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

As I mentioned in my first post about my Island Windjammers cruise, one of my favorite activities on the boat was flinging myself into the water from an old-fashioned rope swing attached to the side of the boat.

I was the first to go Tarzan – but others soon jumped in. The crew would even do it, once we were docked for the night  Here are a few photos of jumpers in action:

It took some convincing, but Pat eventually took a leap.

Janet said the swing reminded her of childhood swimming holes in Alabama.

I think we were all surprised when Bob – who eschewed the snorkeling and swimming to spend time on the boat reading – took a jump.

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

And it’s not just the unrestored equilibrium in my inner ear that has me off-kilter. The cruise had its high points and its low points (which I’ll detail later), but like any truly memorable travel experience, the best part was the people I met.

On a ship with just 10 passengers, you get to know each other fairly quickly. Quarters were tight and, true to the former Windjammer philosophy, there were very few structured activities. So whole experience was a little bit like summer camp – only it all took place at sea.

When I arrived the first night, I was a little nonplussed by the cruise demographics. The Windjammer reputation had been so centered on partying that I was expecting overgrown frat boys toting bottles of hard alcohol, accompanied by bleach blond, party-hearty Parrotheads (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

 What I got was a group of people, with an average age of 63, who were in it more for the experience of sailing on a 101-foot schooner than the booze. The rowdiest conversations took place over Shanghai rummy, not rum (although the latter was well represented at afternoon snacks and swizzles) and with a group of primarily couples and single ladies, snorkeling and sunning were more pervasive than scamming.

And to make matters even better, everyone got along.

As Sally, an ebulliant single mother from Worcester, England – who stayed cheerful even when Virgin Atlantic lost her luggage for most of the trip – put it: “There were no cliques or odd man out. And that’s unusual.”

I promised everyone that I would take a portrait of them during the trip, as a reward for putting up with my ever-present camera. Everyone – especially Capt. Matt – was extremely gracious about my endless questioning.  

I loved hearing the dating stories from Ginny and Bob, both thrice-married retirees who met through Match.com. Watching Bob, who builds intricate models of historic ships for the Navy Museum in Annapolis, come alive while interacting with the local boat builders on Bequia was priceless. And I know I’ll pop over to Annapolis sometime to gossip with Ginny.

Experienced Windjammers Ron and Cerise, married 51 years, provided some ballast to the group’s silly antics, even as they themselves were participating.

Too bad Ron’s attempt at hijacking the boat didn’t work; otherwise, we’d be half way to Aruba by now.

Paul, a former Windjammer captain who has sailed the world and back again, seemed most at home staring off on the horizon. The only single man on board, he put up with our teasing with the patience of one of those British Naval captains he was telling me about.  

Nurse Janet’s wit and intellect were as apparent as her Southern accent. When she’s not sailing the Caribbean, she’s helping children in Nicaragua as a medical volunteer. I hope to tag along on her mission someday.   

Grand dame Pat, the mother of an Island Windjammer principal, delivered devastatingly funny bon mots in a plummy British accent unsullied by her decades in the States.

She arrived with her best friend Gloria, a high-cheekboned widow with one of those energetic personalities that lights up the room with style AND substance. I want to be just like her when I grow up.

As I feel about many of the travelers I meet – the very best ones who seek to expand their horizons on the open road (er, make that sea) - I hope we meet again.

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

We boarded the ship in Grenada on Friday night and took off early Saturday morning. So far we’ve stopped at Carriacou, an island belonging to Grenada, and Union Island and Mayreau Island, both part of the Grenadines. We head over to Tobago Cays tomorrow and then on to Bequia.

Yesterday was a gorgeous blue skies, blue waters Caribbean day. I lazed around on deck, did some snorkeling off Carriacou’s Anse La Roche and dove into a big book. My favorite part? A rope swing that you can use to jump off the boat, a la Tarzan. We ran into some rain today, unfortunately, but I was still able to walk around Union Island, and check out a church atop a steep hill in Mayreau.

I’m the youngest passenger on the ship, but we’re still having fun. Some good card games have been taking place, and some risque conversations have been had (what can I say? There’s a couple of spirited ladies on board!) While it’s mostly Americans, there is a sizable British contingent (although with only 10 people sailing, it doesn’t take much to be considered sizable!) Most people on board were either fans of the old Windjammers company or are friends/relatives of the people who run it now.

Capt. Matt, a veteran of Windjammers, is laid back – as my former colleague Laura Bly called him in a USA TODAY story – indeed McDreamy. He holds a short lecture before each port call to acclimate us to the destination. Meals are good and food is plentiful. Fantastic star-gazing at night.

Much more TK

I’m on the website 101 Holidays today with my featured travel tip. Editor Mark Hodson has been asking travel writers and bloggers for a place where they’d spend their own money. You can read my answer here.  

Aboard the Diamant… 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

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

It’s official – my blog has fallen victim to island time.

It’s not the lack of wifi access: I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how good (and free!) my connections have been both here in St. Vincent and in Grenada.

I just can’t bring myself to pull out a computer. And why should I? There’s snorkeling to do, lizards to catch, rum drinks to consume…

Yep, I’m on island time – and not sure when I’m coming back!

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