St. Lucia- We wanted to see as much of St. Lucia as we could so we opted to do our own thing in the morning. We arrived at Marigot Bay at 7:30 am and were on the first tender to shore. We…Read More

St. Lucia- We wanted to see as much of St. Lucia as we could so we opted to do our own thing in the morning. We arrived at Marigot Bay at 7:30 am and were on the first tender to shore. We caught a private taxi and arranged a tour with him for the next four hours. We had thought about doing one of the ship’s tours, but they were all in the afternoon and would mean that we would miss the snorkeling trip. There wasn’t too much to do in Marigot and most of the attractions we wanted to visit were closer to Soufriere, where the ship was arriving at 1:30 pm, so we decided to make the most of our morning. St. Lucia is VERY mountainous and lush, and gorgeous views abound. We stopped for a nice view of the ship and Marigot. Then we stopped for another ship view and Rosseau Beach. We stopped for some fishing village views, a banana plantation and a couple of amazing Piton views. (I had wanted to get views of the Pitons from both the water and from the mountains. I’m so glad we got to see them from such different perspectives.) We visited a small waterfall and the volcano. Then we took the rough road to Anse Chastanet where I had hoped to do some snorkeling. The black sand beach here was beautiful. Unfortunately, the water was very churned up. We could see that there was plenty of coral and fish—we just couldn’t see it very well because the water was murky. We ended up just relaxing on the beach for a while then had lunch at the hotel. It was good, but a bit pricey. We then took a boat back to Soufriere (that is definitely preferred to taking the rough road!) and waited for the tender to arrive so we could get back on the ship for the snorkeling trip. We then boarded the tender with about 30 other passengers. We snorkeled at the base of a mountain and also had a great view of the Pitons from the water here. The water was calm and clear (unlike the water at Anse Chastanet!). There was quite a bit of coral and some other interesting things. We saw a centipede looking thing on a rock in the ocean—I had never seen anything like that before. Also saw lots of fish. We had about 45 minutes to snorkel which was ample. We made it back to the ship with just enough time to shower and be ready for the photo tender where I photographed the ship under sail. This was our favorite day of the cruise and I would love to come back to St. Lucia for a vacation.Close

Bequia- We arrived at 2 pm and departed at 7 pm. This was one of my favorite islands, and I could definitely see myself coming back here for a vacation. We opted to do the ship’s 4x4 tour of the island.…Read More

Bequia- We arrived at 2 pm and departed at 7 pm. This was one of my favorite islands, and I could definitely see myself coming back here for a vacation. We opted to do the ship’s 4x4 tour of the island. After the tour we walked around town and found it very charming. We made it back to the jetty for the last tender. While we were waiting for the tender, we watched one of the most beautiful sunsets of the trip.Close

ShipWe had been on a cruise with Star Clippers before, so we knew what to expect. The ship holds about 220 passengers, but there were only about 160 on our cruise. I don’t think the ship would have felt crowded if it were full,…Read More

Ship
We had been on a cruise with Star Clippers before, so we knew what to expect. The ship holds about 220 passengers, but there were only about 160 on our cruise. I don’t think the ship would have felt crowded if it were full, but it was definitely nice that it wasn’t full. The bars and restaurants were never crowded and we never had to wait for a table at dinner or even wait in much of a line at the buffet breakfasts and lunches. The dining room was beautiful—more ornate than on the Star Flyer. There were plenty of lounge chairs on deck—even plenty in the shade and lots of areas on deck to get away from it all if you wanted. There were three pools. We really enjoyed the sail away each night—watching them hoist the sails to some dramatic music. We did not get the opportunity to do any of the watersports off of the platform, but people we spoke with who did enjoyed it. Sunsets from the ship were gorgeous!

Cabin
We were in a category 3 room. The bed was comfortable (two twins pushed together), and larger than I remembered. Toiletries were provided, except for hair conditioner, so make sure to bring your own. (I needed lots of conditioner after all the tangles from snorkeling!)

