Philipsburg Round Trip

St. Maarten is the only Caribbean island with 100 percent duty-free shopping. In Philipsburg, more than 500 stores sell luxury items like leather goods, electronics, cameras, designer clothes, etc. Water sports are big on both sides of the island, and numerous operators rent boats, supply equipment for parasailing, waterskiing, windsurfing or kayaking. or offer deep-sea fishing expeditions.

Relax aboard the Sea Cloud Spirit and enjoy beautiful panoramas.

When Christopher Columbus discovered the island in 1493, he named it San Juan Bautista (St. John the Baptist). The city later became known as Puerto Rico, which means "rich port". San Juan was settled in 1521. It replaced “Caparra,” Puerto Rico's first settlement, as the island's capital. San Juan is the birthplace of artists and musicians, locally known as Sanjuaneros

The Island Isla Culebrita is known for a magnificent pure white-coral sand framed by Culebra's arid hills. It is protected as a marine wildlife reserve. Here you can escape from the crowds, enjoy the natural beauty and light gentle sea breeze.

The Sir Francis Drake Channel, where swords were once crossed, is now one of the most beautiful sailing spots. Jost van Dyke, the smallest of the main islands in the British Virgin Islands, is a mountainous volcanic object of beauty with fewer than 300 inhabitants. One of them, Foxy, has been mixing his cocktails since 1968 and the bar of the same name enjoys a legendary reputation as perhaps the most famous beach bar in the Lesser Antilles. The island's past is less reputable - it was named by a Dutch pirate. The island gives its most beautiful treasures to all who visit - fine sand, green palm trees, colorful beach bars and the luminous blue of the sea.

Famous as ‘Love City,’ St John’s main town Cruz Bay indeed wafts a carefree, spring-break party vibe. Cruz Bay is also the place to organize your snorkeling, kayaking, hiking, and other activities, and to fuel up in the surprisingly good restaurant mix. Everything grooves within walking distance of the ferry docks.

A remarkable natural phenomenon known as "the Baths" located on the southern end of the island makes Virgin Gorda one of the BVI's major tourist sites. At the Baths, in spite of evidence of the island's largely volcanic origins, big granite rocks lie in piles on the beach, forming magnificent grottoes that are open to the water. Granite is not volcanic because it is an intrusive igneous rock. However, at a significant depth, it did originate from magma. Only until geologic periods of erosion remove the overburden does granite become visible at the Earth's surface. At the surface, weathering has shattered the granite into big boulders and rounded their surfaces. North of the Baths is the Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbor, historically owned by Little Dix Bay.
 

St Barthélemy, affectionately known as St Barths by most, had already had many "owners" before the Lesser Antilles were acquired by France in 1877. When the first estate was acquired by the banker David Rockefeller in 1957, the island's future was finally sealed. It became a refuge for the international jet set and an elegant holiday paradise for many Hollywood stars. For over 40 years, St Barths has cultivated a luxurious lifestyle with a Caribbean laissez-faire approach. You can stroll through the charming main town of Gustavia, whose beautifully restored houses and colonial facades look out over the sea with its elegant superyachts, browse in the shops for precious items, or enjoy a sundowner in the picturesque harbor surrounded by clusters of high-class bars and restaurants.

Depart early this morning from Gustavia. Disembark at Philipsburg after breakfast and continue your independent trip back home.