Star Clipper Winter 2019-20

Escape the winter blues with a cruise unlike any other through the Caribbean or Southeast Asia. For an adventure on the ocean waves which includes the atmosphere and character of traditional sailing, combined with the comfort and luxury found on most modern cruise ships, Star Clippers vessels are unrivalled. You feel the wind in your hair and the salty breeze in your face. Each tall ship offers an intimate experience and whilst the surroundings hark back to the tea clippers of the 19^th century, the personable service and conviviality of like-minded fellow ‘sailors’ is unique in today’s gamut of cruise ships conveying thousands of fellow revellers.

The Caribbean has long been synonymous with words such as paradise, bliss and heaven-on-earth due to its glorious temperatures, soft white sand and turquoise waters. This winter there are popular cruises in this island cornucopia aboard the 170-passenger Star Flyer and the 170-passenger Royal Clipper as they sail through the Windward and Leeward Islands, perfect for those who love lush scenery, great cuisine and total relaxation.

The 7-night ‘Treasure Islands’ sailing aboard Star Flyer from Philipsburg visits Anguilla; before setting the compass to the British Virgin Island anchorages of Gorda Sound, the Bight, Soper’s Hole, and White Bay; then at St Kitts the anchor is dropped at South Friar’s Bay and Basseterre; before arriving in incomparable Gustavia – the Caribbean’s capital of chic.

Similar but different, the ‘Leeward Islands’ cruises offer seven nights of pure chillaxation as Star Flyer heads south from Philipsburg to Cabrits in Dominica before nudging into the bijou harbours of Terre de Haut on the French scenic gems of Iles des Saints and Deshaies in Guadeloupe; as a penultimate port, Falmouth Harbour in Antigua takes some beating, but waking up in St Barths the following morning is a highlight of the cruising almanac – think St Tropez in the tropics and you’re getting close.

The ‘Windward Islands’ cruises offer seven nights of serendipity as the five-masted Royal Clipper heads north from Bridgetown (Barbados) to Rodney Bay in St Lucia; Cabrits, Dominica and Falmouth Harbour, Antigua; in St Kitts the anchor is dropped at Basseterre and South Friar’s Bay; then it’s onwards to Terre de Haut on the French island of Iles des Saints; and serene Mustique. 

For those that prefer a more exotic experience, there’s the opportunity to glide through Southern Asian latitudes. Traversing the Andaman Sea aboard the 170-passenger Star Clipper there’s the chance to call into spectacular destinations such as Ko Butang, Ko Rok Nok and Phang Nga Bay. If Bali has always been on your bucket-list then the 7-night cruises from Benoa in Bali to East Madura; Probolinggo (Java); Lovina Beach (Bali); Senggigi Beach and Gili Sudak on Lombok are out of this world.