St. Maarten

Dear NEXT TRAVELER to St Maarten!
Highlights/Recommendations:
1. rent a car and explore
Cruise Port & Airport Rentals, book now! (coastal.sx)

2. soak up several hours on a beach (Mullet Bay was incredible)
3. Maho Bay (watching the planes) is a very small and crowded beach
4. enjoy French pastries in Marigot

Mullet Bay overhead plane about to land at Maho Bay

St Maarten was one of our day stops on our southern Caribbean cruise. I had waited two decades to make it there. I could barely wait for our ship to dock and us to be able to explore the island. I had always been fascinated with the island being split between the Dutch and the French. I didn’t do a lot of research before. Honestly, I just wanted to get there and feel it. BUT I had read that the island was easy to explore by renting a car. I was so glad I took that advice and planned for that. Well..planned meant booking an economy car at our port dock the day before. We find ourselves often not planning very far in advance. A couple things were at the top of my list. 1. I wanted to go to Maho Beach and see the low-flying planes 2. soak up the sun on a beach 3. shop the French stores and eat French pastries.

Immediately when we arrived at the port, there were large car rental signs. We easily found Coastal Car Rental and Ronnie was incredible to us. Be aware of hecklers that want to rent you a car, but not with reputable car companies. Rent one in advance! It cost us $63 for a small compact car for the day-cheaper than some of the taxi fees we had been paying at some other islands. Ronnie made sure we were in the right place and gave us a map of the island and even recommended several places to go. He made sure we understood to plan a lot of time on the return trip back. The traffic is very heavy and several people have missed their ship because they didn’t plan enough time to get back. We had our cute little Toyota compact car, heavily colored map, and our phone’s GPS and we were off.

We worked our way around the island and tried to find “castle” the french ruins but only found very narrow streets and friendly people that looked like they wondered what we were doing. We moved on to Marigot.

As we were driving into Marigot, the view was spectacular! Beautiful mountain background, lush green landscape contrasted by the beautiful blue shades of Caribbean waters is a stunning sight. The views were incredible. When we got into the town, I was not impressed. The streets were narrow and crowded and the shops on the main streets weren’t filled with Parisian styled items. It looked more like flea market leftovers. I was disappointed. We were about to pass Marigot by and head to the beach but saw a marina and decided to just stop by the water and see the boats. So glad we stopped. We saw some people walking toward a pier and followed them. The Atlantic Ocean and harbor were beautiful! So many impressive boats docked in the harbour. The water was the most beautiful shades of green and blue. Stunning!

Marigot - Atlantic Ocean and harbor

We decided to leave the car parked and just walk a couple of the streets. We found the cutest little French pastry shop, L’Express. We had a delicious creme puff, apple pastry, chocolate eclair and two cokes. Great little shop with a beautiful view of the water and marina. We walked into the Indies Shopping Mall. There was some nice items but everything was marked in euro prices and I didn’t find anything I liked enough to figure out how much in dollars.

L’Express Pastry Shop

We drove on to Maho Bay where the airplanes fly super low to the beach. The beach was incredibly small and full of large rocks. The fence where people hang on as the planes fly over is across the street from the narrow beach. We took pictures of the beach and the airport and called it good.

Low flying planes

Maho Beach

We decided to backtrack and find Mullet Bay (recommendation from Ronnie, rental car guy) which we assumed we had passed on the way to Maho Bay. We saw where several cars were parked across the street from an area with a lot of trees and took a chance and parked and walked across the street. The most beautiful beach emerged. There were palm trees…BEAUTIFUL sand…and the MOST gorgeous water that had amazing shades of blue and green. At the end of the beach was a rock formation.
After being there, just a few minutes, we saw planes flying really low and although we couldn’t see them land on the runway, we could see them going into the beach. It was perfect.

We found us a spot and laid down and enjoyed the beautiful sun and the waves, and watching local guys skim board. The waves were a good size and the undercurrent was pretty strong. We didn’t go too far in the water. It was a little cold. We could not believe when we were walking across the sand how thick it was. I’ve never felt sand bog as deep as this sand bogged. It was very coarse, but beautiful.

At the top of the beach was a really nice restaurant. The food was fantastic, a little pricey but the view made it all worth it.

Kalatua Restaurant at Mullet Bay

It was the MOST amazing day at the beach.

We left two hours before ship boarding time to be sure we made it back without any problems. The drive back was beautiful, so many gorgeous places to see. We parked at a scenic overlook and hiked up to the top and had a beautiful view of the entire Bay area. It was gorgeous!

We were back to the port area about an hour before boarding time. We easily found a gas station down from the port and filled up the car. A full day driving around the entire island was only $4. We turned our rental car in without any problems. Ronnie at Coastal Rent-A-Car couldn’t have been any nicer.

