T H E N E X T W A V E D O M I N I C A N R E P U B LI C LUX E

NOVEMBER 2006

T R AV EL&L I FE
20
NEW
HIDEAWAYS
BAHAMAS
HIS &
HERS
KEEPIN’ IT
REAL
ST. VINCENT
TOP PICKS
EXOTIC
FRUIT
TORTOLA
WHAT’S HOT!
THE NEWEST RESORTS, RESTAURANTS,
ON $120
A DAY SPAS, GOLF COURSES AND MORE

PLUS: THE BEACH-LOVER’S TURKS & CAICOS

U.S. $4.99 CAN $5.99
Volume 21 Number 8

caribbeantravelmag.com
W W W. O U T I S L A N D T R A V E L . C O M
ANDROS THE ABACOS
Tiamo Resorts Abaco Beach Resort & Boat Harbour
www.tiamoresorts.com www.abacoresort.com
Small Hope Bay Lodge ELEUTHERA
www.smallhope.com Pineapple Fields
www.pineapplefields.com
Emerald Palms Resort
www.emerald-palms.com CAT ISLAND
Fernandez Bay Village
www.fernandezbayvillage.com
LONG ISLAND
Cape Santa Maria Beach Resort
www.capesantamaria.com
Stella Maris Resort
www.stellamarisresort.com
THE EXUMAS
Club Peace & Plenty and Peace and
Plenty Beach Inn
www.peaceandplenty.com

THE EXUMAS (CONT.)
February Point Resort Estates
www.februarypoint.com
Four Seasons Great Exuma at Emerald Bay
www.fourseasons.com/greatexuma
Palm Bay Beach Club
www.palmbaybeachclub.com
Staniel Cay Yacht Club
www.stanielcay.com
Escape
your everyday life...
Escape to the nearby Out Islands of The Bahamas —
the perfect way to totally relax and unwind in a
spectacular island setting! The world's best fishing,
diving, snorkeling and sailing are just a stone's throw
away so plan your island getaway today by
contacting any one of these fine resorts and hotels.
Call us at 1-800-OUT ISLANDS or visit our website
for vacation specials and more information.
OutIslandTravel.com
VOLU ME 21 ISSUE 8

NOVEMBER 2006
FEATURES
“Who lives sees much.

Who travels sees more.”

— Arab proverb

70

50
WHAT’S HOT
The Dominican Republic — already far and away the
Caribbean’s busiest destination — is in development
overdrive, positioning itself as a world capital of mass
luxury tourism. Get the D.R. scoop, plus reports from
other hotspots around the region on what’s cooking for
70
BEACH-LOVER’S GUIDE TO
THE TURKS AND CAICOS
From one end of the sandy spectrum to the other
— from incandescent strands rimmed with plush
digs to deserted shores on uninhabited cays — the
Turks and Caicos Islands wrap it up in a palette of
:$7(5&$<3529,'(1&,$/(6%<'$55(//-21(6

the upcoming high season. everything blue.

Photography by Greg Johnston By James Sturz Photography by Darrell Jones

60
ON THE COVER GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS, MEN WILL BE BOYS
Salt Cay’s North Beach,
There’s a lot to be said for taking a vacation away
Turks and Caicos, by from the opposite sex. Go behind the scenes to learn
Darrell Jones girl-gang rituals in “Bahama Pajama Party,” and get
ready to rumble when the boys start up with “Blood,
Sweat and Beers” in the Abacos.
By Santa Choplin Bogdon and Bob Friel
Photography by Zach Stovall
80
THESE ARE THE GOOD OLD DAYS
Drenched in warm Old Caribbean atmosphere
and blessed with raw natural beauty, St. Vincent
has always stood proudly apart. Now it’s on the
verge of joining the tourism fray, as the government
plans to import white sand and the foreign invest-
ment that follows it.
By Dave Herndon Photography by Theo Westenberger

6 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M
 DEPARTMENTS
Coming Up in December
How to see underwater:
A naturalist escorts
us below Bonaire and
explains how to get the 44
most out of your next trip
to the reef. Plus: What’s
cooking in Puerto Rico’s
top restaurants and how
to save during this coming
high season.

