Dec 22, 2018
Antigua
I stayed at Thomas Apartments between the airport and the capital St. John's. The location is convenient for independent travelers. It's about 10 minute walk to Factory Road where buses 31 and 33 are available. Those buses head east and pass the intersection to Petty's Hope. It's a short walk from the intersection to the historical windmills at Betty's Hope (no entrance fee). Back to the main road heading east, bus 33 goes to Willikies from where there is a 30 minute walk to Long Bay. The beach is not too bad, with two resorts on the back. From the water sports shop on the beach, I arranged a taxi to Devil's Bridge, Half Moon Bay (for lunch) and Shirley Heights for US$80 one-way. Devil's Bridge is like a mini version of the Glass Window Bridge in Bahamas (no cars on the "bridge" of course). Half Moon Bay is a natural 180 degree beach with a reasonably priced restaurant (no resorts there which is good). Shirley Heights (entrance US$8, together with Nelson's Dockyard) offers picture-perfect views of English Harbour and the hike down to Galleon Beach (30 minutes) is an interesting one. It's a little bit surprising that Galleon Beach is so quiet even during the holiday season. From Galleon Beach, water taxis can be hired (there is a board with phone number on the beach) to see Pillars of Hercules for US$10 (as a tour) or to Nelson's Dockyard on the other side of the harbour for EC$10 (as a taxi). The two can be combined for US$10+EC$10. There is good view of the fort from the boat. From Nelson's Dockyard, frequent bus 17 goes to St. John's. Compared to other villages, there are so many people in St. John's. Even on a Saturday evening, there are buses (40, 41 and 42) going northeast that pass Cassada Gardens where Thomas Apartments is located.
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| View of English Harbour from Shirley Heights |
Dec 23, 2018
Saint Kitts
Where Antigua is flat, Saint Kitts and Nevis is hilly therefore more beautiful. You can see its beauty from the airplane when it's approaching to the airport. Apart from mini speedboat (half day) / yacht (full day) snorkeling tours, taking the local bus/taxi to see both Saint Kitts island and Nevis Island shouldn't be missed. Even on a Sunday, there are actually frequent buses going to both the west coast and the east coast from the capital Basseterre. There are occasional buses that go around the island (just ask the driver "are you going through?") Brimstone Hill (entrance US$10) is truly amazing, if only for the views. The road to the Fortress from the main road is not steep at all and it takes less than 30 minutes uphill. Unfortunately, Ottley's Plantation Inn is closed at the moment until further notice.
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| View of Sint Eustatius from Brimstone Hill |
Dec 24, 2018
Nevis
There are no buses going to the tourist areas in southern Saint Kitts. A taxi is needed to get to Major's Bay Ferry Terminal (US$24 from Frigate Bay). The view along the way is dramatic. Major's Bay is a vehicle ferry terminal but foot passengers are also welcome (EC$25). The ferry runs roughly every two hours Monday to Saturday (only three ferries on Sundays). Long delay (up to one hour) can be expected. The journey to Cades Bay on Nevis Island takes about 20 minutes. There are much less people living on Nevis (more attractive to tourists) and buses are less frequent - they hardly "go through". A taxi may be needed to do a round-the-island tour. There is a restaurant near Cades Bay Ferry Terminal called Yubrenta Bar & Snackette that can arrange taxis (at least for their customers). The standard rate for an island tour is US$80 for three hours and US$60 for two hours. Apart from the beaches (Herberts Beach is my favorite for its remoteness and quietness), some plantation inns can be checked out. The taxi driver recommended Golden Rock Plantation Inn - It's very luxury and the gardens are very nice (part of the area including the restaurant is open to non-guests). I personally liked Hermitage Plantation Inn due to its 300+ years old wooden house still in use today. Near the capital Charlestown, we stopped at Bath Hotel (not in use anymore but there are good views from there) and the nearby Spring House - the water is warm-to-hot. There is no entrance fee but some ladies are near the pool giving towels to tourists (US$1 donation). There are roughly hourly ferries (passenger only, EC$25) Monday to Saturday (less on Sundays) from Charlestown to Basseterre. Perhaps due to lack of eating options, the KFC in central Basseterre gets very busy almost every night.
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| Herberts Beach |
Dec 25, 2018
Sint Maarten/Saint Martin
On my way back from Saint Kitts, I had a five hour layover in Sint Maarten/Saint Martin, enough to have a quick look at this smallest two-nation island in the world. Even on Christmas Day, there are frequent buses available. It takes 20 minutes from the airport to Philipsburg - capital of the Dutch side (Sint Maarten), and 20 minutes from Philipsburg to Marigot - capital of the French side (Saint Martin). There is a nice beach Great Bay Beach just next to central Philipsburg. Marigot doesn't have a beach but has an elegant marina instead. There is also a good view of the magnificent Fort Louis from the marina. Interesting beaches on the French side include Baie Rouge (with Trou David nearby) and Maho Bay. The later is famous for watching airplanes landing, as it's very, very close to the airport.
Dec 26, 2018
Portland
Before returning to Vancouver, I stopped over in Portland for one day for some sightseeing. In the morning, I joined a half day Columbia River Gorge tour. Due to heavy rain, we couldn't see anything at Vista House (the famous viewpoint for the Gorge), but the three waterfalls - Latourell Falls, Multnomah Falls and Horsetail Falls - could be clearly seen. In fact, they looked better because of the rain. Back to downtown Portland, I checked out the actions of the Weather Machine at Pioneer Square just in time (everyday at 12:00 noon). Portland has a few world's No. 1 to check out, including world's smallest park Mill Ends Park and world's largest independent bookstore Powell's City of Books - the later is truly amazing. I spent the last couple of hours in Portland hiking at Washington Park (the city is famous for hiking and has America's largest urban park Forest Park).
Summary
Antigua is a popular Caribbean destination. They claim to have 365 beaches. Public buses don't always go to places interesting to tourists. Saint Kitts and Nevis is slightly less touristy and more beautiful, with volcano mountains on each island. Brimstone Hill should be a must-see on any visit to Saint Kitts and is reachable by bus (with moderate walking). Sint Maarten/Saint Martin is an interesting island with two nations - the Netherlands and France (no border controls between the two sides). Watching airplanes landing at Maho Bay Beach is definitely a highlight on this island. Finally, Portland is a delight in the Pacific Northwest with a few world's and America's No. 1 to check out.
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