Barbados & islands of the West Indies luxury cruise

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and take in the relaxing scenery before joining a shared catamaran cruise along Barbados' southern coast. Along the way, you'll make stops to swim and snorkel in the crystal clear waters, while onboard you can enjoy a buffet lunch and open bar.

Pass a leisurely day poolside or perhaps take in some of the popular sites, like a tour of the sugar mills or visit the local fish market.

Bridgetown, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is your home today. You might wander the boardwalk where sherbet-bright colonial buildings overlook the waterfront, or stroll to Carlisle Bay, a stretch of powder-soft sand where shipwrecks are scattered just below the turquoise waters. Make your way to board your ship, where your personal butler can help you settle into your suite. As the ship sets sail under starry skies, you might enjoy a nightcap in the Panorama Lounge.

Arriving in Castries, you’ll spot Saint Lucia’s mountain peaks, the Pitons, sail into sight from the ship’s deck. On shore, you could take a 4X4 safari to explore the island’s largest banana plantation and oldest protected rainforest. For something more adventurous, cruise the coast to Marigot Bay by speedboat, or ride a gondola through the rainforest canopy to sight the Saint Lucia parrot. Back on board, you have eight dining venues to choose from, including the poolside Grill, where you cook your own dishes on volcanic lava stones.

Your next stop is Fort-de-France on French-speaking Martinique. The day’s activities are designed to give you a deeper understanding of the island. You could learn to cook Creole with a Michelin-starred chef, or discover indigenous flora as you kayak through mangroves. We suggest spending a morning in Saint Pierre, which was buried by ash when Mont Pelée erupted in 1902. Your guide will lead you on a tour of the ruins and to Balata Church, a mini replica of the Sacré-Coeur perched on a hilltop with views of the bay below.

You wake up in Gustavia, Saint Barts, the hilly island of red-roofed houses named in 1493 by Christopher Columbus after his brother, Bartholomew. Beauty is what marks this volcanic island above all else, and you can take in the many panoramic views on a guided tour of its bays, beaches, and villages. For an alternative perspective, venture underwater in a semi-submersible submarine to spot green turtles and the wreck of an island freighter. Or, simply gaze out over the yacht-sprinkled bay from the ship’s pool deck, as you bubble away in a whirlpool hot tub.

Your ship is docked this morning at Roseau, the port town of Dominica. Home to live volcanoes, active corals, wildlife and waterfalls, there’s plenty to distract you, and your specialist will help you select activities that most appeal. You might snorkel among thousands of warm bubbles at Champagne Reef, hike to the world’s second-largest hot spring, or try chocolate and bush rum pairings on a cocoa estate. Taking the spirit of the island back to the ship, you can sip fruity rum cocktails in the panoramic outdoor bar.

Arriving in Saint George’s in the early morning, you can opt for breakfast on your private balcony as Grenada’s pastel-hued Georgian houses come into view. Exploring this Island of Spice, you could hike to a waterfall through plantations heaving with cocoa and nutmeg trees, or snorkel above the world’s first underwater sculpture gallery. Journeying inland to the island’s mountain rainforests, you can also visit Grand Etang National Park, where your naturalist guide will lead you to views of the caldera lake while helping you spot mona monkeys and the endemic Grenada frog.

Bequia’s natural marina greets you on arrival to this island, part of the St Vincent and the Grenadines chain. It’s just seven miles long and home to only 6,000 residents, allowing you to explore it and its often-deserted beaches, in a few hours. We like the open-air 4X4 tour which takes in Port Elizabeth, with its rum shacks and 18th-century Hamilton Fort, with views of Mustique in the distance. After an active morning, you could unwind with a massage in the ship’s spa, or with caviar service and live piano music in the Venetian Lounge.

After disembarking in Bridgetown, Barbados, you’ll be transported to the airport for your hour-long flight to Antigua. Here, you'll be met and whisked away to the south of the island to begin your three-night stay at Curtain Bluff, a resort located on a small peninsula overlooking the Caribbean Sea. You can spend the rest of your day at leisure in and around the hotel. You might play tennis on a championship court, skim across the bay on a Hobie Cat, join a Caribbean cooking class, visit the nearby national park for a hike, or simply unwind in the outdoor pool with a cocktail in hand.

You have the next two days to relax and explore the island. Rich with British naval history, Antigua is bursting with candy-bright buildings and ruined forts, best discovered on a tour of UNESCO-listed Nelson’s Dockyard, the oldest Georgian marina in the world. From here, you can take a guided trek through forested hills to Shirley Heights, a military lookout, where sunset views of English Harbour and Montserrat reward the climb. You might also take a guided tour of Betty’s Hope, the island’s first sugar mill that dates to 1651 and is now a working distillery.

On your final day in Antigua, you might choose to explore the island’s many beaches, allegedly one for every day of the year. Beyond the hotel’s two lovely beaches — one surf, one calm — you might spend time at Dickenson Bay, a long stretch of white sand backed by green hillsides with waters so shallow you can swim with stingrays. After this, you can drink a tiki at the floating bar. Or, head offshore to Cades Reef to snorkel among eagle stingrays, moray eels, and lobsters. And, if you have time, take the 90-minute water taxi to sister island Barbuda. The sands here are tinged pink and dotted with caves and the waters filled with parrot fish, nurse sharks, and shipwrecks. Don’t leave without visiting the frigate bird colony, the second-largest after the Galapagos.

As your trip comes to an end, you'll check out of your hotel and your private driver will escort you north across the island in time for your international flight home.

Arrive home today to complete your journey.