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Chic Caribbean: upscale cruising to offbeat ports aboard Silversea
Cruise Travel, Sept-Oct, 2005 by Georgina Cruz
The sky was blue, but it must have just been drizzling as our ship, Silversea Cruises' Silver Whisper, approached the twin peaks of Les Pitons in the southeastern coast of St. Lucia. For, magically, a huge--no, monumental--rainbow formed in the sky, framing the two cone-like mountains that rise to nearly 3,000 feet in an arch of brilliant hues. Its colors sparkled as if hand-washed and twice-rinsed in the ocean water.
One of the ends of the rainbow was shining on the small fishing village of Soufriere; its center crowned the green-clad Gros Piton, the highest of the twin peaks; and the other end spilled into the indigo sea just shy of the other mountain, Petit Piton.
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The beautiful spectacle, as is the case with so many good things in life, was ephemeral. Moments later, as quickly as it formed, the rainbow disappeared.
"Unbelievable!" exclaimed Jeanne Spiess, a passenger from Palm City, Florida. "It was so large and so gorgeous--the prettiest rainbow I ever did see."
The once-in-a-lifetime sight was just one of many we enjoyed during a nine-day "Caribbean Chic" sailing aboard the 28,258-gross-register-ton/382-passenger Silver Whisper. The itinerary took us from Fort Lauderdale to exotic, off-the-beaten-path islands, before finally debarking in Barbados.
One of our favorite ports was St. Lucia. Earlier on "the day of the rainbow," as some passengers referred to our St. Lucia call and scenic cruising, we had explored the island's southeastern shore during a seven-hour excursion (sold onboard for $69, including a lunch by the sea at The Still Beach Resort with a gorgeous view of Les Pitons).
During the tour we visited St. Lucia's luxuriant rain forest with its giant ferns, mahogany trees, multitude of palms, elephant ears, and every imaginable tropical tree and plant including orchids, anthuriums, and heliconias; minutes later we stood in front of a barren, lunar-like landscape at the Sulphur Springs. Talk about contrasts! At the springs visitors may see, while on a guided walk, the island's "drive-in volcano," whose crater was spewing clouds of steam amid pools of muddy water during our visit. Another stop on the tour, at the Diamond Waterfall, Botanical Gardens, and Mineral Baths, offered the opportunity to luxuriate in the bathtub-warm waters of the volcano's hot springs.
"This is an itinerary that appeals to nature lovers, watersports lovers, people interested in visiting unspoiled, exclusive islands," said Margaret Scoggins, cruise director aboard the Silver Whisper--places like Terre-de-Haut, the largest of the Iles des Saintes, a small group of isles in the western side of Guadeloupe. Our ship--the only one in port--dropped anchor in the pretty bay in front of Terre-de-Haut, and we tendered ashore in launches. En route, admiring the hilly, green island, dotted with ice-cream colored houses, a handful of colorful fishing boats in the water, and nets drying on the sand, we had the impression that at any moment a pirate galleon might materialize in front of us and mermaids would start frolicking in the blue lagoon.
Discovered by Columbus in 1493 and called Los Santos, French settlers established themselves on the island group in 1648 and changed its name to Iles des Saintes. Present-day inhabitants, who are a mixture of Norman and Breton, are fair and blue-eyed. They greeted visitors with a "bonjour" and went about their business, carrying baguettes home from the bakery and walking their dogs.
We could rent a scooter (20 euros for the whole day, which translated to $26.20 during our visit), but it was not necessary--most places of interest were within walking distance of the pier, where Clive Jellicoe, shore excursions manager aboard the Silver Whisper gave us a brief orientation. "This is how the Caribbean used to be," Jellicoe said. "Creole houses with gingerbread, no fences, goats in the fields--to the right of the pier is the town; over the hill, the beaches."
Passing by the waterfront restaurants, where the grilled fish du jour (fresh catch of the day) was 14 euros ($18.34), and the city hall, where a sign proclaimed "Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite," we headed for Pompierre Beach. It turned out to be a bit of a hike up and down the hill to this particular beach, but the pastoral views of goats grazing in the fields and a five-foot iguana climbing up a tree (there is a healthy iguana population on the island) kept us entertained along the way. Pompierre Beach itself is an idyll, with warm, placid waters, curving sands filled with lots of shells and sea glass, and backdrops of green hills. We spread our towels on the sand and just enjoyed the views before going in for a swim.
Beach lovers also had a field day in several of our other ports-of-call, including Antigua, where according to Jellicoe "there are 366 beaches--one for each day of the year, plus a spare," and Grenada, where sugar-white sands and aquamarine waters always put Grand Anse on lists of 10 Best Beaches of the Caribbean. The ship organized catamaran sail and snorkel tours on both islands and supplied snorkeling equipment free of charge to independents.
