1. Bequia and the Grenadines: Located south of St. Lucia and north of Grenada, the Grenadines technically belong to St. Vincent. But we found these gorgeous Caribbean islands – ranging from posh Mustique to laidback Bequia – to be the ultimate romantic getaway. There isn’t much to do other than sail, snorkel, sleep – and a few other “s” words, if you are so inclined

2. Bangkok, Shangri-La hotel: Bangkok was the first stop on our 3-week honeymoon through Thailand and Cambodia. We had taken Thai Airlines non-stop from JFK – and after 17 hours, we were exhausted. Luckily, we had booked the Shangri-La hotel on the Chao Phraya River with an upgrade to a deluxe balcony on the Krungthep wing. The upgrade was worth it – we loved the personal butler (who brought us fruit plate and chocolates) and the hotel-within-a-hotel concept. A great place to start a honeymoon or a romantic trip.

3. Dominica: Don and I had only been dating a few months when he proposed visiting his favorite Caribbean island. He wanted adventure, I needed comfort – so we booked the Jungle Bay Resort & Spa, where each guest gets an individual cabin built on the hillside overlooking the ocean. Hearing the waves crash so close – and taking hair-raising Jeep trips around the island – led to an activity-filled trip that solidified us as a couple.

4. Montepulciano, Italy: Ah, Tuscany – does any other part of Europe inspire so much romance? We, too, are only human. And Montepulciano, a walled medieval hilltop city known for its red wine and scenic views, stole our hearts. The welcome that we received at La Locanda di San Francesco only added to the charm. La dolce vita, indeed.

5. Christmas at the Fairmont Empress, Victoria: You don’t normally think of Christmas as a romantic holiday – at least I didn’t – until we spent this past holiday at the Fairmont Empress in Victoria. We wandered through the hotel’s Festival of Trees exhibit holding hands, sang Christmas carols with others in the hotel lobby on Christmas Eve and tried ice skating at Butchart Gardens on Christmas Day. Who knew Christmas could be so restful?

We’re always looking for ideas of romantic places to go – if you have any suggestions, let me know!

A Life of Travel: Romantic Trips is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

What also makes the itinerary special is that, with the exception of Bequia, these are tiny ports where bigger cruise ships can’t go.

We took a dinghy onto the islands, occasionally making a wet landing on the smaller beaches (miraculously, my laptop and cameras didn’t get wet, which I attribute to the skills of crew members Troy and Aubrey). In some cases, we were the only people on the beaches!

Overall, I liked all of our stops. I saw some new beaches and have now been to all of the inhabited Grenadine islands, except Canouan. I was a little irritated that mechanical problems with our anchor prevented us from visiting Mustique (what can I say? I was hoping to spot a celebrity at Basil’s or Macaroni Beach).

And it’s not necessarily an itinerary I’d like to do over and over again, particularly because Grenada isn’t the easiest place to get to. I’d love to see the company expand to the B.V.I. or other islands – maybe once they get the kinks worked out and have the Diamant under control, they can turn their attentions elsewhere.

Carriacou. Technically, Carriacou belongs to Grenada, although it’s considered part of the Grenadine chain, most of which is lumped with St. Vincent (confusing, I know). We harbored here at Anse La Roche, a white sand beach with little on it except a few cows that kept wandering down. We snorkeled here near some rocks and enjoyed the drinks from the cooler that the crew members brought us.

Union Island, Clifton. We made two stops at Union Island, overnighting in Chatham Bay on the island’s west end twice. On the first visit, we didn’t get off at the beach and instead went to the island’s main town, Clifton. It was a rainy day, but I enjoyed walking around and taking photos of the colorful buildings and shops.

There isn’t much else to see here – from what I could tell, Union Island is more of a stopover for sailors and yachties fueling up on their way to Tobago Cay.

Mayreau. From Clifton, we continued on to Mayreau, the smallest of the inhabited Grenadines.

The main attraction here is a Catholic church, perched high on the island near the elementary school. It was quite a hike but well worth the view.

At the back of the church, you had a great view of Tobago Cays and the brilliant blue water there.

There’s also a handy map painted on the back of the church, just  in case you forget what island you are on!

