Playa Kenepa, Curacao
Posted August 7, 2009 , add a commentI admit, writing for a beach blog, very few beaches take my breath away. Usually, as soon as I lay my eyes on a beach a sense of relief overcomes me and immediately a sense of reassurance, a sense that everything is, for that very moment [in my world], going to be all right. Then there is Playa Kenepa, on the western end of Curacao. Coming up on the beach I could not believe what I was seeing.
All the elements of ‘amazing’ were present: Cove - check, rocky outcroppings - check, soft sand - check, crystal clear azure waters - double check. In fact, it is so amazing that apparently another Caribbean island took a picture of Playa Kenepa and tried to market it as a piece of paradise found only on their island!
Playa Kenepa, Curacao
I was fortunate enough to see Playa Kenepa from three angles and each one was fantastic. First was from above. Walking towards the beach and seeing it reveal itself in between tree branches sent goose bumps up and down my neck and arms. It was as if I knew I had stumbled upon something special. The view from above was spectacular. Twenty-something feet above the water you could not see where the waves met the rock’s edge but you can definitely see the sandy floor and the coral rocks below. The view was overwhelming and I could not help myself, I needed to get down there FAST.
It was not until I broke the surface after my twenty-something foot plunge that I fully realized what I had just done. I remember thinking before leaping “Always aim for the darkest spot” and at the same time while in mid air “Where is the darkest spot?”
Once back on shore I looked out to see. My second view of Kenepa was perfectly framed by the two rocky cliffs that created the cove effect. I felt like I was in a TV ad, all I needed was a buzzing Blackberry to use as a skipping stone. There were people there, locals and tourists and some local proprietors selling snacks, beer and renting out beach chairs. A little touristy for my taste but the setting more than made up for it. I was fortunate enough be there on a weekday in the early afternoon, I would return to Kenepa later on in my trip only to find it swarming with people. The west side of Curacao is not as developed as the east where the majority of the population and tourists can be found so it is easily understandable that Kenepa was a hot weekend spot.
The most common mode of transportation to Kenepa would be by car but I wondered if there is a better way of getting to this place. I did - by boat.
From my studio overlooking Playa Grandi I noticed fishermen coming in and out regularly. Seeing as I was already on the west side of the island I wondered if I could convince one of the fishermen to swing around the coast and take me to Kenepa.
The boat ride was very relaxing and each time we came upon a beach it was like a surprise because they were all hidden way behind rock formations that were all made of dead coral. Needless to say, turning into Kenepa took my breath away, and once again I found myself in the water and this time waving good-bye to my friendly fisherman who just smiled, waved and shook his head.
TravelStore Features Special Offers On Princess Cruises Tropical Cruise Getaways to Sun-Swept Caribbean, Panama Canal and Mexican Riviera
Posted , add a comment) LOS ANGELES, Calif. (July 31, 2009) ? Whether travelers choose to explore the beaches and colorful islands of the Caribbean, enjoy the warm welcoming culture of the Mexican Riviera, or marvel at the dramatic Panama Canal, TravelStore offers a wide array of options for tropical cruise getaways to some of the most popular warm weather destinations on one its most popular cruise lines, Princess Cruises.
“With the convenience of close-to-home departure points, these itineraries present many inclusively-priced vacation options in the balmy tropics,” said Dan Ilves, TravelStore Vice President. “So many people have delayed taking vacations, a cruise vacation is a more affordable way for many to escape the grind, enjoy the warmth of the tropics and take advantage of the best deals.”
A number of Princess Caribbean cruises, which range from one-week to up to 14 days, feature the private beach of Princess Cays. On Princess Mexican Riviera cruises, passengers can sail from Los Angeles or San Francisco to some of the area’s most popular resorts south of the border. Those wishing to experience one of the world’s greatest engineering marvels on Princess Panama Canal cruises can choose from convenient round-trip voyages or experience the drama of a full canal transit.
