You’ve been at sea for days. You knees feel weak and you long for solid ground. You look out towards the horizon and you see it, land. You’re ready to go ashore, spend your loot, find some “company” and drink rum until you smile crooked.

This is what the pirates did back in the golden age of the Caribbean. If you think about it, it really isn’t that far off from what the modern day cruiser does. Yes I am a pirate, 200 years to late.

The Caribbean is full of beautiful harbors and ports of call, some more beautiful than others though. These harbors/harbours act as hubs for the islands, a place where first time seafaring visitors first fall in love with the island. A love that will surely have them coming back time and time again. A mistress is never satisfied.

5 Most Beautiful Caribbean Harbors

1. Willemstad, Curaçao

Willemstad, Curacao - Photo by ISLANDS Magazine

Willemstad, Curacao - Photo by Curacao Visitors Center

This lively port is one of six UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Caribbean, joining the ranks of Old Havana, Old San Juan, and Colonial Santo Domingo.

The Punda District – once fortified and walled – along with its neighboring districts of Otrobanda, Pietermaai, Scharloo, preserve some 765 buildings as national monuments. Chief among these are Fort Amsterdam, the Governor’s Palace, Mikve Israel-Emanuel Synagogue and the colorful Penha building on the waterfront.

2. Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas USVI - Photo by Rob.Wiss via Flickr

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas - Photo by Scott Moran via Flickr

Charlotte Amalie on the island of St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands, is nestled on the mountainous slopes of a large natural harbor that accommodates several large cruise ships each day. The city has been declared as the shopping mecca of the Caribbean.

3. Gustavia, St. Bart/St. Barths

Gustavia Harbour, St. Barths - Photo by Fred911 via Flickr

Gustavia Harbour, St. Barths - Photo by Hole-in-one via Flickr

Gustavia Harbour, St. Barths - Photo by digidug via Flickr

Most cruise ships anchor outside sheltered Gustavia Harbour and tender guests to Port de Pleasance, past all the mega-yachts. Gustavia, the island’s charming capital city is a slice of France in the Caribbean. Surrounded by elegant designer boutiques, topless beaches, vibrant nightlife and waterfront bistros, the French vibe wraps around you like the warm blue sea.

4. English Harbour, Antigua

English Harbour, Antigua

English Harbour, Antigua

English Harbour is a center of boating, especially yachting. There are two sheltered deepwater harbours nearby; English Harbour itself and Falmouth Harbour.

English Harbour is best known for Nelson’s Dockyard, which occupies the site of the British Navy base. It displays restored buildings and other historical artifacts from the colonial period of the dockyard, especially the time it was commanded by Horatio Nelson. (Info from wikipedia)

5. St. Georges Harbour, Grenada

St. Georges Harbour, Grenada - Photo by MMayson via Flickr

St. George's Harbour, Grenada - Photo by Scaglifr via Flickr

St. Georges is the capital of Grenada and it’s also the largest harbor and city on the island. The city extends for miles in every direction from St. George’s Harbor, and ashore are more facilities than most can ever see in a single visit. Entering the harbor is easy, as the approaches from north or south are deep, wide, and easy to navigate, even for deep-draft boats.

6. San Juan Harbor, Puerto Rico

San Juan Harbour, Puerto Rico - Photo by Scottograph via Flickr

San Juan Harbor, Puerto Rico - Photo by Yosemitewe56 via Flickr

Shoehorned onto a tiny islet that guards the entrance to San Juan harbor, the atmospheric ‘Old San Juan‘, with its historical authenticity and pulsating modern energy, this seven-square-block grid of streets that was inaugurated almost a century before the Mayflower laid anchor in present day Massachusetts. Surreal sounds and exotic sights resonate everywhere.

7. Havana Harbor, Cuba

Havana Harbor, Cuba - Photo by Badly Drawn Dad via Flickr

Havana Harbor, Cuba - Photo by Dermoidhome via Flickr

Havana Harbour, Cuba - Photo by Boxley via Flickr

A view across the harbor in Havana, with a monument to Jose Marti in the Plaza de la Revolucion visible centre right. The monument was constructed between 1953 and 1959, just in time for the more recent revolution.

Which harbor is your favorite? Did I leave any off the list? Leave a comment below if you think you have a more beautiful Caribbean Harbor. My favorite? Going off of these photos, I’d have to say…St. Georges, Grenada. Simple, beautiful and old school Caribbean.