We clowned around with some of the school children, many of whom wanted to take photos with my camera. A few people continued the walk to Saltwhistle Bay on the island’s northern end. Both of the island’s internet cafes were closed when I was there, so I ended up sitting outside on a free connection. Several islanders came up to talk with me, all expressing happiness that our boat was stopping here. A very friendly place.

Bequia. Bequia is one of my favorite places. For me, it has the right mix for a small island. There are plenty of restaurants and bars – plus lobster pizza! – yet nothing seems too crowded (although I’ve never been there when a larger cruise ship is in port). To read more about Bequia, check out my November 2009 report here.

Our day here started well enough. I brought Bob, who makes historically accurate boat replicas for the Naval Museum in Annapolis, to Sargeant Brothers, where he talked with model boat makers there.

After a lunch of lobster pizza at De Reef (I had been to Mac’s last time), I headed back to Lower Bay, which had some excellent snorkeling  – not to mention some excellent hard bodies of all nationalities). 

Alas, our night didn’t go as well. We were on our own, and there was some miscommunication about whether or not the dinghy would take us in. In absence of a leader, we did nothing – and were a little bored. This is when I also found out that snorkeling trips to Moonhole were available – but we had never been told about them.

In my opinion, the Diamant really needs a social director, someone who can organize shore dinners or activities at least once during the trip. Keep in mind that the Diamant doesn’t have the PPP parties, crab races or other fun traditions that the Windjammer cruises were known for. I know people come on the ship to be casual but a little bit of organized fun wouldn’t hurt the casual atmosphere.    

Union Island, Chatham Bay. We returned to lovely Chatham Bay at the end of the cruise and had a lovely morning. Capt. Matt told us that the rocks here house “rivers of fish” – and he was right. It felt strange to be swimming in the middle of so many schools.

This area has several beach bars so you really could spend a day hanging out. A luxury property is being built at one end, so if you like your beaches to yourself, go before it’s too late.

Tobago Cays. Last but certainly not least, these islands - protected as a marine park – are among the most beautiful in the world. Word is out – when you arrive, you can’t help noticing all the other boats, ranging from tiny sailboats to massive yachts, surrounding you. The beach was a little crowded when we arrived. The snorkeling wasn’t quite as good as it was when I was here on the Friendship Rose daytrip (read about that here) in November. I did see a turtle though, and followed it for quite a while.

The beach on Bagatelle was a little windy to sunbathe on (although we tried), so I went back to the boat. Several members in our group went across to another island, which was completely beautiful and deserted. The Tobago Cays really are the perfect desert islands!

I’d love to hear from others who have been to these islands. What did you like the best – and the least – about them? Tell me in the comments section below!

Read my other Island Windjammer posts!

The Diamant

Rope swing

Other passengers

Seasickness - and how to fight it 

Island Windjammers: the ports is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

I rarely sit and veg when I’m on vacation. Even if I’m not working, I still feel compelled to see everything that I possibly can, duck into hotels to check out rooms, take notes for future stories, post on my blog.  I can’t help it. It’s the way I’m wired.

The Grenadines cured me.

As soon as we arrived on tiny Bequia, my husband and I turned into total lumps. All we did was read, swim, go out on boats and stare at the perfect turquoise water. I don’t think I touched the computer for five days. It was the most relaxing vacation that I’ve ever had. Whenever I’m stressed, I dream about it.

Luckily, I don’t have to wait too long to go back. I’ll be sailing on the Island Windjammer on Jan. 10, on assignment for CruiseCritic.com and our ports include Union Island, Tobago Cays, Mustique and lovely Bequia. So I’ll get to experience that piece of heaven again.

And that wraps up 2009! Here’s to fantastic travel experiences in 2010….

What was your best travel experience? Tell me below! 

Worst travel experience of 2009

Most surprising destination of 2009

Best bargain of 2009

Best Travel Experience of 2009 is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

My trip report from our St. Vincent & the Grenadines vacation is up. As I’ve said in previous posts on Mustique and Tobago Cays, this was one of the most relaxing trips that Don and I have ever taken. It’s nice to slow down once in a while! And SVG is a great place to do that…

Read the St. Vincent & Grenadine trip report here.

Caribbean Trip Report: SVG is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

Why are all the vans honking so much?

That’s what I wondered, that first day in Grenada. With winding roads and roadside drainage ditches the depth of a  small canal, I had elected not to rent a car.  Buses into St. Georges from Grand Anse beach were plentiful, I read.

