Eastern Caribbean Cruise – March 2015

NYC is home so no port review but a big fat 5 Stars because NEW YORK :) taking a cruise from home is quite a luxury. Nothing is better than packing any amount of your personal belongings, taking a cab across town, checking in and your vacation begins.

To be perfectly honest: Puerto Rico is my least favourite Caribbean port. It feels a bit too Americanized and not authentic in many places; so I was happy that we were not looking to go around the island that much on this occasion.

This was our second time in Puerto Rico and luckily this time we arrived early enough to spend the whole day here. We took a taxi to a local beach that my husband had researched prior to the trip. The most spectacular Puerto Rican beaches are on the offshore islands of Vieques & Culebra, but this one was a nice substitute on the mainland. The vibe was comfortable and low-key and some local kids next to us were playing Puerto Rican music. We spent the whole day lazing and relaxing here and had a nice lunch at a small local beachside restaurant. The only nuisance was that a huge group of 15 arrived about 20 min after us and they were all served first as they had pre-arranged food and reservations. This was not cool and ate up a lot of our time, but the staff were apologetic and tried their best to make up for this error.

At the end of the beach day we took a taxi straight back.

It’s hard to describe in words how much I love St. Thomas. This was our second time on this island and it continues to be one of our favorites. Despite the fact that the territory belongs to the US, St. Thomas has a distinctly West Indian feel. Unlike Puerto Rico, when you arrive here you know you’re on a Caribbean island.

Once we disembarked in Charlotte Amalie we took one of the local open buses to Magen’s Bay which happens to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. We made our way up some lush steep hills to the other side of the island, passing the beautiful Drake’s viewpoint on the way with gorgeous vistas of the  picturesque Coral Bay and beyond through the British Virgin Islands.

At Magen’s Bay we paid the small $5.50 entry fee and were back at this paradise on earth. The most highly awarded and flaunted beach in St. Thomas, Magen’s Bay attracts locals and tourists alike to its coved, sandy shores within the verdant embrace of St. Thomas' famously scenic hillsides below the Drake's Seat overlook. It is also one of the island's most developed beaches with complete amenities and a concessions selling food and drinks. Sea grape and palm trees line the beautiful bay and provide shade. The water is crystal blue, lovely and calm and has tons of fish and giant pelicans out and about. There are so many jaw dropping beaches in this area of the Caribbean and this one is right up on the top.

This was our first time in the British Virgin Islands so we were very excited. Because time at this port was limited and we wanted to see The Baths we booked a shore excursion through the ship. The cruise ship was tendering off the shores of Tortola and along with the other tour participants we were picked up by boat and taken straight to the island of Virgin Gorda.

The Baths is unlike any other beach. It’s s stellar natural attraction with exotic pools and grottos formed by giant boulders strewn across sandy beaches. Some rolled to a stop near the water while others piled high; some balanced precariously one on top the other, and yet others cracked on impact.

There are few natural places on earth that are quite so stunningly beautiful, quite so awe inspiring as this area on Virgin Gorda's south-west point.

After arriving at the natural reserve that makes up The Baths we entered through the Devil's Bay Trail by crawling through a narrow cleft between two boulders, leading us to the main cavern with a large pool of clear sea water. It’s a magical place and great spot for photos. From here on the more difficult parts of the trail are fitted with handholds and strong wooden platforms and ladders. It passes hollow boulders, like the spectacular Neptune's Hideaway. As we approached Devil's Bay we saw an impossibly balanced rock that looks like it would topple at the faintest touch (but apparently has been in place for 50 million years! Once by the beach area we sat down to take in the marvelous geological formations all around us and dipped into the crystal clear turquoise waters. This is also  a great snorkeling spot - we saw endless varieties of beautiful colorful fish swimming peacefully in the shallow calm waters between the rocks. In addition much of the island's fauna can be seen on the wonderful nature reserve.

The Baths is one of the BVI's major tourist destinations and an absolute must see if you come here. We were so glad we came. With grottos and caves you can spend all day wallowing in the tranquil sheltered waters as they lap gently on the shores. Diving into these clear blue waters and paddling in the hidden pools will make you think you have found Paradise.

Home sweet home. Disembarking and taking a cab back was easy as 1 2 3. We loved our first cruise and completely fell in love with cruising as a result.