Food
Overall we enjoyed the food on the ship. Breakfast and lunch were buffet. Breakfasts were my favorite meal. The omelets were great! The omelet chef actually remembered me from our Star Flyer trip two and a half years ago. What a great memory! Lunch buffets were usually themed, for instance there were Italian, Seafood and Creole days. The quality of the food was good for lunch. The dinner menu changed each night, and they always offered a steak and pasta dish if you didn’t like the other offerings. Probably my favorite thing that I ate was the swordfish. When they had filet mignon, that was of good quality too. One day at lunch they had a chocolate cheesecake, which was really more like a warm mousse and it was my favorite dessert of the trip. My husband’s favorite was the veal dish. One night they did not have any desserts that I liked, so I asked if they had any of the straciatella ice cream left over from the previous night that I could have. And they did! I thought that was great service. They also had afternoon and midnight snacks. We were never out for the midnight snack, but did go to the afternoon snack a few times. I’d usually just have a cookie or two, but my husband enjoyed things like tacos, meatballs and wings.

Service
Our cabin steward was great! The room was always spotless when we returned to it. He also made a cute towel monkey and turtle. He knew our names and always greeted us when we would see him around the ship. Service in the dining room and bars was good, one night they got me the dessert that was offered the previous night. The cruise director was very nice and always tried to answer our questions.

Passengers
We were some of the youngest passengers on the ship (30’s), but we met some very interesting people of all ages. There was a good mix of nationalities- many British and some other Europeans as well as Americans and Canadians. We really enjoyed socializing with everyone on the ship and listening to some great travel stories!

Some things to consider-

This cruise is very different from a big ship cruise—and we liked that. There is not as much waiting and herding. It goes to some great ports, many of which the bigger ships just cannot get into. In some ports it offers a tender both to town and the beach which was really convenient. They also had a great snorkeling trip in St. Lucia from the tender, which only cost 1 Euro per person (because it was a marine park)—and that ended up being some of the best snorkeling of the trip!

Activities- They do have some evening entertainment- talent show, fashion show, pirate dress up competition. There was a singer on board and also one night they had a steel drum band which I enjoyed. We were usually pretty tired from all our day time on shore activities that we didn’t stay up too late.

We hope we can do another Star Clipper cruise!

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Getting to the Grenadines is no easy feat. After a slew of problems, I thought I’d take a moment to give you a few pointers: Most connections go to the Grenadines from Barbados, St. Lucia, and Puerto Rico. There are two main airlines serving…Read More

Getting to the Grenadines is no easy feat. After a slew of problems, I thought I’d take a moment to give you a few pointers:

Most connections go to the Grenadines from Barbados, St. Lucia, and Puerto Rico. There are two main airlines serving the Grenadines: Trans Island Air (www.tia2000.com) and SVG (www.svgair.com). Neither is luxurious, and both are fairly expensive. We booked on the carrier Mustique Airways, but what this place does not tell you on its website (www.mustiqueair.com) is that all the airlines in the Grenadines except SVG are part of a coalition, so it doesn’t matter which one you book with—since you'll probably end up flying Trans Island Air anyway.

Expect delays and lost luggage. We had lots of problems with Trans Island Air. Because the island we were headed to—Union Island, the gateway to many of the southern Grenadines—had no lights, we could only land there during the day. Our 4pm flight had some mechanical problems, and as a result, we were grounded overnight in Barbados.

From what I gathered from the people at my hotel in Barbados—whose existence seemed to rely upon these unexpected layovers—this is a very common occurrence. Another regular happening is the loss of luggage. At least half the people I met in the Grenadines had been without their luggage for at least one night (including myself), so pack accordingly.

A favorite for locals and tourists in the Grenadines is Happy Island, a tiny sandbar where a local man lives and tends bar. In fact, this island is so small that you wonder what the poor fellow does when a storm comes. He serves you…Read More

A favorite for locals and tourists in the Grenadines is Happy Island, a tiny sandbar where a local man lives and tends bar. In fact, this island is so small that you wonder what the poor fellow does when a storm comes.

He serves you a beer, and it’s up to you to decide what you pay for it. If four people stop by, the island is totally packed. A few brave souls ventured in for a swim after having a drink or two, but the huge number of crabs was rather daunting.