But where were they? The receptionist at my hotel told me to look for a bus with a 1 on it. As I walked to the roundabout, I saw plenty of trucks, cars and vans speeding by – but nothing that looked like a traditional bus.

Then a van slowed down, beeping furiously as a man inside leaned out the window. He waved his hand toward town. “Need ride?” Realizing that this was the bus, I nodded and hopped in.

Soca music assaulted my ears. I grabbed a seat between an older woman carrying a duffel bag full of fruit and a uniformed schoolgirl. As we rode, I noticed that the vans – which seem to have negotiated a contract with the same airbrush vendor – all had numbers on the front.

Or at least they did in Grenada. Similar van buses in smaller St. Vincent and Bequia had no markings and were recognizable only by their passengers, the inevitable ”gangsta” or “cash money” spraypainted on the side and the ubiquitous reggae music spilling from the windows (not to mention their breakneck style of driving).

What makes it all worthwhile is the cost. While taxis around Bequia cost 20 EC, you can catch the bus for just 1.50. And I enjoyed seeing the stops on the way into St. Georges, even if everyone laughed when I inadvertantly hit the off button just a block from the end of the line.

Bus drivers of the Caribbean is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

Sure, St. Barts attracts the rich and Turks &  Caicos draws the famous. But Mustique beats them all by serving as a second home getaway to the coolest kids in class - rock stars and royalty.

Who doesn’t want to see Mick Jagger or David Bowie hanging at Basil’s Beach Bar? Or for that matter, Prince William (Mustique first garnered its golden glow in the 60s, when resident Princess Margaret made it a jet-set getaway).

Unless you rent one of their villas (Bryan Adam’s home, Point Lookout, goes for $14,000 a week – and that’s low season), the only way to stay on Mustique is to get a room at the Cotton House. At $615 per night, that was a little out of our budget.

(The island’s other accommodation, Firefly, is even more dear: nightly rates in the 5-room all-inclusive guest house start at $850. But with its own champagne club – drink all eight champagne cocktails and get a polo shirt! – it sounds a little looser than most upscale resorts).

We could swing a daytrip, however. For $85, FantaSea tours would take us from St. Vincent to Mustique for the day, bring us snorkeling and then drop us off in Bequia (which was our next destination anyway). Plus we could drink as much rum punch as we wanted. Sold!

We had great weather for our sail over, although we took some Dramamine, just in case. Our companions were a British group of seniors on tour with Saga. The first part of the tour resembled an episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, as we viewed celebrity villas from the sea.

Tommy Hilfiger’s multi-villa compound seemed the most glam, until we realized that Jagger’s property included several homes, including one that he gave to his ex-wife Jerry Hall.

We docked at Basil’s, and hopped into an open air taxi to take a tour of the island. Honestly, Mustique’s interior was not very impressive. The manicured grounds looked more like a Florida country club than a beautiful wild Caribbean island (minus the private airstrip).

The island is managed by the Mustique Company, which also controls the water and electric supply, and collects taxes. Our taxi driver told us that the company was generously paternalistic: all children of Company employees attend classes on the island until they reach high school age, at which point, they receive a free boarding school education in St. Vincent’s as well as a guaranteed job on Mustique when they graduate.

Then we turned on to Macaroni Beach and I understood the appeal. Gorgeous white sand, roaring surf and utter privacy. A couple canoodling on Macaroni looked nervous when our group approached, and I wondered if they were celebs enjoying a paparazzi-free getaway.

After a quick snorkel around the bay, we ended up at Basil’s where we shared a club sandwich and chatted up some fellow barflys, all of them sailors rather than singers. A couple from South Africa detailed their cruise around the world, which made Don and I yearn for a yacht.

At the end of the day, we trundled back to Bequia – which, with its steeper mountains, lusher foilage and Grenadine views, seemed like a better deal. So we checked into our $95 per night resort feeling pretty good. We may never have the bucks to become Basil’s regulars, but we were still able to find a beachfront haven – without breaking the bank.

Want more Grenadines? Read about our Tobago Cays daysail on the Friendship Rose here

Interested in other celeb hotspots? Read my Turks & Caicos trip report here.

