St. John's

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. 

Steel drums and jingle bells ring from balmy Bridgetown to Tobago’s rainbow markets and the French-Carib melange of Martinique, Gaugin’s Caribbean muse. Rum-soaked sunset draws lazy day into black-velvet night in Antigua, before Christmas Day calls us to Dutch Sint Maarten and poetic peaks lure to Tortola. Lounge in a poolside cabana en route to art-infused Miami and its multi-cultural world. 

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

This 17-night journey features the gift of time to pursue the ship’s delightful diversions. Seek personal enrichments, enhance your wellness, enjoy cooking classes and cocktails on your private terrace. But it’s the in-between that stays with you --  the free-spirited shores of Tangier, surfing sand dunes and gentle waves in Gran Canaria, and the Caribbean’s mix of waterfalls, jungles and powder-puff beaches. 

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.