San Juan

Full of mystique and magic, this sunshine-filled sailing segues from Miami to America’s tropical outposts of Charlotte Amalie and San Juan. Beautiful and British, Jost van Dyke’s shimmers as our benchmark for beautiful beaches but it’s Gustavia that captures our hearts with the swankiest spots for bikinis and beaches. Then we dive into San Juan’s self-assured energy of young chefs, contemporary artists, and music’s biggest names. 

Brilliant biodiversity, conquistadors and haute cuisine bridge our journey from Miami to Bridgetown as we make maiden calls in Santo Domingo and Les Trois-Îlets. But it’s the in-between outposts that stay with us – afternoons wandering jungle paths thick with secrets in Basseterre and Roseau, the wild kind of grace we find in Kingstown and the limey vibes in Bridgetown. 

Fireworks crackle above San Juan as 2026 dawns and an all-star Caribbean journey begins. Skim sun-kissed shores and pirate lairs in the British Virgin Islands and wander rainforest falls and wild beaches on Guadeloupe’s western wing. Infuse flavours of Carib-cool Bridgetown, before the jewel-toned isles of Martinique and St. Kitts fuel our lust for adventure with volcanic peaks and castaway coves. 

Every day a different island; every dawn a new adventure. We sail from San Juan to discover the Carib’s most debonair destinations. Dive into the eco-paradises of St. George’s, with its underwater sculpture garden, then seek picture-perfect beaches and turtle preserves in Beqiua. Long hours ashore in Bridgetown, Fort-de-France and Gustavia let us immerse more deeply in the culture before anticipation builds for the Eden-like enclave of Basseterre. 

From the UNESCO streets of sultry San Juan to the red rooftops of Saint Barthélemy, our journey begins with elegant ease. Retune to island-time among Antigua’s hypnotic bays and discover rum distilleries shrouded by the sage peaks of Tortola. Ribbons of white-velvet sand and baby blue shallows fringe pristine Anguilla, a waking dream before unscripted adventures in Miami.

Enchanting days of ocean-inspired wellness turn into gastronomic nights on the journey to Saint John, where hiking trails weave through virgin rainforest. Life imitates art in cinematic Deshaies, where Death in Paradise is filmed, and spice-scented streets snake through Grenada’s sainted capital. Delve into Bridgetown’s UNESCO heart before coffee and craters on smouldering Montserrat, last stop before historic San Juan. 

Boho brushstrokes and bijou boutiques render Saint Barthélemy in perfect clarity, accented by A-list beach bars and molten amber sunset. Delve into island history and hillsides shrouded in native forest on Tortola, before the cyan-sapphire spectrum of Antigua and Anguilla transfixes sparkling eyes. Embark on culinary adventures and mind-body pampering aboard EXPLORA I before Miami appears on dawn’s horizon.

We trade the buzzy heartbeat of Miami for the whisper of waves between the Greater and Lesser Antilles. Step lightly into Cruz Bay during our maiden call to the low-key luxury outpost of the USVI then dash into remote Deshaies for intimacy with nature. A late departure from Bridgetown signals rum sundowners whilst Roseau serves up rainforests and hissing volcanoes and Phillipsburg reveals her clearest, bluest depths in a national marine reserve. 

Awaken the senses and quiet the mind during a 16-night voyage across a timeless sea. Firstly, fall under the spell of Cadiz and Funchal then find fathoms of peace enjoying the well-appointed amenities and a restorative wellness journey aboard EXPLORA I. After 6 languid days, the sun rises with calls in St. John’s, Road Town and San Juan before Miami ignites our imagination. 

Our curtain rises over heavenly Road Bay, where somnolent palms bow before snow-white sands and silvery fish flash through shallows. Sailboats stand sentinel on St. John’s cerulean shores and patchwork peaks rise above lesser-travelled Phillipsburg. Follow gentle trade winds to Spanish Town, with its nearby shelter of giant-moulded boulders and enchanted pools, then succumb to extraordinary pleasures aboard EXPLORA II. 

Townhouses daubed in tropical hues proclaim Dutch heritage in the ABC Islands, our sun-drenched trio in the Leeward Antilles. Wrecks and reefs submerged below ephemeral waves encircle Bonaire; ice cubes tinkle in phosphorescent cocktails at Curaçao’s barefoot bars; and wind-wrangled trees dot powder-soft beaches in Aruba. Sashay into Saint Barthélemy before sunset points the way towards sultry San Juan. 

Leafy grounds lull us to islands that live in the realm of immortality. Road Bay and St. John’s bring sands so serene they entice models and rock stars to frolic. Greater yet is Gustavia where our near-midnight departure gives us VIP access to barefoot-chic beaches and in-demand brasseries for after-dinner dancing. Tortola teases with boulder-laden lagoons yet the greatest indulgence is two days at sea, cocooned in our European wellness of pampered modernity. 

There’s no place like EXPLORA II for the Holidays, when families hold fast to tradition and forge new, warm-weather memories. We deck the halls on snow-white beaches where fathoms of adventures are found deep in the Carib’s Southern realm. Our most precious gift, Ocean Cay Marine Reserve, lets us unwrap cooling cabanas, seaside massages, chic cocktails and moments to remember. 

From soulful San Juan, a dusting of Antillean islets paint an indelible artwork in tropical brushstrokes. Calypso echoes drift across Antigua, before seeking barefoot luxury in Saint Barthélemy well into late night. Indulgences continue aboard EXPLORA II as we drift from jungle-draped slopes in the Dominican Republic to iridescent jewels in the Florida Keys.

A journey of seven sanguine days lets us compare the cerulean lagoons of Tortola with the pristine jade forests and beaches of Antigua. A late departure from Saint Barthélemy, combined with locals who dance under the stars, offer a truly mesmerising scene as we begin our return to Miami blessed with uninterrupted bliss as the skyline appears on a deliciously humid horizon. 

Sailing between Miami and Heaven with two days at sea leads us into an Ocean State of Mind of curated wellness and culinary experiences. Heart-shaped Magen’s Bay, beloved beach in Charlotte Amalie, rises to undulating mountains dotted with thriving gardens. In Terre-de-Haute and Fort-de-France we find boulangeries selling croissants before rising with dawn to peer into the mile-wide crater near Basseterre.