36 22

T R AV E L & L I F E
22 JUST BACK
Beach bums still come for the sand, but fash-
ionistas will find Anguilla abuzz with new
residential resorts, restaurants and spas.
24 SET SAIL
44 LOCAL FLAVOR
Dig deeper on the fruit plate and you’ll find
some lesser-known gastronomic gems.
95 AFFORDABLE
Take a multi-island vacation on a single-island

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: DAVID SWANSON; CHRIS DENNIS/ALAMY; DEBBIE SNOW

Tim McGraw takes the ship’s stage when budget by staying on Tortola and ferrying over
Carnival launches its Country Cruise to the smaller British Virgins.
Getaway. Can we get a yee-haw?
102 NEED TO KNOW
32 DAY TRIP The pros make it look like a snap, but captur-
Ride off into the Sunset (bar and grill) after a ing great photos on your Caribbean vacation is
horseback tour of St. Croix. more than just point and shoot.

34 LIVELY UP! 110 HOT DEALS

Your timbers will be shivering as you get Treasure the savings while touring Pirates of
14 TRAVEL LOG ready to jump off the seaside cliff at Negril’s the Caribbean locations on Dominica, or
Pirates Cave Bar. during a lovebirds’ getaway to Aruba.
16 POSTCARDS
36 CARIBBEAN LIFE 138 CONNECTIONS
20 OUR CARIBBEAN Can luxury tread lightly? We examine the Emmy-winning actress and famous foodie
test case of a fancy resort being built on a Alfre Woodard finds sustenance on family
125 ONLINE NOW pristine island. vacations in Jamaica and the Grenadines.

8 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M
 T RAVE L & LI FE
caribbeantravelmag.com

Bob Friel
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Santa Choplin Bogdon

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10 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M
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12 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M
 TRAVELLOG

W h e n Yo u’ re H o t Yo u’ re H o t

W
hile putting together our cover story about what’s hot this coming
high season, we were astounded at the number of new resorts and
the dramatic improvements to existing properties. The loud buzz
you hear is proof of the enduring popularity of the Caribbean, and
it points up the fact that no matter how many times you visit, there will always
be something new to see.
Whether you like the cutting edge — bed-hopping the trendiest new bou-
tique hotels and hitting the “in” islands at the height of the season — or prefer
to sequester yourself on a quiet stretch of sand in front of the same classic beach
resort year after year, the most important thing is that you allow yourself the
luxury of time away from your everyday grind — something that continues to be
a challenge for many Americans.
Two news stories recently crossed my desk on the same day, both relevant to
vacations but from widely disparate sources. First was New York Times coverage
about “shrinking vacation syndrome.” A year or so ago when I first bemoaned the
fact that Americans take fewer vacations than the citizens of nearly every other
industrialized nation, a few readers from the Ayn Rand School of McCarthyism
called me a socialist. Well, comrades, it’s gotten worse. According to several
studies quoted in the Times, we’ve cut back our leisure time even more. The
24/7 e-mail/cell phone burnout has gotten so bad that giant accounting firm
PricewaterhouseCoopers shuts down twice a year — it’s the only way its employees
can take time off without fear of falling behind (lousy pinkos).
The other news came from the Pope, who emerged from his summer residence
(he saw his shadow, so expect a mild winter) to say that working too hard was bad
for the spirit and could lead to loss of intelligence. I had to read that one twice.
Wherever you get your guidance, the lesson seems clear: We all need more down
time. Of course I know you don’t want to hear us complain. Many of you seem to
think that all the CT&L staffers ever do is traipse about on captivating islands (page
80), linger over long lunches beach-side (page 62) and hang out drinking rum
(page 34 and again on page 66). I have no idea where you get that impression.
'$55(//-21(6

