Cruising the Caribbean Washes Away the Myths

I hadn't been sure whether a cruise holiday was for me, but P&O's Caribbean Gold cruise was turning out to be the best holiday of my life. Yesterday, I had the best massage ever. The effects of a particularly Satanic winter in London wore off after just two days onboard. I've adopted a jaunty, tropical ease. And the joy of cruising, of course, is being transported effortlessly, and in style, from island to island. 

Isla Catalina is our sixth port of call, a wild island of jungle and scalloped bays, looking jaw-achingly beautiful under a rectangle of blue sky.  Tranquillity, cyan waters and soda-white sands undulate in the heat haze with the strains of calypso floating on the air.  Locals have gathered, wearing brightly-coloured costumes to entertain us with their chilled-out music.  A beach bar is set up and gin and tonics are brought.  But the views and music are really just a footnote, as nature is showing off today: rainbow-coloured parakeets, bright-green lizards and the snorkelling among electric-blue fish are the real prize.  This was one of many deliciously indulgent days spent in the islands.

The cruise started in Barbados on a course for Isla Margarita (Venezuela), Cura?ao and Aruba (Dutch Antilles), Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Isla Catalina (Dominican Republic), Tortola (British Virgin Islands), Antigua, St Lucia with Barbados its final port of call, a total distance of 2,845 nautical miles over 15 nights, ten islands with ten mini-adventures.

Think cruise, think expensive. Not so. This being the golden age of cruising, P&O's prices meant it is an attainable holiday for all, as evidenced by the broad range of backgrounds of my fellow passengers. The ship, a 14-deck beauty, has the feel of a gently-swaying, swanky New York hotel.

Our cabin is comfortable with plenty of storage space, a TV, fridge and well-equipped bathroom.  Best of all, it has an outdoor private balcony. On board, there is such a variety of amenities and set of experiences for everyone – shows, musicals, quizzes and films in the evening, or yoga, computer training and kid's games in the daytime.

Seating for the evening meal might have been a social lottery as you share a table at the Adriatica restaurant with another couple, but it was a delight for us as we sat with a couple from Lancashire who had a wicked sense of humour.  The gourmet menu changes every night, and we enjoy lobster bisque laced with brandy, followed by gallantine of goose and black pudding cake.  If you want less fancy food, then there's the popular Horizon Grill.

I had always thought cruises were for the indolent, but this was an altogether more energetic affair. I'd already explored a cave full of bats on Aruba, been horse-riding on beautiful black stallions in Jamaica, haggled in the floating fish market in the brightly-painted streets of Willemstad, jumped into a waterfall and stroked a shivering orange starfish at Laguna Restinga in Venezuela.

P&O's shore excursions really hit the mark.  On Isla Margarita, Venezuela, we visited Parque Nacional Laguna de Restinga, where we glided in a small motorboat across a vast lagoon, and through channels cut into the mangroves, some of which bear names such as Garden of Love.  Pelicans, cormorants and ibises are everywhere.  We arrived at a jetty where there is a restaurant and a beach of shells overlooking the Caribbean.  En route back to the port, we stopped off at a roadside stall to buy calentado, a hot Andean anise-flavoured draught of milk, herbs and brown sugar.

The real flavour of the Caribbean kicked in on arrival at the second port of call.  A day later, we sailed into Willemstad on Cura?ao.  The Dutch influence has created a town of charm: the grand houses are painted in pastel shades of pink, green, yellow and mauve.  This is attributed to an eccentric governor, Vice Admiral Albert Kikkert who blamed his headaches on the glare of the white houses and decreed in 1817 that softer, pastel colours be used.  The sting in the tail, explains the guide, is that one of Kikkert's relations owned the island's only paint factory.  Be sure to visit the Floating Mark and the synagogue.

