From Pointe-à-Pitre to Marigot · Caribbean · 7 nights
Le Ponant is a beautiful three-masted sailing yacht carrying just 32 guests, small enough to visit some of the world’s most secluded harbours.
Ponant’s most intimate ship came into service over 20 years ago,
but is still much loved today. The yacht is ultra sleek in its
design, and the modern staterooms all have porthole windows. The
mostly francophone guests love the al fresco nature of the public
spaces, with a large sundeck, outdoor restaurant and swimming
marina, and you’ll always feel connected to the sea.
Pointe-a-Pitre is at the centre of the butterfly-shaped Guadeloupe, an island fringed with golden sand beaches and mangrove forest and coral reefs. The town itself is home to Musée ACTe, a modern museum dedicated to the history and heritage of slavery in the Caribbean. It is the only museum of its kind in the world, explicating the effects of the institution in a clear-eyed and educational way.
Eight tiny islands make up the Iles des Saintes, a sparsely inhabited archipelago off the southern coast of Guadeloupe. The most interesting island is hilly Terre-de-Haut, almost entirely populated by the fair-skinned descendants of Breton sailors and home to a beautiful bay reminiscent of a mini Rio de Janeiro.
Antigua is famously home to 365 beaches - one for every day of the year - and there is an undeniable allure to the many white sand coves dotted along the coast. Falmouth Harbour lies on the south of the island, close to historic Nelson’s Dockyard and the lookout at Shirley Heights.
Barbuda enjoys a much lower profile than her sister island Antigua, with only a scattering of hotels. This is a huge part of the island’s appeal, along with mile after mile of stunning pink sand beach, great snorkelling and wildlife including fallow deer, wild boar and frigate birds.
Sleepy, low key and utterly charming, Nevis is a real Caribbean gem. Dominated by the towering Nevis Peak, the island is dotted with former plantation houses that have been turned into characterful hotels. Drop in for lunch or afternoon tea, and if there’s time have a look round the elegantly faded Georgian capital, Charlestown.
Gustavia is the chic and petite capital of Saint Barths, a tiny French Caribbean island that’s renowned as a haunt of the rich and the famous. You can certainly live well here if you’ve got the means, with an array of gourmet restaurants and luxury boutiques aimed squarely at the A-list. The beautiful beaches, on the other hand, are free and open to all.
Marigot is the gateway to an intriguing little Caribbean island with a dual personality: the Dutch side, St. Maarten, is the livelier of the two, with shopping malls, casinos and more of a nightlife scene, while French-speaking St. Martin is a more refined (and more expensive) affair, with a laid-back, continental air and a host of exclusive resorts and restaurants.