If you ask your resort about the island (Palm Island and Petit St. Vincent are both close), they’ll probably help to arrange transportation. It’s only located about 3 minutes by boat from Union Island.

April 27 I stayed up way too late finishing my book and thinking. The island doves will not stop cooing, no matter the time or day or night. Today we rode bikes to the Iguana Trail and hiked up the stairs to the top where there's a spectacular view…Read More

April 27

I stayed up way too late finishing my book and thinking. The island doves will not stop cooing, no matter the time or day or night. Today we rode bikes to the Iguana Trail and hiked up the stairs to the top where there's a spectacular view of the island. No iguanas though. The water is so clear even from up there. Then we found another hammock and read until the whipping wind drove us to warmer ground. "Played"" a spot of tennis. I met with the manager of the island for a while. Then we swam in the pool. Dana challenged a race, which I would have won had she not tried to yank my bikini bottom down. We are like kids again. We are like sisters. Later tried to snorkel off the island but it was too rough and Dana saw a barracuda . . . glad it wasn't me! Dana kayaked. I wanted to because I love river kayaking, but my bizarre water fears held me back. Showered in time to get fruity drinks and lie in beach chairs as the sun set.

I think I've had enough sun, though I could still stay a few more days here. I'll miss it when I leave. We've had three glorious days of no shoes, no purses and no watches . . . although we soon realized that even though we're on an island where we control what we do and when, we still need one so we can make it to activities and meals on time! We keep wondering what time it is! Even in paradise.

April 25 I crashed hard last night after dinner. A few tropical drinks coupled with having barely slept on the plane resulted in both Dana and I being asleep by 9:45. There are no TVs or phones in the rooms, which I find to be a nice change.…Read More

April 25

I crashed hard last night after dinner. A few tropical drinks coupled with having barely slept on the plane resulted in both Dana and I being asleep by 9:45. There are no TVs or phones in the rooms, which I find to be a nice change. We slept with the A/C on but with the wooden slatted blinds open (there are screens on the windows, thankfully, so unlike in Nevis we don't actually need the mosquito net hanging above the bed), and both woke up to a beautiful view of the beach. Our bungalow is on the front beach . . . we can walk right out in our bathing suits and in a minute be in the ocean. Dana got up earlier than me and went for an exploratory run and breakfast.

After a 10am orientation, we picked up some bikes and peddled our way around the island. It is not plush, but it is lush with various flora, including cacti (my favorite word!). There is a small lagoon, which supposedly has miniature, lobsters in it and two small mountainous hills that we'll climb later this week. The golf course in the middle of the island looks pretty dull and it's too hot right now to play. There are a few residential houses on the island, but none of the "Private" sings apply to the guests, which may be the coolest thing about the place. Everything is here for us to explore. As we continued our ride we passed one of the five beaches and stopped to wade in a shallow pool.

I'm discovering that each beach on the island is very different from the next. This one was gorgeous but not particularly swimmable. From there I looked up and saw a shaded hammock, so of course that was our next stop. Lying in a hammock such as that with the beach just a few steps away has always been my idea of a real paradise. And, before I ever visited the Caribbean I had a specific image of what I thought it would look like. Palm Island's swimming beach is the first one that has lived up to that image. It's quite clear, sparkling, and although it goes from shallow to deeper pretty quickly (I'm used to the flatness of Charleston waters), it's not too much of a drop off. After lunch Dana and I sunscreened up and went in the water. But it was too cold so we lay out, her on a chair in the sun, me in a chair in the shade, until we got hot. Then the water felt just right. I'm reading The Shipping News by Annie Prolux. Her prose style is short choppy sentences with little description, and yet somehow she inlays so many nuances and poetry and detail in each.

Our sunset champagne cruise left at 5pm. It was just us plus the boat captain and his assistant on the cruise. We talked for a while but then fell silent as the sun softly set. The champagne was bitter but got better with each sip and dip of the sun. We disembarked the boat just as the most brilliant colors were appearing in the sky, carrying our not yet finished champagne bottle on with us to dinner.

