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Long a top honeymoon destination, St. Lucia has lots to love for all visitors. Its lush, natural beauty, rich history and culture, delectable food scene and welcoming atmosphere beckon cruisers to drop anchor and linger awhile in this lovely and laid-back Caribbean port of call.

The Pitons

The twin peaks of the Pitons are the beloved symbol of St. Lucia and the island’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site. Formed 30 million to 40 million years ago by a volcanic eruption, these iconic peaks are now blanketed with a lush tropical forest that’s home to 27 bird species and many rare plants. The shorter, steeper Petit Piton (2,438 feet) is a realm for professional climbers only. But the taller Gros Piton (2,619 feet) is popular for its guided day hikes.

Castries Central Market

Replenish your provisions at the colorful Castries Central Market, opened in the heart of St. Lucia’s capital in 1891. The produce and spice vendors are considered the highlights among the 100 stalls, but you’ll also find handicrafts and souvenirs. It’s busiest on Friday and Saturday mornings, and closed on Sundays.

Diamond Falls Botanic Garden and Mineral Baths

This 6-acre retreat checks all the boxes for a relaxing afternoon. Hummingbirds flit between the hibiscus, heliconia and other beautiful tropical blooms filling the flower gardens. Stroll along the winding path to the 55-foot-tall Diamond Falls, its surrounding rock face a kaleidoscope of colors. And, naturally, follow in the centuries-old tradition and take to the therapeutic mineral waters, choosing between a public or private soak. Guided tours are available, but this is a place where a leisurely wander can be equally rewarding.

Pigeon Island National Landmark

Once the lair of a 16th-century French pirate nicknamed Wooden Leg, Pigeon Island now attracts a variety of visitors for far more legitimate reasons. The trails crisscrossing this 44-acre national landmark off St. Lucia’s northwest tip lead up to the remnants of Fort Rodney, an 18th-century British garrison, as well as to the museum and interpretive center, which provides context for the island’s ecological and historical significance. The island’s two small, calm beaches are considered among the top beaches on St. Lucia and are popular picnicking spots. (A pub and a restaurant are on-site too.) The island is at its liveliest every May when it welcomes music lovers from around the world for the wildly popular St. Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival.

Big Chef Steakhouse

For an indulgent dinner out on St. Lucia, reserve a table at Big Chef Steakhouse in Rodney Bay Village. Since 2007, chef Rosie Joinville and her husband, Marc, the manager, have served up mouthwatering steaks and seafood, wickedly rich desserts, and well-curated cocktail and wine selections.  

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Trinidad and Tobago reward cruisers with far more than merely beautiful beaches. While best known for the Carnival celebration, these twin isles tempt travelers ashore year-round with awe-inspiring architecture, bountiful biodiversity, and memorable mouthwatering meals. Continue reading to learn more about our favorite destinations in Trinidad and Tobago.

This article was adapted from our Island Icon Series in the June 2023 Edition of Yachting Magazine.

1. Magnificent Seven

The 260-acre Queen’s Park Savannah is the nexus of social and cultural events in Trinidad’s capital, Port of Spain, particularly during its internationally renowned Carnival and steel-pan festivals. But any time of year, visitors can take a stroll along its western edge to take in the Magnificent Seven. This architectural sampler of resplendent early 20th-century mansions fully lives up to its moniker.

Castle Killarney—also known as Stollmeyer’s Castle—was the first to arise on the block, its design inspired by Balmoral Castle in Scotland. The Palladian-style Whitehall takes its name from the gleaming coral used in its construction. The Archbishop’s Palace melds Indian Empire design with red granite and marble brought over from Ireland. Intricate iron railings adorn the elaborate Roomor, while stonework stands out on the French Colonial-style Hayes Court. A 93-foot-tall clock tower dominates the German Renaissance design of the Queen’s Royal College. The elegant French Provincial Mille Fleurs was originally built as a gift for Port of Spain’s mayor and still stands as a gift that keeps giving to all who pass by.

2. Maracas Beach

The 1.25-mile crescent-shaped Maracas Beach on Trinidad’s north coast is as much a destination for its natural beauty as for its “bake and shark” vendors. This classic street food wraps shark meat in fried flatbread and slathers it with condiments of your choosing.

3. Asa Wright Nature Centre

Trinidad’s remarkable biodiversity is on full display in the Asa Wright Nature Centre in the Arima Valley. Schedule a tour to this 1,200-plus-acre preserve, where more than 600 butterfly species flit among the more than 2,000 varieties of flowering plants. The center’s 400-plus species of birds draw in enthusiasts eager to spot tanagers, toucans, colorful motmots and the elusive oilbird.

