Island Flair and Colorful Colonial Towns

St. Maarten is the only Caribbean island with 100 percent duty-free shopping. In Philipsburg, more than 500 stores sell luxury items like leather goods, electronics, cameras, designer clothes, etc. Water sports are big on both sides of the island, and numerous operators rent boats, supply equipment for parasailing, waterskiing, windsurfing or kayaking. or offer deep-sea fishing expeditions.

Relax aboard the Sea Cloud Spirit and enjoy beautiful panoramas.

Two famous volcanic cones are indisputably the emblem of St Lucia and have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Gros and Petit Piton tower over the southern, windward side of the island and, in Soufrière, seem close enough to touch. The volcanoes have long been extinct, but the sulfur springs demonstrate the power of the earth's core and still bubble up. In the Botanical Gardens, natural abundance is combined with artistic arrangements to create a colorful tropical paradise. Some people claim that Josephine, who later became Napoleon's wife, used to bathe in the little pool in the garden.

strong>Bequia is actually the largest island in the Grenadines, but still small and tranquil at just 18 square kilometers (87 square miles) in size. Elegant sailing yachts sway in the natural shelter of Admiralty Bay, while in lovely Port Elizabeth, with its attractive beach bars, you are right in the heart of a lifestyle that likes to take things easy. You can find Princess Margaret Beach just nearby, named because it was once visited by the British royal. On the eastern coast you can find the Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary which focuses on rearing and caring for endangered turtles.
 

Beautiful beaches, aromatic spice plantations, dense rainforests, waterfalls and a volcano that has long been extinct, picturesquely towering over this stunningly beautiful island. For many people, Grenada is the incarnation of a tropical paradise and St George's the most beautiful little port in the Grenadines. All around the horseshoe-shaped bay, numerous houses remind you of colonial times. There is a good reason why nutmeg is immortalized on the national flag. Alongside cloves, cinnamon, and ginger, it is one of the island's biggest exports.

Relax aboard the Sea Cloud Spirit and enjoy beautiful landscapes.

The second-largest island in the ABC islands, which forms part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is an idyllic natural paradise with many different faces. In the hilly northern region, lush tropical greenery prevails and in the same areas have a desert-like character with cactuses as high as trees and natural salt lakes that attract whole flocks of pink flamingos. The island also gleams with rugged rocky cliffs, mangrove forests, several small bays, endless sandy beaches, and a long offshore coral reef.

The capital of Curaçao, a Dutch Caribbean island, is Willemstad. It is renowned for its historic district, which features colonial buildings painted in soft hues. The neighborhoods of Punda and Otrobanda are connected by the floating Queen Emma Bridge, which spans Sint Anna Bay. The 19th-century Rif Fort, which currently houses a shopping area, is located beside the water. Restaurants in the city feature food that draws on the island's mostly Dutch and Afro-Caribbean cuisines.

Aruba, the most westerly island in the Netherlands Antilles, is also the last in the arc of the Antilles before you reach the South American mainland. Its capital, Oranjestad, founded in 1796, shows that everything here is a bit different. Caribbean pastel-colored houses and Delft tiles, carved wooden doors and Dutch gables, all-around balconies and colonial galleries. All of these features combine to create a style that can only have one name - Aruban. Aruba also offers a distinctive natural landscape, with an inland desert, extensive sand dunes, oddly formed cliffs, impressive cactus forests, strangely shaped divi-divi trees, and countless aloe plants.

Relax aboard the Sea Cloud Spirit and enjoy stunning views.

Cartagena was once the richest city in the New World and a popular target for pirate attacks since a large part of the Spanish treasure was stored there. Sir Francis Drake also instilled terror into the Spanish city. After Drake's invasion, the city was fortified with an 11-kilometer (7 miles)-long rampart and the immense San Felipe fortifications. Today Cartagena is one of the most beautiful colonial cities on the American continent and is protected by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Relax aboard the Sea Cloud Spirit and enjoy beautiful panoramas as the vessel sails its way to Panama.

A group of islands off the Caribbean coast and a piece of the surrounding mainland with biodiverse rainforest make up the province of Bocas del Toro in Panama. The capital, Bocas Town, is located on Isla Colón, the major island, and it serves as a hub for dining, shopping, and entertainment. Boca del Drago Beach is a well-known beach. Starfish Beach, which is also on Isla Colón, got its name from the abundant sea stars that were found there.

Limón, also referred to as Puerto Limón, is a district, the capital, and the geographic center of the Limón canton and province in Costa Rica. With a population of approximately 55,000, it is the seventh-largest city in Costa Rica and is where the Afro-Costa Rican community resides.

Enjoy onboard amenities and facilities at the Sea Cloud Spirit.

Disembark after breakfast and continue your independent trip back home.