Diversion Magazine
September 1, 2000
The Perfect Port Encounter

The Caribbean, of course, is as well trod as any cruising destination
in the world, and sometimes it can feel like a cruise-ship choked,
shopping strip completely bereft of culture, beauty and tranquility.
Oh, but don't despair, with a little discretion, you can experience
the Caribbean's best side and grab a piece of that easy-going palm
trees and beaches nirvana. Here's a look at 10 popular Caribbean
ports of call and how to make your day on each a success, whether
it be exploring solo or signing up for one of the ship's organized
tours.

Antiqua

Getting Around: This rustic island is a hotbed of history and a
haven for beaches, even if St. John's, where most ships dock, is
nothing special. To get around, forget driving yourself, roads are
narrow and poorly marked. Opt for the ships' organized excursions
and taxis. Taxi tours, where the driver doubles as a guide, run
about $20 per car load; like anywhere in the Caribbean, settle on
a fare first.

Sightseers: Don't miss exploring Nelson's Dockyard National Park
and museum, sometimes known as a Caribbean Williamsburg. It played
a leading role in the swashbuckling days of 18th-century Britain.
Just about 10 miles from the port, get there via taxi or the ship's
organized tour ($40).

If you don't have a head for history, but like bananas, grab a taxi
and do the ultra-scenic, 20-some-mile circular route down Fig Tree
Drive (fig, by the way, is the Antigun word for bananas).

Shoppers: While it's not the reason to go to Antiqua, Harmony Hall
plantation house, in Brown's Bay Mill, is the best place for Caribbean
arts and crafts.

Great Outdoors: Beaches are to Antigua what shops are to St. Thomas.
There are hundreds of them and they're all public, from the secluded
Rendezvous Bay and Darkwood Beach, to the strip of sand at Galley
Bay resort. The most well known, Half Moon Bay and Pigeon Point,
are a 5-minute drive from English Harbour and have decent snorkeling.
By taxi, it's $7 to $20 one-way. If you choose a more deserted beach,
ask your driver to come back at a set time. Otherwise, they'll be
plenty of taxis waiting at the beach to hull you back or you can
always hail one from a nearby hotel. Many beaches in the Caribbean
do not have changing facilities, so wear your bathing suit under
your cover-up and don't forget a towel. Avoid Like the Plague: Aggressive
peddlers hustling everything from jewelry to T-shirts stroll the
beaches; avoid deserted areas and keep an eye on your stuff.

Aruba

Getting Around: Aruba's got one of the best stretches of beach in
the Caribbean and a wild and woolly outback begging to be explored.
It doesn't the hurt that the island is always sunny and comfortably
outside of the hurricane belt.

The island has excellent bus service and plenty of taxis, right
from the cruise terminal in Oranjestad, charging about $10 to $20
per car load for most runs. Aruba is ideal place to sightsee and
explore on your own.

Sightseers: It's the island beaches or rugged back country you'll
want to explore. See Great Outdoors below.

Shoppers: Aruba's biggest shopping complex, the half-mile-long Caya
G. F. Betico Croes, is just steps from the ship. With a 3.3% duty
and no sales tax, you can pick up stuff from around the world, from
Swiss watches, to Japanese cameras, English bone china, French perfume,
British woolens, Indonesian crafts, and Dutch delft blue pottery
as well as cheese.

Great Outdoors: You can always just while away the day on Aruba's
gorgeous, sugar-white 7-mile strip of public beach, not far from
Oranjestad. For something different, head to Baby Beach on the island's
easternmost point, where you'll find a huge shallow lagoon that
feels like a great big bathtub.

For those with a more adventurous streak, Aruba's lunar-like hinterland,
dotted with bizarre rock formations, cacti, caves, and the island's
signature divi-divi trees, beckons. Rent a four-wheel-drive Suzuki
Samarai from the airport (about 5 miles from the docks) for about
$60 a day, grab a free map, and revel in the freedom of a self-guided
tour. For less adventurous souls, this is also offered as an organized,
half-day convoy-style tour ($55).

Avoid Like the Plague: A sunburn. Don't forget your sunscreen, Aruba's
a hottie.

Barbados

Getting Around: This British-flavored island's beaches are reason
enough to love the place, but it also offers rolling green hills
and interesting historical sights from forts to churches.

Because Barbados's attractions are so spread out, road signage is
inadequate and driving is on the left, it's a good idea to leave
the driving to someone else, either the ship's organized bus tours
or a taxi, which are found at the cruise terminal, just outside
of Bridgetown. Taxis go for about $20 an hour per car load.