4. Veni Mangé

For a culinary and visual feast, dine at Veni Mangé in Port of Spain. Opened in 1980 by a Cordon Bleu-trained chef and her sister, this bustling, art-filled restaurant sets the standard for authentic West Indian fare on the island. It’s best known for its rendition of callaloo, Trinidad’s national dish, as well as oxtail.

5. Fort King George

If you’re spending time on Tobago, see the restored 18th-century colonial buildings and beautiful vistas at Fort King George, overlooking Scarborough and Rockly Bay. The officers’ quarters house the Tobago Museum and its collection of Amerindian artifacts, 17th-century maps and military relics.

Other Island Hopping Tips:

• Best Places to Unwind on Bahamas’ Harbour Island
• Things to Do and See on Catalina Island
• 3 Unique Things to Do in BVI

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Located just off the northern tip of Eleuthera, Harbour Island doesn’t have a to-do list so much as a just-be list. While cruisers can certainly go offshore fishing and snorkeling in its crystal-clear waters, the island’s Pink Sand Beach invites visitors to simply sit back and relax.

Pink Sand Beach 

This waterfront expanse is the magnet and money shot of Harbour Island. Its always-cool powder-soft sand beckons the barefoot to stroll its 3-mile stretch along the eastern, Atlantic Ocean side of Briland, as locals call their home island. The sand’s trademark pale-pink hue, which stems from the pinkish-red shells of a single-celled organism called foraminifera, has landed the beach in countless social-media snaps as well as on several “best beaches in the world” lists.

Queen Conch

To riff on Bubba’s shrimp rhapsody in the movie Forrest Gump, Queen Conch is renowned for serving up this mighty mollusk in a multitude of delicious freshly prepared dishes: conch fritters, cracked conch fries, conch pasta, conch ceviche and, especially, its house specialty, conch salad, which often runs out before the dinner crowd. Customers from all over pull up a chair on the restaurant’s colorful open-air patio and pair the restaurant’s fare with great harbor views and a Goombay Smash, the official drink of the Bahamas, or a bottle of Kalik, a popular Bahamian lager.

Dunmore Town

Rent a golf cart, and explore the bougainvillea-lined streets of Dunmore Town, one of the oldest settlements in the Bahamas and the only town on Harbour Island. Its Georgian architecture, upscale boutiques and jet-set clientele draw comparisons between Harbour Island and Nantucket, Massachusetts. Start your morning at Arthur’s Bakery & Café to sample its jalapeño cheese bread and doughnuts, among other temptations. Stop in and browse at The Sugar Mill, the treasure trove of a boutique co-owned by India Hicks, the British designer, relative of the royal family and longtime resident who is the celebrity face of Harbour Island. Her book Island Style captures not only Hicks’ own design aesthetic—a combination of carefree Caribbean culture and British colonial formality—but also the overall Briland vibe. For dinner, there’s no shortage of refined restaurants. At The Landing, pair a bottle from its Wine Spectator-lauded list with contemporary seafood dishes. Or, at The Dunmore, enjoy “beach chic” and Caribbean-influenced seafood surrounded by vintage photographs in the clubhouse or with the gorgeous views on the patio.

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Not too far from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, there’s Catalina Island—a cruising oasis that provides yachtsmen an escape from the mainland, immersing visitors in all things rest and relaxation, from trying out Lady Luck to exploring the island’s wildlife.

Catalina Casino

This landmark opened in 1929. It’s an iconic legacy of the millions invested by chewing-gum magnate William Wrigley Jr. and his family to make Catalina Island the tourism destination it is today. The casino was built not for gambling but for entertainment and dancing in the world’s largest circular ballroom. The 1,184-seat Avalon Theatre in the casino’s lower level was the first designed specifically for talking pictures. Its stunning art deco murals depicting Catalina’s cultural evolution were painted by John Gabriel Beckman, whose work also graces Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

Today, visitors to Catalina Island can take a behind-the-scenes tour of the casino, watch movies in the Avalon Theatre on the weekends or time their visit to coincide with one of the galas held in the ballroom throughout the year.

Catalina Island Fox 

The Catalina Island fox, a cute 4- to 6-pound fur ball, is a tremendous conservation success story. In 1999, the canine distemper virus wiped out all but around 100 of an estimated 1,300 animals and later landed the fox on the federal endangered-species list. Thanks to an intensive campaign of vaccinations, captive breeding and population monitoring, the fox now thrives, numbering around 1,800 today. Scout out these survivors along the island’s 165 miles of hiking trails or on the naturalist-led Catalina Island Conservancy Eco Tours.

