A Journey Bridging the Big Easy and Mystical Ancient Maya

This Journey exudes a warm elan that’s at once cosmopolitan and tropical. Fittingly, we begin in Miami, where the moon shines on a sultry, sophisticated city. Sky-scraping palm trees breezily lean over miles and miles of beaches, high-wattage clubs throb along Ocean Drive, and boutique shopping is mesmeric in magnificent Bal Harbour. Plying a southern chain of mangrove islands, we call on Key West. Hop the infamous Conch Tour Train to the southern-most tip of the US. Visit Roosevelt’s Little While House then raise a glass to Hemingway at his favourite hangout, Sloppy Joe’s Bar and Grill. A long-held yachtsmen’s cove, Virgin Gorda, enchants with curious beach boulders as big as houses tossed about like a giant’s marbles. A true femme fatale, even the ocean floor of this BVI enchantress is beautiful thanks to Art Reef installations like a giant Kraken, sea monster, devouring a former WWII tanker that survived even Pearl Harbor! The luxurious awakening of joie de vivre pulls us to the dreamlike harbour of Deshaies, where the French overland of Guadeloupe blends with spicy African and East Indian origins. A cosy Creole village leads to a gold sand beach that parts sapphire waters with emerald jungles. Climb like the wild vines up La Grande Dame at La Soufriere, the island’s sleepy volcano, to discover a wilderness untouched by time. Never a more shipshape port than Falmouth Harbour, where the British Navy once established its West Indie’s stronghold under the command of young Horatio Nelson. Nestled in the middle of the Leeward Islands, Antigua boasts 54 miles of exquisite coastline outfitted with 365 “leave your troubles behind” beaches as well as the rare Antigua Black Pineapple, the sweetest in the world and grown only upon her verdant lands. Hummingbirds, herons, parrots in every colour, Puerto Rico’s landscape is a vibrant painter’s portrait. Venture inland to El Yuenque National Forest to find thick primeval jungles where a cathedral-like hush reveals the natural soundtrack of Blue Warbler birds, Coqui frogs, and gossamer waterfalls.

Deep in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, beats one of the most unique cities in America. A sumptuous blend of French, Spanish, and Caribbean architecture, where bucolic and urban mingle, antique meets trendy, naughty nuzzles nice, and the Hurricane cocktail keeps things buzzy. The Queen of Creole, Cajun, and Soul has been simmering at slow boil for three hundred years creating some iconic cuisine served with a generous helping of Southern hospitality. Jazz fills the air as brass bands parade along the quaint, cobbled streets that so enchanted Edgar Degas, Tennessee Williams, Louis Armstrong and Anne Rice. As they say in NoLa, “laissez les bon temps rouler”.

Deep in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, beats one of the most unique cities in America. A sumptuous blend of French, Spanish, and Caribbean architecture, where bucolic and urban mingle, antique meets trendy, naughty nuzzles nice, and the Hurricane cocktail keeps things buzzy. The Queen of Creole, Cajun, and Soul has been simmering at slow boil for three hundred years creating some iconic cuisine served with a generous helping of Southern hospitality. Jazz fills the air as brass bands parade along the quaint, cobbled streets that so enchanted Edgar Degas, Tennessee Williams, Louis Armstrong and Anne Rice. As they say in NoLa, “laissez les bon temps rouler”.

Head into the port of Progeso, gateway to some true Yucatan treats. Learn about the history, customs and culture of the ancient Maya. Seek out elegant architecture, well-preserved Mayan exhibits and a drop of mezcal in charming Mérida. Head out to visit the impressive sights at one of the new Wonders of the World; Chichen Itza. Visit the archaeological ruins of mythical Uxmal, explore the Temple of the Seven Dolls and cool off in the sacred waters of a secret cenote. A marvel of the wonders of Mayan myths.

Head into the port of Progeso, gateway to some true Yucatan treats. Learn about the history, customs and culture of the ancient Maya. Seek out elegant architecture, well-preserved Mayan exhibits and a drop of mezcal in charming Mérida. Head out to visit the impressive sights at one of the new Wonders of the World; Chichen Itza. Visit the archaeological ruins of mythical Uxmal, explore the Temple of the Seven Dolls and cool off in the sacred waters of a secret cenote. A marvel of the wonders of Mayan myths.