MDSue

From our spot on the beach we had a beautiful view across Fort-de-France Bay:

The beach was sandy with a few rocks in the water. Some people were snorkeling by the jetty and talking about the unique fish they saw.

Life was good under our umbrella:

In addition to a nice beach, the hotel had pretty landscaping:

Coming up next- shopping and eating at the little resort town next to the beach.

I have to get to some housework and errands, but will return soon.

When you walk down the path, you have two choices when you hit the water. You can turn right and head towards what looked like the free beaches with no facilities or rentals.

Or you can turn to the left and go to the resort of Hotel Bakoua. We chose that option because I wanted to rent chairs and an umbrella. We got there fairly early in the morning and the beach was not too crowded and plenty of chairs were available. We picked two loungers and an umbrella and then I set off to find out who to pay. There was a booth right as you walk onto the property for rentals, but no one was in it at the time.

When I walked back, there was a man whom I told I wanted chairs and an umbrella. He quoted the cost as $20 per chair, but told me it was "impossible" to rent us an umbrella. I'm guessing they are for the guest only. I was a bit disappointed as I can't tolerate a lot of sun and have little desire to get sunburned.

I showed the man the chair we had picked out and I guess he decided I could have the umbrella also. I felt pretty lucky, because I know many resorts save the best seating for the hotel guests.

With the rental of beach chairs, you also had use of the bathroom facilities, and outdoor showers. They also had a nice bar built out onto the beach:

Like many French beaches, this beach was "top" optional. A handful of women were minus there bathing suit tops so I was careful when I took pictures not to invade anyone's privacy. The majority of people there did have their tops on and the only ones I saw without were sunbathing on the beach and not in the water. There were numerous children and families at the resort. Children were unfazed at what I'm sure is a normal activity at French beaches.

Soon we were approaching the other side and I felt like I was visiting another land. A few years ago, my daughter and I went to France and visited the beautiful coastal town of Cassis. The marina and little town of Point Du Bout reminded me of a little French villa, much like Cassis.

We walked down the walkway and towards the beaches which were down to the right at the end of the walkway. There were a handful of shops and restaurants along the way.

We followed the path to the beaches and soon- voila- the beach if my dreams:

A man collected our $10 after the ferry was on it's way and gave us a ticket for the return ride. We were on our way for the approximate 20 minute scenic ride across the inlet to the beaches and marina on the other side:

I loved looking at the mountains in the backdrop!

And our beautiful ship, of course:

Right as you come to the waterfront area from the pier, there were people dressed in colorful costumes that were very welcoming. They were happy to direct you to the tourist booth or answers questions about cabs, or give directions.

We stopped at the tour booth were the woman gave us a map that showed various island tour options. A taxi/tour costs either $30 dollars or 30 euros per hour (I'm pretty sure they said dollars, but not certain) and they said the average tour was around 3 hours. We figured that for $45 each, we could choose an island tour. They had a few different routes to choose from.

However, we had already decided to take the ferry which was located on a pier right on the waterfront near the ship. The guide pointed us to the right dock and told us the ferry was 10 US dollars round-trip.

Here is a view of the waterfront and booths:

It was early when we arrived and only a few of the booths were set up. We met a nice watercolor artist, and another woman who made unique scarf accessories, and some other local artisans.

The vast majority of the people we met on the island were more than welcoming and friendly. They were eager to converse in their best rudimentary English and I tried to pull out a few words from my limited French.

However, there was one booth that had a beautiful scarf that I wanted to purchase and the vendor was on her phone and continued to ignore me. I waited for awhile and moved on. Later, I went back and she was still on her phone and made no effort to acknowledge that I was there. I decided she wasn't all to interested in making a sale and moved on. One other vendor did the same- just chatted on her phone and ignored the customers. Maybe these are the island natives that gave Martinique an unwelcoming reputation, but they were only two people.

The vast majority were friendly and helpful.

We didn't want to miss the next ferry which runs about every 45 minutes, so we walked to the ferry waiting area and decided we'd finish shopping at the booths on our way back to the ship:

The man at the ferry area was so friendly and nice and helped us load onto the boat. We were one of very few Americans on the boat; it was mostly locals or students traveling at that time.

Martinique con't.

One of the first things I noticed as we were pulled into port, was that Fort du France looked much like a large modern city with a bit of old-fashioned charm; not your typical Caribbean port. I didn't get pictures of the modern buildings though because we were watching from our balcony on the starboard side:

This was our view:

It was a long dock and a bit of a hike from the dock to the waterfront, but they did have a tram for anyone who needed it.