The Mustique Mystique is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

The perfect desert islands do exist! The Tobago Cays, in the Grenadines, are now my happy place, where I’m going to escape in my head whenever things get too stressful.

Accessible from both Grenada and the Grenadines,  these uninhabited islands – five in all – served as the lonely spit of sand where Capt. Jack Sparrow and Keira Knightley were marooned in one of The Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

It’s a fitting representation: there’s nothing on these islands other than cacti, iguanas, a palm tree or two – and gorgeous white sand beaches.

It’s what’s IN the bright turquoise water that counts here. The Tobago Cays are a marine sanctuary and coral reef, protected by St. Vincent & The Grenadines for tourism purposes.

We visited the Cays on a daylong sail with the Friendship Rose, one of the Caribbean’s last schooners ($125, including breakfast, lunch and unlimited drinks).

Our captain, Calvin Lewis, has not only steered the 96-foot ship for more than 40 years. He helped create it, at Friendship Bay on Bequia, an island with a long boat-building tradition.

It took about three hours to reach the Tobago Cays from Bequia. We spent most of the time chatting up our fellow passengers (about a dozen Brits and Americans), sunning ourselves on cushions and pillows scattered around the boat’s expansive deck and pointing out the various islands we passed by, including Canouan, Mayreau and Union.

We reached the Cays and found we were not the only ones enjoying the high seas. A flotilla of private sailboats and yachts had also dropped anchor. We took a dinghy and our snorkeling gear over to the island and spent several hours exploring the reefs.

The highlight came when Don spotted several turtles under water. They ignored us and continued their docile pattern of eating their seagrass under the water, then rising to the surface to breathe. We followed them for about 20 minutes before turning our attention to the stingrays, blue tang and angelfish that were also in the water.

Back on the Friendship Rose, we ate a great lunch and swilled our drink of choice during this vacation, rum punch. We slept most of the way back, covering ourselves with towels to avoid the unforgiving sun (yet we still ended up turning pink).

The experience capped off a week of doing absolutely nothing – and loving it. Usually, my trips include a lot of running around, but the Grenadines are all about slowing down and breathing, reconnecting and reading, sitting back and staring at the sea. I can’t wait to come back.

Want more Grenadines? Read about our Mustique daysail here.

Desert Island Dreaming: Tobago Cays is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

When the forecast reads, “Chance of Snow: Never,” it’s a bit strange to hear Bing Crosby warbling “White Christmas.”

But it’s happened throughout these past two weeks in Grenada, St. Vincent and Bequia. Christmas starts early here- at least on the radio.

At a lovely Grenadian feast at Boots Cuisine, I was served conch steak with a side of Elvis. Today I heard a soca version of Jingle Bells in Bequia’s Port Elizabeth, and saw decorations start to go up.

At Boots, one of my dining companions, Tim of L’Anse aux Epine Cottages told us that, just as in the States, Xmas fever starts after Thanksgiving. Diffference is, their Thanksgiving is Oct. 25.

So we’re trying to adapt and get in the Christmas spirit -even as we pass the sunblock.

Christmas Carols, Caribbean style is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

About a month ago, I asked people to help me decide where to go for my last week of vacation (at the time, I had four days left, but I picked up another comp day for working while I was in Arizona). It also needed to be cheap – around $800 for four nights.

There were some great suggestions. Former Times-Picayune Travel Editor Millie Ball suggested Charlottesville. I do want to go down there and see the new visitor center at Monticello and also go to Thomas Jefferson’s retirement home, Poplar Forest. But that strikes me as more of a weekend trip. Ditto travel guru extraordinaire Pauline Frommer’s suggestion of Annapolis or Shenandoah National Park - we may go there over Thanksgiving, depending on what plans our families have. I also seriously considered Nova Scotia, where I’ve never been, to see some fall foliage.

In the end, I picked…..St. Vincent & Bequia, in the Caribbean! Ok, so it kinda busts the financial parameters that I originally set. But I’m already going down to Grenada to do a story, so it made sense to tack on some days and explore a few more islands. St. Vincent and the Grenadines are known for sailing and snorkeling – and guesthouse prices seem fairly reasonable (under $100 per night).

If anyone has been to Grenada or St. Vincent/Grenadines and has some good suggestions, let me know!

Vacation Days, Decided! is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road