Bahamas

The Bahamas are surrounded by lovely clear turquoise seas, making these islands ideal for a snorkeling, diving vacation.  The beaches are made of fine white sand, the waters are warm, and the weather is beautiful year-round.  What else is there to make the perfect tropical island vacation?  Thousands of visitors each year to the numerous islands of the <b>Bahamas</b> agree that this is the ideal setting for a Caribbean vacation.

The Bahamas can be divided into four main areas:

1. New Providence
2. Out Islands
3. Grand Bahama
4. Abaco

New Providence is where the capital is located, and where most Bahamas cruise ships come into port.  The capital is Nassau, and because Nassau is so widely known throughout the world, many visitors think the island of New Providence is actually called Nassau.  About two-thirds of the Bahamas

If you plan on some snorkeling or diving while on vacation in The Bahamas, Grand Bahama may be the better island for you. This is also a good island to stay on if you want to try some eco tours, kayaking, jeep safaris, trekking, or bird watching. You can even go horseback riding on Grand Bahama. If you need a break from all that adventure, go to Lucaya or Freeport for shopping and marketplace.

The Out Islands of the Bahamas cover just about every other inhabited island besides New Providence, Grand Bahama and Abaco. This makes about twenty islands. In all The Bahamas, there are dozens more uninhabited islands to explore…over 2,000 actually! The Bahamas cover more than 100,000 square miles of ocean, with the islands spread throughout from top to bottom, east to west.

The Out Islands are undergoing slight bit of development, encouraged by the Bahamian government to foster tourism. For example, on Andros, the Berry Islands and Bimini, large hotels, casino and golf course with marina are being built. On Exuma, a resort community is undergoing development, with golf course and run by Four Seasons.

All the Out Islands are fantastic for diving and snorkeling as well as sport fishing. Each island has its own charm. Great Stirrup Cay cas an lighthouse from the 1800s, for example. The Berry Islands are known for fishing and yachting.

Abaco offers deep sea fishing, flats fishing, snorkeling tours, scuba diving, and more. There are plenty of facilities for water sports on Abaco in the Bahamas. It’s surrounded by rocks and outcroppings, so fishing is good too. Sailboating is very good here because of it’s protected location.

You can’t miss, no matter what Bahamas island you visit since they are all fantasic for anything you’d dream of for a tropical vacation…beaches, resorts, snorkeling, scuba and fishing. Come to the Bahamas and find out what your favorite island is!

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Martinique

Martinique is officially part of France, like Hawaii is part of the United States only separated by miles and miles of ocean. There are French products for sale in all the stores, the bakeries sell baguettes, and many of the beaches are nude beaches. Beauty queens have emerged from Martinique for centuries, starting with Napoleon’s Josephine. Her home is a tourist attraction these days. Other historical beauties have come from Martinique as well. This is where Paul Gaugin painted lovely tropical beauties in the nineteenth century, after all, and the beauty of Martinique continues to inspire artists and travelers to this day.

Paul Gaugin’s paintings made Martinique famous. They conjured tropical paradise and beautiful women, much like today’s travelers hope to find on this lovely island. His seascapes and landscapes are on display in the world’s best museums and can also be found in any art book. Many Gaugin artifacts are on display where he painted his famous works. You can look down from his old studio and see an old village below that was destroyed in 1902 when volcanic Mount Pelee exploded and covered the village, Pompeii style, in ash and lava.

The standard of living on Martinique is much higher than on other Caribbean islands. Citizens of Martinique have social and civil benefits of French citizens such as universal healthcare, long paid vacations, maternity and paternity leaves and more. The capital city of Fort-de-France is tres chic. It faces a bay, on which a ferry runs, taking visitors to tourist attractions and beaches across the way.

Although Martinique is part of France and the islanders are Tres Chic, they haven’t forgotton their West Indian Creole heritage. Zouk music, and cuisine will remind you that you aren’t actually in mainland France.

Things to see include Empress Josephine’s birthplace, a former sugar estate, now a museum. Called Musée de la Pagerie, it’s a beautiful stone building containing her childhood things, love letters from Napoleon, and antique equipment for the sugarcne business. Hear about her life as you tour the grounds.

Another sight in Martinique worth visiting is Les Ombrages. This is a botanical garden set on a former rum distillery. By the way, Martiniques are in love with rum! Walk the trail past bamboo, ginger, and an old mill.

La Savane is Martinique’s wonder central park full of bamboo, tall trees and benches. Buy souvenirs from the vendors and visit the statues around the park dedicated to early settlers and fallen soldiers. The park is off Rue de la Liberty, and you will see Empress Joesphine holding a locket with Napoleon’s portrait inside. The head was chopped off years ago and red paint was poured over the statue to the former empress. Many Martiniques believe that Josephine convinced Napoleon not to end slavery in the French West Indies so that her family’s sugar plantation could continue to prosper.

Whether you come to Martinique for the history, the beaches or the watersports, you’re sure to have the best Caribbean vacation ever, French style!

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Barbados

Once part of the British Empire, Barbados is now independent but you wouldn’t know it!  Remnants of British culture remind you at every turn this tropical Caribbean island was once part of the vast network of colonies owned by England.  Once known as Little England, Barbados only declared independence as recently as the twentieth century.  And although Barbados is independent, the citizens of Barbados are fond of the elements of British society left behind, such as cricket, high tea, and lots of statues of British military hereos around the island.

Barbados was actually part of the British Empire for about three hundred years, and during that colonial era of Barbados’ history, Bajans absorbed a lot of British culture.  Bajans, which is what people of Barbados call themselves, have kept up lots of things left over from that era.  You will find that dress is not typical tropical island apparel of flip flops and t-shirts.  Formal attire is common, and you won’t see a swimsuit unless you’re on the beach. 

As with many of the former British colonies in the Caribbean, the education system is very top notch.  Literacy is extremely high in Barbados.  You will find the towns in Barbados to be neat and orderly, and the locals to be polite and friendly. 

But let’s get to what you came for, a Barbados vacation!  Vacationers will find plenty of things to in the sun and on the water as well as  in town.  There’s windsurfing, fishing, snorkeling, diving, and kitesurfing.  Like any Caribbean island, Barbados offers sun and beach, watersports and excursions to fill up your entire stay. 

On top of all that fun and exitement, Barbados has some surpises as well.  Ther are caves to explore, so you can go spelunking!  Visit Harrison’s Cave and see an amazing array of stalactites.  There are underground lakes here.  Visit a historical sugar mill, fancy huge restored mansions, and museums full of colonial artifacts.  There are so many attractions in Barbados they have their own Seven Wonders.  There’s also a zoo, a crafts center, and Orchid World! 

To fully explore Barbados, you need plenty of time.  If you’re here just for a week, soak up the sun on the fabulous pristine beaches and stroll through the capital, Bridgetown.  Barbados has won awards in several categories, like Best Airport, Best Caribbean Travel Destination, and more.  If you visit, you’ll see for yourself why Little England is number one in the world of Caribbean Vacations. 

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