“With the pent-up demand for travel, we have released next year’s fall and winter schedules early so travelers can begin to plan and book future vacations early and avoid disappoinment,” said Ilves. “Of course, there are some great opportunities yet this year to getaway to these popular cruise destinations.”
Highlights of next year’s tropical getaway options include:
Caribbean Cruises ?a variety of vacation options exploring the Eastern, Western and Southern Caribbean.
Seven-Day Eastern Caribbean ?Roundtrip cruises from Fort Lauderdale on Sundays. The itinerary features calls at Princess Cays, St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Grand Turk.
Seven-Day Western Caribbean ?Roundtrip cruises from Fort Lauderdale, visiting Grand Cayman, Roatan, Cozumel and Princess Cays.
Seven-Day Southern Caribbean ?Cruises from San Juan on two alternating itineraries. The Classic Southern Caribbean route sails to the ports of St. Thomas, Tortola, Antigua, St. Lucia and Barbados, while Southern Caribbean Explorer sailings travel to St. Thomas, Dominica, Grenada, Bonaire and Aruba.
10-Day Eastern and Southern Caribbean ? For a more in-depth island vacation with the convenience of roundtrip travel from Fort Lauderdale. The Southern Caribbean Medley itinerary calls at Princess Cays, St. Thomas, Dominica, Grenada, Bonaire and Aruba. The Eastern Caribbean Voyager itinerary offers calls at Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Kitts, St. Thomas and Princess Cays.
14-Day Caribbean Collection ? Cruises roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale. The ship sails to Aruba, Curaçao, Grenada, Barbados, St. Vincent, St. Kitts, St. Thomas, Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) and Grand Turk.
14-Day Sailings from Barbados ?A series of alternating 14-day Caribbean voyages from Barbados. The Grand Caribbean Islander route feature calls at Tobago, Grenada, Bonaire, Aruba, Grand Cayman, Ocho Rios, Tortola, Antigua, St. Kitts and Dominica. The Grand Caribbean Adventurer itinerary features stops at Grenada, Bonaire, Curaçao, Grand Turk, Tortola, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Trinidad.
Mexican Riviera Cruises ?Cruisers can choose from departures from either Los Angeles or San Francisco.
Seven-Day Mexican Riviera from Los Angeles?This popular seven-day roundtrip route takes in favorite Mexico ports with calls in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán and Cabo San Lucas.
10-Day Mexican Riviera?One roundtrip sailing from San Francisco to Catalina, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, Cabo San Lucas and San Diego, departing on September 29, 2010.
11-Day Mexican Riviera?From San Francisco featuring calls at Acapulco, Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. Three departures on April 8, 19 and 30, 2011.
Panama Canal Cruises ? A “must see” feat of engineering. On an extended 15-day cruise features the line’s Two-Day Canal Experience ? a full Canal transit plus a day with the ship anchored at Fuerte Amador, on the Canal’s Pacific side. Passengers can take advantage of this extra day in Panama to enjoy a variety of shore excursion options including the Panama Canal Railway, Panama City, Soberania National Park Rainforest or a visit to an authentic Embera Indian Village.
15-Day Panama Canal with Two-Day Experience ?Sailings between Fort Lauderdale and Los Angeles or San Francisco. In addition to the Canal transit and additional Panama call at Fuerte Amador, the cruise visit Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco, Huatulco, Puntarenas (Costa Rica), Cartagena and Aruba. Departures are offered between September 21, 2010 and May 4, 2011.
10-Day Panama Canal Full Transit Sailings ? The 10-day Panama Canal Adventurer route between Fort Lauderdale and Acapulco offers a full Canal transit plus visits to Ocho Rios, Fuerte Amador or Cristobal, Costa Rica (Puntarenas), Nicaragua (San Juan del Sur) and Huatulco. Departures between October 6, 2010 and April 24, 2011.