April 26

We passed out early again last night. And it felt so good! We both slept naked, something I've never done in the same room, let alone bed (it's a soft, luxurious feeling king) with another female friend. It was liberating. Dana is back from her run and after I drag myself out of this bed that makes me feel like I'm sinking deep down into the earth each time I lie on it, we're going to have breakfast and then go on a snorkeling excursion.

This boat is rocking. It is almost on one edge. My stomach doesn't like this. I am glad I have my tacky hat. We will be in the sun all day. I have to pee. I do not think I can snorkel. I thought I could but now I'm scared. Dana says she still will without me. She says it's okay if I don't. She understands. The motor is too loud. Make the noise stop. There is an island the size of my apartment over there. It only has room for a large straw umbrella. Lots of yachts around. Why are we going so slowly now? Oh, because they cut the motor off. Turn it back on. I see our beach. It is not close enough yet. I need to remember to breathe. In. Out. In. Out. We are anchoring. I am in the dingy taking me to shore. Yes! Land! Not rocking, solid land. Dana is being whisked away in the dingy to a reef. I am taking my clothes off and reapplying the sunscreen. Woman selling tacky T-shirts and jewelry over there. None for me. Sit on beach with hat and book. Sit in shade with book, no hat. Wind whistles through open sparkling juice bottle. Pleasant sound. Open local beer. Good, juicy, cold. Glance at fire that is cooking our lunch. Never had lunch cooked over open fire on an island like this before. Should be good. Have to pee again. Go into water. And again. Not embarrassed about body being so exposed. Comfortable in new bikini and thinner stomach. Feel like an island girl. Ask if I can help prepare lunch . . . shot a strange look and told no, relax. I am! Read more, miss Dana and can't see her dinghy. Now here it comes. Get up and wave as though she's been on foreign seas. Short swim. Lunch. Lunch is not good. Fish is stringy, thick, does not taste like fish cooked over open fire should taste. Read. Take pictures. Follow Dana into the water with a snorkel mask on. If she can do it I can do it. I am claustrophobic though. But I did this in Tobago. I can do it here. I go under. I follow Dana to a reef. Magical world unfolds. This is amazing. Brain coral, almost translucent fish, blue and yellow fish. Black and white fish. Large fish, small fish. Long eel like creature with a beak, but it's not an eel because it's royal blue. Jon would love it. [Found out later it’s a parrotfish]. There's a plastic bag below my reach. Contemplate conquering even more fears by diving down to get it. Freak out, swim away. Feel guilty. Jennifer would have if she were there. New reef, more fish. Tired. Shore. Lie down on boat ride back. Starving! Not sea sick this time. Proud of small snorkeling accomplishment. Land ahoy.

Dana went on a fishing expedition right after our snorkel trip. I didn't because I think if I saw a fish caught and killed right up close, I might stop eating fish altogether, and then I don't know what I'd eat since my favorite and most frequent meal is sushi. I meandered over to the tea hour, which was a disappointment of some not so great sandwiches and little pieces of cake. Then I went to the room to read and get out of the sun . . . took a nap . . . didn't have to set the alarm and was able to just sleep and wake as I pleased, which is not a possibility at home anymore because there’s always so much to do.

Dinner tonight was a cook out with a steel drum band. I am so, so sad to report the food here is not good. And it's not just Dana and I who think that. Even a honeymooning chef from Montreal agreed. There is nothing grown on the island, everything is imported from St. Vincent and Union Island, but I don't think that's a proper excuse. The lobster the first night was likened to a "twice-baked potato" by another guest. I leave each meal unsatisfied. Breakfast, my least favorite meal, is actually the best of the three. I've enjoyed some coconut porridge and this morning it was banana pancakes. However, because everything else here is so wonderful, it doesn't put a damper on things . . . it might if we were paying though!

