This is my second cruise and i'm absolutely hooked. Cruising is a faboulous experience, one that should be tried if you get a chance.
Ocean Village is a fantastic company to go with if you are looking at a cruise. They arn't very expensive and the staff and service is outstanding.
The cruise was called Sugar and Spice. The itinerary was covering...
Barbados Aruba Curacao Isla Margarita St Lucia Tobago
All excellent destinations to soak up lots of sun.
First we had to fly to Barbados the night before as that was the port of call. We stayed at the Tamarind Cove Hotel, which was in the St James area of Barbados. We had 2 nights at the hotel, 1 night on arrival and the other at the end of the cruise.
Tamarind Cove Hotel This was a beautiful beachfront hotel St James Beach which had a beach bar and restaurant. Surrounding the hotel complex is coconut trees and has a very tropical feel to it. It is set on the west coast of the Island.
We stayed in the oceanfront junior suite which was nicely decorated and had air conditioning. The views from the room were superb. The room had all the normal facilties like an en suite, balcony, satellite television and a fridge.
We stayed on a bed and breakfast board basis, as there are 3 restaurants on site. The restaurant offers a la carte dining as well as buffet. The meals were resonably priced and food was absolutely delicious.
There are also 3 outdoor freshwater swimming pools on the complex, and a whole range of sports and leisure activites.
The Ship The ship was magnificent, and coloured in Ocean Village trademark colours thats is oranges, reds and purples. The decor made it a very bright and cheerful atmosphere at all times throughtout the cruise.There are 8 bars on the ship which include a swin-up bar. The most popular is The Connexions Bar, which is located in the centre of the ship. The others bars are called..
The Sunweaver deck bar
The Bayside Bar and Nightclub
The Oval - which is more like a pub than a bar
Charlie's Bar and Internet Cafe - it combines a typical bar atmosphere, with a cafe. So, you get both alcoholic drinks aswell as coffee, cappucinos etc
The Marquee Cabaret Bar - at this bar you can see a whole host of things that include stand-up comedy, live bands and acrobatic shows. Your very own circus on board.
There are 4 restaurants on board the ship and the food at each one of them is mouth watering. There isn't a dress code when you go to either of these restaurants or a specific place that you can have to sit at. You simply go in, choose from the menu and start eating. The food ranges from seafood, Italian, Oriental and even has an excellent choice for vegetarians. And for anyone who must start their day with a full English Breakfast, you'll find that on board aswell. There are 2 buffet restaurants...
The Waterfront - here you can sample many Spanish dishes. The favourites on board are the chicken chasseur or salmon en croute.
The Plantatian - this restaurants offers a 24 hour buffet service. This was my favourite place to eat. The food here has a more exotic range where as at The Waterfront you'll find more Mediterranean dishes. You can get Indian, Chinese, Thai and a few others.
The La Luna deck cafe is an open deck cafe, open all day. So, it's the perfect setting for a romantic meal unders the stars.
The Bistro is only open in the evenings. Here for a small fee you can a personal waiter service. Also, at The Bistro the food cooked by none other than our celebrity TV Chef James Martin.
One thing to mention is the deserts in all restaurants. Simply irresistable. Even if you're not a deserts fan, you will be after tasting these dishes. One of my all time favourite desert was the Chocolate Truffle Cake. Truely delicous, in fact so delicious that I took down the receipe from the chef. You can get this recipe from Ocean Village website. It also gives a few other recipes.
Be warned, you may put on a few extra pounds.
Other Facilities on ship include... *Spa - Heaven is the word that comes to mind. It includes a jacuzzi, steam room, sauna. You can even have a crash course in learning about aromatherapy.
*Gym - at The Bayside Club there is a whole range of equipment to burn off those excess calories whilst eating the gourmet food. And whilst you're keeping fit, yo can enjoy a panoramic view of the ocean.
*Sports - you can play basketball, volleyball, football and a few others.
Evening Entertainment Not only is there 8 bars to keep you occupied, you can also catch up on the latest move releases at the Movie Drome. There is even a casino on board.
Kids Activities You don't have to worry about how you're going to keep the kids entertained. There is loads for them to do on board. There are 2 camps, the Base Camp and The Hideout, where you can leave the children in the hands of the qualified staff. Although, you can always stay and join in. I didn't go with any children but I think you even leave the kids at the camps whilst you go ashore.
For younger children from about 8 months to 6 years, there is a night nursery. It is open from roughy 6pm to 4pm.
Cabins All the cabins are very spacious and have the standard facilities like...
TV
Fridge
Tea & coffee making facilties
En suite
I had booked into a Suite with a balcony. The Suite has the same standard facilties but has an extra lounge area leading to the balcony. The cabin is tastefully decorated and very comfortable.
The Main Holiday Port of Call - Barbados Day before cruise - 1 day and overnight stay in Barbados
In Barbados, we saw the Harrison's Cave. This was a very beautiful cave showing breathtaking waterfalls. For anyone who is interested in stalactites and stalagmites, this is a must see cave. I'm not a big fan, but I found it very interesting. You are driven in an electronic tram through the narrow paths in the cave. The best part was that you are able to walk alongside a stunning waterfall. It felt very refreshing since, it was very humid.
We also got to swin with turtles on Turtle Bay. That was a fabulous experience. The turtles come right up to when you're swimming.
