The Caribbean
Elysian Holidays offers properties on several Caribbean Islands and we can help you choose the right destination and the right property for your kind of holiday.
Island of Tobago
Little sister to Trinidad, this glorious unspoilt island is a relaxed and peaceful paradise. Rainforest, deciduous forest, wonderful birdwatching, walking, diving, sailing. Excellent local food and custom and delightful people. Simplicity and luxury can both be found, fantastic beaches and beautiful scenery.
Island of Grenada
The ‘Spice Island’, mountainous beauty with lush rainforests and superb scenery. Unspoiled haven with stunning beaches, delightfully friendly people, natural beauty and charm. Excellent combination of traditional and modern. Watersports and luxury villas available.
Island of Tobago
Little sister to Trinidad, Tobago is the smaller island of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago, lying just south of Barbados and almost within sight of the coast of Venezuela.
This glorious unspoilt island is a relaxed and peaceful paradise.
Tobago’s great attractions are its wonderful white sandy beaches and clear blue tropical waters which provide fantastic swimming, diving, snorkelling, fishing and sailing.
To add to this there is the stunning rainforest and deciduous forest with spectacular wildlife, birds, flora and fauna, giving great opportunities for bird-watching, walking and trekking.
Between April and June the great leatherbacked turtles return to Grafton and Turtle Beaches to lay their eggs – a sight definitely to see. In addition to all of this, there is the delicious local food to be found throughout the island.
Even between December and April, which is the height of the season in the Caribbean, Tobago is never crowded and glorious empty beaches can always be found. This is also a very safe island and it’s people are laid back, charming and have rare old world manners.
The climate is beautifully tropical and gentle breezes usually blow with temperatures fluctuating between the high 70s and the high 80s (25 to 32 centigrade). This gives a wonderfully hot but pleasant climate most of the year around.
Tobago is about 27 miles long by 9 miles at its widest. The southern end of the island is flat, then rises to nearly 2,000 feet to the rain forest, the oldest national park in the world, which was recognised by the British Parliament at the end of the 18th Century. Today you can visit this fascinating and beautiful rainforest with guides who run tours along its trails.
Tobago has two major coral reefs. The Buccoo Reef , at the southern tip, can be viewed from glass bottomed boats from the famous Pigeon Point beach. Speyside, at the northern end, is a scuba diving centre and is considered one of the best diving reefs in the Caribbean.
Evening entertainment can be found at several of the hotels and there are some excellent restaurants. There are also a few bars with steel bands and other music where locals and tourists meet. And no-one must miss out on ‘Sunday School’ at Pigeon Point every Sunday – not quite what it sounds – this is actually one huge ‘lime’ (party) which lasts all day and most of the island comes to party !
All in all, this is a wonderful Caribbean island where simplicity and luxury can both be found – and is an island adored by everybody who has ever stayed there.
Island of Grenada
Known as the ‘Spice Island’, the glorious island of Grenada has it all – mountainous beauty with lush rainforests and superb scenery.
This is an unspoiled haven with stunning beaches, delightfully friendly people, natural beauty and charm. This island is a perfect example of a happy and successful combination of traditional and modern.
Famous for its pristine coral reefs, it is very popular with divers the world over. Grenada is also a favourite Caribbean destination for sailors and lovers of yachting. Most kinds of watersports can be found here and most of the top yachts visit the island at some time during the season, often to take part in various prestigious yachting events. Grenada has some stunning luxury villas available for rental.
Cuba: Gallery
Cuba
A further selection of photos from this remarkable and beautiful island.
Cuba: Itinery
You will need to take cash spending money (I can advise again) and I would suggest an empty case for all your goodies. There are so many wonderful things and incredibly cheap – I bought a wooden carving, a tablecloth, pottery, cigars, music, hand-made perfumes, cotton Cuban shirts, and was loaded down with treasures from all my beachcombing – how I made it back with all this, I don’t know. And I could have brought so much more. Oh yes, and a First Edition of ‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’ by Hemmingway, which I found with Frank in a market in Havana. If you have time, you must visit Hemmingway’s home just outside Havana. It is lovely and his wife gave it to the Cuban people after his death. They have preserved it, just as it was when he lived there. He is a hero to the Cubans – they loved him and he spent much of his later years there.
This is the suggested programme:
1st day: Travel to Cuba. Arrival PM at the airport in Havana. Frank will meet and take you to Hostal Valencia (BB) in old Havana
2nd day: Frank to show you around Havana City. Lunch in a restaurant in the old town. Night in Hostal Valencia (BB)
3rd day: Day on your own in Havana. Night in Hostal Valencia.(BB)
4th day: Frank collects hire car and drives you to Trinidad. Lunch en route in Cienfuegos city. Night in Trinidad in private accomodation(BB).
5th day: Mountain trek with Frank to Caburni waterfall. Picnic lunch. Night in Trinidad in private accommodation (BB)
6th day: Frank to show you around Trinidad/markets and surrounds. Night in Trinidad in private accomodation (BB).
7th day: Frank returns to Havana Ieaving you in Trinidad with hire car. On your own in Trinidad. Night in Trinidad in private accomodation (BB).
