There will be hundreds of taxi's right at the cruise ship dock everyday, just pick one and hire him....or, if staying on island, rent a car so you can do it at your own pace. But just about any taxi driver can do what you request...and they will, as the dollar is highly sought after! Just find a smaller cab, one that doesn't hold 27 people, look for one that has a max passenger capacity of 4 or 6 and you should be able to negotiate a fee for the day and he'll be your personal driver all day...the photo opportunities are EVERYWHERE here, so no special knowledge is required of the taxi driver...just your eye....

Tropic Tours has a daily island tour leaving from Havensight and the hotels that takes you to St. Peters Greathouse and Botanical Garden. The tour is sold on most cruise ships and through the hotels, but you can book on your own if you contact them directly. The Greathouse has a website with some of the flowers.

You might want to take a tour to The Butterfly Farm in Havensight. There are beautiful flowers there (and of course butterflies!) They've got a few nice ones outside: poor man's orchid tree (AKA butterfly tree, of course!), Christmas candles, and a few more.

There are more flowers in the summer.

thanks so much. I have done this before but I am new to the Caribbean. Glad to know the ins and outs. I am so excited to visit your paradise. Thanks for the warm welcome and advice. MJ

how long are you going to be on island?

Not long enough. We are coming in on the Victory for a few hours but will be on Anguilla for a week of painting. Never been in your part of the world. Our cruise stops at St. Thomas, Dominica, Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St Kitts and then we fly to Anguilla. Can hardly wait to see the spectacular vistas that await us. If you have suggestions for any of those island that are a must see, it would be great. We really want to catch the spirit of the islands, not the tourist traps. Thanks so much.

It's hard to get the spirit of fhe islands on a cruise ship, because you're only on the island for a few hours. If the botanical garden tour isn't offered on your ship, you might not be able to make the Tropic Tour schedule. You can, however, walk to the Butterfly Farm from the Havensight Dock.

The best way to experience the true flavor would be to visit during carnival.

My suggestion is to go to Sapphire Beach - the beach is beautiful and the views down island of St. John and Tortola are beautiful. St. Peter's Great House is another great photo opportunity.

The most important thing...

Bring lots of BLUE and green paint!

For photo opportunities of a variety of flowers the St. Peter Botanical Gardens is definitely a good choice. You can take a taxi there, just arrange with the driver for a tour with stop at the Botanical Gardens. As this is not part of a typical island group tour you will need to do a private tour. You can see some of the beautiful flowers the garden offers on their web-site's Flower Gallery. Downtown the old alleys and buildings might be of interest. A panoramic of downtown from Paradise Point, Blackbeards, Skyline or other spot overlooking town offers terrific photo opportunities. Pass through Frenchtown for a photo of the small fishing boats by the water. Enjoy!

--Islander