10-Day Roundtrip Panama Canal? Roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale, with a partial Panama Canal transit to Gatun Lake followed by a call in Cristobal, plus calls in the Caribbean ports of Aruba, Cartagena, Limon (Costa Rica) and Ocho Rios.
Current as well as these tropical sailings are currently available for booking. Early reservations are encouraged to secure the best stateroom selection. Fares for seven-day Caribbean and Mexican Riviera sailings start at $569 per person, and 10-day Panama Canal cruise fares begin at $1,199 per person, based on double occupancy.
TravelStore is one of the nation’s top award-winning travel agencies, and a Princess Cruise specialist. Additional information is available calling 1-800-821-4271, or by visiting the company’s cruise website.
Cuba: My Top 5 Travel Picks
Posted July 30, 2009 , add a commentWhy am I fascinated with Cuba? Well there are two Cuba’s as far as tourism goes, and they are quite different. One is the string of beach resorts strung (along Cuba’s best beaches) on the north coast – with direct charter flights from Europe or Canada and all-inclusive resorts. It can probably be compared to the next Cancun or Costa Del Sol – great if that’s what you are looking for.
The other Cuba is the one the Cuban’s live in, and it is an intoxicating mix of Caribbean color with Spanish heritage with the uniqueness that the 47 years of blockade and its own unique blend of communism have brought. Cuba is the largest Caribbean island and there is a real diversity of places and people to explore. So here are my top 5 places to visit in Cuba:
#1 - Trinidad
Trinidad is my absolute favorite. A small town of only 60,000 people on Cuba’s southern coast, Trinidad is a picture postcard of what we all expect Cuba to look like. All cobblestones and pastel Spanish architecture, but not flash and renovated like Havana; it has more character, if character is a mix of the renovated, and the well worn, and the completely derelict. A great place for salsa lessons, and there are dozens of places to indulge in dance. There’s the Casa De La Trova for the traditional Buena Vista Social club style, great to practice those salsa steps. There’s afro-caribbean and drumming clubs for a more frenetic pace. There is the free band and dancing in the town square every night, another great place to practice your dance steps with the locals.
An old Cadillac on the streets of Trinidad
There’s even Ayala, the disco in a cave up the hill, yes a real ’80s retro nightclub with lasers and videos projected on the cave walls and Madonna and Latino boy bands on high rotation – it was enough to drive me to drink – another rum and coke thanks.
There’s fascinating museums, old bell towers to climb, and little illegal hole in the wall pizza shops that pop up every lunch time and then close down within an hour when their stock is sold – you don’t know where they are going to open but you’ll recognise them from the queue, delicious and about 50 cents each. There is the classic white sand turquoise water Caribbean beach at Ancon beach, a couple of miles out of town ( the town sits slightly inland these days) Float in the warm water, soak up the sun, watch the sunset, sit under the palm trees or catch a hobicat out to some good snorkeling spots.
#2 - Camaguey
Camaguey, in the centre of the island and the centre of cattle country. Yes this is as close to being in Argentina you are going to get in Cuba. It’s still the most “Spanish” of the Cuban cities, and the locals look more Spanish than afro caribbean here too. It traditionally had been a wealthy centre, and that still shows in the architecture – the houses are bigger (but may have many more families and generations sharing them now), the churches more numerous and impressive, but the limitations on maintenance clearly show.
It’s a very “lived in” city centre compared to Havana, the kids are playing stick ball in the streets, the old men or woman are sitting on the doorsteps watching the world go by. I loved walking every city in Cuba but this was the most walkable and most interesting of all. The streets are a maze designed to confuse the pirates of centuries ago (I never quite understood that given it is about as far from the coast as you can get in cuba but its not too hard to use the church spires to navigate your way around. So many art galleries here too, a thriving artist population, from the traditional to the avant-garde.
