St. Maarten | St Lucia
We arrived in the Caribbean two days after leaving Miami on our 110-day cruise, sailing southbound to South America in preparation for our circumnavigation aboard the beautiful Marina with Oceania Cruises.
Let's talk about the Caribbean islands we visited, where we got our little taste of paradise. St. Maarten and Saint Lucia.
Day four - Philipsburg, St. Maarten
Welcome to the turquoise waters of the Caribbean.
After two days sailing from Miami, we arrived at our first destination, Philipsburg, and made our way to the Amazon for Christmas and New Year.
Seven years ago, we first visited St. Maarten, an island the Netherlands and France share. We spent our time on the French half on our first visit, so we enjoyed the Dutch half this time. After the Spanish abandoned their fort in 1648, a few Dutch and French soldiers hid on the island and decided to share it; soon after, both countries signed a formal agreement to split the island.
After a quick water taxi to the centre, we were hunting for decent wifi, so we bar-hopped until we found a great connection. We also had a small shopping list of essentials, so we took this time to prepare ourselves for the next few months at sea.
The island vibe was in full swing, swarming with cruise passengers from the four ships docked and the sweltering heat. The beach was filling up fast, and everyone enjoyed the hot weather! We decided we preferred the French side as it offered more quality dining establishments, was further from the port, and was more peaceful.
Day five - Castries, St. Lucia
This morning, we arrived in the tropical gem Saint Lucia, a small Caribbean island 27 miles long and 24 miles wide, located north of Barbados.
We were docked in Castries, where we could wander off the ship to explore the nearby town and enjoy the local vibe.
We visited St Lucia in 2015 and fondly recalled finding a local cafe overlooking the square, so we searched to find it. Afterwards, we strolled the streets, saying hello to all the vibrant and friendly locals and discovering St Lucia was home to a few Nobel prize winners.
We discovered a familiar balcony cafe, although we soon realised it was different. We were previously docked on another part of the island; we later determined the restaurant we were looking for was another island entirely. We settled in all the same and enjoyed one of the most delicious coffees; we had to stay for two. We loved feeling part of the local life and watching everyone go about their day, the best way to immerse yourself into a new destination.
After we were caffeinated, we took to the streets and enjoyed visiting the local market; everyone was super friendly and exuded the island's chilled-out vibe.
Once we had reached our limit with the heat, we snuck back to the ship for lunch and then were spoilt with a golden hour sail-away, capturing the tropical gem of an island in the sunset. Thank you, St Lucia, for welcoming us back.
Join us for our next chapter, 'Brazil', as we embrace and explore the Amazon over Christmas and New Year with Oceania Cruises on our 110-day voyage around South America.