8th day: On your own in Trinidad. Night in Trinidad in private accomodation (BB).
9th day: On your own in Trinidad. Night in Trinidad in private accomodation (BB).
10th day: You drive to Pinar del Rio, meeting up with Frank on the way in Havana. Night at Rancho Guabina (HB).
11th day: Frank to take you to Cayo Jutia Lunch, relaxing and beachcombing at beach. Night at Rancho Guabina (HB)
12th day: Frank to show you town of Vinales and surrounds. Lunch in a local restaurant. Night at Rancho Guabina.(HB).
13th day: On your own on the Ranch with hire car. Night at Rancho Guabina.
14th day: On your own on the Ranch with hire car. Night at Rancho Guabina.
15th day: Frank drives you back to Havanna. En route a visit to Las Terrazas. Drop at Havana Airport for PM departure.
Cost per person for 14 nights is US dollars 2,140
Included is all accommodation with either B & B or Half Board (breakfast and one dinner), your personal guide, car hire and petrol. Extras will be other meals (approx US dollars 10 per person per meal), supplies and spending money.
Air Jamaica and Cubana Airlines fly direct to Havana from the UK, Air France via Paris and Iberia via Madrid. Visas are required for visiting Cuba and these can be obtained from the Cuban embassy.
Cuba
Personally created itineraries aimed at the Independent Traveller looking to see the real Cuba.
My account of a wonderful trip to Cuba, which has now become the template for a unique adventure for our clients..
Together with Frank, my guide in Cuba, I visited three regions of the island. Havana, Trinidad and Pinar del Rio.
The old town of Trinidad is only about 5 kms from lovely deserted sandy beaches covered in white coral ! The town itself is wonderful: incredibly beautiful to wander around, and in the evenings we would stroll around following the sounds of salsa, and watch, listen and dance the nights away. The mountains are only about half an hour’s drive away – glorious – and I spent my Birthday trekking and swimming in waterfalls. It is not easy to find good food/restaurants/places to eat in Cuba and most people are disappointed in the food, but Frank knows exactly where to get good, fresh local food.
The accommodation in Trinidad is in a Casa Particular (privately owned house) where you will be very private with good facilities, two double bedrooms and bathrooms, with a lovely big terrace – all on the first floor. I chose to be in the town and therefore able to just stroll out in the evenings. Beaches and the sea are so close anyway. Breakfast is included and will be served on your terrace. It is however also possible to be nearer the beach as I have found a couple of lovely private houses almost on the sea with a short drive into town for fun in the evenings. .
In the Pinar Del Rio region, I stayed at a huge guava ranch in the most fabulous location on the banks of a very large lake. About 200 horses, wildlife and lots of beautiful birds – flora and fauna. Backdrop of mountains and pine forests into which we rode on horseback and it was wonderful. The housekeeper/cook at the ranch, Maria Antonia is, in Frank’s opinion one of the best cooks in Cuba and we had delicious food. Alligator was particularly yummy ! The surroundings are spectacular – Jurassic limestone hills, caves, pine forests, palm trees (extraordinary mixture !) and rural bliss. Hardly any traffic – very few cars anywhere – lots of bullock carts and horsedrawn carts. The horses are very good, well looked after and know what they are doing – anybody would be fine on them. Saddles are great too – Cowboy Style! The house has had a face-lift this year and although simple, is comfortable and spacious. It is all about LOCATION here – really fantastic. Water pressure is low, but manageable. Breakfast and dinner are included in the price. This ranch is a ‘one-off’ in Cuba. About one hour’s drive away are some fantastic beaches, and the drive is through the most spectacular scenery. It was also in this region that we swam in caves.
The Air France and Iberia flights depart at about 9:30pm so on the last day there is plenty of time to drive back to Havana and the airport, with some exploring on the way. Most people do the packages to Cuba, which means staying in one of the two resorts and even if they are looking/touring around, car hire is very tricky and expensive (not many cars around !) so they are taken around with State Guides and coaches. They also normally stay in hotels, some of which are fine, but hotels are hotels. This is something completely different and I believe the only way to see the Real Cuba, eat decent food and not waste time finding your way around, which can be very difficult as there are very few road signs and other than the Highway, the roads can also be very tricky. Frank knows the ropes of course and I felt utterly safe in his hands. He saved us so much time, and can organise almost anything! I wanted shark’s teeth for my sons and he and I found two in a market in Trinidad and then he had them set in silver by one of his friends in Havana for practically nothing… He also knows where to find good fish and lobster/crayfish which can be hard to find – the fishermen have been squeezed dry sadly – mostly because they were a threat to security – people trying to leave Cuba were paying them to take them across to Florida (poor misguided Cubans thinking Florida has anything to offer them !).
The Cubans are great and Frank seems to know everyone, which is a lot of fun and expands one’s experience greatly. Many are highly educated, cultured and they love foreign visitors. The hotel in Havana, Hostal Valencia is where I stayed and I loved it – very romantic, comfortable, full of character and masses of charm. In the old city with everything on your doorstep – museums, galleries, churches, shops etc. Havana is wonderful, bustling and busy, but impossibly romantic and charming. The architecture is extraordinary and you will see that there is a massive restoration programme underway. The simplest things are hard to find – like loo paper, soap and the like.
