19 Nights | CARIBBEAN CROSSROADS
You will visit the following 10 places:
Belize City
Belize City is the largest city in Belize and was once the capital of the former British Honduras. It is located at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, which is a tributary of the Belize River. The city is the country's principal port and its financial and industrial hub. Several cruise ships drop anchor outside the port and are tended by local citizens. It was also the capital of British Honduras (as Belize was then named) until the government was moved to the new capital of Belmopan in 1970.
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe (sometimes known as the ''Butterfly Island''), a French overseas territory, is an island group in the southern Caribbean Sea. It is an archipelago of nine inhabited islands, including Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Desirade, Iles des Saintes, Saint-Barthélemy, Iles de la Petite Terre, and Saint-Martin (French part of the island of Saint Martin). Guadeloupe is best known for its rich culture, volcano, beautiful scenery and wonderful beaches.
Oranjestad
Oranjestad, known as ("Orange Town"), is the capital and largest city of Aruba. In the local language, Papiamento, Oranjestad is also often referred to simply as "Playa". The city consists of hundreds of local stores where tourists usually buy their keepsakes. The city is also home to some of the island's local residents and also many governmental buildings. Along the main "drag" (Sasakiweg street) you will find most tourist walking around and shopping and can also see the cruise ships that bring more and more external tourism into the island everyday. Close to the cruise ships is the island's largest marina where you can find great docking space for your vessel.
Bridgetown
Bridgetown is the capital and largest city of the nation of Barbados. It is the only city on Barbados and well over half the island's residents live there. It is the port of call for many cruise ships and is known for its duty-free shopping as much as for its more cultural and historical attractions.
St Kitts and Nevis
Saint Kitts and Nevis are a pair of tropical islands in the Caribbean and the smallest sovereign state in the Americas, in both area and population. The country is a Commonwealth realm, with the British Monarch (currently, Elizabeth II) as its head of state. Saint Kitts and Nevis were among the first islands in the Caribbean to be settled by Europeans. It was home to the first British and French colonies in the Caribbean, and thus has also been titled "The Mother Colony of the West Indies''. The natural aspect is what makes the country remarkable. Many tropical birds which one rarely finds elsewhere are present in great concentration in the nature and there are also the famous monkeys which, it is said, were introduced by the pirates
St. George's
St. George's is the capital of Grenada. The town is surrounded by a hillside of an old volcano crater and is on a horseshoe-shaped harbor. St. George's is a popular Caribbean tourist destination. Founded by the French in 1650, the town has significantly developed in recent years, while preserving its history, culture, and natural beauty. The town is home of St. George’s University School of Medicine and it is also where the country's international airport is located, Maurice Bishop International Airport. It has a moderate tropical climate that ensures the success of spice production. Nutmegs are the most plentiful crop, followed by an array of such spices as cocoa, mace, cloves, vanilla, cinnamon and ginger.
Sandals Regency St Lucia
One of the major tourist areas in St. Lucia, Castries, is a port of call for cruise ships. They dock at Pointe Seraphine, to the north of the harbour, which is also a duty-free shopping centre. Beaches are also a major draw for tourists, and there are several in or very near Castries. The city doesn't have a huge amount to offer visitors, and it's usually just a place that you'll pass through on your way to the more obvious attractions of Saint Lucia - but it's worth watching those marvellous cruise ships that visit Saint Lucia dock!
Havana
Havana, officially Ciudad de La Habana, is the capital city, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city is one of the 15 Cuban provinces. The city/province has 2.1 million inhabitants, the largest city in Cuba and the second largest in the Caribbean region, after Santo Domingo. The city extends mostly westward and southward from the bay, which is entered through a narrow inlet and which divides into three main harbours: Marimelena, Guanabacoa, and Atarés. The sluggish Almendares River traverses the city from south to north, entering the Straits of Florida a few miles west of the bay.
Miami
Miami is a major city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625. The 42nd largest city in the United States, with a population of 433,136, it is the principal, central, and most populous city of the South {Florida} metropolitan area, the most populous metropolis in the Southeastern United States. According to the US Census Bureau, Miami's metro area is the seventh most populous in the United States, with an estimated population of 5,547,051 in 2009.
Riviera Maya
The Riviera Maya is a stretch of Caribbean coastline on Mexico’s northeastern Yucatán Peninsula. The Riviera Maya is a tourism and resort district in Mexico. It straddles the coastal Highway 307 along the Caribbean coastline of the state of Quintana Roo, located on the eastern portion of the Yucatán Peninsula. Historically started at the city of Playa del Carmen and ended at the village of Tulum, the Riviera Maya was originally called the "Cancun–Tulum corridor", but in 1999 it was renamed as the Riviera Maya with the aid of Lic. The Riviera Maya is famous for its large scale all-inclusive resorts and a historical tourism base of smaller boutique hotels as well as the many fine-dining restaurants available along the highway 307 and on or near the beaches. Luxury travel entities have been instrumental in increasing luxury villa rentals and yacht charters in the area however these only represent a small fraction of the total tourism accommodation available. A major attraction throughout the Riviera Maya are coastal and reef aquatic activities dependent on the coastal water and the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (also known as the Belize Barrier Reef) which begins near Cancun and continues along the whole length of the Riviera Maya continuing southward to Guatemala. This barrier reef system is the second longest in the world. Activities at the most visited locations include jet-skiing, snorkeling, scuba diving, swimming in cenotes, swimming with dolphins, zip-lining, horse riding, sailing, and guided jungle tours.