Garden to Sky Trail

The moderately challenging Garden to Sky Trail rewards hikers who tackle its steep incline with some of Catalina Island’s best views. The 2.8-mile, paved out-and-back trail starts at the Wrigley Memorial and Botanical Garden, and peaks at Divide Road, where the breathtaking panoramic views take in the coast, the Pacific Ocean and the other Channel Islands. Be sure to pack water, snacks and sunscreen, and obtain the free (but required) day-hike permit from the Catalina Island Conservancy online or from its office in Avalon.

Buffalo Milk

While on Catalina, raise a glass of the island’s buffalo milk. This mixture of crème de banana, crème de cacao, Kahlúa, vodka and half-and-half is named after bison that have resided on the island since 1924. A dozen were ferried over for the filming of The Vanishing American, one of more than 500 productions shot on the island over the years. After the crew returned to Hollywood, the bison remained and multiplied, now numbering around 150.

Tip: Two Harbors on the island’s west end offers more than 700 moorings and anchorages in more than a dozen sites.

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The British Virgin Islands offer the cruising crowd a plethora of rest-and-relaxation opportunities, but every great location has some can’t-miss attractions. For boaters who are planning a voyage through the BVI, these three spots have something to offer everyone on board.

The Baths 

The Baths National Park, along the southwestern tip of Virgin Gorda, is the crown jewel of BVI attractions. The rounded forms and very presence of The Baths’ iconic massive granite boulders—as large as 40 feet in diameter—are a testament to the volcanic and geological forces at work over millions of years.

Rope handrails, arrows and wooden stairs guide visitors through this natural playground of cave-like passages and secluded turquoise pools tucked between the boulders. It’s a choose-your-own adventure, with some nooks requiring a tight squeeze or army crawl and other stretches perfectly suited for a leisurely stroll or dip. Sunlight spills through the openings, illuminating social-media-worthy spots such as the triangular-shaped path known as “the cathedral” and creating entrancing dancing reflections off the pools onto the rock walls. The route ends at the white-sand expanse of Devil’s Bay, a tranquil spot for swimming or snorkeling.

Cruisers should arrive at The Baths early to avoid cruise-ship crowds and to secure one of the coveted mooring balls and spots along the offshore dinghy dock line.  

Anegada 

The only all-coral island in the BVI, Anegada is a favorite destination for world-class snorkeling as well as spiny lobster. Its annual Anegada Lobster Festival is one of the BVI’s top events of the year. Anegada is an easy day trip from the Bitter End Yacht Club, which is located about 10 nautical miles to the south.

Rising a mere 28 feet above sea level at its highest point, Anegada is easy to explore on foot. Look for rock iguanas, wild orchids and tropical birds along the Bones Bight nature trail. Spot flamingos from the Flamingo Pond Lookout. Or chill out on Cow Wreck Beach.

Anegada’s surrounding reef, however, is the far bigger draw. Check out more than 300 shipwrecks, tunnels and caves, Volkswagen-sized brain coral, and such species as stingrays, angelfish and parrotfish.

Foxy’s

If you’re in the mood for an incredible story or a great joke shared over a rum drink, then seek out Philicianno “Foxy” Callwood at his eponymous bar, Foxy’s, which has anchored the beach at Great Harbour on Jost Van Dyke since 1968. Foxy is a Member of the British Empire as well as an inductee into the CYBA International Hall of Fame for his contributions to the island’s heritage and yachting tourism industry, but there’s no need to stand on ceremony. Instead, raise one of his signature libations—perhaps a Dread Fox or a Sly Fox—and toast this BVI legend.  

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One glimpse of Roland Richardson’s plein-air paintings, and it’s clear why he’s known as the “father of Caribbean impressionism.” Just as Claude Monet memorialized haystacks and water lilies, the St. Martin native captures his home island’s fiery flamboyants (the national tree) and the soothing, surrounding turquoise seas.

When he launched his career on St. Martin in 1970 after studying art abroad, “no one else was addressing the people, the landscapes, the seas, the colors,” Richardson says. “I had an unlimited pure subject wherever I turned. I didn’t need to fabricate anything. I only needed to devote myself to observing with the intention of learning from it.”

With family roots on St. Martin that stretch back three centuries, Richardson has endeavored to preserve the island’s beauty and culture. He spearheaded the restoration of Fort Louis, overlooking Marigot Harbor, and documented the island’s history and architecture as the founding editor of Discover St. Martin-St. Maarten magazine. But it’s his artistic creations—be they in oil, watercolor or ink—that most resonate.