Sightseers: There's lots to see, and all ships offer half-day bus
tours of the highlights (about $45), stopping at the 200-year-old
Gun Hill Signal Station for panoramic views of the island, and to
the quaint St. John's Church, and Harrison's Cave. For a quick tour,
cab it to the Gun Hill Signal station for about $20 each way.

Shoppers: Don't get excited, Barbados is no shopping Mecca. For
those obligatory souvenirs, your best bet are the stalls in the
mall-sized cruise terminal.

Great Outdoors. The thing to do in Barbados is hit the beach. There
are lots of good ones, they're all public, and most rent out snorkeling
gear. The calmest surf and most popular beaches are along the chichi
resort area called the Gold Coast, about a $10, 15-minute taxi ride
from the pier along the island's western shores. Mullins is one
of the best.

Avoid Like the Plague: Bridgetown is a dusty, bland place that's
better left off the day's itinerary.

Cozumel

Getting Around: This popular island's biggest draw are those spectacular
Mayan Ruins nearby. Ships arriving at the Muelle Fiscal pier tender
passengers directly to the heart of San Miguel, the bustling port
town lined with all the tourist traps you could dream of, even a
Hard Rock CafÈ, while those arriving at the International Pier a
mile or two down the road, can cab it for about $4. Taxis are everywhere.

Another way to get around the island is by jeep or scooter, both
can be rented right in town. It's safe and easy to explore on your
own, since there's really only one main road which circles the island.


Sightseers: You'll either love or hate the 10-seater plane ride
there, but there's no doubting the appeal of Chichen Itza, the largest
and most fabled of the Yucatan Mayan ruins. It's easiest to sign
up for the ship's 7-hour tour ($240). A little closer to home, at
just an hour and a half's drive from Playa del Carmen, the walled
Mayan city of Tulum is spectacular because it sits dramatically
atop seaside cliffs. It's easy to get here by taxi if you don't
want a guide; if you want one, do the ship's full-day excursion
($70).

Shoppers: Because of all the cruise passengers flooding the town,
prices are not nearly as low as other parts of Mexico. Still you
should try and bargain. Silver jewelry is the big draw here, and
it's sold everywhere in the string of shops along the waterfront
in San Miguel.

Great Outdoors: Opt for a trip to the family-friendly Xcaret Ecological
Park ($39 adults/$24 kids), which lies just 4 miles south of Playa
del Carmen on the coast. The huge, lush park offers neat activities
like snorkeling through flooded caves. Grab a bus or taxi from Playa
del Carmen, or sign up for your ship's organized excursion, which
will include the tender ride to Playa plus the shuttle to the park.
If you want to feel like you're not on an organized tour, but really
are, the half-day Jeep treks ($70) have you driving convoy-style
off-road through Cozumel's jungle mangroves and sandy back roads.
Snorkeling is decent around Cozumel too; a half-day excursion goes
for about $30.

Avoid Like the Plague: Unless you really want that T-shirt, skip
Carlos 'n Charlies, right across from the downtown cruise pier,
where sloshed tourists cavort in the sawdust-covered floors, clutching
yard-long beer glasses.

Grenada

Getting Around: Some say St. George's pastel-painted harbor resembles
Portofino. Only this version is a tropical place nicknamed the Spice
Island, with great beaches and a tropical interior laced with tons
of nutmeg, waterfalls and hiking trails. The political troubles
of the 1980s have subsided, and Grenada has much to offer visitors.
It's a snap to hit the Grand Anse beach by hailing a taxi at the
port, and you can easily explore St. George's on foot. To go in-land,
the organized ship tours are the best bet.

Sightseeing: From the small cruise terminal, walk around the lovely
half-moon-shaped harbor, and head up to Ft. George, built in 1705
by the French. There are walking-tour maps in the cruise terminal.
The 360-degree views of the frangipani-framed churches and red-roofed
colonial buildings make the walk well worth while. The Grenada National
Museum, at the corner of Young and Monckton streets, offers a closer
look at what makes this island tick.

Shoppers: You'll be the first if you don't come home with at least
one of the hand-woven baskets full of local spices sold from practically
every street corner in St. George's. Otherwise, your time is best
spent enjoying the island's natural beauty.

Great Outdoors: Grenada's wide, white-sand Grand Anse beach is one
of the Caribbean's best; and it's public and free. You'll find watersports
rentals and CotBam, a beachside restaurant serving up curried fish
and Pina Coladas. Hail a cab from the terminal and go (about $10
per carload) or jump in a water taxi at the pier for only $4 round-trip.


