, the locals are not very patient with non-French speaking people. I would say Martinique is worth one visit in your lifetime. St Lucia: St. Lucia is a must for a visit. If you are an adventurous hiker, St. Lucia has the Pitons to challenge you. St. Lucia is also home to a rainforest and we loved our day ziplining through the rainforest. The best day for us was driving into the crater of the active volcano and sitting in the mud baths among all the steam spewing into the air. I would recommend taking a local guide on St. Lucia if you are not accustomed to traveling in the Caribbean because the locals on St. Lucia are a little more pushy with selling to the tourists than the other islands. St. Vincent and the Grenadines: St. Vincent and the Grenadines are another set of islands that really require a charter boat to fully appreciate. If you do not charter, you can start in St. Vincent and then take ferries to the other islands for side trips. A day charter to the Tobago Cays is a must as it was one of the prettiest spots we visited. In St. Vincent, you can easily hire a day taxi to take you on a tour which is much easier than trying to find locations on your own. A must stop is Chatham Bay on Union Island which had the most amazing snorkeling as well as the best beach bar restaurant/shack in the lower Caribbean. Bring your wallet to the outlying islands because as you make your way down the chain, the costs rise! Grenada: Of all the islands, Grenada was our least favorite. To be fair, though, Grenada did have some interesting sites to visit and if you were on a weeklong vacation instead of several months, Grenada would probably be a nice visit. Grenada has many long hikes to a variety of waterfalls and it also has the monkeys that come when called! Grenada is an easy flight from the States but it is a bit longer because Grenada is located at the bottom of the island chain. Grenada does have some beautiful beaches and all the locals speak English which makes it an easy trip. Trinidad: We did not make it to Trinidad on Galt, however, we would like to visit via plane in the future. Trinidad reportedly has remote islands and amazing food so definitely a place we’d like to see. When you do decide to visit the Eastern Caribbean, I would recommend tackling one island at a time instead of a cruise ship itinerary. The cruise ships do not stay long enough for you to enjoy the individual cultures of the islands. Each island has a different vibe and you need some time to enjoy them! Or better yet….buy a boat and make your own adventure in the Eastern Caribbean! If we can do it, you can do it! I'm off to the States for a few weeks so no blog until I return!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorSally Miller Archives
May 2024
|