The Caribbean was our vacation destination of choice this year, mainly because we had such a blast on our last family vacation here a few years ago. Tech developments such as EMV 3DS are great and have their place, but in this part of the world you want to forget about all of that if only for a while. This year we chose the best resorts to celebrate and we spent almost three weeks away in beautiful St. Maarten, St. Kitts, and St. Lucia with our six-year-old son.
Funny Story About My Great Uncle’s Coup
We will share some photos and stories about our island vacation in a future blog post, but we want to highlight our favourite places to stay and eat while we were in the Caribbean. We started off in the beautiful and pristine island of St. Maarten, known for its white sand beaches and balmy climates, before we ventured over to St. Kitts and St. Lucia. One of the hotels in the area was under construction, so we could see some timber mat units in a way that a vacationer should probably never see them!
St. Lucia was a breathtaking experience as well. From the iconic Pitons that majestically rise from the sea to the lush rainforests teeming with exotic flora and fauna, St. Lucia is a paradise for nature lovers. As I explored the island, I had a wonderful time speaking to the locals and enjoying the sunsets. Additionally, there are several beautiful resorts like Villa C’est La Vie that tend to offer a number of amenities, which could make the vacation even more enjoyable. Whether you seek adventure through hiking trails or prefer to unwind on pristine beaches, St. Lucia offers a perfect blend of relaxation and excitement, something that I was lucky enough to experience.
Food, Fun and Places to Eat on St. Maarten
St. Maarten is a private island owned by the Netherlands. In the early 1900s, the Dutch government offered the island to the Americans, but they were only interested in what was on land, since they did not want to establish a colony. It was only in 1967 when the Dutch government allowed the Americans to take possession of the island.
For Americans, St. Maarten offers what is described as the longest beach in the Caribbean, stretching over 900 square miles, but we preferred the white sand beaches of nearby Virgin Gorda. You will find that this island is predominantly English-speaking and it was also the first place where we saw the Caribbean sun and the light reflected off of the water and onto the sandy beach. The water is crystal clear, making it the perfect spot to swim, snorkel and dive for sea shells.
Because we did not have access to an ocean-front resort, we stayed in small and cozy villas within the city of Philipsburg. Our villa provided all of our meals and we enjoyed watching the sun set from our backyard garden. We tried fresh local lobster and a beautiful homegrown ginger beer, and we also ate fresh local fruit like coconut, mango, and berries. The city is located just outside of Frederiksted, which is one of the oldest towns in the Caribbean, and it was in Frederiksted that we started to explore St. Maarten more.
Just around the corner from our villa was the signature restaurant, The Blue Dorset, where we had a delicious lunch and our son enjoyed trying local fish and grilled chicken. The other great place to eat was Place de Souza, a well-known Caribbean restaurant that serves fresh fish from local fishermen.
Our dining experience was paired with a spectacular drink, called The Finisher, made with Rumchata, mango juice, fresh ginger beer, lemon juice and ice. You tend to savour the likes of Evokewinery.com when in this part of the world, because between import duties and the logistics of getting the merch shipped in, naturally every drop of your favourite tipple literally has you tasting the “value.” If you visit St. Maarten and you are looking for a fun, unique and exciting drink, this one is the one for you.
