A Perfect Day To Experience Labadee, Haiti

Labadee is considered to be a private tropical paradise owned by Royal Caribbean for five centuries now.
There are two main historical monuments on Labadee, - the Nellie's Place and the Old Bell Tower. These 2 monuments are frequently visited by many tourists where they will learn about their historical facts.

Old Bell Tower
Courtesy Photo by Flickr

Nellie's Place
Courtesy Photo by Flickr

There are lots of various activities and interests you can enjoy at Labadee whether you are an adventure-seeker, explorer or a beach lover due to its picture perfect coastal location.

If you are seeking  for thrill adventures, you might want to try zip lining called the Dragon's Breath Flight Line, or go para sailing over 300 ft. above. Both of these activities give you a bird's eye view of the peninsula and the beaches.

Other activities are the Wave Jet Tour or doing the High Speed Coastal Adventure Ride, and the experience of riding the Dragon's Tail Alpine Coaster as it goes down the mountain of Labadee.

If you're the explore type, you can enjoy a walking tour of sites to learn both the past and present histories of Haiti, or you can tour it by sea on a cultural experience.

Beach lovers, you will enjoy exploring bountiful beaches and choose your favorite beach-perfect spot to enjoy and relax,while enjoying a sip of your favorite cocktail.

If you prefer swimming in calm waters of the beach, try the Columbus Cove and Nellie's beach, while the Dragon's Tail is perfect for lounging and capturing sunrays that has a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean.

There are also two types of shopping experiences in Labadee. You can visit the Artisan's Market/The Artisan's Village and the Trading Posts.

Take note that the Artisan's Market only accepts cash, while Trading Posts accepts seapass card.

Try to enjoy everything Labadee has to offer to the fullest! Visit the Dragon's Plaza, explore Buccaneer's Bay, Town Square, Adrenaline Beach, Barefoot Beach Club and the Columbus Cove.

Haitian Cultural Tour at Paradise Cove & Beach

We had this tour experience during our Eastern Caribbean cruise via Royal Caribbean. This is an interesting tour because it's a great way to learn more about Haitian culture and its people and at the same time, the tour has an extended bonus, - to relax on a beautiful, idyllic beach called Paradise Cove.

My hubby before boarding the water taxi

The tour starts by boarding on a water taxi, which is a short ride away going to Le Village at Paradise Cove. The haitian village is located on a hill from Paradise Cove wherein you will have to go up through concrete stairs.

Paradise Cove is a private location which has 121 meters of waterfront reflecting a scenic overlook that you would surely enjoy.

Please note that guests will be going off and on the water taxi through a boat ladder, and you'll be going off the boat into a knee-deep water at the beach's edge. Upon reaching Paradise Cove, there is a bamboo bar that serves you a welcome drink (complimentary) which is called a fruit rum punch.

Once at the beach, your tour guide will be leading you to the village passing through a small bamboo bridge just over a natural freshwater pool. You also have to note that in order to reach the village, you will have to climb some steps.

Once you reach the village uphill, you'll get the chance to meet the Haitian locals doing their daily routines, and have the opportunity to interact with them. You'll be able to learn, visit and see a typical rural Haitian home and the natural materials used to build them.

They will also show you their cooking techniques, and you get to learn and see how they process haitian peanut butter and how coffee is being prepared for export.

There is also a sculpture shop in the village wherein your tour guide will give you an overview on the religion of vodoo and how it played an important role in their lives.

You will see some weaved products at a small shop which are also being sold as souvenirs. A local artisan shop is also in the village where you can see paintings and sculptures souvenirs for sale. The tour ends at the artisan shop where you can choose to buy items you want, then you go back down to Paradise Cove where you can choose to relax on the beach and enjoy the cool, clear water before you board back to the water taxi back to the ship.

My St. Thomas Island Tour Experience

St. Thomas is a tropical paradise surrounded by fascinating landmarks, breathtaking seascapes, vistas and panoramic views. Best of all, you get to enjoy duty-free shopping! ;).

Planning a St. Thomas Island Tour can have different itineraries depending whether you're currently on a cruise or staying at the island for a vacation.

I will be sharing my experience as a cruiser via Royal Caribbean. :)

Boarding on an open-air vehicle, it took us up through the hills going to Beacon point. It has breathtaking scenic views of the neighboring islands straight from the viewing deck. There's also a gift shop for island souvenirs or a place for buying snacks as well.

Then, the tour continued further to the Skyline Drive Overlook that offers yet another scenic views of the harbor and islands. You can even see the world's most famous view of cruise ships, yachts, sea planes, etc. This is one of the best spot to get those panoramic style shots, so take a lot of photos!

Then, you'll visit the historical landmark of Sir Francis Drake seat, still with the same pretty panoramic views. Be sure to snap a photo of "Drake's Seat" as well. (Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get one, since the scenic views were so overwhelming that I got tons of them! lol.)

The Drake Seat was where Francis Drake used to sit as his look out point to keep watch over his fleet and his enemy ships. 

Further up the mountain is the world's famous Mountain Top, where the original famous banana daiquiris are being made. Here, you can enjoy more of the scenic views, including the Magen's Bay, with many other pristine beaches. 

The awesome view of the British V.I. and the Atlantic Ocean can also be clearly seen from this point, including St. John. This viewing scene is on the north east side of the island.

The ending part of the tour will be the option of dropping by at downtown Charlotte Amalie for more shopping at Main Street, - where the main shopping district is. This shopping area has more than 400 store outlets where you can shop at your own leisure.