My favorite was to visit the house of Ileana Sanchez & Joel Jover, two well known Cuban artists, Their front door opens onto the Plaza de la Independence, and the public are free to visit their two front rooms – absolutely covered from floor to the very high ceilings with a maze of their own art, other artists they have collected around the world, as well as things that inspire them – it is a veritable treasure trove. We were lucky enough to get invited into the rest of the house, their amazing sculpture garden, and met the artists themselves around their kitchen table. I loved their art and left Cuba the proud owner of a Joel Jover original.
There is a process to getting a licence to take art out of cuba, mainly designed to make sure the artist is declaring their sales to the government I think, if you don’t have the requisite licence they will confiscate your art at the airport when you leave as they assume you bought it on the black market. However the artists know this process does put us off buying and so they do it for you – I made my purchase at about 10 pm at night, just after dinner, and they had arranged the licence and had it ready for me before my bus left at 8am the next morning – I have no idea how they managed to get a government office to do that in the middle of the night but they certainly made it easy for me.
Camaguey was one of the places hit hard by the three huge hurricanes in 2008, and many of the shops were still being repaired, but luckily for us at least one of the ice cream parlours’ had reopened – the Copellia’s are not to be missed.
#3 - Havana
Havana - the original Vegas before there was a Vegas. The old town, all cobbled streets and beautiful Spanish buildings and pastel colors and a wonderful European flavor. Much of the old town has been restored with UNESCO money, the plaza’s have cafes and great coffee and handmade chocolate shops, along with the expected rum, cigars, Hemingway nostalgia and the home of the mojito’s. Walk through the old town, zigzagging around every block, until you hit the Prado, browse the art on display while walking towards the Malecon, the sea wall and walkway around the seafront that runs for miles. Walk it in the evening and see the teenagers hanging out, the families cooling down after the heat of the day, the couples out on a date.
Old Town, Havana
And walk it again in the daytime and see the kids swimming, the families strolling, the jazz musicians (playing for the tourists, but boy it still sounds good), the fishermen, the cyclists, the sheer variety of life. When you get tired of walking catch a coco cab – like a tuk-tuk with a large round plastic shell, looks like a motorized coconut – or hire one of the old Cadillac convertibles that run as taxi’s and get them to take you sightseeing for an hour –the other visitors will be snapping your photo as you go past.
Visit the outdoor book market in treelined square at the northeast of the old town, or the artisan market stalls by the canal at the northern end of the old town, for the best selection of souvenirs you will find in Cuba. When things get too hot or too crowded, there are many rooftop bars where you can retire and relax with a cool drink.
#4 - Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba – the port town with a great old castle. With its location on the southeastern tip of Cuba, Santiago has been a key defense spot for cuba for centuries. Castillo del Morro is a 16th century citadel with turrets and a drawbridge and dungeons and cannons and a maze of stairs and tunnels and everything a great castle should have, high on a promontory at the harbor entrance, with fantastic views up the coastline, so the defenders could see the enemy coming.
Your inner child can play happily here for hours. The castle was last used in the Spanish/US war, the Spanish army were in Cuba and Cuba had sought help from the US to get rid of them and gain independence (yes the US and Cuba were once friends) They say that when the Spanish troops in Castillo del Morro saw the US ships coming, they didn’t stay and fight, they turned tail and ran, so the US didn’t even have to fight to win. Our local guide described the spanish troops as “sissy”.
For a great lunch break, take a 10 minute boat trip from the yacht club to Cayo Granma in the middle of the harbor. Before the revolution the island was being developed as holiday homes for the rich, and after the revolution became the home of local fishing families, it is very run down and charmingly decrepid now.
However a lobster lunch with cold cervesa sitting on a terrace over the harbor is wonderful, followed by a stroll around the island. Santiago de Cuba is also famous for its role in the Cuban revolution, here Fidel Castro lead the failed 1953 attack on the Moncada Barracks, which led to his capture, trial, incarceration and eventual release, followed by his travels to Mexico when he then met up with Che Guevara - and the rest, as they say, is history.