Day 5 Martinique:):):)

I'm really excited about today because I get to dispel some myths about the people and island of Martinique.

For months before our trip, I searched online for ideas of what to do on the island. I really didn't want to do a ship tour which usually involves a riding around in a tour bus with lots of other people. I really wanted to get out and experience the island on a more personal level.

Some of the things I read during my research is:

1. No one speaks English

2. They don't even like tourists and aren't very welcoming

3. It's next to impossible to find an English-speaking taxi driver or tour guide

4. There isn't anything to do on the island.

5. No one takes US dollars as Euros are the standard currency.

and on and on.

Even at the Meet and Mingle the night before, everyone was stumped on what to do. No one seemed to have much of a plan.

I did read on some reviews, that the island was making strides in welcoming and helping tourists, so I had a glimmer of hope we'd find something interesting to do. I heard about a ferry that takes tourists to a beach and since we missed the beach the day before, we figured we would just head over to the beach for a lack of finding anything else.

Well, I'd like to dispel every myth that I just posted!!!!

We loved Martinique!

We met plenty of nice and welcoming people on the island. There were plenty of people at the port that spoke English, and were more than happy to help tourists find their way. Even those who struggled with English (as French is the native language) tired their best to communicate with us. US dollars were accepted at the local vendor booths and some other businesses like the ferry we took to the beach. Credit cards were accepted pretty much everywhere, so paying for purchases were fairly simple.

Lovely photos of Antigua sail away sunsets:D

 

So you've settled it for us! We will go to Nelson's Dockyard, DH and DD huge history buffs, and I think they will enjoy this most. I think we will hire a guide and have him take us to one of the beautiful beaches afterwards!

 

This week I am pinning down some of my excursions...so I'm waiting to see what you did (and have done, since you are kind enough to share past excursions too) in St Lucia before I book. We have Barbados, St Lucia, St Martin, Antigua and st Croix on our Adventure itinerary.

I've got Barbados booked, (Calabaza cruise, which we did in nov and LOVED,) St Lucia we've decided what, but still need to pick "who" we tour with, St Croix we want to Kayak and the lady said, "email me in Sept" Maybe jumped the gun on that one;) but for instance our Barbados cruise is already 1/2 full-at least of just the people on our roll call! Our 1st choice guide for Budapest was booked when I contacted her 9 months out, but luckily our # 2 was open. So it doesn't hurt to plan early!

 

St Martin we always go to our favorite beach, so it's just Antigua left and I think Nelsons Dockyard (with a beach stop) is it! Thanks for the photos! :D

I love your planning style- I've always been a compulsive island planner. This is the first time we have largely winged it day-to-day and ended up having a great experience every day.

I'm curious what your favorite beach is in St. Maarten. I've been to Orient Beach twice, Dawn Beach, and Maho Beach to watch the planes. I'm always looking for new places to visit.

We've been to Barbados twice and loved it both times. On our first visit, we booked an catamaran sail and snorkel excursion with a stop by the turtles. At the end of our excursion, we had the option of staying at the beach (Payne's Bay, I think) or taking a cab back to the port. We chose to stay at the beach.

When we were ready to grab a cab later on, our driver offered to take us back through the neighborhoods and he gave us a short tour.

On our second visit, I signed us up for a photography tour through Princess. It was one of my favorite excursions. Our guide was a professional photographer from Barbados. He took us to parts of the island off the beaten path. I came back with pictures of some really beautiful beaches, overlooks, and other places.

I've got all my Martinique pictures uploaded and ready to start posting tomorrow. I'm hoping to get St. Lucia posted also, because I have to go out of town Friday afternoon.

I've dug up a few more ship pictures to share also.

See you Thursday!

Susan

still loving the pics ... hope I didnt miss St Lucia

 

 

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Thanks- St. Lucia was our last island this trip- so you haven't missed them. I'm ready to start uploading Martinique tonight and then St. Lucia next. I think St. Lucia must qualify as having the most tropical beauty of all the Caribbean islands. I should have them posted by tomorrow or Friday.