See you on the beach,

Bob Friel
editor@caribbeantravelmag.com

14 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M
 POSTCARDS
St. Croix for $150,000? Not likely.
SUCH A DEAL
Your article about real estate on St. Croix
[“From Idle Dreams to Island Lives,”
August/September] says you can find a
2,000-square-foot home with pool start-
ing from $150,000. I called the agents
you listed [Farchette & Hanley, 800-964-
9755], and they were really surprised.
Neil Charles
via e-mail
An editing error on CT&L’s part has appar-
ently caused a land rush on St. Croix. Rich
Rubin’s text originally read: “A fab 2,000-
square-foot house with pool and sea view will
set you back a mere half million.” We apolo-
gize to any frustrated house hunters. — Ed.
SAVE THE PLANET
I don’t know you, but based on what you
write in your Travel Logs, I like you. Each
issue, I enjoy your common-sense, earth-
friendly, educated input about issues that
affect the Caribbean, but in reality affect
us all, everywhere. I love that you touched
on how global warming is impacting
areas we all visit. Hopefully us common-
sense, rational thinkers will soon turn the
tide of events and save the planet. Keep
up the good work!
Eve Crispin
Key Largo, Florida
SAVE THE TREES
If you are so convinced of the detrimental
effect of human activity on the climate,
16
stop cutting down so many trees, process-
ing their paper into magazines and burning
countless barrels of petroleum to deliver
them to subscribers and newsstands.
R. McCarter
via e-mail
Caribbean Travel & Life is avail-
able in a 100 percent digital format.
Simply click on the Digital Delivery
box on caribbeantravelmag.com. — Ed.
SAVE YOURSELF
Quit whining, enjoy life.
Don and Elaine Roling
Sioux Rapids, Idaho
SUNNY SIDE UP
After living more than 20 years in Curaçao,
my husband and I moved to Miami. We
miss our island lifestyle, our friends, our
peace. Now, I’ve discovered your magazine.
I love it! There’s something magical about
this area that’s more than the beaches and
the sunsets. There’s a way of life, a cosmo-
politan feel to it that few people under-
stand. I’m glad your magazine is around to
show everyone the real Caribbean.
Mercedes de Marchena
via e-mail
THE FLIP SIDE
I think you do your readers a disservice
by never mentioning the dark side of
Caribbean life. On many of the islands
there is poverty, disease and crime. I find
the fantasy-like quality of your articles
increasingly annoying.
Dale Watten
Winchester, Virginia
There is poverty, disease and crime within
10 miles of everyone who’s reading this. If we
published a resource for people who wanted
to visit Winchester, Virginia, and enjoy its
natural beauty and attractions, we wouldn’t
7(''$9,6
feel it necessary to point out where to find its
seedy side. — Ed.
C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M
TOPIC OF THE MONTH

What is your most treasured souvenir

from the Caribbean?

While we were waiting for our Windjammer

to set sail from its mooring off the
island of Dominica, a tiny skiff pulled
alongside, skippered by a boy of about
12. He was selling a model of a clipper
ship, 18 inches long and high, with
wind-filled topsails and intricate deck
and rigging details. It was carved entire-
ly from bamboo and finished to a rich,
teak-colored sheen. Now, nearly 30
years later, I wish I could tell that young
artist his masterpiece still commands a
place of honor atop my bookcase.
Kris Munson
Peabody, Massachusetts

My most treasured souvenir is one of the

first items I purchased on my very first
trip to the Caribbean. In July 1990,
my husband and I celebrated our 15th
anniversary with our first cruise. One
stop was to Royal Caribbean’s “private
island” on Haiti. The heat was on full
blast, and under a broken umbrella,
trying to keep cool, was a painter with
two mechanical hands. I purchased an
oil painting from him of women doing
laundry in the river. In having it framed
at home, I discovered it was painted not
on canvas, but on an old T-shirt. It had
to be custom stretched and framed so it
wouldn’t tear. That painting still hangs
over our bed, and we just celebrated our
31st anniversary!
Trish Murray
Flourtown, Pennsylvania

While it could be the tooth that fell

from a blacktip shark onto my fin on
a dive in the Bahamas, or my teeny
Carnival costume from Trinidad, I’d
have to say my most treasured souvenir