While a trip to the Annandale Falls is closer, for a more in-depth
look at Grenada's natural booty, sign up for the four-hour Seven
Sisters Waterfall tour, which includes a scenic drive through the
island, before a hearty mile-long walk along a muddy path that winds
through the thick jungle to a set of beautiful waterfalls ($35).
Avoid Like the Plague: The in-your-face spice girls mobbing the
cruise terminal with their baskets of spices. Buy a couple or hurry
on past as quickly as you can.

Jamaica

Getting Around: With miles of picturesque jagged coastline meeting
white-sand beaches, and a jungly interior streaked with waterfalls,
Jamaica is a beaut. But with an at times unstable political situation,
and reputation for crime, it's also an intimidating place. Things
are improving though: you'll now find policemen and a fleet of official
taxis at the cruise terminal in Ocho Rios (where most ships dock).
It's best not to take any chances here, especially if you're a first-timer.
Stick with the ship's organized tours or an official taxi (which
have the JTB decal, for Jamaican Tourist Board). Don't waste your
time hanging around the port.

Sightseers: Jamaica's natural beauty is its biggest asset (see Great
Outdoors below).

Shoppers: Given the pushy style of selling most vendors live by,
unless you're a glutton for punishment, don't bother. Great Outdoors:
Pass on the beach, where you're likely to get hassled by hair-braiders
and ganja sellers, and sign up for an organized excursion into Jamaica's
lush interior. The tubing trip down the White River is not to be
missed. After a scenic van ride deep into the remote jungle, you
climb into big black inner tubes to begin the 3-mile glide downriver
($60).

A twist on the tried and true Dunn's River Falls thing: skip the
organized tours which all tend to crowd the place early in the day,
and grab a taxi for the 5-minute ride there in the afternoon. Avoid
Like the Plague: Kingston, a notoriously crime-ridden city, should
be avoided. So should renting a car, heading for the beach, and
generally going off on your own.

Guadeloupe

Getting Around: Francophiles will love everything about Guadeloupe,
from its French Creole cuisine, to its French perfumes and clothing,
and its great beaches. Guadeloupe is two islands separated by a
narrow channel, the mountainous and natural Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre,
where the cruise port, Pointe-y´-Pitre, resides, as well as white-sand
beaches and resorts. If you read and speak French, then renting
a car is a good option, since the road system is good and driving
is on the right. If you opt for a taxi, remember, many drivers will
only speak French and you'll need Francs. If you don't par lez vous
englais, opt for the ship's excursions.

Sightseers: The food in Guadeloupe is the main attraction.

Guadeloupe's excellent Creole cuisine is a bouillabaisse of French,
African, East Indian, and Caribbean influences. In Grande-Terre,
Chez Violetta-La CrÈole, in Gosier, is one of the best, serving
up stuffed crabs and cod fritters. Les Oiseaux is set in a charming
farmhouse in Anse des Rochers with views of the sea, with specialties
like entrecÙte Roquefort (shark with coconut).

Shoppers: Why bother with Paris, here you'll find some pretty good
buys on almost anything French, from perfumes to scarves, in the
dozens of shops right in port. Pointe-y´-Pitre also has some wonderful
local markets for handicrafts like Madras cloth and spices, with
the largest, MarchÈ St. Antoine, at the corner of Rues FrÈbault
and Peynier.

Great Outdoors: Just a half hour from Pointe-y´-Pitre, La Maison
de la For't ( Forest House) on the Route de la TraversÈe, is a good
starting point for easy walking tours through the beautiful rainforest
(there are usually English-speaking trail guides available) of the
74,000-acre Parc National de la Guadeloupe, in Basse Terre.

Nature lovers and scuba divers should consider a half-day excursion
to Pigeon Island ($50), where you'll board a glass-bottom boat for
a 90-minute ride around the beautiful Cousteau Underwater Reserve.
If you'd like to bare it all, the Plage Tarare, just before the
tip of Pointe des Ch’teaux, is the most popular spot for nude sunbathing.


When in Rome .

Avoid Like the Plague: Unless you like traffic jams, skip a lift
on the little trolley that meets cruise ships passengers at the
port. You can easily walk to Pointe-Pitre.

St. Martin/ Sint Maarten

Getting Around: This schizophrenic islands has two distinct personalities,
a French one and the other one. It's called Dutch, but it's generic
Caribbean if you ask me. Most ships land at Philipsburg, capital
of the Dutch side, although smaller ships can maneuver into the
harbor of Marigot on the quieter French side.

While you can always get a taxi or hop in one of the local vans
if you're feeling adventurous, renting a car here isn't a bad idea,
since roads are reasonable, though narrow, and driving is on the
right.

