People always ask me , “What is the most beautiful place you’ve ever been to?” I’m dead serious, I get that question LOTS. And usually, it’s a tricky one to answer, amiright? I mean there are so many things to consider when trying to narrow down the gorgeous places you have been to. Scenery, people, food, experiences, etc. Since 2018,that question is HELLA easy to answer guys. It’s Labadee, Haiti. Hands down!
First off, we visited there while on our first cruise. Now, don’t get it twisted, we are NOT cruise people (more on that later). But, Labadee was the sparkling gem of the whole 7 days at sea. You arrive and its exactly how you’d imagine a cruise port… huge crowds, loud colors, hired dancers, little palm huts for tourists to get their Mai Tais. Not exactly our scene tbh. Thankfully, we knew this ahead of time and had the foresight to book a boat tour for the day to a quiet artisan village nearby. Gracias a Dios!
Boarding the tiny motor boat, I had no idea what to expect. I mean, Haiti isn’t exactly hyped up. People are real damn quick to tell you about how impoverished it is, or how likely you are to get robbed while traveling there. It doesn’t do Haiti justice, like at all. Once the boat moved away from the port, everyone on the boat got real quiet. You see, we started to see the REAL Haiti at that moment, and it was breath taking. Think mountains kissing the sea. But paint the sea the most brilliant color turquoise you’ve ever seen. And make the mountains lush and green. Imagine the sand on the beaches so white that it damn near blinds you. THAT’S the real Haiti.
After we picked up our jaws from the floor, we landed in the dreamiest cove ever! Like, if the word “paradise” was an actual place. There was a tiki hut for drinks, shaded chairs for lounging, and a mini marketplace for the local artisans to sell their wares. The charm of the place, though, was in its untouched, natural beauty. It wasn’t loud or over developed. It was real.
The Marido (the hubs) went off to learn about fruits and vegetables that are indigenous to the island from our hilarious and all-knowing tour guide. Chiquita (baby girl) wanted to float on the rafts in the crystal-clearwater. Papito (lil man) spent his time running all over the sand bars and tide pools within the cove. And I, I spent my time trying to buy a souvenir from every single artisan hut there. I was adamant about providing these lovely crafters with the money they deserved for the beautiful art they’d created, not to mention, I wanted to take Labadee home with me any way I could.
The people were kind. And welcoming. And smart. They took pride in their island , and in their culture. If the cove was naturally striking, the people were raw and enchanting. In a word, beautiful. Labadee stole our hearts. It’s the place we dream about to this day.
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