NOVEM BER 2006 17

 POSTCARDS
is the ever-growing list of names in my
address book of fellow “islaphiles” who
have, over rum and under sun, become
“frond” friends.
Amy L. Goldsmith
via e-mail
The best souvenir I pick up on each
Caribbean island I visit is a Christmas
ornament. They’re little treasures that
come in all forms, from fish to palm
trees. Most are handmade, and they’re
inexpensive and easy to carry back.
Better yet, when they’re displayed on
the tree each year they’re great conversa-
tion pieces that help us remember all the
wonderful memories.
Kim Grande
Pottstown, Pennsylvania
My most treasured souvenir is from
St. Croix, USVI. We go there every
year for two weeks. After reading about
“chinys” in your wonderful magazine
(April 2006), I had to have one. When
the wealthy Danish settlers left the
island in the 18th century, their slaves
took their fine china and smashed it
in the fields of the plantations. Now
locals gather the pieces, and jewelers
set them in gold frames. Mine is a
special part of my Caribbean charm
bracelet and a daily reminder of my
favorite island.
Dale Avery
Granbury, Texas
My most treasured souvenir came from
our 10-day trip to Grand Cayman in
2001. My husband surprised me for our
fifth wedding anniversary by arrang-
ing for us to renew our vows at sunset
on Seven Mile Beach. It was a total
surprise, and he even had our friends
there to share the special moment. Our
souvenir, however, didn’t arrive until
several months later with the birth of
our identical twin daughters!
Kim Kimball
Waconia, Minnesota
18
It has to be the conch shell that my
St. Barts fiancé gave me. He cut off
the tip so I could blow it, like in the
old days, when fishermen used them to
announce they were arriving with their
catch. Others used them to communicate
with friends and family before the tele-
phone was commonplace. It’s not only a
beautiful souvenir, but also a symbol of
a simpler way of life.
Candee Duensing
Bradenton, Florida
My most treasured souvenir from the
Caribbean is definitely my husband. We
met on vacation on Antigua. We were
both staying at Hawksbill Beach Hotel,
but didn’t connect until we each decided
to go scuba diving. I guess you could say
we hit it off, because two years after that
we took a small group of friends and
family back to Antigua and were married
on a bluff above the sea at Hawksbill. It
was pure magic. Nineteen years and two
daughters later, we still go back every
chance we get.
Maria Feld
Darien, Connecticut
The next topic for discussion:
Describe the best Caribbean beach
day you’ve ever had.
WRITE TO US
Write a Great Letter, Win Cool Stuff!
In each issue, CT&L showcases readers’ letters
about a topic chosen by our editors. If we pick your
letter for publication, you’ll receive a great gift — a
book, a free subscription or whatnot. Entries must
be postmarked no later than November 1, 2006.
Please keep responses to 100 words or less. As
always, CT&L reserves the right to edit letters for
length and content. You can mail these and other
letters to Caribbean Travel & Life Reader Response,
460 N. Orlando Ave., Ste. 200, Winter Park, FL
32789; fax us at 407-628-7061; or send e-mail to
postcards@caribbeantravelmag.com.
C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M
OUR CARIBBEAN
Grand
Bahama Island
like a good NEIGHBOR Great
Abaco
The Bahamas lie so close to the U.S. Bimini 1
mainland (Bimini is less than 50 miles off
New Providence
the coast; the Abacos, Eleuthera, Nassau
and Freeport are all less than an hour from

=$&+6729$//
Florida) that they’re ideal for even short
getaways. Check out the battle of the sexes Andros
Bahamas-style on page 60. 1

Great Exuma

Cuba Long Island

Cancún

Cozumel
Mexico
Riviera Maya

Costa Maya
Cayman
Ambergris Caye Islands
Jamaica
Belize
Roatán
Utila Guanaja
what’s old IS NEW
Guatemala Santo Domingo, Dominican
Honduras Republic, is the oldest
European settlement in
the Western Hemisphere,
*5(*-2+16721

founded by Christopher
Columbus’ brother
Nicaragua Bartolomeo in 1496. A
Providencia slew of new mega-resorts
with golf courses and marinas keeps this country
San Andrés
looking ahead; get the details on page 50. 3

ROOT down
Root vegetables, Costa Rica
like the potato-
7+(2:(67(1%(5*(5

sized tuber San Blas

dasheen, are
among the most
important crops Panama
on St. Vincent, Colombia
where agriculture, not tourism, is still the top
moneymaker. Turn to page 80 to see how
Vincies are preserving the good old days. 2

20 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M
 NOVEMBER 2006 Bermuda

fort FISH
A mile off Grand Turk,
Gibb’s Cay was home to
'$55(//-21(6

the 18th-century French

Eleuthera
emplacement Fort Castries.
Today the uninhabited islet
laying LOW
Cat Island Out of 60 British
is a favorite for day-trippers
who come to swim with the stingrays. Get the 411 on the Virgin Islands,
San
Anegada — which