You can visit the Barracks and go through the fascinating museum, the only downside is you have to go around with an assigned guide, and what could be an intriguing one hour tour is, in perhaps the most stereotypically traditionally communist style I met in Cuba, turned into a 3-hour endurance test that completely sucked all interest out of me!
#5 - Baracoa
The hottest and steamiest of them all. Baracoa is about as far away and hard to get to as you can get in Cuba – on the far southeast coast – go through Santiago, keep going past Guantanamo Bay (yes that one) and head over a mountain range of tropical rainforest on a very twisty road, and eventually you will get to Baracoa.
It is noticeably hotter and more humid than the rest of Cuba, which was warm enough anyway. The beaches are black sand, the coastline is jagged black rock, the sea is rougher, the pace of life seems slower and more brooding, it is a dark clouds and thunderstorm type of heat, not a sunshiny heat. It didn’t seem at all surprising that the lovely Casa Particular we stayed at was next door to the Funeral Home, it was just that sort of place!
But out of this seemed to come some very vibrant art and music, great food and drink, and the dancing is a whole lot raunchier down this end of the island too. There is swimming and kayaking and waterfalls and treks to do, or just laze around town and watch the world go by, and understand that this is like no where else in the world.
-Victoria Pottering
Interested in Cuba? Read Victoria’s previous blog post about Cuba.
7 Unexpected Dive Spots Around the World
Posted July 15, 2009 , add a comment7 Unexpected Dive Spots Around the World
When most people envision scuba diving and snorkeling, they tend to imagine tropical locales with sandy beaches, turquoise water and brightly-colored fish. Places like the Caribbean, South America, and the South Pacific come to mind. But these aren’t the only destinations where you can plunge below the surface and discover a whole new underwater world.
There are plenty of other places where you can see local sea life and dive historic shipwrecks far from the most-popular (and crowded) hot spots. Some are hot, some are cold, some are near, some are far, some are popular tourist destinations, and others are completely off the radar. Here are a few options for unique dive experiences that you may have never considered.
Iceland
The American and Eurasian continental plates meet at Iceland’s Thingvellir National Park, where they are forming a rift in the land as they slowly move apart.
At Silfra Lake, the rift runs underwater. The water, which comes from melting glaciers, takes thousands of years to filter down through volcanic ash into the lake and is unbelievably clear.
Though you won’t see fish in the ice-cold water, you will be treated to the vertigo-inducing sight of the deep fissure far below. Snorkelers will view it from above, while divers can actually descend into crack and explore the very depths of the earth.
Sudan
A politically unstable semi-desert country in northern Africa isn’t the first place that people think of for world-class diving, but that’s part of the appeal of diving in Sudan. It’s so far off the beaten path that you’ll encounter few other divers, so you’ll be able to explore its many intriguing dive sights with no crowds.
Encounter reef and hammerhead sharks, manta rays, moray eels, and sea turtles at the Sha’ab Rumi reef, explore Jacques Cousteau’s old stomping grounds at the Precontinent II, or explore the wreck of the Blue Belt cargo ship.
The ship sank in 1977 after being stuck on a reef. It’s upside-down position and the presence of all its sunken cargo now makes it an exciting challenge for experienced divers.
Alaska
Alaska’s Inside Passage offers over 15,000 miles of coastline around 1000 islands for divers to explore.
Waves are gentle in the area, and water temperatures can reach 65 degrees in the summer, allowing for nearly year-round diving.
Divers encounter plentiful crustaceans like sea urchins, sea stars, and kelp crabs and may spot orcas swimming in the distance.
Even seals and sea lions have been known to approach to investigate divers nearby.
Scotland
The ruggedly beautiful Orkney Islands are home to the shallow Scapa Flow harbor. Fifty-one German ships were sunk here at the end of World War I (with no loss of human life) and now the wrecks are popular diving spots.
