Islands of the Caribbean

Facilities in Liverpool are constantly being improved to make boarding, stopping off or leaving your cruise ship easy, enjoyable and stress-free.

It was from historic Lisbon, built on seven low hills beside the wide Tagus estuary, that some of Europe’s greatest explorers set sail in pursuit of the riches that built Portugal’s former global empire in the New World, Africa and the Indies. Memories of that glorious past linger amid the grand avenues and elegant squares of the attractive capital’s 18th century lower town – a vivid contrast with the colourful honeycomb of cobbled streets in the old Moorish Alfama quarter and the bohemian mood of the hilly Bairro Alto.

The picturesque whitewashed capital of this mountainous Portuguese island, 350 miles off the coast of Africa, has a timeless charm, delightfully enhanced by a benign climate that fills this ‘floating garden’ with the year round colours and perfumes of subtropical flowers and fruit. Much painted by Sir Winston Churchill, Madeira has been offering the British visitor a warm welcome for three centuries, its famous wine the perfect aid to total relaxation!

An island that blends the exotic mood of the Caribbean with a hint of home (it was British for over 350 years). Here rum punch and calypso meet afternoon tea and cricket in perfect harmony, and Bridgetown’s Trafalgar Square is older than our own. With over 30 miles of beaches, 3, 000 hours of sunshine a year, welcoming ‘Bajan’ smiles, excellent shopping in the port and flying fish for lunch, Barbados is for many British visitors the quintessential Caribbean island!

Home to fewer than 6000 people, the tiny island of Bequia is a quiet, sun kissed paradise with beautiful sandy beaches, lush green hills, small traditional villages and barely any traffic to contend with.

A homely island with friendly locals, tourists are always warmly welcomed to Bequia, so whether you spend your time by the beach soaking up the sun or in town sipping cocktails, you are sure to find that perfect solitude.

Grenada is the ‘Spice Island’ of cinnamon, nutmeg, mace and vanilla plantations, dense with lush rainforests, and was the setting for the film Island in the Sun. St George’s must surely be the Caribbean’s prettiest capital, almost Mediterranean-looking with its picturesque buildings (some dating from the 18th century), steep cobbled streets and stepped alleys rising as if part of a terraced amphitheatre set amid the wooded hill slopes that surround the harbour. Lovely Grand Anse beach – within easy reach – is not to be missed.

At the head of the idyllic island chain of the 30-or-so Grenadines, scenic St Vincent packs into its 18 x 12 miles an extravagant canvas of lush tropical valleys and mountains, home of hummingbird and hibiscus, breadfruit and bamboo, limes and mahogany. In the little capital of Kingstown, the animated markets, dramatic coastal views from historic Fort Charlotte, and luxuriant Botanical Gardens (oldest in the Americas) will detain you – while beyond await Soufriere’s towering volcano and the lovely 60 ft waterfall of Baleine.

What St Lucia’s little capital may lack in sophistication it more than compensates for in its colourful Creole mood. Wander amid the lively street market before exploring this most scenic of the Caribbean islands, whose green mountains are draped in lush vegetation, and whose landmarks include the twin peaks of the Pitons rising sheer from the sea, and the steaming sulphur springs of the ‘drive-in’ La Soufriere volcano.

Martinique’s lively, unmistakably French capital is, like the island itself, a flamboyant fusion of Gallic sophistication and Creole exuberance. It was, after all, the birthplace of the Empress Josephine! Its many bistros, restaurants and boutiques will provide temptations in plenty, while to visit St. Pierre, engulfed a century ago by volcanic Mont Pelée, is to recall an epic moment of island history.

The world’s smallest island shared between two nations – its 16 miles square (and more developed) southern part is Dutch and the northern, French – hilly St Maarten in the Windwards is a dual personality setting of absorbing contrasts. Philipsburg, built on a sand bar, is the old capital and still preserves some attractive colonial architecture, though the island’s enticing beaches, excellent restaurants, and shops stocked with duty-free bargains will probably detain you longer!

Basse-Terre is a commune in the Guadeloupe department of France in the Lesser Antilles. It is also the prefecture of Guadeloupe. The city of Basse-Terre is located on Basse-Terre Island,

Whatever rugged Antigua may lack in tropical scenery the island more than makes up for with what are some of the best watersports conditions found anywhere in the Caribbean, and 365 beaches (‘one for each day of the year’ say the Antiguans) from which to enjoy them! For many, too, the great bay of stunning English Harbour and historic Nelson’s Dockyard (Britain’s West Indies naval base now restored to its 18th century prime) will prove a magnet. It is thought that the Arawaks first inhabited Antigua about 2,000 years ago; around 1200 AD, they were evicted by the Caribs. It was not until 1493 that Columbus first sighted Antigua, and named it after a church in Seville, Spain. The British colonised the island in 1632, and in 1674 Sir Christopher Codrington arrived to establish the first sugar plantation. By the end of that century, the plantation economy had developed, slaves were imported and the central part of the island was stripped of its forests and replanted with sugar cane. In the early 1800s, the sugar market began to falter. With the abolition of slavery in 1834, the plantations collapsed and were consolidated under the control of a handful of landowners. Antigua finally achieved full independence in 1981.

Since their discovery in the early 15th century, the Portuguese Azores have played an important part in oceanic navigation. They were a logistical point for the discovery of new worlds; a port of call for ships engaged in trade between Europe, America and India; and a place to lay anchor for the galleons bringing the wealth of the Americas back to the old world.

Since their discovery in the early 15th century, the Portuguese Azores have played an important part in oceanic navigation. They were a logistical point for the discovery of new worlds; a port of call for ships engaged in trade between Europe, America and India; and a place to lay anchor for the galleons bringing the wealth of the Americas back to the old world.

Facilities in Liverpool are constantly being improved to make boarding, stopping off or leaving your cruise ship easy, enjoyable and stress-free.