%2%.5,67&25%,6
Salvador Turks and Caicos’ beaches and cays on page 70. 4
means “drowned
land” in Spanish
— is the only one
Acklins Turks and Caicos formed of lime-
4 stone and coral. All the others have volcanic origins. 5

Great Inagua St. Thomas

Culebra St. John
Vieques
British Virgin Islands
Haiti Dominican 5 Anguilla
Republic St. Maarten/St. Martin
3 Puerto St. Barts
Rico 6 Barbuda
St. Croix
Saba Antigua
St. Eustatius
KING of the hill St. Kitts Guadeloupe
The Caribbean’s sta-
Nevis
tus as a go-to movie
Dominica
location is nothing Montserrat
new. Saba’s Mount
Martinique
'(%%,(612:

Scenery starred in the

opening scene of the St. Lucia
1933 King Kong. 6 Barbados
St. Vincent and
Aruba the Grenadines 2
Curaçao
Los Roques
Grenada
Margarita
Bonaire Island Tobago
La Tortuga

Trinidad

Venezuela

NOVEM BER 2006 21

 I S L A N D
J O U R N E Y , E N G A G E , I N D U L G E ,

JUST BACK ANGUILLA

O n e S ophi st i ca t e d S a n d b o x

A
mostly flat 35 square miles of scrub-covered limestone puddled with salt ponds,

Anguilla derives her considerable sex appeal from working what she’s got: 33

spectacular beaches. Whitewashed, Mediterranean-style luxury resorts like Cap

Juluca, Cove Castles and CuisinArt rise above the bleach-white sand to strike poses against

blue sea and sky, attracting a tony, celebrity-studded clientele. And the quality of restaurants

like Altamer, Pimm’s and Blanchard’s rival those of

nearby St. Martin for gastronomic honors.

SEASIDE STRESS REDUCTION
Malakh Day Spa (264-497-7251;
malakhdayspa.com) recently set up shop
on Upper Shoal Bay. It’s just around the
corner from Shoal Bay East — the island’s
most popular beach — and right next-
door to the excellent little beach bar/
restaurant, Gwen’s, but the spa carves
out a peaceful slice of sand, conducive
to an afternoon massage or reflexology
session. Request a side-by-side couple’s
massage under the tented gazebo with
Anguilla has maintained its low-key trendy status
quo over the last couple of years, but this coming sea-
son should see some new blood, and the buzz is about
splashy residential resorts on the horizon.
 THE CLASS OF ’08 Word is that big bold-faced
names have bought up the luxurious digs under devel-
opment at Viceroy Resort & Residences (264-498-
5555; 800-357-1930; viceroyanguilla.com). In addition
to private homes, the resort will offer an
upscale Kor Hotel on its 36 acres that extend Villas are in on Anguilla.
from the beach along Barnes Bay to the Recently renovated, the
bluffs overlooking Meads Bay. Villa at View Fort
On the southern shore’s Rendezvous Bay, crowns the dramatic
the Sonesta has been leveled to make way for cliffs above Crocus Bay.
the estate homes, townhouses and villas of
the St. Regis Resort at Temenos (264-498-7000; stregis
residences.com). Like the Viceroy, the St. Regis won’t
come online until 2008, but the island’s first golf course,
Temenos Golf Club (264-222-8200), designed by Greg
Norman, is hosting its inaugural invitational tournament
'(%%,(612: 

the soothing sound of the sea in the back- early this month — and a second Blanchard’s restaurant
ground, or head indoors for a hot-stone is opening in the 28,000-square-foot clubhouse.
treatment, facial, body wrap or a scrub  FOR RENT Villas are popping up all over Anguilla.
with an array of natural concoctions. Located on the southeast shore, just a two-minute walk

22 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M
HOPPING
U N W I N D , D I S C O V E R A N D P L A Y