Cheers to the weekend Castaways!
RumShopRyan

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The short airstrip is at the base of a gentle slope ending directly on the beach. The arrival descent is extremely steep over the hilltop traffic circle and departing planes fly right over the heads of sunbathers (although small signs advise sunbathers not to lie directly at the end of the runway). The airport is located in the island’s second-largest town, St. Jean.

The approach, usually from the east, flies over a small dip in the hill. There are four roads that meet there and now a roundabout. The planes come in low over the roundabout as the photo show above (photo via Flicker from mike2099). Once safely down you will and have calmed your nerves, head to the top of the hip to watch the planes come in. That, or head to the closest beach bar for a liquid relaxer.

The History Channel program Most Extreme Airports, ranks Gustaf III airport, which is casually referred to as “St. Barth’s“, as the 3rd most dangerous airport in the world.

St. Barts Airport Webcam

Click refresh to get the most current image. Webcam courtesy of St-Barth.Info

Here are a couple videos of landings on St. Barts.

This video shows an inexperienced pilot and what can happen when landing on St. Barts. Note: Landing here is very safe and this doesn’t not happen often.

Let me know if you’ve flown into St. Barts and what you thought of the landing.

(Top photo by mike2099 via flickr)

Cheers,
RumShopRyan

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Are you looking for that perfect day in paradise, relaxing in a hammock or chaise lounge, your body drinking in the sun as you listen to the sound of the waves on the shore, while sipping a cool drink: then St. Barts, the diamond of the Caribbean is a perfect fit.

St. Barts is definitely upscale, and a favorite of the rich and famous. Gustavia, a duty-free port, is a picturesque place of red-roofed buildings, boutiques, a yacht-filled harbor, and a very relaxed lifestyle.

St. Barts Gustavia Webcam

Live View From The Hotel Carl Gustaff

Isn’t that just about the most beautiful harbor you’ve seen? If you’ve been to St. Barts please leave a comment and let us know what you thought about it.

Cheers,
RumShopRyan

I was combing through the overwhelming video library that is YouTube, searching for random Caribbean clips. All the sudden, I found myself staring starry eyed at the screen watching a larger than life personality entertain a small intimate group of people in a bar. I saw magic. Right time, right place.

Jimmy Buffett is known for popping into bars and restaurants to play a couple tunes for the lucky guests. That’s exactly what happened to some lucky people on St. Barts. One thing that makes him great is the way he pulls you into his songs. He is a master storyteller and knows how to seduce his audience. Watch these videos as Buffett plays an impromptu gig at the BAZ Bar on St. Barts. Right time, right place.

Buffett Sings “No Woman No Cry” in St. Barts

Buffett Sings “One Particular Harbor” in St. Barts

Pretty amazing memories for those lucky few. Do you see how he draws his audience in? Those people are going to go back to their lives and jobs feeling like a million bucks. They are going to have stories to tell for a lifetime. They are going to have memories so thick they’ll have to wipe them away from their faces.

One thing I’d like to do before growing old and gray is to see one of my heroes in a small intimate setting like this. Electricity flying through the air, child like giddiness on everyone’s face and a shared magical moment with friends, strangers and one hero. That’s what I want. That’s what I wish for. I hope for that right time, right place moment.

Cheers,
RumShopRyan

The F.C. (French Caribbean) Shake is brought to us by our good friends at the Hotel Guanahani & Spa on the beautiful island of St. Barts. (I’m American so I say it that way)

F.C. Shake Recipe

• Bologne rum (brown rum from Martinique but you can use any rum you have on hand)
• Coconut milk
• Fresh banana
• Fresh pineapple
• Vanilla ice cream

Directions:
Add all the ingredients to blender and blend until smooth. Garnish with pineapple slice. Raise glass and toast.

About Hotel Guanahani & Spa

Hotel Guanahani & Spa faces two white sand beaches, one providing a full service on the calm waters of the reef-protected bay, the other being Marechal Beach on the ocean side of Marigot Bay. Two freshwater swimming pools, one with large jacuzzi. Watersports and windsurfing center. Complimentary use of non-motorized watersports: windsurfing, snorkeling, canoes, kayaks, pedalos, fishing gear. Two lighted tennis courts and professional tennis pro/fitness room with latest equipment. For more information please visit there website www.leguanahani.com

Let me know if you give this sweet tooth please cocktail a try!