Only a short sail from Cura?ao, is Aruba, first colonised by the Spanish but resolutely Dutch now.  We took a jeep safari deep into the Arikok National Park, a protected area of windbent divi-divi trees, populated by boa constrictors and giant blue-green lizards.  “Don’t touch the devil nettles or you’ll be scratching all day!”, warned Rayon, the guide.  We entered a cave full of bats with Arawak drawings on the ceilings, providing a real sense of island history.

A few days later, I am up at dawn as we sail into Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands. There is an absence of high-rise hotels, and the capital Road Town has a village atmosphere. Our jeep’s registration plate carries the maxim: “BVI – Nature’s Little Secrets”.   We hear the calypso patois of long-time residents in the streets. 

In 1493, Christopher Columbus named them Las Virgenes after Saint Ursula, who by legend, had a following of 11,000 virgin maids.  Virginal encapsulates the feel of the islands with masses of greenery everywhere.  The Spaniards’ galleons, carrying riches back to Spain, were attacked by Blackbeard and Sir Francis Drake, leaving a legacy of place names such as Dead Chest, Smuggler’s Cove and Devil’s Bay.

The roads are so endearingly steep they make the island feel like a small continent.  At Sage Mountain National Park, we walk in jungle where we hear the killi-killi birds and pass elephant ear vines before arriving in a meadow, the sort of place you want to lie down and make love in, complete with stupendous views down to a sea of rare turquoise.   We stop for conch fritters and homemade lemonade at a caf? before swimming at an isolated beach beyond Long Bay.   There’s time to drive half-way around Tortola before returning to ship.

Usually, the ship docks at between 8.00-9.00am and you have to be back onboard by 4.30-5.30pm, so there is adequate time on each island.

We arrive at Antigua next morning and join a small eco-tour, run by Adventure Antigua, sailing in a 52-foot power-cat to the mangroves and islands off the north coast where we see frigate birds, herons and barracuda are obligingly on display.   After lunch, it's baking hot and we land at a castaway island and climb to the highest point before exploring a cave.  Then a generous amount of snorkelling and the chance to swim to a nearby island and take a dip in a natural jacuzzi. 

Back on board that evening, there is a Hawaiian beach party where everyone wears the loudest shirts and boogies to 80s pop around the pool.   However, I feel more drunk on the promise of tomorrow’s adventure.

Long before we arrive in port, the Pitons of St Lucia put in an appearance on the horizon.  These extinct volcanoes rise to 786 metres and can be climbed but this is not for the faint-hearted.  Bananas are still bigger business than tourism in this archetypal paradise.  We opt for a boat-trip along the coast to the Anse Chastanet resort where we go jungle-biking on 12 miles of well-groomed trails that are graded according to difficulty. 

After a delicious chicken curry crowned with shavings of coconut, we visit Soufri?re, a French port with banana-coloured cottages framed by white picket fences, and then see the active ‘drive-in’ volcano on the outskirts, followed by the Toraille Waterfall with its gardens of tropical colour spanned by bridges above the falls.

On the last day, there's time to explore Bridgetown, on Barbados, with its busy markets and English feel.  A walk along the beach north of town takes us past the Malibu distillery, the perfect place to string a hammock between the palms and while away the last day with a glass or two of the stuff. 

When we arrive home in Britain, I long to be back with my fellow passengers, watching the horizon beckoning a new port of call.  I had been converted from cruise sceptic to cruise addict in no time at all.  And that surely is the mark of a truly great holiday.

FACTBOX

A similar itinerary for next year is available on P&O Cruises' 15-night Caribbean Gold cruise from 19 January to 3 February 2007.  Prices start from ?1,399 per person based on two adults sharing an inside twin cabin.  Balcony cabins start from ?2,019 per person.  Full board basis including accommodation, meals, facilities, on board entertainment and return charter flights to and from the UK.  Maximum early booking discount of 40% included in these fares.    For more information or to book call P&O Cruises on (+44) 845 3 555 333 or visit www.pocruises.co.uk.  P&O also cruise to Europe, Asia and Australasia. 

13 July 2006