NOVEM BER 2006 23

 ISLAND HOPPING

Shoal Bay
East
The Valley
Sandy
Ground
A
Meads LL
Bay
G UI
AN
Rendezvous
Bay
from great snorkeling at Sandy Hill Bay,
the recently completed Bird of Paradise
(264-498-3200; islanddreamproperties
.com) features four master suites set
around a lagoon-style pool. Desert Rose
(264-498-8777; islanddreamproperties
.com) is expecting its first guests this
month. This hillside villa’s three bed-
rooms, living area and kitchen all face
a spacious patio overlooking an infinity
pool and the sea beyond; guests have
access to a private island. The newly
remodeled Villa at View Fort (264-497-
2781; villasatviewfort.com) on the crest
of Crocus Hill seamlessly combines Old
Caribbean charm with contemporary
technology — think four-posters and
hammocks alongside wireless Internet
and flat screens. This four-bedroom, six-
bath bilevel has a gazebo/bar, pool and
several decks facing the sea.
 NEW MENUS With more than 70
restaurants on Anguilla, the hardest part
of your day — after picking which beach
to hit — is choosing a place to eat.
Caprice (264-498-8000) on Maunday’s
Bay opened last Valentine’s Day, serv-
ing Northern Italian fare and lots of
Italian reds from the cache of sommelier
 CHEF’S CHOICE At
CuisinArt Resort (264-498-
2000; cuisinartresort.com)
the new culinary team of
Michael A. Goodman and
Denise Carr bring worldly
From top: Upper Shoal experience to Mediterraneo
Bay offers empty sand and Santorini. A 2,500-
and fine snorkeling, bottle wine cellar has just
along with a new spa; been completed. There
CuisinArt’s Venus Spa. are ongoing cooking
classes, and an updated
demo series is in the works. You can
also observe master chefs at George’s
Restaurant (264-497-6666) during Le
Grand March Culinary Challenge, a new
event on Monday nights at Cap Juluca.
Guest chefs are invited from as far away
as Indonesia, Italy and India to compete
in the cook-off. Afterward, you’ll meet
the maestros and taste their creations.
 FEED YOUR SKIN Anguilla’s resort spas
are adding more indigenous therapies.
After a day in the sun, slake your thirsty
skin with the Hydroponic Cucumber and
Aloe Wrap at the Venus Spa (264-498-
2000) at CuisinArt. Get rubbed with
the new brown-sugar body polish, then
Abbi Ibrahim. Don’t miss the homemade experience a Lulur Royal Ritual at the
gnocchi — pillows of air stuffed with Cap Juluca Spa (264-497-6666; capjuluca
ricotta and smothered in walnuts and .com). Honey and yogurt hydrate your
gorgonzola. Picante (264-498-1616), a face while your body soaks under mois-
taquería with a tropical twist, has been turizer-packed banana leaves during the
on the A-list since opening last year. Banana Body Glaze at Malliouhana Spa
Select from steak chimichangas, fish (800-835-0796; malliouhana.com).
tacos and chicken enchiladas. — Debbie Snow

SET SAIL He e - Ha w Go e s Na s s a u

H
723'(%%,(612:  &$51,9$/&58,6(/,1(6 

ard to envision Hank Williams Sr. honky-tonkin’ on the high seas, but that doesn’t keep the present generation
of Nashville stars from kickin’ it island style. Carnival’s Country Cruise Getaway, a three-day sail to Nassau,
Bahamas, will showcase superstar Tim McGraw — plus a slew of performances by some of country music’s
hottest young singers and songwriters. All of the artists — including McGraw, who won’t be cruising but will join the party
in progress in Nassau — will take part in a “behind the music” Q&A session. Fans
can also brush up on their boot scooting with line-dancing lessons, and take a shot at winning $20,000
during a Texas hold ’em poker tournament. The cruise, which sails from Fort Lauderdale on January 28,
2007, will take place aboard Carnival’s newest Fun Ship, the 2,974-passenger Carnival Liberty. Rates
start at $1,099 per person. Contact: 888-487-3603; countrycruisegetaway.com — Brad Kovach

24 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M
 ISLAND HOPPING

SLEPT HERE
C o c o n ut Ba y, St . Lu c i a
long sandy beach offer something for
every sun worshipper. Windsurfers
and kiteboarders can play at nearby
Anse de Sable Bay, and the nicely
equipped gym will help the less adventur-
ous rationalize tonight’s tiramisu. Doubles
range from $310 to $470 in low season
BRING IT HOME
($380 to $610 high). 758-456-9999;
Dre am We ave rs
cbayresort.com — Janet Bohac
Right in the center of George Town on