The island of St Maarten was even more beautiful as I hoped it would be. I hope you love it as much as we did on your NEXT TRAVEL to St. Maarten.

St. Croix, USVI

Dear NEXT TRAVELER to St Croix!
Highlights/Recommendations:
1. Visit the ruins at Ft Christiansted
Christiansted National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

2. Buy a St Croix hook bracelet at Sonya’s
Sonya Ltd (sonyaltdstore.com)

3. Eat a burger at Shupes and enjoy the view of the boardwalk and beautiful water
SHUPE'S - Shupes' on the Boardwalk (shupesontheboardwalk.com)

4. Paradise Beach shells and sea glass and St Croix sign picture

NEXT Time: boat trip to Buck Island - snorkel National Monument, underwater guided trail.
Beaches, Turtle Beach, Buck Island National Monument, St. Croix USVI (gotostcroix.com)

we love St Croix

Our ship docked at Fredrickstand. The pier gate was slammed with locals offering tours and taxis. It was a bit overwhelming especially if you didn’t already have a plan or arrangements in place.
We walked a couple blocks along the shoreline and loved how beautiful the water and palm trees were. We ended up catching a local taxi van for $24 for 2 to Christandstand, on the other side of the island. It was a crazy taxi ride - the driver was flying and going 65 in a 30. BUT we made it. He dropped us off in Christiansted in the shopping district.

We went to a large souvenir shop, walked the boardwalk, admired all the sailboats in the harbor, and the beautiful blue and green water. We walked a couple blocks to Fort Christiansted and met a local couple who took our picture and then recommended going through the fort and then buying a local St Croix bracelet from the original design jewelry shop, Sonya’s.

The fort was fascinating and the danish yellow exterior made it so tropical and beautiful. The fort was constructed in 1738. The British occupied the colony in the early 1800s. The fort served as a colony jail and a notable inmate was the mother of Alexander Hamilton, Rachel Faucette because she refused to live with her husband any longer. She spent several months in a 10x13 cell with one small window. Soon after being released, she fled to the British west Indies, where she met Alexander Hamilton’s father (wikipedia).

Ft Christiansted

dungeon window

dungeon height

prison cell

latrine

The fort ranger asked us if we had been down to the dungeon. When we told him we had not, he led us to that area of the fort. Once we went down into the dungeon and realized the conditions the prisoners had to be in for months and even years at a time, it became really sad. Then we started noticing each of the separate rooms and how they were actually cells and felt how isolating it would’ve been. We even went to where the original latrine was located.

cannons

gun powder room

At the top of the fort were the cannons and the overlook. We saw the room where the black powder was kept. It really was fascinating. We were very glad we took the time and made the effort to get there.

After the fort, we walked a block up to the recommended jewelry shop, Sonya’s (2101 Company St Suite 1, Christiansted). Brad bought me a silver Saint Croix hook bracelet. The shop owner told us that it was designed by a lady who wanted to represent the culture in the area. It was stunning.

original St Croix hook bracelet

Sonya’s

local St Croix residents stack their bracelets

We walked back a couple blocks to where the taxi dropped us off and ate lunch at Shupes on the boardwalk. Shupes is a hamburger joint. It reminded us of a similar place on St. Thomas. They have slips of paper for menus on the table and you write down your own order. The burgers are amazing! Our waiter was a travel waiter from the mid-west and had just arrived at the island that day. He was planning to work for a few months and travel to all the surrounding islands. We loved the hour sitting on the upper deck and watching the ships in the harbor and enjoy the beautiful day.

Street of Christiansted

Shupes view

Shupes hamburger

We were having a hard time finding a taxi back to the ship port in Frederickstad. We ended up talking to a police officer and she showed us where the taxis park. We were really glad we had walked that way when we did because there weren’t any more taxis that came. A taxi driver that was already full promised he would be our backup if we didn’t find another way. Fortunately he helped us join on a bus from a private tour. Thank goodness for that! Lesson learned NEXT TRAVEL - make sure you have secured travel back.

When we got back to Frederickstad, we walked over to Paradise Beach and sat on the sand and admired the beautiful sunset and the ship at the dock. We couldn’t believe the shells, rocks and sea glass. It was unbelievable. The beach wasn’t that pretty, the sand was coarse and dark, but the water was beautiful and the shells were unreal.

The island of St Croix was welcoming and friendly. We felt relaxed and enjoyed learning about the history of the island.

On our NEXT TRAVEL to the island we want to visit Buck Island - Big Beards Adventure Tours seemed to be very popular.

