Got some good exercise wandering about the capital; then found an excellent local bar on the front where we passed an entertaining couple of hours. Then did one of the locally arranged bus tours escorted by 'Captain Morgan' who gave us a great tour of the island. Go easy on the Rum distillery visit though; the white rum might look like Bacardi but it tastes like rough tequila with a kick to match.
We had been to Philipsburg before, so had booked Celebrity's Americas Cup yacht tour. Sadly this had to be cancelled - something to do with excessive swell following Hurricane Tomas. Decided to spend the day on the local beach which was just perfect; clean beautiful sand topped off with an Aloe Vera back massage.
Poor St Lucia had taken a real beating from Tomas and there was still no mains water on the island when we arrived. Managed to persuade a local taxi driver to take us to the Hotel Anse Chastanet at Soufriere. A scary road trip with the surface out in many places and sliding backwards towards the cliff edge on one occasion. Anse Chastanet is a wonderful hideaway but still with lovely views of the Pitons.
Also been to Barbados before. Great location for us Brits - did the Kensington Oval cricket ground tour (tried to explain to our American guest colleagues why we found this so interesting, but clearly failed). Then on to lie on the beach outside the Sandy Lane hotel - beaches as good as St Maarten and Aruba. Got a yellow bus back to Bridgetown - don't be put off by the binary driving style ie stationary or foot to the floor. Got back to Bridgetown in about 10 minutes thankfully anaesthetised by the ear splitting thump of base reggae from the modified PA system.
St Vincent has a lot of competition and its beaches just aren't up to much. Shared a taxi with 2 of our dining room companions off the ship. Taxi took us to the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' filming point where much of the set is still there. One room was completely full(floor to ceiling)with old black telephones - don't remember that from the screenplay. The old fort is also worth a visit.
Aruba is probably the best port for shopping (we are not shoppers though). Weather was a bit rainy so again off to the beach - well you are wet anyway! Beaches are first class on Aruba.
Certainly the prettiest port. We arrived on a Saturday and it was party time with 'Father Christmas' giving it plenty of reggae. The bridge over the seaway is amazing and there is plenty to look at on both sides of the city. The floating market with the ships across from Venezuela is also worth a look. Then as usual off to the beach - aren't we boring.
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