Get Set For Some Serious Beach Life
You’ll have heard the phrase Life’s a Beach. Well, most of the time our lives are pretty mundane. Get up, go to work, feed the kids, play with the kids, washing, ironing, and paying bills. Yip, everyday life for most of us ordinary Joes. However, if we are good boys and girls, and work hard enough, we can have a whole two weeks off on annual leave (maybe longer if you have a good boss!) and we can have a well-earned holiday where we can just go with the flow and really chill out.
There’s no finer feeling than waking up when your body wants to without some frightful alarm clock bleeping in your ear, telling you it’s time to get up for your work. Instead, picture this…waking up to warm sunshine streaming in your window, the sound of rippling waves lapping at the shore and perhaps the birdsong of some exotic feathered friends. Sounds nice, doesn’t it?
Lots of holiday destinations allow us to chill out and relax but I’ve found that nowhere does it better than a tropical, paradise island. Maybe it’s the night, the wine and the roses or maybe it’s just the palm trees and calypso music playing in the bar but beach life is my foolproof guarantee of recharging my batteries. It’s almost like a reboot of my inner workings, clearing my cache and starting afresh when I come back with a nice suntan.
Nassau, The Bahamas
So, where to go? Well, talkholiday’s top Caribbean holiday destinations reads something like this…
- Aruba
- St Thomas. US Virgin Islands
- St Barts
- Grenada
- Nevis, West Indies
- British Virgin Islands
- Trinidad & Tobago
- Barbados
- San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Harbour Island, The Bahamas
- Turks & Caicos
- St Lucia
- Anguilla
- Nassau, The Bahamas
- Antigua
- Jamaica
- Paradise Island, the Bahamas
- Cancun, Mexico
- Dominican Republic
- Cuba
Now, you may think that lying on a beach all day is ideal but if you start to get itchy feet after a few days, there are still plenty of exciting things to do in these blissed out hideaways. There’s more to them than just humming birds and steel bands.
Here’s some top things to do in some of the most popular islands:
TOP FIVE THINGS TO DO IN BARBADOS
Harrisons Cave, Barbados
Barbados Museum And Historical Society
The Barbados Museum and Historical Society is located in St. Michael, in the Garrison Savannah area. It’s a great place to get an overall feel for the history and culture of the island.
Bathsheba And Scotland District
The Scotland District in St. Andrew, and Bathsheba in St. Joseph, are located along the east coast of the island and both are worth a look during your stay in Barbados.
Kensington Oval
Cricket has always been a popular sport in Barbados, it’s worth taking a trip to Kensington Oval in Bridgetown. Kensington Oval is Barbados’ oldest cricket ground, with the ground itself dating back to 1882.
Pelican Village Craft Centre
Pelican Village Craft Centre, in Bridgetown, is a must for arts and crafts lovers. Visitors can browse and buy paintings, photography, woodcarvings, leather craft, and pottery.
Harrisons Cave
At the heart of Barbados is Harrison’s Cave. Located in the central uplands of the island, this stunning, limestone cavern is a worth a visit.
TOP FIVE THINGS TO DO IN THE BAHAMAS
Hawksbill Turtle, Habour Island, The Bahamas
Bahamas Segway And Beach Experience
It takes only 10 minutes to master a Segway, and then you’re free to explore an unspoiled, seldom-seen side of the capital city. Guides lead riders along the casuarina-fringed trails of a 210-acre estate, offering eco and historical knowledge along the way. The 90-minute excursion ends with a swim at breezy Paradise beach, where scenes from Casino Royale were shot.
Aquaventure
Aquaventure, Atlantis Paradise Island’s water park, is a one-of-a-kind 141-acre waterscape with complimentary admission for overnight guests at Atlantis. This non-stop aquatic thrill ride features over twenty million gallons of water, incredible Atlantean-themed towers, thrilling high-speed water slides, a mile-long river ride with rolling rapids and wave surges, 20 swimming areas, a spectacular kids water-play fort and 11 unique and refreshing pools.
Retail Therapy On Bay Street
Nassau’s retail and commercial hub is Bay Street, a lively thoroughfare teeming with cruise-ship passengers and lined with duty-free emporiums and souvenir stores. Swing by the straw market, relocated to brand-new digs in an arcade at Bay Street’s western end, for bags, baskets and hats.
Boat Trip To Pretty Harbour Island
Pretty Harbour Island, northeast of its big sister, Eleuthera, is the oldest settlement in the Bahamas. Famous for its pink sand beaches and chic resorts, the island has long been a hideaway for the rich and famous. Harbour Island is a quiet day trip out of Nassau on the Bahamas Fast Ferries Catamaran.
So, you see, you can have a bit of history and culture with your cocktails and dreams!
Of course, there are many other paradise islands around the world. The Caribbean may be the ‘go-to’ region for this kind of holiday but you will find other places have much the same ingredients list.
Here are some ideas if you fancy a far-flung destination from the long haul pick and mix…
St Pierre Island, The Seychelles
Hot for 2016 long haul islands:
Try the talkholiday booking engine and see the great prices available for some of these dream destinations.