DRESSED in a white suit and carrying a cane, Anthony Hunte led a group of tourists into a collapsed cave filled with exotic trees, shrubs and flowers.
The land used to be part of the Castle Grant sugar plantation. In 1990, Hunte bought ten acres of this plantation and transformed it into a lush garden in the heart of Barbados.
"I half expected him to say 'Welcome to Jurassic Park,'" a young woman said in a stage whisper. Indeed, Hunte's Gardens is an exotic destination in the rainforest that seems like a fairy tale away from reality. A series of mini gardens fills the three-acre site, showcasing precious flora.
The exotic adventure is part of a Viking Sea excursion. The West Indies Explorer itinerary takes passengers to nine islands: Puerto Rico, Tortola, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Barbados, Dominica, Antigua, St. Martin and St. Thomas.
Fairview Great House and Botanical Garden on St. KittsViking Ocean Cruises offers guests included excursions and optional tours for a fee every day. My daughter and I took the included "overview" tours every morning, allowing us the rest of the day to explore independently or take an optional tour like Hunte's Gardens in the afternoon.
Anyone who cruises knows the joy of unpacking once, relaxing completely and exploring ports of call. With Viking, many extras are included, such as the excursions mentioned above, complimentary beer, wine and soft drinks with meals, free Wi-Fi, and port taxes and fees.
There is complimentary access to The Nordic Spa & Fitness Centre, speciality restaurant dining at no extra charge, and 24-hour room service. All 930 passengers enjoy a stateroom with a veranda.
Nine islands
After embarkation day and one day to explore, we left rainy Puerto Rico and headed for Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.
We were up bright and early to enjoy eggs and bacon delivered nice and hot to our stateroom thanks to room service. We then joined our tour group on an open-air safari bus to explore.
Tortola is one of more than 50 islands comprising the British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago.
On the tour, an excellent driver and guide stopped and pointed out many other islands as we circled Tortola and enjoyed the lovely scenery. The tour concluded at Cane Garden Bay, with its palm-lined beach and pure white sand. We were offered rum punch and had the opportunity to swim or relax on a lounge chair.
In the afternoon, we decided to enjoy the ship.
Viking Sea is a charming Scandinavian-designed ship with warm colours and gracious public areas. Our stateroom was the same: peaceful, calm and quiet.
We enjoyed afternoon tea several times during our cruise in the Wintergarden, a serene space complete with either a string duet or a pianist providing lovely background music as passengers chose their tea from an extensive list before enjoying finger sandwiches and pastry delicacies.
Every afternoon, there was also Port Talk, where the cruise director and excursion expert explained what passengers could enjoy the next day.
Hummingbird at Roseau, Dominica Botanical GardenExploration continues
St. Kitts and Nevis is a two-island country located in the Leeward Islands chain of the Lesser Antilles. In terms of area and population, it is the smallest sovereign state in the Western Hemisphere and the world's smallest sovereign federation.
Viking Sea docked in the capital, Basseterre, St. Kitts, one of the oldest towns in the eastern Caribbean.
Our small group of 12 boarded a small bus and toured the island, ending at Fairview Great House and Botanical Gardens at the foot of Olivees Mountain.
We started our tour in the dining room, then moved to the living area and upstairs bedroom, from which we could see the Caribbean and Nevis.
The property, dating to 1701, was once a sugar cane plantation. It now represents colonial life on the island.
Outside, along a brick pathway, we found the original kitchen, bathing room, and another room dedicated to the history of the islands and the enslaved Africans who worked on the plantation.
A significant part of the cruise was relaxing in each island's beauty. I particularly loved the mountain and seaside landscapes in St. Lucia. The small tour group stopped at Stony Hill, a private home, where we strolled through its lush tropical gardens and enjoyed rum punch and the delightful sound of a steel drum musician.
A steel drum player at Stony Hill on St. LuciaIsland beauty
Each island's local tour guide and driver offered history and stops to take in the scenery. Each island seemed more lovely than the last.
Barbados, inhabited by the Kalinago people since the 13th century and previously by other Indigenous peoples, first appeared on a Spanish map in 1511.
The Portuguese Empire claimed the island between 1532 and 1536 but abandoned it in 1620. Five years later, an English ship arrived in Barbados, with the first permanent settlers coming from England in 1627. The colony operated on a plantation economy, relying on the labour of enslaved Africans. Slavery continued until it was phased out through most of the British Empire by the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833.
Our first stop was St. John's Parish Church. Initially built in 1645, its current incarnation dates from 1836. This Gothic-inspired church sits atop a cliff and offers sweeping views of the coast and Atlantic Ocean. Our next stop was Oistins, a fishing village. We walked along the shore, where sandpipers skittered through the waves.
Our next port was Roseau, the capital of Dominica. Docked close to the city, we again boarded a small bus that took us to several stops around the capital.
Abilities Unlimited is a local craft workshop that helps the visually impaired learn skills and earn an income by producing baskets and other craft items. The craftspeople continued working as we gathered in a small area to hear a short presentation about the programme.
We also visited the Botanical Gardens, where our guide pointed out plants of interest. We watched playful hummingbirds dart in and out of colourful blooms. The "Bamboo House" was a fun stop too—a circle of bamboo stems joined together to create a roof to explore.
On this day, we decided to take another optional tour. This one took us beyond Roseau into the mountainous rainforest—mile after mile of palm trees, flowers and scenery worthy of a painting.
Dominica's Jacko Falls framed by the rainforestOur final destination was Jacko Falls, which has a 200-foot drop into a stunning pool below, surrounded by lush vegetation and towering trees.
Our tour options took a British turn in Antigua as we visited English Harbour, used by the British fleet in the 18th century. At Shirley Heights Lookout, 446 feet above the sea on a sheer cliff, stood a principal British fortification. Our final stop was Nelson's Dockyard, named after Admiral Horatio Nelson, the last remaining Georgian dockyard still in use today.
St. Martin is a fascinating island shared by France and the Netherlands since 1648—the world's smallest inhabited island with two sovereign nations.
We explored Marigot, only four streets wide, where we had free time to wander around the small village and stopped for sweeping views of the glimmering sea and neighbouring islands.
All too soon, we arrived at our last port: St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. We journeyed to Mountain Top for amazing views of cascading hills and the shore below.
What an excellent way to end our 11-day cruise with Viking Ocean Cruises. The next day we sailed into Puerto Rico and were whisked away to the airport and back to reality after our wonderful and relaxing adventure.
For more information: www.vikingcruises.com or contact your travel adviser.
See More: Carribean, Travel