One of the most important things to remember in Cuba is that improvisation is often the name of the game, which is why it is, in my opinion, essential to be ‘looked after’ by a Cuban with all the necessary experience and contacts. Someone like Frank will do his absolute best to ensure everyone gets what they want whilst in Cuba, and he is an expert. Life is so different to what we know, which is what makes it so exciting and so fascinating. Allowances have to be made in all sorts of areas, but this doesn’t seem to matter in the larger scheme of things and it is a very special adventure.
Island of Antigua
Beautiful and welcoming, the Caribbean island of Antigua is renowned for its lovely beaches and fantastic sea. It is said there are 365 beaches, one for every day of the year, making this a “beach with an island in the middle.”
Its famed countless, silky beaches lapped by iridescent azure seas are cooled by soft sea breezes. Surrounded by dramatic reefs, there’s fabulous safe diving, swimming and watersports and for those preferring “terra firma,” tennis golf, squash, hiking and horse riding.
Entertainment is both local and cosmopolitan and soft Caribbean sounds can be heard throughout the island. Summer carnival is the cultural and entertainment highlight of the year and one of the liveliest!
Fascinating Nelson’s Dockyard at English Harbour, for centuries recognized as one of the finest shelters in the entire Caribbean, was built by the famous Admiral and still stands, just as it was. An excellent marina and facilities make it a favourite for yachts people from all over the world and it is now the home of one of the world’s biggest ocean racing events. “Sailing week,” is a fun-filled experience in itself. There is also a wonderful world famous Classic Yacht week, normally held in April.
Independent since November 1981, Antigua was initially discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493 and named after the miracle working virgin Santa Maria de la Antigua of Seville Cathedral in Spain.
Thanks to a network of excellent services to and from the international airport, Antigua is closer than you think.
Island of Nevis
This 36-square-mile island lies near the top of the Lesser Antilles archipelago, about 200 miles south of Puerto Rico, and just west of Antigua. This island jewel is approximately 7 miles long and 5 miles wide, with natural vegetation that is unparalleled.
There’s something about this small, sombrero-shaped island that grabs you. The charm and tranquility takes you back to a time when things were simpler, when life was more peaceful, when stress was just a word, not a way of life.
In 1493, when Columbus sighted the island, he named it “Nuestro Senora de las Neves” – Our Lady of the Snows. That is how Nevis got her name.
Nevis and its sister island, St. Kitts, are part of the British Commonwealth. Nevis was the first island in the West Indies to be colonized by the English in 1623. While sugar plantations flourished, the English and European aristocracy flocked to the island’s mineral hot springs during the 1800’s. Since the 19th century, Nevis has been known as the “Spa of the Caribbean”.
Today the island’s charm and friendly people attract those in search of quiet elegance away from the crowds. Long white sand beaches, palm trees and coral reefs surround the island. Old estate houses and plantations bear witness to a grand past.
Alexander Hamilton was born on Nevis and Lord Nelson married Fanny Nisbet on this island. Nevis has a rich and fascinating history. There are many museums, churches, old sugar mlls and fortresses to explore.
Green and serene, Nevis is truly one of the remaining unspoilt places and proudly carries the name, “Queen of the Caribees.” From the top of the 3,232-foot Nevis Peak to the depths of the clear waters offshore, there is a world of flora and fauna to be explored. In the hills, the comical green vervet monkeys chatter and scamper; in the sea, the whales cruise by. Stroll around and see the architecture of eras gone by: churches, windmills, and refurbished Great Houses.
Its 10,000 residents are friendly and helpful, ready to make new friends and welcome back regular visitors. The genuine charm and hospitality radiate into the unspoken, “Welcome,” “Be my guest,” and “Do come again.”
Nevis is one of the most unique islands in the Caribbean, and it is a special place that will seduce you, and tug at your heart strings after you leave.
Like they say on Nevis: “You’re only a stranger here once.”
Island of St. Martin
This 37 square mile island contains two countries, French St Martin and Dutch St Maarten.
English is spoken everywhere, but Dutch is the official language of St. Maarten and French the official language of St. Martin. On the Dutch side, you can also hear Spanish and Papiamento, the dialect of the Netherlands Antilles. On the French side, Creole Patois also is spoken.
The islanders still retain a lot of their European origins with great Dutch and French cheeses, fine French restaurants, Indonesian rijstafels brought by the Dutch, a European indifference to topless, even nude beaches, and much more.
All of this is coloured with the Caribbean, leading to sunny, hot days on beautiful beaches and warm nights with soft breezes blowing through open-air, seaside restaurants. Sunny and warm year-round, with some cooling from trade winds. Average temperature during the winter season is 80 F (27°C) and a few degrees warmer and more humid in the summer. Occasional showers in late summer and early fall, with average annual rainfall of 45 inches.
The island is the smallest land mass to be shared by two separate governments.
