Since my last blog we have visited Barbados, Grenada and Aruba and are now en-route towards the Panama Canal. We also done the back of house tour which was brilliant but before I get to that let me just talk a little bit about our ports.

 I can’t quite put my finger on why but I didn’t mesh too well with Barbados. It was nice but not quite what I expected and the heat was intoxicating. We walked from the cruise port along to the small Pelican Village craft market which was lovely. Lots of local arts, crafts and some souvenirs. From here we made our way towards the town and found ourselves on Carlisle Bay where the world famous Boatyard can be found. It was relatively quiet but I imagine at night this area really must come alive. After a stroll we made our way back through town, through Pelican Village again and back towards the port where we could use the free Wi-Fi for a little while.

Grenada was beautiful! We spent our entire day on Grand Anse beach which really was picture perfect. The water was a little on the rough side but that definitely didn’t stop us taking a dip and catching the sun. We caught the water taxi from just outside the port. It was $8 return per person and great fun! Especially as there was quite a big swell. Anyone due to visit Grenada you must visit Grand Anse, make sure you try and haggle a little on the price of sun beds and umbrellas along with any water sports you may want to try. Just about everything is available apart from Jet Ski’s as they have been banned on the island.

Aruba was a slightly more Americanized island but great for shopping and a trip to Eagle Beach here must NOT be missed! Eagle Beach is voted as one of the world’s top 12 and it certainly did not disappoint. The water was crystal clear, there were Pelicans diving for fish and the resorts offered some nice beach side food. We opted for Café Del Mar and Matthews Bar which had a great spot and wonderful food!!! To the right is the Aruba Beach Club and just a little further up the beach you will find a Sandals resort. It is quite a way from the port so a taxi is probably the best option especially when the temperature is soaring and cost us just $12 each way. There is a beach which is within walking distance of the port but trust me, Eagle is the ONE!

I will be back soon with our back of house tour! 😉

Author: Danielle