steve

Message: my wife and i are going on a cruise in early december. ports of call include martinique, antigua, st. maarten, tortola and st. thomas. i'd love some insider info on the good places to go at each of these stops. the best beaches, shopping or any must-see or must-do things that aren't what the masses are up to. thanks

BVI

Hop over to the Baths on Virgin Gorda

clueless

Those are not southern Caribbean ports of call. <BR>On St Thomas I'd either head to Magan's Bay for a day at the beach or hop on the ferry for a 20 minute ride to St John. Rent a jeep on St John and spend the day exploring the beaches.<BR>On Tortola I'd either get a ferry and head for Virgin Gorda and the Bath's or get a cab to Cane Garden Bay and park yourself on the beach for the day. You can't go wrong!

xxx

St. Thomas is good for shopping if you are shoppers. I opted for Meagans Bay. If you are beach folks this is where I would go for the day.

steve

ive heard great things about st. john. any input on the logistics of renting a jeep from the ferry dock? how about a good plan for exploring the island once we have the jeep? tell me more about the baths- sounds intriguing though i can't seem to find out about the beach itself. is it sandy and good for sunbathing or better just for exploring? thanks again, steve

fabila

When you arrive on St. Maarten you can easily find a cab waiting. The driver can take you to any one of their beaches, tell him when you want to be picked up. I'd go to Orient or Dawn beach. Orient has lots of activities and action, places to eat. Dawn is much more quieter but has 3 beach bars. Get the ribs at Ms B's. $7.50 and the best on the island. Beach bars with food, drink and one has bathroom facilities.<BR><BR>On St. John's again I'd take a cab over to Trunk or Cinnamin Bays. Trunk is the only one with a lifeguard and has the most facilities, restaurant, rentals for snorkerling, kayaking, etc.<BR><BR>I haven't been to Martinique so I can't make a suggestion nor Tortola, but also been to Antigua and unless you're there on a Sunday night for the Shirley Heights bash I'd say take a pay for the day to stay at the Jolly Beach Resort. <BR><BR>They have a great large pool with swim-up bar, waterfall, and a smaller quieter pool and are on one of the prettiest beaches in Antigua. It's an all-inclusive so you have to pay a day fee to use the facilities and eat. You can email me them to find out the cost, check out their website. <BR><BR>Have fun.

John B

Last year in St. Maarten, we took the America's Cup Regatta sailing excursion with Princess and had a blast! They use actual America's Cup sailboats, and since they don't have the kind of restrictions on &quot;safety&quot; we have in the States, the sailboats are pretty much the same as when they were used in the America's Cup Race. It is a &quot;group&quot; outing with around 15 people per crew, but the boats are large and everyone is given a position as a crewmember. If you don't feel up to participating in the actual &quot;sailing&quot; of the boat, a few postions are available on the deck to just sit and enjoy the exhiliration of sailing on one of these beautiful boats! All in all, it was one of the highlights of our cruise. I know Celebrity also offers the excursion, and I'm sure most of the other cruiselines offer it as well. Have a great time!