Sightseers: Aside from the shopping and gambling of Phillipsburg,
if you're looking for a more interesting cultural experience head
to the French side, it's only a 30-minute trip from Phillipsburg.
French foodies will appreciate Madame Claude's Petit Club, the oldest
and most charming French Creole restaurant in Marigot, just west
of the marina. Afterwards, head over to the ramparts of Fort St.
Louis, just a short walk across the bay, for panoramic views of
Marigot and beyond.

Shoppers: Most of that famous duty-free shopping is concentrated
on Front Street (Voorstraat in Dutch) and Back Street (Achterstraat)
in Phillipsburg, on the Dutch side, and to a lesser extent, just
behind the marina in Marigot, on the French side. You'll find all
the usual suspects, like the Little Switzerland jewelry chain, plus
a sprinkling of local handicraft stores.

Great Outdoors: One of the best excursions you can sign up for the
is the America's Cup Sailing Regatta ($70), a hands-on half-day
tour where you'll be grinding winches, trimming sails, and ducking
under booms of an actual former contender of the America's Cup race.
Avoid Like the Plague: Unless you're a committed gambler, skip the
cheesy casinos on the Dutch side. You got 'em on the ship, you don't
need these.

St. Lucia

Getting Around: The South Pacific meets the Caribbean on this French
and British-flavored island, where those pair of dramatic Pitons,
along with beautiful beaches, quaint fishing villages, banana plantations
and a lovely green mountainous interior, make this fertile island
one of the best.

Since the roads are narrow and windy, it's smart to sign up for
one of the shore tours organized by the ship. Or you can always
hop in a taxi from Castries, the cruise port. Taxi tours, where
the driver doubles as the guide, go for about $20 an hour per car.


Sightseers. You can't go wrong with the catamaran island tours most
ships offer. You probably won't notice how jam-packed they are,
as you become mesmerized by the stunningly picturesque journey along
St. Lucia's verdant coast from Castries to the Piton peaks, where,
after docking at La Soufriere, passengers board minibuses to visit
La Soufriere volcano, the Diamond Baths, and sulfur springs ($80).

Shoppers: It's not the island's biggest draw, although you may want
to pick up a bottle of banana ketchup, a local specialty, from the
huge emporium at the pier.

Great Outdoors: Seeing St. Lucia from the seat of bicycle is a good
option. Peddlers travel by bus from Castries to the top of Morne
Fortune where the ride begins, and dramatic views unfold of both
the harbor and a stunning mountain range ($75). The 4-hour Pigeon
Island excursion ($45) starts with a steep walk up to the island's
fort, for stunning views of the Pitons, and ends with a swim along
the island's crystal-clear waters.

Avoid Like the Plague: Luckily, there's not much to hate about St.
Lucia.

St. Thomas

Getting Around: This duty-free dynamo is one of the Caribbean's
busiest ports: it's not uncommon to get 10 ships in port at Charlotte
Amalie a day. If you're not a shopper, you might just want to avoid
the whole scene, and stay on board or sign up for an excursion to
neighboring St. John's, just three miles away.

Special open-air taxis at $3 a pop shuttle cruisers back and forth
between their ships and the downtown Charlotte Amalie. Otherwise,
local buses and taxis are safe bets for getting around the island.

Sightseers: While shopping's the main story in Charlotte Amalie,
if you look, you'll find a bit of history and culture, too. On the
steep Crystal Gade (road), just behind the Main Street shopping
strip, is the charming brick-and-stone St. Thomas Synagogue, built
in 1833 by Sephardic Jews. For great views of the harbor from above,
head to the historic Grand Hotel and Hotel 1829, both just behind
the oceanfront shopping district.

Shoppers: Considering Americans can cart home $1,200 worth of tax-free
merchandise, St. Thomas is the shopping hub of the Caribbean. The
major shopping drags are Main and Back Streets as well as Waterfront
Highway, along the harbor of Charlotte Amalie. For something different,
head to the Gallery Camille Pissarro, 14 Dronningens Gade, the actual
house where the impressionist painter Pissarro was born in 1830,
which now displays his paintings and sells prints by local artists.

Great Outdoors: For many who go there, shopping is an activity.
For the rest, St. Thomas's beaches are its main draw. They're all
easily accessible by taxi from the port, including the famed (but
crowded) Magens Bay. For a more serene beach day, head to Limetree
Beach, at the Bolongo Bay Beach Club. If beaches aren't your thing,
sign up for the half-day mountain biking tour ($60) to see a side
of St. Thomas few others will.

Avoid Like the Plague: Mind your stuff when beaching it, pickpockets
are not uncommon.