Cruise description

28 Night Cruise sailing from Bridgetown roundtrip aboard Adonia.

28 Night Cruise sailing from Bridgetown roundtrip aboard Adonia.

Cruise Overview:
Bid winter a ‘fond’ farewell. Combine all you’d hope for in a Caribbean getaway with the unforgettable experience of sailing up the mighty Amazon river.

Love is set to bloom on this treasure island escape. If you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day, this tropical adventure has smiles written all over it. Set sail from Barbados and head for the fragrant, spice-filled air of Grenada. See a sparkling string of Caribbean island delights before entering the mouth of the awe-inspiring Amazon and sailing along it towards Santarem. After that, cruise past Devil’s Island (once a prison island), then onwards to the laidback charms of Trinidad before your final call, back in Barbados.

Highlights of this cruise:

Bridgetown
Watching the Atlantic surf crash down on the rugged east coast of this richly diverse island and, for a moment, you may feel you could be on the Cornish coast but the moment you hear the waves of gospel singing emanating from a tiny local church you realise you could not be anywhere else but Barbados.

While, over on the sheltered west coast, the glorious beaches are pure Caribbean. And there are more beaches and a lot more bars, cafés, restaurants and clubs creating a vibrant 24/7 lifestyle on the south coast, too.

In the capital and cruise port, Bridgetown, there are intriguing signs of its British colonial past while, across the island, you are really spoilt for choice. You can enjoy every watersport under the sun; stunning nature walks and bike rides; or maybe a trip to the uniquely magnificent Harrisons Cave underground complex of caverns, waterfalls, stalactites and stalagmites.

Grenada
Sailors through the centuries have rated it one of the worlds prettiest harbours and it is hard to disagree. Horseshoe-shaped and set in a volcanic crater, Grenadas capital and cruise port St Georges is flanked by two forts, with colourful French colonial style buildings ranged along the front.

It is the perfect entrance to one of the Caribbean's most scenic islands. Only 12 miles by 21, it is awash with waterfalls, mountain valleys, rainforests, lakes and volcanic craters. The beaches are to die for, especially Grand Anse - a two-mile stretch of pure white sand just around the bay from St Georges.

Grenada is also the island you can smell before you can see it. The ‘Spice Island’ grows more spices per square mile than anywhere else on the planet with nutmeg its signature seasoning.

In fact, gentle haggling with spice vendors is part of the fun of cruising to this laid-back Caribbean island.

Antigua
With over 365 beaches, there is a slice of white sand heaven for every day of the year - even a leap year - on the idyllic Caribbean holiday island Antigua, which played host to Admiral Horatio Nelson’s fleet in the late 1700’s. Nelson’s Dockyard now bustles with crew and guests from yachts and cruise ships sailing these waters for pleasure rather than for King and Country.

The main port, St John’s, is also the capital and a vibrant hub for shopping as well as being within easy range of some of the best beaches – at Fort James, Deep Bay, Galley Bay and Hawksbill. Almost perfect weather conditions and low humidity, due to the warm prevailing trade winds, allows Antigua to boast of being the sunniest of the Eastern Caribbean islands with the lowest annual rainfall. It is also the largest of the English-speaking Leeward Islands although it is only 14 miles long and 11 miles wide. Still, with a population of less than 70,000, this means there are lots of wide open spaces – especially on those gorgeous beaches.

St Maarten
Half French and half Dutch, St. Martin/Sint Maarten is one of the Caribbean’s most diverse and interesting islands.

Ships dock at the Dutch capital Philipsburg, a delightful warren of narrow streets called steegjies, where you will find interesting shops and leafy courtyard cafés. Start your exploration at Wathey Square, which is home to a fine collection of traditional West Indian ‘gingerbread’ houses as well as a colourful market.

If you would prefer to enjoy a little French ‘je ne sais quoi’, take an island tour to the pretty French capital Marigot, worth visiting for its colourful markets, lovely café-lined waterfront and the chic boutiques of Marina Port La Royale, where you can pick up unusual jewellery and leather goods. Or spend your day on a catamaran trip from Philipsburg for fabulous deep-sea snorkelling with lunch.

St Lucia
St Lucia has a fascinating if bloody history with the French and British spending years fighting over it. One look at this luscious island will show you why.

Cloaked in verdant rainforests, its skyline dominated by the dramatic twin peaks of Les Pitons and its gardens a riot of hibiscus and bougainvillea; St. Lucia is the epitome of a Caribbean paradise.

Here you can watch parrots and hummingbirds skim through the trees, bask on beautiful beaches, visit charming fishing villages, view stunning volcanic scenery and glory in the Caribbean’s best botanical gardens.

If it is your first visit, an island tour to the dramatic Soufriére volcano will show you the island’s full beauty. Boat trips to spot dolphin and whales are also available, as are biking, jeep and hiking tours of the rainforest. But do leave time to explore the shops of Castries, where you can pick up bread, wine and even ketchup made from bananas.

St Vincent
St Vincent can be found in the Caribbean sea, between Saint Lucia and Grenada. With stunning white sandy beaches and beautiful blue waters, it's a perfect place to relax and take in the Caribbean atmosphere. The island's capital - Kingstown - is a more lively place to explore, with pretty cobbled streets.

Santarem
500 miles up the Amazon, American Confederates fleeing the Civil War originally settled in Santarem: even today, O’Malley and Higgins are common surnames!

Today it’s a city of some 150,000 inhabitants, with a bustling harbour full of riverboats and ancient dugout canoes. Around the port, you’ll see huge cargoes of rubber being loaded for export. This is the foundation of the local economy.

Further upstream, you’ll glide through virgin rain forest, enlivened by the calls of monkeys and the songs of exotic birds.

Port of Spain
Port of Spain, capital of Trinidad & Tobago, has an incredibly striking ‘Red House’ parliament building – originally designed in Greek revival style, built in panels and shipped over from England! Independence Square is a popular place to congregate and houses some of the city’s finest architecture including the grand Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Seek refuge in peaceful Woodford Square, with its beautiful gardens and grand Victorian fountain or the city’s largest open space, Queen’s Park Savannah, spanning 260 glorious acres.

Port of Spain occupies Trinidad’s northern coast between the Gulf of Paria, Northern Range and the Caroni Swamp. Northern Range is a string of hills with stark ridges and lush rainforest. The highest peaks are El Cerro del Aripo and El Tucuche, each over 900m tall. The 3278-hectare west coast mangrove area, Caroni Swamp, has 160 native bird species including striking national symbol, the Scarlet Ibis.