St. Kitts

Dear NEXT TRAVELER to St Kitts!
Highlights/Recommendations:
1. St Kitts Scenic Railroad Train
Basseterre: St. Kitts Scenic Railway Tour | GetYourGuide

2. Timothy Hill - Caribbean & Atlantic views
2024 St Kitts Scenic Island Tour For Private Groups provided by D.A.C TAXI TOUR SERVICES reviews (tripadvisor.com)

Next time: Brimstone Hill Fortress & National Park
Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park - Home

The cruise port at St Kitts has a long pier with the cleanest port-a-potties I’ve ever HAD to use. The port entry was painted a bright sunshine yellow that’s typical of Dutch buildings. At the entrance to the port was the waiting area for the St Kitts Scenic Railroad Train excursion. It was a little difficult to know where we were to gather and wait since several tours from multiple ships were originating from that area. Just confirm you are in the right spot with the right group.

When it was our turn, we followed a tour guide outside the port gates to an area with the Train buses. The buses were much nicer on the inside than they appeared from the outside. We were a little hesitate as we were walking to the buses. We had a great group of people on our bus and we were all laughing and joking together. Our tour guide, Teddy was fantastic. He was knowledgeable about the island and it’s history. We learned so much from him. After a 45 min bus ride we arrived at the St Kitts Scenic Railroad Train start point.

St Kitts Scenic Railroad Train

The Scenic Railroad was fantastic. It was a two hour train ride. By the end of the tour, we had circled the entire island of Saint Kitts either by bus or by train. The lady that was our tour guide gave us so many details of the area. She was very knowledgeable and friendly. The train actually broke down a little over halfway, something happened with one of the hoses. Within about 15 minutes they had it fixed and we were back on our way. We loved seeing the island. It was beautiful!

When were returned back to the port, we were inundated with a lot of people selling things. Before I knew it, a man put a monkey in my hand and took a picture and then put a monkey on my head and took a picture and demanded I pay him. Just be prepared and be careful.

Timothy Hill - Atlantic Ocean & Caribbean Sea

We caught a taxi to take us to Timothy Hill. Our driver’s name was Ace and he was so kind and accommodating. Timothy Hill has a view of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Beautiful! The view is incredible.

Ace, our taxi driver

We finished the day with port shopping. Iguana Rocks was a great store and had fantastic deals.
THE 10 BEST Places to Go Shopping in St. Kitts (Updated 2024) (tripadvisor.com)

The island of St Kitts was beautiful. We could feel the locals gratitude for travelers and their financial contribution to their island.

Dominican Republic

Dear NEXT TRAVELER to the Dominican Republic!

Highlights/Recommendations:
1. Damajagua Waterfalls
DAMAJAGUA WATERFALLS (27 Falls of Damajagua) PUERTO PLATA (27waterfalls.org)
2. Beach & Cabanas at Taino Bay

My husband and I traveled to the Dominican Republic and it would be fine with children but I would make sure you are with a reputable tour group. 

NEXT TIME:
1. Mount Isabel de Torres-large Christ the Redeemer statue
2. Cayo Arena-snorkeling and sand bar

Dominican Republic

From our cruise ship, the view of the Dominican Republic was beautiful. We were amazed at how mountainous the area was.
At the end of the pier there were dancers singing Feliz Navidad. It was a great party atmosphere. We gathered in the center of the port area and met with our excursion group. We walked as a tour group through the gates to the port and onto the big charter bus.

Damajagua Waterfalls charter bus

The drive from the port to where we were going to slide down the Damajagua Waterfalls was about 30 min. We were able to see a lot of the area. There were a lot of people riding motorcycles. There were roadside stands everywhere, selling fresh fruit.

Damajagua Waterfalls entrance ~ Damajagua Waterfalls are a series of 27 cascading waterfalls in the Dominican jungle made by Mother Nature and the Damajagua River.

When we arrived at the waterfalls area, our group leader took us to a building to get our lifejackets and helmets. We also had the option to rent a locker to put our belongings in. Our group walked to the start of the hiking trail, which had a couple souvenir shops and a dining and bar area.

The hiking trail was intense. It was 45 minutes and a huge majority of it was a steep hill. It was definitely not an easy climb. There were actually several women in our group that started up the hike, but quickly realized they were not going to be able to do it and walked back down. Our group leader provided water bottles for us and we were happy to have them. At the end of the hiking trail, we were able to rest at the top before we started jumping and sliding down the waterfalls.

Our excursion was for 7 waterfalls, but there are a total of 27 waterfalls on that mountain. We walked down a platform and then jumped into the first waterfall. The water was cold but the rush of the jump and the cool water was exhilarating. We jumped or slid down 6 more waterfalls - such an incredible outdoor experience.

Our group then hiked back down the rest of the mountain to the bus. At the bus area we got our things out of the locker and changed into dry clothes to ride back to the port.

At the port, there was a fantastic designed beach area with a pool and live music. We found us a private little cabana.

We loved our time in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic! We felt safe with our excursion group and they took excellent care of the entire group. The cabana beach time was the perfect relaxing end to an adventurous day.