After a little while we retired to our balcony to finish watching the sunset. Originally, I thought this island was Montserrat because the top is almost always covered with clouds from the steaming vents from the volcano (something we saw up close many years ago on our first trip to Antigua and we took the helicopter tour). However, according to the map I was looking at, I think it was either St. Kitts or another island close to Antigua. We passed Montserrat a little later and I could see it lit up at night. Only a small part of Montserrat is still inhabited. The entire capital of Plymouth was wiped out by ash from the volcano eruption. When we sailed by, I recognized the complete darkness of one side of the island.

This is one of the other islands with an afternoon shower:

Next stop: Martinique

Susan

Here's a few more shots of the Vortex Lounge and Hollywood Odyssey Lounge:

We had our Meet and Mingle scheduled for that evening at 5 pm. We met in the vortex lounge where we had a beautiful view of the sunset after our sailaway:

One of these days, we'll take a walk to this church, but for now, I just have to settle for pictures:

We said goodbye to Antigua in preparation for our next day in Martinique:

The downtown area:

This is the large indoor straw market:

Another view from our ship- a past trip:

One more from Nelson's Dockyard:

This year, our view of St, John's from the ship was not on the best side. It is a really beautiful port to pull into. Here are some pictures of St. John's:

Antigua- skipping around a bit. There are so many options for Antigua and I wanted to share a few pictures from previous pictures to help you decide what to do if you visit.

One of the other tours we did on a previous visit included stops at Shirley Heights and Nelson's Dockyard:

This is the overlook at Shirley Heights:

And here are some pictures from Nelson Dockyard:

There is a nice restaurant, a shop, and some historical buildings, and a beautiful marina. We only had 45 minutes to explore there, so we mostly just walked around and took pictures. One day, I'd like to spend a few hours there.

Now, back to our Taste of Antigua tour.

After our stop at the beach we headed back to St. John's for our stop at the pottery and local cotton weaving stop. This was by far the most disappointing let down. We stopped at a small, one-room building that held a handful of handmade scarves and linens (I mean a very few), and about a half dozen pieces of new pottery and an equal amount of historical pieces. A young man gave a short interesting talk on how old and new pottery was made and a little about the home grown cotton and what it was used for. When I looked up the tour on RCI's website, they described different stops for the pottery and cottons than what our tour entailed.

I didn't take a picture, though. I did buy a few handwoven coasters, but the stop was not what I expected.

From there, we ended our tour back in St. John where we spent the rest of the day shopping and stopping for a cold drink where we could get some free Wi-Fi time. We ordered two frozen drinks and the owner (I assume) came around and gave us login information:

A few more from Valley Church:

The Nest- cold drinks, food, and free Wi-Fi:

The beach:

Two years ago we visited Antigua and made sure we finally had a beach day on the island. For $8 each way, we grabbed a van/taxi to Valley Church Beach. When you get off the ship, you just have to go to the tour booth right as you walk off the dock and tell them where you want to go and they will hook you up for a group cab. If you go with a private cab and not from the tour both, it will probably cist a good bit more. They had plenty of waiting cabs for the return trip to the dock. At the beach, there was rentals for chairs, umbrellas, and all sorts of watersports. They had free Wi-Fi at the bar/restaurant. They also had bathrooms on-site

Here are a few shots of Valley Church Beach from before:

I feel the beach is worthy of a few more pictures because they are so beautiful. The water is more of a milky turquoise color than the typical Caribbean beaches. I've heard that is due to the sand stirred up in the water; great for swimming but not for snorkeling.

We stopped for pictures at this overlook of one of Antigua's many beautiful beaches:

And then we stopped at FFry's (not a typo) Beach for a delicious local lunch on the beach. We only had about 30 minutes total to eat and check out the beach, so no time for a dip in the beach. I would have preferred more time here, but I think the herb demo lasted longer than planned:

The small structure in the background was the area where we ate lunch:

After we left there, we drove through the rainforest area and stopped off at a pineapple farm where black pineapples were harvested:

Pineapple plantation:

We also drove past plenty of banana plantations. As you can se in the picture, Antigua has been suffering from major drought conditions for the past 8 years. Water conservation is a big priority on the island.

Taste of Antigua tour- ship excursion

Our first stop was at a local woman's home where we gathered in a covered patio for a talk about natural plants, herbs, and fruits that were widely used for various remedies before pharmaceuticals became commonplace. She described how many pharmaceutical companies are located in Antigua and other Caribbean islands to research the various possible benefits of these natural ingredients.

She served us a tea made out of some of the plants she described and some of the local fruits.