Day 1 - Ship departure was at 11am. There were huge crowds of people waiting to get on board. All the Ocean Village staff were very polite and friendly and everyone got on quickly, with no fuss. Complimentry drinks were served as it was so hot, as well Ocean Village sun hats. Everyone was escorted in groups to our cabins.
Day 2 - At sea, sailing all day. We were heading for Aruba. We generally spent the day beside the pool on the Sun deck.
Day 3 - Arrive into Aruba at 10am. Aruba is a very small island but has a lot of things to do. First thing that you can see when you head over to the Island is a huge bridge made out of coral. It rises about 26 feet above the sea and is about 120 feet wide.
Aruba is a beautiful place. The south and west coast is surrounded by white beaches and clear blue sea and has a lot of greenery. Where as the north coast is more desert like, and has huge rock formations.
The food in Aruba is spectacular. Each dish has a different and rich flavour to it. Most cusines are seafood, however you can also get Japaneese, French, Cantoneese, Chinese and a few other types. You'll also find fast food places like MacDonalds, Subways and Taco Bell.
There are quite few beaches in Aruba, we didn't have time to visit all. The beach we visited was the Palm Beach, as it has very calm waters and we found it wasn't so crowded with people.
We also saw the Cura di Tortuga or The Natural Pool. This is a secret pool hidden away on the windward coast. It's surrounded by rocks and it's a perfect getaway for a bit of relaxation. The water is very cool and is the perfect spot for diving from the rock cliffs.
We left Aruba at around 9pm.
Day 4 - Arrived into Caracao at 8am. We were told that as were were behind schedule we only had up until 3pm to spend in Caracao. We were supposed to leave Aruba at 6pm, but apparantly some of the other passengers had gotten themselves lost, so we were delayed.
Since we didn't have a lot of time, we spent most of the day on the beach, sipping cocktails from the beach bar.
We did however, go scuba diving to see sharks and rays underwater. We were with qualified instructers to make the trip safe.
Before heading back to the ship, we took a short tour on the pleasure train around Willemstad. This shows a very historic side to Arubu with very impressive buildings.
We headed back to the ship, on time at 3pm
Day 5 - Arriving into Isla Margarita at 9am. As the Island is very small, the ship had to anchor at sea. The transfers were a small boat taking you on the Island.
Isla Margarita is hot all year round. It's a beautiful and peaceful place. Here we decided to go horse back riding in the area of Macanao. We took a 2 hour tour which cost about £30 per person. This included transport to and from the ranch, basic riding instructions and drinks.
We also did a spot of deep sea fishing. Whilst out on the boat, we had a chance to sea dolphins and whales. My partner even managed to catch some fish, although I have no idea what type they were.
On of the most popular attractions on the Island is Laguna La Restinga. It's an enomous lagoon that is filled with mangroves, oysters and sea horses. We hired a boat to take a 1 hour tour around the lagoon.
We left Isla Margarita at around 5pm
Day 6 - Arrived into St Lucia at 9am. This is an absolute breathtaking Island. Even the small fishing villages were beautiful. The first place, we wanted to see was Marigot Bay. This was where Eddie Murphy in the movie Dr Doolittle talked to the animals.
We saw waterfalls near Soufriere. The best part of the excursions here in St Lucia was the drive-in volcano at La Soufrière Sulphur Springs. We were told by the guide, that the volcano can erupt at anytime.
In the afternoon, we just sat by the beach, under the palm trees.
We left St Lucia at 7pm.
Day 7 - We arrived into Tobago at about 10am. The people here are so friendly. That's not only the owners of shops or restaurants but the local people aswell. They really make you feel welcomed.
The beaches in Tobago, are fantastic. Very secluded. The main beach is the Pigeon Point Beach which has golden sand and blue sea. It has a picnic area just off the beach and a beach bar. You'll see most of the locals around singing and playing old folk songs ans calypsoes. Unfortunately, I didn't find out why it was called Pigeon Point. I didn't see any pigeons at all.
We took a glass bottom boat ride to Bucco Reef. We also took a walk through the forest to Argyle Falls, to cool off in the waters.
The food is delicous. Most of the meals contain there local fruits like paw paw and mango and is quite sweet tasting. My favourite restaurant was the Pelican Reef located in Crown Point. All the meals are wonderfully presented.
We also visited the Tobago Heritage Parlour. This was a house built by Uncle George Leacock, who was a local man in his 80's. The house hold all kinds of artifacts about his life. Uncle George actually escorts you himself around the house. He was such a pleasant man, and you can see how proud he was of his home. It contained alot of cherished memories especially about his great grandmother who was the daughter of a slave in the 19th Century.
We left Tobago around 7pm.
Day 8 - Arrived back into Barbados for another overnight stay at the Tamarind Cove Hotel.
This was an incredible holiday. I love the Caribbean and will definately be going again, that is once i've saved up the money for it.
The price is fairly resonable. For just an inside cabin, depending on what deck you could be looking at a price between £600 - £800 per person.
My next cruise will definately be with Ocean Village, and it may be on the Coral & Coconuts cruise around November 05.
If anyone considering going, then i'll see you there.
I've added a few pictures....
Pic 1 - overview at the Tamarind Cove Hotel Pic 2 - inside the bedroom at the Hotel Pic 3 - Turtle Bay Beach Pic 4 - The Laguna Restinga in Isla Margarita Pic 5 - La Soufrière Sulphur Springs Pic 6 - Argyle Falls in Tobago
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