April 24, 2002 Spending time with Dana, my best friend who I have known since I was in second grade, is so comforting, so amazing, so life-affirming. There is nothing like talking to someone who has known me for that long and remembers things about me…Read More

April 24, 2002

Spending time with Dana, my best friend who I have known since I was in second grade, is so comforting, so amazing, so life-affirming. There is nothing like talking to someone who has known me for that long and remembers things about me from 15 years ago that even I don't remember. Or won't let me forget certain instances I'd like to! My first vivid memory of Dana involves going to her third or fourth grade birthday party, which was a pool party and spend the night. I think we froze her brother's underwear and then found them again 10 years later. We also made fun of our best friend, Jennifer, because she was, as always, the first to fall asleep. We put toothpaste on her face, and maybe froze her underwear too. Dana and I lived in the same neighborhood complex so we spent many an afternoon in elementary and middle school exploring the bike trails in the hood or sunning on the dock, and then in high school we spent evenings smoking and drinking on her roof when her parents were out of town. Many years and many sad and happy times later, we are still best friends, and it amazes me that someone I bonded with at age seven is still an integral part of my everyday life.

And now Dana and I are in the middle of nowhere on a deserted island . . . of sorts. We are at Palm Island Resort, which is an all-inclusive resort on a 135-acre island in the Southern Grenadines. There are only 36 rooms on the island and children are only allowed during the off season (April to October). Dana is a nanny at the moment and this factor particularly pleases her. Our room would cost about $600 a night per person, but more in the high season.

Last night she flew in from Chicago and arrived at my apartment at 10pm, in time to say our hellos and go to sleep in order to get up at 3am and catch a 6am flight to Barbados via JFK and San Juan, PR. From SJ, we were supposed to fly to Barbados and have a three-hour layover, but arrived at the SJ gate just in time to hear that American Airlines was asking people to give up their seats for a later flight that included a short layover in St. Lucia. We volunteered because we had the time and because they were giving out $200 travel vouchers, which we have sworn to use to visit each other and fulfill our recent pledge to see each other at least every three months. After finally arriving in Barbados I was quite motion sick, but it was worth it. Our next stretch of the trip included an hour-long flight on a crowded 16-person plane with a stop in Canaouan (one of the archipelago of Grenadines islands) to Union Island (another of the Grenadines islands), a golf cart ride to a dock and a ten-minute boat ride to our final destination. 12 hours after our original departure, we are finally here.

We were greeted at the dock with rum punches and escorted to our rooms. Ours has an open shower, handcrafted signature furniture engraved with palm trees, woven palm ceilings, ceiling fans and a nice size porch with a palm umbrella. The rooms are a little dark, but only until you open all the windows and let the sun pour in. Time for dinner now. And guess what I'm having? LOBSTER!!!!!!!!!!

Barbados- Our flight was not until 4:30, so we had a lot of time in Barbados and didn’t want to just sit around the airport. We hired a private taxi to give us a 4 and a half hour tour. We made…Read More

Barbados- Our flight was not until 4:30, so we had a lot of time in Barbados and didn’t want to just sit around the airport. We hired a private taxi to give us a 4 and a half hour tour. We made a few stops in Bridgetown, viewed sugar plantations, took in views from a watch tower and explored beautiful, wild Bathsheba on the east coast of the island before being dropped off at the airport. I’d highly recommend doing this. We really enjoyed our taxi driver too.Close

Martinique- We arrived the city around 8 am (I am missing our itinerary for that day, so I may be a bit off on the timing). We docked here which made it more convenient getting on and off the ship. We took…Read More

Martinique- We arrived the city around 8 am (I am missing our itinerary for that day, so I may be a bit off on the timing). We docked here which made it more convenient getting on and off the ship. We took the ship’s tour where we walked around the city—saw a beautiful library, spent some time at the market, then drove up to the Church of Balata and went to some gorgeous botanical gardens (these were my favorite botanical gardens of the trip.). We went back to the ship around noon and moved on to the beach, Anse d’Arlet. We were on the first tender over. The beach was nice, somewhat darker sand, and calm, clear water. We made our way down to a hotel where we rented chairs for $5 each. There were not very many available, so we were lucky to be some of the first ship passengers there. We tried snorkeling, but did not see too much. It was nice, relaxing beach time.Close