Many people lined up to buy some of the various items she sells made from local ingredients. I bought a bottle of some kind of hot-pepper cream supposedly good for muscle pain. Haven't tried it yet, though.

Day 4- Antigua.

This was our fourth trip to Antigua and it is one of our favorite stops. Somehow, we always seem to time our days there wrong, because Antigua has such beautiful beaches, and since the stop is usually around the half-way mark, we need a break from the strong sun of the beaches. If at all possible, at least part of your time in Antigua should be spent at one of their beautiful beaches; probably the prettiest in the Caribbean.

However, for us, we had just spent two days in a row doing mostly beach days and we were ready for a break again, so we ended up scheduling a last minute ship excursion. Originally, we had thought we'd like to spend some more time at Nelson's Dockyard because we had visited it on another visit and enjoyed the location, but my sister saw a tour that advertised a visit to a local pottery shop and hand-made cotton works, along with a few other stops along the way. The tour was called "Taste of Antigua" and although the trip was somewhat enjoyable and the guides were fine, we felt very let down in the end because the pottery and cotton stop was nothing but a tiny one-room building in downtown St. John with just a handful of locally made pieces that were for the most part completely unremarkable.

The other stops were enjoyable and the drive through the rainforest area were nice enough though. The stop at the beach was super short though- no time for the "refreshing dip" they described. We grabbed a quick bite to eat of local fare that was quite good, snapped a few pictures of the beach, and were quickly on our way. Honestly, the tour would have been better if they skipped the "cotton and pottery" displays and gave us more time at the beach. I just looked up the tour description and it has changed somewhat. I'd give it a grade "C" and will most likely "wing-it" on my next trip to the island.

Some of our other excursions we've done over the years is a helicopter trip over to Montserrat- my favorite but most expensive excursion ever, a $25 tour of Shirley Heights, Nelson Dockyard, and other scenic overlooks- a last minute tour we signed up for at the tour booth in St. John (also a very enjoyable day). and an $8 taxi ride over to Valley Church Beach on our own. I'm going to post pictures of this trip and add a few from previous visits to give you lots of ideas. We also enjoy just shopping and hanging out in the port of St. John. They have a huge indoor market with tons of vendors which can be intimidating for some because they are all vying for your business and pretty much have the same types of souvenirs. However, I don't mind the market because I understand that our purchases are their livelihood. I've probably bought more knick-knacks and t-shirts than I need just because I enjoy stimulating the local economy.

St. John also has many nicer shops as well, with higher end purchases. I particularly liked a local goldsmith who made his own pieces. I didn't make a purchase there, but wish I had. His creations were more unique than the typical stores found at every cruise stop.

We also bought a painting from a local artist. They will remove the paintings from the framing to make them easier to take home. I have a Caribbean room in my house for all my Caribbean themed paintings. I'm trying not to let the collection overtake the whole house, though:) One thing you have to look for if you are going to take a painting home that was previously mounted on the stretchers are the edges of the painting. When you have these pieces framed at your local framer, they need enough material to stretch around the frame and the artists often don't leave enough extra material. I bought a beautiful bird painting in Costa Rica years ago and lost part of the birds tail to the framing process. I was lucky not to loose part of the beak also.

Anyway, enough chatter. If you have any questions about excursions in Antigua, just ask. I have tons of pictures spread out over various computers and will dig up my favorites. and start with this year's excursion.

Thanks for the great ideas for St. Croix. Am I correct in assuming I could get a taxi tour or just a transportation to rainbow beach without prearranging it? I am looking forward to your review of Martinique as there is not a lot of information on that port.

Hello, Yes, you will have no problem finding a taxi to and from St. Croix beaches. There is a taxi/tour stand inside the secure port area and also right outside the gates. We walked back inside the gates and told the person in charge where we wanted to go. She immediately loaded us into a van that had some other people waiting to go and we were on our way. I think they do try to wait until the van is close to full for at least the ride over, but we didn't have to wait either way. You'll get a return ticket for your trip back. It was very easy.

I'm excited about getting to my Martinique pictures and review because I had such a hard time figuring out what to do. The general consensus at our Meet and Mingle get-together was that no one knew what to do and the day would probably be a bust. Some people even mentioned staying on the ship that day (which is never an option for us- no way I'm traveling hundreds of miles in the tropics to stay on the ship).

The next two days here are supposed to be rainy and miserable; so a good time to try to catch up on my review. If all goes well, I may have Martinique done by tonight (or sooner)

Susan