Cheers,
RumShopRyan

This arid, volcanic rock of just eight square miles is home to an eclectic mix of iguanas, night-blooming cactus, and fabulous beaches as well as luxury yachts, designer boutiques, and VIPs. The language, cuisine and culture are distinctly French

St. Barts has a population of 8,400. Its capital is Gustavia, which is also its main harbor. St Barts lies southeast of Sint Maarten/Saint Martin and north of St Kitts. It is the only Caribbean island to have historically been a Swedish colony for any significant length of time.

St. Barts Webcam

From the top of Lurin in St Barts French West Indies, the view includes the airstrip, St-Jean’s Bay and salt pond, islands to the north, and, on a very clear day, a glimpse of Anguilla on the horizon.

Live from Villa Au Soleil

Enjoy the view!

Cheers,

RumShopRyan

When Christopher Columbus sailed past this island in 1493, he said a mouthful by naming the place for St Bartholomew. When the French took over, the island eventually became ritzy, glitzy St Bartholemy. The Colombian mouthful finally evolved into St Barth in French and Saint Barts in English.

In 2004, Conde Nast Traveller magazine named St Barts “one of the world’s 20 enduring Edens,” the island having successfully preserved its natural wonders for present and future generations of mostly rich, famous and pseudo-famous visitors. Columbus found the island semi-arid and serene. Today, St Barts is best described as chic, civilized and almost entirely European. The island never went into the plantation business, so there were never any slaves other than a few domestic ones. Plantation-free, extremely hilly St Barts has valleys and beaches that are among the most unspoiled and gorgeous in the Caribbean. From the island’s highest peak, about 930ft, it is possible to see St. Eustatius and St. Kitts islands.

On July 1, 1784, the King of France, in cahoots with King Gustav III of Sweden, traded St. Barts for a Swedish warehouse and Baltic Sea trading rights. Thus, St. Barts became Sweden’s only Caribbean colony. Today, little remains of Swedish rule – other than a waterfront warehouse, several Swedish street names, and the Swedish royal name “Gustavia” for the island’s commercial center.

Sweden’s monarch made his Caribbean colony a duty-free port. Almost ever since, St. Barts and its waterfront capital, Gustavia, have prospered as a shopper’s haven. However, trade dropped off in 1847 when Sweden’s king freed the slaves, what few there were. Since there were no plantations, most of the freed slaves left to find work in the US Virgin Islands.

In 1878, King Oscar II of Sweden ordered a referendum on sovereignty. Islanders voted to return as part of France, but only if the duty-free status could remain in place.

As the Caribbean’s most European island, you will find in St. Barts dozens of excellent restaurants, huge wine cellars, fashion shows galore, and top-of-the-line art galleries. In a charmingly French touch, the police wear kepis as headgear. The center of St Barts’ tourist industry is the town of St. Jean, east of Gustavia. This site of the earliest settlement on the island is chockablock with Euro-styled bistros, brasseries and chic boutiques. Old St. Barts can be found in the hills east of St. Jean. Here you will find the luxurious villas replaced with the dry-stone walls and red roofs of old-time St Barts. Nearby is the island’s highest peak, about 930 ft high and boasting a view that can reach as far as St. Eustatius and St. Kitts.

The largest aircraft servicing St. Barts has no more than 19 seats. Almost all food is imported via daily flights from France. Nevertheless, the world’s glitterati and cognoscente continue to stream to this most posh of Caribbean isles. Among frequent visitors are Steve Martin, David Letterman, and Donna Karen. Before they “discovered” St. Barts, it was a favorite hangout of such well-heeled families as the Rothschilds and the Rockefellers.

The most famous of the island’s 20 gorgeous beaches include Anse a Colombier and the even more beautiful Anse des Flamands. (Anse means cove in English.) Topless bathing is permitted but, surprisingly for a French destination, nudity is a no-no.

For a more active lifestyle, check out facilities for boating and sailing, coastal and deep-sea fishing, horseback riding, scuba diving and tennis. Most visitors are more than content with St. Barts as the perfect place to do nothing all day and then rest afterwards.

CARIBBEAN.COM