Caribbean Life and Leisure

If you want to experience Caribbean life and leisure first hand, why not do so by taking a Caribbean cruise? You'll experience the beauty and richness of culture, music and life in the exotic Caribbean islands.

The best time to visit the beautiful islands is during Mardi Gras festivals and other major feasts and events. Millions of tourists worldwide visit the tropical islands every year to celebrate with the locals. Most festivals are religious based, such as the Hindu Phagwa and Diwali, and the Muslim Id-Ul-Fitr.

Late February is a great month to take a Caribbean cruise. During this time, Trinidad and Tobago will celebrate the best and most extravagant Carnival in the islands. The Carnival is celebrated on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Preparation starts months before the Carnival, even if the Carnival itself only lasts for two days. For 48 hours, there will be concerts, parades, parties and dancing that's virtually non-stop!

Other major festivals include: St Lucia Jazz Festival (May), Crop Over Festival (July), Jamaican Reggae Festival (July), Junkanoo in the Bahamas (December) and St. Patrick's Day in Montserrat (March).

Your trip to the islands isn't complete without seeing the beautiful and pristine white beaches of the Caribbean. The Harbour Island in the Bahamas is one of the most photographed beaches in the world, and is best known for its pink-colored sand, due to flecks of red plankton found mixed with white coral sand. It produces a pink hue, which is delightfully beautiful, especially during sunset.

There are literally hundreds of beaches in the island, and many of them uninhabited, so you could even bathe and swim in the nude! White sand beaches are numerous in the islands, but have you heard of a pink sand beach? However, if you are going there as a family, you might as well stick to family and child-friendly beach spots. The Runaway Bay in Jamaica is an ideal family vacation. Plus, there have vacation nanny hiring services in case you need some help looking out for the children.

If water sports aren't your thing, you might like to have a round or two on the Caribbean's first-class golf courses. Many five star hotels have golf courses as part of their leisure activities. Be warned though, golfing in the Caribbean can be trickier than usual. The grass is different, and the presence of ocean breeze can make the game challenging.

Caribbean music is 'festive' in nature, with tunes that you can dance and sing along to. All in all, Caribbean music has a wide variety of styles and genres, from the more traditional folk like the Puerto Rico's Aguinaldo or Jamaica's Mento, to more contemporary music like salsa and reggae.

A Caribbean cruise will obviously feature Caribbean food and drink. Caribbean cuisine is a unique fusion of African, Spanish, French, Indian, Dutch and Chinese cuisine, brought by colonizers and traders who visited the islands throughout history.

Caribbeans love chicken and seafood, particularly flying fish, crabs and shark. They also love spicing up their food with garlic, pimento, nutmeg and ginger to create sharp flavors. Rice is also the centerpiece of every Caribbean cruise meal.