Most of the wrecks are 110-160 feet down where divers can float in and around them and explore their various nooks and crannies. Drivers are free to enter the sunken ships, but cannot remove artifacts from under the sea.
Visibility varies from 6-60 feet so the ships cannot be seen in their entirety, but for most divers the chance to explore these antique warships up close is an unforgettable experience that makes up for the lack of crystal-clear water.
Egypt
Like Sudan, Egypt is another North African spot that offers surprisingly good diving. From Sharm El Sheikh, divers can descend into the warn waters of the Red Sea and explore sunken ships and underwater caves or dive among some of the most beautiful coral reefs in the world.
Among the bright, colorful coral and further out in the sea, you might also encounter sea turtles, manta rays, tuna and barracuda.
The Red Sea is also home to several varieties of sharks, including reef sharks, hammerhead sharks, nurse sharks and leopard sharks, making it a great destination for those looking to get up close to these marine predators.
America’s Great Lakes
Scuba diving is most often synonymous with oceans, but there’s also great diving to be found in many lakes around the world. For residents of Midwest states like Michigan and Wisconsin, these spots may be closer than they realize.
Rough waters and storms have taken down hundreds of boats in the waters of the Great Lakes in the last few centuries. The 185-foot steamer Vernon, the 280-foor steamer Lakeland and the 124-foot, three-masted schooner Rouse Simmons are among a few of the wrecks settled at the bottom on Lake Michigan.
Sardinia, Italy
The underground topography of the Italian island of Sardinia is just as diverse as the land above. From a sandy seabed covered in seaweed to reefs surrounded by brightly colored fish, you’ll see a wide variety of underwater life diving in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea.
There’s ample opportunity for wreck diving too, with over 100 boats lying beneath the surface around the island. One of the most beautiful features of the sea around Sardinia is the abundance of underwater caves and unique coral formations that divers can swim over, under and through.
Whether you are an avid diver or just beginning your certification process, you’ll find exceptional dive spots all over the world. Escape the crowds and check out indigenous sea life and unique underground scenery by getting off the beaten dive path and visiting some less obvious spots for underwater exploration.
Photo credits:
Iceland by r.gielen on Flickr, Sudan by welshcathy on Flickr, Alaska by DiveKarma on Flickr, Scotland by bill larnach on Flickr, Egypt by Tom Weilenmann on Flickr, Midwest by Fellowship of the Rich on Flickr, Sardinia by danielguip on Flickr
Things to Do in St Lucia
Posted , add a commentA crow taking a trip over St Lucia could be forgiven for having a good belly laugh at the idiots in their metal machines below. The straightest route from A to B simply isn’t an option and a key aspect of driving in St Lucia is winding round hillsides. It’s a spectacular island, but it wasn’t created with road-makers is mind. Once you get over the fear factor (local drivers aren’t exactly renowned for their lane discipline), it’s a magical place to go for a drive.
On St Lucia, the temptation can often be to just stick to the resort. Many of them are of an extremely high quality, and offer enough activities to keep guests busy for weeks (though keep in mind, you will save money by booking St Lucia tours ahead with a company such as Viator). To take a case in point, one day’s activity list at the Windjammer Landing resort included watersports, a snorkelling trip, a stretch class, beach volleyball, table tennis and a banana boat ride. It’s a similar story elsewhere, but it is worth breaking out and taking to the long and winding roads.
St Lucia: Real island life
Those not wanting to go through the car hire rigmarole can head out on an island tour or hire a driver and his taxi for the day. And once that’s sorted, there’s something to see around every corner. The views of bays and banana plantations as you hug the bends are well worth the detours. Despite its upmarket reputation, St Lucia isn’t a sanitised made-for-tourists island. Driving through the villages and hillside shanty towns it’s clear that most of the St Lucians live a very different life to the pampered visitors. The island has a more African / Central American feel to it than many Caribbean islands; just that little bit of an edge that makes it more exciting.