Visitors can find not only a gallery of his work at La Samanna Resort but also, sometimes, Richardson himself. He frequently hosts painting demonstrations where he philosophizes on light and color, and creates another of his signature scenes.

What makes St. Martin such an ideal outdoor studio? We’re in a region that, to a great degree, is still unpolluted. The light is pure, and the color is living and vivid and intense and joyous.  What are the challenges of painting en plein air? Engineering is one of the deep secrets of plein-air painting. You can’t pick up your brush and make that first stroke until you’ve solved how to set up and stabilize your canvas. That’s why most plein-air paintings are tiny; the size doesn’t pose a problem.

Recommendations for St. Martin

L’auberge Gourmande (Grand Case): We’ve known the owner, Pascal, for 30 years. He is a talented, award-winning restaurateur, and his team is amazing.

Mezza Luna (Nettle Bay): They have the most wonderful pizza and fresh, quality Italian dishes. It’s great value for the money.

The Lolos (Grand Case): These four restaurants are right on the water and have fresh fish, as well as ribs and chicken. The fresh snapper is my favorite. It’s a great local experience.

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Sure, Jamaica has beaches, reggae and jerk. But Ann Sutton knows well the island’s true national treasure: its birds.

“We have around 30 endemic species that aren’t found anywhere else in the world,” says Sutton, an ornithologist, guide and respected voice in Caribbean conservation groups. “So we get birders who have these long life lists who, in one morning, can get 15 to 20 birds they’ve never seen before. And the birds are so accessible. You can see at least 20 of them from my veranda.”

Sutton’s veranda is at Marshall’s Pen, a coffee plantation and former home of Jamaica’s governor-general that is now a protected national heritage site, private nature reserve and prime birding destination (by appointment). When Sutton first arrived in Jamaica in the 1970s and then settled into Marshall’s Pen—her husband’s family estate—the only relevant bird guide had mostly line drawings and written descriptions. “Imagine trying to identify birds from just a few words,” she says. “I set out to make that natural history more accessible.” And so she and her husband, Robert, also a preeminent ornithologist at that time, hired a photographer and published “A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Jamaica.”

Read More: Island Icon

She’s eager to compile even more bird sightings through the upcoming BirdsCaribbean 2023 seabird census.

“We’d love to have participation from the yachting community because they can often visit places that nobody else can get to,” she says. Cruisers can go to the BirdsCaribbean website for details on how to get involved.

What are some of your favorite local bird species? The Jamaican tody is a bright green ball of fluff with a bright red beak and throat. The streamertail hummingbird is Jamaica’s national bird. It’s bright emerald green with black wings and a long tail. The Jamaica owl looks like a fairy puppet.   

Ann Sutton’s A-List on Jamaica

Treasure Beach: It’s a beautiful environment. Visit one of the nice seafood restaurants. The fish is caught in the morning and is on your plate in the afternoon.

Blue Mountains: Hardwar Gap is a wonderful place to see a lot of endemic bird species. It’s quite accessible, only about a 40-minute drive from Kingston.

Portland Bight Protected Area: It’s Jamaica’s largest mangrove system and protected area.

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For Alan Maltz, a career in photography was quite literally a calling. While at his graduation ceremony at Long Island University in New York, “I heard a voice saying, ‘Pick up a camera,’” Maltz recalls. He’d never been interested in photography, but he handed his mother his diploma in psychology and, the following day, purchased a Miranda Sensorex camera and Kodachrome film. He boarded a plane to Europe, read the manual while in flight, and started snapping away upon landing.

He hasn’t stopped since. He migrated down to the Florida Keys and opened the Alan S. Maltz Gallery on Duval Street in Old Town Key West in 1999. He specializes in Florida’s iconic wildlife and scenery: a manatee blowing bubbles just below the surface of the water, loggerhead turtle hatchlings crawling into the surf, a Florida panther staring straight at his lens from its perch in the Everglades. “It can be just magical,” he says.

Explore More: Island Icons

For his talent and passion for nature, Maltz was designated the official wildlife photographer for the Wildlife Foundation of Florida. He has collected his work in six coffee-table books, with the latest, Old Florida: An Artistic Interpretation, expected to be out soon.

What makes Key West an ideal base for you and your photography? It’s a laid-back atmosphere—live and let live. It’s a great place for freethinkers. 

What is the key to a great wildlife photo? Be in the right place at the right time. An hour to an hour and a half after the sun rises or before it sets is a good time. Lighting is essential. Be patient. And know your subject and its habits. 

