Windsurf Classic Feb 7/15

Just back from our first sailing on Windsurf and loved every minute of it. Very impressed with the service and food and the entire experience of sailing on a smaller vessel.

Staff were universally excellent. The spa was expensive but the staff were first rate, very professional.

We had a suite and are spoiled now forever. Two bathrooms and more storage than we could ever use. Was a splurge that we felt was worth it.

We have previously enjoyed cruises on big ships but this felt totally different, more like a yacht. A very relaxed yet luxurious experience. I loved that we were under sail a great deal, I had assumed they were more for show.

A huge percentage of the passengers were repeat guests. We will be joining that group:)

All in all, we rated this vacation a 10 out of 10!!!!!

So glad you enjoyed it too - we were on the same sailing! I'd recommend trying the even smaller ships as well. Now having a tough time getting used to winter clothes again - and missing the warm days and the great food!

we leave in just a few days on this itinerary... question to you that were just there...

What is not to miss on the islands ?

Ilse de Saintes

St Barts

St Lucia

Nevis

We have the others all set...

So close and yet - so far away...

Ils des Saints has a glorious beach to walk to. The town is hilly, go to the top, when your back is facing the sea go left, can't miss it. About a 15 minute walk, it is sheltered, no rip currents, georgeous, very few people, as you are walking you will be walking with the goats and cows, really beautiful and fun. Wonderful swimming, soft sand, there is plenty of shade, no chairs to rent there are picnic tables, people selling water. We have been to the island 3 times, love the beach.

Shell Beach in St. Bart's is really nice, bar on beach, 10 minute walk from the pier and pretty going along the harbor/marina and at the edge of town.

Happy Sailing Susanne

Les Saintes - very pretty. Small, but some nice shops for browsing - and thank goodness, a break from the duty free everywhere else! It was one of the loveliest moorings - and the best for the Marina because it's sheltered.

St Barts we weren't keen on, perhaps we should have gone to the beach. Just lots of overpriced rip-off shops. But the supermarket near the landing pier is good and has wine and nice a French toiletries.

Nevis - small and quaint and one of the best tourist offices. We took Tanny's Taxi to the Botannical Gardens - 20-25 US each way (depends how many of you). Nice guy. Taxis park over to the left of the dock where you come ashore. Also, I wish I had bought more than one jar of jam from the Nice old lady who sells them near the pier!

We were thinking of trying to rent one of the small electric cars or possibly some scooters on Ilse de Saintes to explore the island. Does anybody know if there are rentals that are readily available upon arrival? If so, what would the cost be?

It's hard to find info about Iles de Saintes, but it looks like we will probably treat this as a beach day. Would we even need transportation on this island or is it small enough to just walk about and find some cool beaches on our own? We saw Cruzer Two's video, in the Ports of Call area of the CC boards, and Pompierre Beach looks like my kind of deserted beach.

We are also in the dark about Barbuda. Where does Wind Surf dock? Is it close to an area to get a taxi and explore, or is this kind of a beach day?

BTW- We are Kevin and Cheryl from Huntington Beach. This will be our first Windstar experience and we are really looking forward to it. We sail in December 2015

Thanks,

Kevin

Les Saintes is a quaint, pretty little town, nice to wander in. I believe that there is a nearby beach but didn't see any electric cars although there were scooter rentals. It was one of the nicest stops - a stunning, sheltered anchorage and so much nicer than St Barts.

Barbuda is just a lovely beach day - Windsurf tenders you to the pier and there is a beautiful empty beach right there. The island has a couple of small hotels, but these are on the other side from where you will be. You could probably book a local taxi to meet you at the pier if you wanted - google 'visitantiguabarbuda.com ' for info.

Thanks Marama

Thanks Marama

Yes - thanks to all ... we plan to visit the Frigate bird sanctuary in Barbuda. Walk around Ilse de Saintes - lounge on a beach (or 2), snorkel, shop... all while enjoying rum drinks...

We are thinking about booking this itinerary for January 2016. We sailed on the Wind Star in December 2014 through the Panama Canal and had a marvelous time.

I haven't really looked at each individual stop yet but I appreciate reading what everyone else has experienced. We love the beach but don't really want to have a beach day everyday. Any other advice on the different ports?

We are also seriously considering flying to St Martin a week early. We were there on a cruise stop years ago and fell in love with the island and want to spend some extra time there.

Thanks so much for sharing!

We are thinking about booking this itinerary for January 2016. We sailed on the Wind Star in December 2014 through the Panama Canal and had a marvelous time.

 

I haven't really looked at each individual stop yet but I appreciate reading what everyone else has experienced. We love the beach but don't really want to have a beach day everyday. Any other advice on the different ports?

 

We are also seriously considering flying to St Martin a week early. We were there on a cruise stop years ago and fell in love with the island and want to spend some extra time there.

 

Thanks so much for sharing!

Hi Ski Mom 2. I like the way you're thinking. One of these days DW and I want to do "Classic Carribean" and couple that with a week-long stay up-front on the island. I did some snooping at the usual online sites, and there are delightful lodging options that are highly recommended and a good value as well. As for locale, Oyster Pond (on the French side) looks promising, but I guess it depends on whether you want a B&B, hotel, or resort. Enjoy your research.