A Journey from Miami to San Juan

Presenting divers, windsurfers and nature lovers with the ultimate gifts of discovery, this journey fully displays Mother Nature’s tour de force of beauty above and below the Caribbean Sea’s surface. With a lovely enticement of ease, we begin in Barbados, an island of wonders: flying fish, green monkeys, subterranean waterfalls, and towering banyan trees with shaggy aerial roots that inspired the island’s Portuguese name, the “bearded ones.” The lure of geography blesses us on Sunday Island, formally baptised Dominica, where sperm whales swim her waters all year long. Uncrowded and unspoilt, its mountainous heart includes the 1,342-meter-high volcano and namesake Morne Trois Pitons National Park (a UNESCO gem) ringed by primordial rainforests thick with blooming orchids, jungle grottos, hot springs, and a profusion of rainbows in a swirling cloud of mist. Surround yourself in cerulean blue, tranquility and sky on Bonaire, considered the Caribbean’s shore-diving capital with more than 50 dive sites in a national marine park and coral reef all ringing the coastline. Head to Lac Bay, the birthplace of windsurfing, where an endless sweep of turquoise water mixes with a 90% chance of favourable winds. Following a westerly breeze, we find the city and harbour of Willemstad, both of which have earned a UNESCO award, with brightly coloured Dutch-gabled buildings that look like a tropical Amsterdam. With 26 hours in the Dutch West Indies port, we can take our time exploring this semi-arid island. Walk the Queen Emma Bridge, visit the Israel-Emanuel Synagogue, learn about African empires or take a walk on her wild side at the Ja Kok Salt Ponds, a briny inland lake where we may find the island’s national bird — the precocious pink flamingo — vividly strutting in flocks of profusion. Our Journey of discovery returns to Barbados, the birthplace of rum, where we salute Mother Nature with our final toast of ¡Salud!, Santé!, Prost!, Skål!, Cin cin!, and Kanpai!

Formed by volcanoes, St Kitts fertile soil is so rich it turns monkeys green. Trek through miles of rainforest amongst colourful wildlife to conquer the highest peak of Mount Liamuiga so you can peer into the mile-wide crater, or bravely descend to sniff the sulphur. Experience a train ride, sailing trip, cooking class, sky safari zip-line, or creative batik fabric workshops. Visit sugarcane plantations, the Narrows between St Kitts and Nevis and the UNESCO Brimstone Hill Fortress for spectacular views of neighbouring islands. You’ll find this special island small in size yet tall in standing, as well as big on charm.

We call on islands that are the bywords for high-society escapism. Our first elixir of ease,
St. Barths, is one part Swedish, two parts French and three shots of sunset-to-sunrise glamour. Yachts gleam in the harbour, boutiques sell Parisian fancies, and bonafide barefoot bars serve off-the-charts tranquillity. This is our playground until we bid adieu just before the clock strikes midnight so find a spot on the pink-sand Shell Beach to watch the splendid setting sun then crack open a ruby red lobster and a bottle of bubbly. With our head full of dreams, we call on St. Kitts, an island of wonders graciously preserved for all. Visit beautiful Brimstone Hill Fortress, a UNESCO park, or ascend through virgin rain forest to summit Mount Liamuiga’s and gaze down upon her dormant crater. More emerald peaks and placid shores continue on the Dominican Republic. An island floating in a realm of superlatives, she boasts four of the five highest peaks in the Caribbean, lush jungles carved by rivers and waterfalls, fertile lowlands that give way to the island’s 6,000 species of flora and 7,000 species of fauna. Shades of aquamarine, amethyst turning translucent opal, the colours of the sky, sea and sandy cays all are seemingly inseparable. This is the wonder of Ocean Cay Marine Reserve, our private island paradise that is ecologically and geographically achieves the impossible dream of being gloriously secluded on a paradisiacal island. Two miles of pristine sand stretch across eight idyllic beaches. Brilliant coral reefs and shell-crusted shipwrecks for endless snorkelling. The pop of champagne bottles signals that start of a special fireworks show with the lighthouse in LED glow. From the languid to the active, we call on Miami Beach, where the stunning scenery of white Art Deco buildings stand as sentinels to the city’s decades-long love affair with glamour. Blindingly white beaches. A blazing hot nightlife. Mi amor, my love, my heart forever sings for this journey.