Where is a favorite photo spot of yours on Key West? Fort Taylor is great. I get incredible sunsets there. You can see the whole vista, with sailboats coming in and going out at sunset. And the old fort itself is a point of interest.  

Alan Maltz’s Must-Do List

La Trattoria Oceanside: This location is away from downtown. The food is excellent. I like their Caesar salad and sauteed hogfish. They also make a great cappuccino.  

Salute! On The Beach: The location on Higgs Beach and the food are fantastic. Everything about it is very funky: the bathrooms, the decor, the people. My favorite dish is the shrimp salad.

Hemingway Home & Museum: It’s a landmark. The whole history of the place is interesting.

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Around 1.4 million tourists visit the Madeira archipelago south of Portugal every year, but far more visit these islands in spirit with a glass of Madeira wine. Chris Blandy is part of the seventh generation of his family to run their eponymous Madeira company, which was founded in 1811 and has been shipping its wines worldwide pretty much since then. “The message has always been to leave our company in a better position for the next generation coming through,” he says.

Blandy works with around 350 growers across the island to source the six varieties of grapes used in their fortified wines. “Madeira is most well-known for its unrivaled complexity,” Blandy says. “The older it gets, the more layered, intense and complex it becomes. They become wines of reflection.”

Blandy reflects with great affection on the island his family has called home since arriving there centuries ago, in 1808. “We’re so lucky to be on Madeira,” he says. “It has everything I like. I love the sea; I love going up in the mountains for hiking and trail running. It has a lovely Atlantic climate. You’re close enough to Europe and mainland Portugal—only an hour-and-a-half flight away—to enjoy everything that Europe has.”

What trends are you seeing with Madeira? There is definite premiumization going on; people are appreciating the rareness of older Madeiras now. There’s also a big push toward mixology, which is demystifying what fortified wines are all about for younger consumers.

What are your favorite food pairings with Madeira? Going in order from dryness to richness, I like our chilled sercial with an aged hard cheese like Comté. I love roast chicken with a chilled verdelho. The bual pairs well with paté, terrines, foie gras, or slow-roasted pork or lamb. For the malmsey, pecan pie or apple crumble works extremely well.

Read More: Island Icon

Chris Blandy’s Best of Madeira

Avista (Funchal): It’s the full package. The view is phenomenal, the quality of food second to none, there is great service, a great wine list, and they’re really into their cocktails as well.

Barreirinha Bar Café (Funchal): It’s right on the sea. They host fantastic concerts, festivals and sunset cocktail sessions. It’s very cool to visit.

Fanal: It’s up in the mountains and where you find the Laurisilva forest, home to the most beautiful specimens of these ancient indigenous trees.

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Artist Sander van Beusekom’s murals around Curaçao’s capital of Willemstad are vibrant in every sense of the word. These colorful, striking and energetic portraits of the spirit and people of Curaçao have injected new life and attracted new visitors into the Otrobanda and Scharloo Abou neighborhoods.

While his style has ranged from anime to fantasy and beyond, action is the common element across all of van Beusekom’s work. A dancer leaps; a bird, wings and beak open wide, swoops toward a fish. In his best-known mural, near the Curaçao Maritime Museum, fish-laden waves crash behind a faceless father and son, fishing gear in hand, as they scan the horizon. “It’s a very satisfying feeling to see your concepts coming to life and the reactions of the people,” van Beusekom says.

He strives to generate interest in Curaçao’s street art scene by inviting community members to assist in his work and through his participation with other creatives in Street Art Skalo, a nonprofit organization that fosters the talent of local artists and promotes Curaçao’s “growing outdoor museum.” 

How did it feel to be selected to create a Curaçao H mural in Miami to coincide with Art Basel 2019? I was very honored to paint for my island abroad. 

What inspires your murals? Life is an inspiration for me. It’s very colorful here, so you see that in my murals. I really try to get the feeling of the neighborhood I’m painting in. 

How can visitors best see the murals in Willemstad? They should take a mural tour. There are a couple out there now, but there will soon be a Street Art Skalo mural tour. We thought, “Why not give the tour ourselves?” Because we know more about the paintings than any other tour guide

Sander’s Selections on Curaçao

Bario Urban Street Food (Willemstad): It has great fusion food, views and music. It’s around the corner from my “Life Is a Beautiful Struggle” mural.

De Visserij (Willemstad): This simple, market-style restaurant serves dishes fresh from the sea.

Mangrove Park (Willemstad): Stroll along the boardwalk and see if you can spot our white herons.

Christoffel National Park (Weg Naar Westpunt): Drive through the coastside park, or enjoy a hike up to our highest mountain.

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