St Lucia: The Pitons and Soufriere
Step away from the resorts and real life takes over. Choose a local bar over the hotel bar, and you’ll start getting real insights – as well as the odd impassioned rant – from the St Lucians. The best place to really get into the spirit of things is Gros Islet on a Friday night. This is where the ‘jump up’ takes place. It’s essentially a big, raucous and often steamy street party. A lot of tourists go there, but it’s primarily for the locals and music ranging from R&B to calypso blares out of the many speakers. But that’s for the evening. In the day, it’s time to explore the island.
St Lucia: Driving day tour
From the resorts in the north-east, a popular driving route is to head south through the capital, Castries, and down towards the scenic town of Soufriere. The town sits in the shadow of St Lucia’s most iconic image, the Pitons. These two green, pyramid-like peaks form a postcard pretty headland around the bay. They’re World Heritage-listed and often photographed. The Pitons are both volcanoes, although to all intents and purposes, they’re extinct. They do give a clue as to what’s around the corner, however.
Drive-in volcano
Sulphur Springs is pitched as the world’s only drive-in volcano. It’s a brilliant marketing gimmick, although perhaps not quite as exciting as the description may sound. You don’t go hurtling through flowing lava, let’s put it that way. Instead you rock up, park up and get a guide to take you around the hissing vents and hot pools. Some of the bubbling black water is at boiling point, while the steaming bits reach up to 170C (338F) degrees. Putting a hand in the wrong place is not advised.
Some visitors come to have mudbaths, and as our guide somewhat dubiously expounds, “every bath takes 10 years off your age.”
Sulphur Springs, as the name would suggest, is a somewhat smelly place, but that’s the price you pay for being in the middle of a giant volcanic caldera. It formed over 30,000 years ago when a crater collapsed and although there has been no eruption since the 18th century, scientists still keep a close eye on things. The steam is a good thing. If it stops, that means pressure is building and an eruption could be on the way.
St Lucia’s bananas & cocoa plantations
Another legacy of St Lucia’s volcanic nature is the soil. Put simply, the country is excellent for growing stuff. Along the roadsides, it’s possible to take in banana plantation after banana plantation. The banana plant, I’m told, is the world’s biggest herb, and St Lucia sells the fruit all over the world. But it’s not just bananas that grow here - and the Fond Doux Estate is an excellent spot in which to dig deeper.
Not far from the Sulphur Springs, many visitors head over here to have a wander through the gorgeous gardens. But it’s also a working cocoa plantation with a 250 year history. Staff are happy to take tourists around to explore the cocoa-growing process. It’s possible to taste the cocoa in the various stages in its journey from pod to guilty mid-afternoon snack. You see the beans in their raw state, as well as fermenting in the sun – the smell is somewhat alcoholic. But while some of St Lucia’s land is agricultural, much of it is still occupied by rainforest. And strange creatures lurk therein.
St Lucia’s Treetop Adventure Park
At the Treetop Adventure Park near Dennery, those bizarre beasts are usually nervous cruise ship passengers. The frightened herd is presented with a multi-faceted obstacle course, involving rope bridges, zip wires and other adventurous ways of getting from A to B. Assisted by guides and an intricate system of carabiners, clip-on wires and platforms, the willing guinea pigs gently make their way across the forest. They’re high above the leafy floor, wobbling and gulping, but gradually gaining confidence. To complete the course takes around an hour-and-a-half, but by the end most make the leap from fear to fun.
Zipping along the canopy in St Lucia
After conquering the adventure park, those that have developed a taste for action have a wealth of available options. Rainforest hikes, catamaran and sailing trips, cycling, diving, kitesurfing and horse riding are all options on various parts of the island.
And tempting though lounging around in an all-inclusive may be, these are surely good enough reasons to venture outside and enjoy the island for its beauty rather than its sunbeds.
-David Whitley
Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s St Lucia tours & things to do, from a St Lucia catamaran day sail to St Lucia shore excursions.