Our first morning in paradise we decided to get breakfast in bed with room service coming to our room. Then we went to sign up for excursions. We decided to try and sign up for 3 or 4 of the excursions. There was a train ride around the island, snorkeling on the Caribbean side of the island, hiking in the rainforest, hiking a volcano, a day trip to Nevis, an island tour, and ziplining through the rainforest. We were hoping to take the train ride, trip over the Nevis, snorkeling, and volcano hike, but as things turned out, the train only runs when cruise ships come on the weekend, and the trip to Nevis was not going to work out with the times and the other excursions planned. So anyway, we ended up with 3 signed up- An island tour, snorkeling in the Caribbean, and the volcano hike. Our first full day there though, we did not have anywhere to go, so we hung out at the resort, where there were tons of things to do.
We could use any non-motorized equipment for free, so Jenn and I rented a sea kayak and actually saw a sea turtle while kayaking which was really cool. We also went snorkeling right off the coast of the resort, which was the Atlantic Ocean. It turns out there were a lot of cool fish, rays, and coral in the rock reefs right off the coast. We also enjoyed the swim up bar and drinks by the ocean while we waited for our first special dinner- lobster under the stars. Before bed the first night we took our chances at the casino and actually lasted longer than we thought we would before losing our money in roulette.
The second full day of our trip began with a breakfast buffet at the Calypso restaurant where they served classic breakfast foods as well as local cuisine. It was delicious. Then it was time for our first excursion- the tour of the island.
The tour began with a stop in the capital city of Basseterre. We walked around a little bit and saw Independence Square where they used to bring the slaves to be sold.
Then we got back in the van and on our way to the Caribelle Batik we saw an Egret tree and old sugar mills.
Finally, on our way to Brimstone Hill we saw Bloody Point (where English and French settlers massacred the Carib natives, leaving a river of blood than ran for 3 days) and green vervet monkeys that ran across the road. Brimstone Hill was really cool with great views of the island and a very rich history with the English and French occupation.
Bloody Point
Finally, our tour went to see the black sand beach and saw the volcano Liamuiga in the distance.
When we returned from our trip around the island, we relaxed with lunch and drinks by the ocean, played shuffleboard, played bingo, went swimming, and had another really nice dinner at La Cucina where we created our own pasta. We also decided to turn around our luck with the casino. In true Grandma Smith fashion, we went to the penny slots. Unlike Grandma though, we were not winners this night.
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