Haiti is the starting point of this journey in the Caribbean. Since the time of Columbus it has been the European idyll of paradise set amid a distant ocean. But beyond the dream is the fact that its original inhabitants were wiped out and replaced with African slaves. Now independent states have gradually emerged from the dark shadows of an inglorious past.

Jamaica is another Caribbean paradise and its second largest city, Montego Bay, is the starting point for tourists from all over the world. One of its attractions is Harmony Hall, a fine manor house situated on a turn of the century plantation.

Kingston is the capital of Jamaica and the island’s political, economic and cultural centre, a former pirate stronghold that is a lively mixture of joie de vivre and reggae.

Nassau is the capital of New Providence Island and is one of more than seven hundred islands in the Bahamas archipelago. Paradise Island is the most modern and spectacular resort in the Bahamas with Atlantis the largest entertainment oasis in the world. It was created by South African hotel tycoon whose mega luxury resort boasts an array of amazing LA-style casinos and entertainment facilities.

Havana is a Caribbean metropolis that for many years has become somewhat run down and neglected but nowhere else are the cocktails mixed better! Whether it be the Teatro Marti, the Old Tobacco Factory, the famous Bacardi house or the Floridita Bar, everywhere there is a feeling of nostalgia and when the Daiquiri is served one almost expects Fidel Castro or Ernest Hemmingway to be seated at the next table.

Cuba and the Caribbean are a melting pot of colonial culture and an overgrown and abundant Garden of Eden!