Hi all, this is Melinda Messenger. It’s the night before my family and I are due on our first ever cruise! I’m so excited!
We’re in really good hands with Virgin Holidays Cruises and can’t wait to go. I hope I’ve got everything – we’re going to need all sorts of kit as it’s a very active holiday. Time for a final run through my checklist, but meanwhile, welcome to my holiday blog!
We’ll be staying at the 4V Almond Casuarinas hotel in Barbados before cruising around the Caribbean visiting beaches, water sports and diving centres, wildlife reserves and rainforests all around the Caribbean.
Wed 20th
Date of departure! It starts perfectly with access to the
When we arrived at the Almond resort we were all treated to our first taste of the Caribbean – a rum punch! Next, due to the fact it was only 4pm Bajan time, we threw our cases in our rooms and sprinted to the beach! The Caribbean seas never disappoint!
Yet despite our efforts to resist it, the time difference had us all crawling back to the room before 9.30 (although, this was about 2.30 our time!)
Thu 21st
Woke at 4.30 am!!! Bloody time difference! Nevertheless, more time to plan what we were going to have from an all inclusive breakfast buffet.
Every plate on the table on the first morning had enough food for the whole week! Eggs, toast, cereals, fruit, yoghurt, pancakes – you name it, the kids tried it!
Next we headed off to the family pool (just one of several choices of pools: family, adult only and hot tubs) where the kids ran riot whilst we sunbathed.
Ignoring all advice to stay out of the mid day sun due to it being our first proper day we finally retreated to our room to get ready for the evening about 6pm. And what an evening it was! That night we had a wonderful meal in the Ocean Front Reef restaurant – wow!
Fri 22nd
Today I managed to sleep till 6 am: almost acclimatised.
We spent most of this second day on the beach. Barbados is a renowned surfing destination so the waves on the beaches are fabulous, great for water sports.
Our hotel, the 4V Almond Casuarinas has a fabulous barbecue daily on the beach which we tried today – the fish was amazing! In the afternoon, the kids decided to try the kids’ camp out and loved it! Yay, this means a quiet, relaxed and romantic evenings for us.
Sat 23rd
Decided to go on an island tour and had a taxi driver drive us around to show us all the highlights.
First stop, Bridgetown. Quite bustling and the main attraction was the shopping – which was great, but we really wanted to see the island. Onwards…
Got the driver to stop at the most idyllic beach near Sandy Lane where we had lunch.
The rest of the tour took us to some amazing locations such as Cherry Tree Hill, Scotland View and down to Surfers Point on the East coast – a trip like this to get a taste of life outside the hotel is a must!
Sun 24th
Finally sleeping past 7.30 which is much more like it on holiday…
This morning, Wayne and Morgan decided they wanted to swim with giant turtles and they really were huge – longer than Morgan!
I chose to sit this one out as Flynn and Evie aren’t strong enough swimmers yet so we went along for the boat ride – a real pleasure in itself. We then headed back to our fantastic hotel and soaked up some more sunshine. The kids went to kids’ camp again (a real godsend!) which allowed us to have another fabulous meal together.
Mon 25th
Inspired by our trip on the 23rd we decided to go out around the island again but this time we hired a car! Driving in the Caribbean is very relaxed and stress free and an added bonus is that they drive on the same side of the road as us!
This time, we went to a wildlife reserve in the North of the island which was one of the best we have ever been to. Almost all the animals were walking around you freely and we even got to feed the monkeys and giant turtles directly. It made a real difference not seeing them caged up.
We then went back down the East coast past the surfing beaches, which had to be our favourite part of the island. The scenery here is much more dramatic than the relatively flat South and West coast. Finally after a busy day we retired to the hotel very tired and the kids fell asleep on our laps
Tues 26th
Our last day of our stay at Almond Casuarinas! But a lovely day, very relaxed with lots of pool and beach action and a great beach party in the evening. The kids enjoyed a last night with some friends they made in kids’ camp whilst we packed for the cruise!
I’ll tell you all about the second week of our stay & cruise holiday this Thursday.
See you then!
Melinda xxx
Would you like to go on the same holiday as Melinda and her family? For this cruise and for many other options have a look at our Carnival Cruise Deals. Prices start from just £799.
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