O
n the breezy southern tip of this
scenic island, rope hammocks Great Exuma, five Bahamian women
sway under flapping palms, Kai sit in the shade of a huge Indian fig
Mer spa beckons with aromatherapy, and tree, weaving like there’s no tomor-
all 254 generous rooms have
row. At the Exuma Straw Market, their
seaside views of the Maria Lounge by the
sea or join the colorful handbags, baskets, dolls and
Islands Nature Reserve.
water-park fun at
Coconut Bay, St. Lucia’s other keepsakes practically spill out
Coconut Bay.
newest all-inclusive, is kid- of the stalls and into the street. The
friendly, too, combining lazy river rafting patterns vary from vendor to vendor,
with nature hikes at CocoLand water park and prices range from $25 for a hat
and activity center. Dinners can be ele-
to $100 for an intricate basket — but
gant — Bellagio serves Italian; Silk does
you can try to bargain. The market is

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: COCONUT BAY (2); ZACH STOVALL; DEBBIE SNOW
pan-Asian — or casual (Coconut Walk’s
buffet). A large pool with a swim-up open every day except Sunday, from
bar, an adults-only “quiet pool” and a 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. — Fiona Anavi

FIELD GUIDE Sa l t o f t h e Ea r t h
Bonaire’s flat topography, dry climate and steady trade winds make it a natural
for producing one thing. No, not windsurfers, though it also excels at that. We’re
talking about the world’s most important seasoning: salt. As early as the 15th
century, the Dutch began to harvest the island’s salt for use in their herring trade.
Salt pans cover much of the southern half of the island, where seawater is pumped
in from dams and left to evaporate in lowland areas, a process that can take up to a
year. The salt is then extracted, sieved, washed and piled into mountains to await
shipping — most of it comes to the United States. — Debbie Snow

26 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M
 ISLAND HOPPING

TA L K T H E TA L K
“No nyam di bickle?” asks your waitress. “If belly ah gripe, me a gwine get
likkle wash-out.” Unless you’re fluent in Jamaican “hard talk,” you might not
know that she’s asking why you haven’t finished your food, and offering
to bring you some Pepto if you have a stomach ache. Caribbeanize your
vocabulary with these common words and sayings, many of which are
collected in Richard Allsopp’s Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage.
Then, you can tell your waitress: “Me a irie” (“I’m good”).

All Fruits Ripe (Jamaica): Long-Head (Caribbean-wide):

“It’s all good.”
Bassa-Bassa (Antigua, USVI):
Taking things easy; not complaining.
ARMCHAIR TRAVEL Cheese-On (Barbados):
Fre n c h Ac c e n t s Expression of surprise and
Brainy; clever.
Manager-Belly (Guyana): A man’s
paunch; beer belly.
Ninyam (Antigua, Barbuda): Any
food prepared for eating; a meal.

F
or their visually stunning book, admiration.
French Island Elegance, author Cool Runnings (Jamaica): Used
Michael Connors and photog- like “bon voyage,” it means “have
rapher Bruce Buck put a decade into a safe trip.”
researching architecture and furniture on Darkers (Jamaica): Sunglasses.
Martinique, Guadeloupe, Marie-Galante, Dog Cheap (Trinidad, Tobago):
St. Martin and St. Barts. To page through For sale at an unbelievably low
the 160 photos and engaging text is to price — buy it!
enter a timeless world where you sit in an Ears-Hard (Belize): Stubbornly
antique rocker in the library of an 18th- disobedient.
century greathouse surrounded by carefully Fete Down (Trinidad): Lots
tended gardens and fields. You’re privy to of partying.
tales of planters and merchants, of sugar Gypsy-Mouth (BVI): A talkative
and slaves. In the end, you find yourself person who often makes no sense.
returning again and again to the pictures,
Hurry-Come-Up (Caribbean-
and plotting a trip to the French West
wide): Shoddy.
Indies to see for yourself what survived.
In Da Morrows (Jamaica): Why
(hnabooks.com; $40) — B.K.
do today what you can put off
till tomorrow?
Jeng-Jeng (Belize): A worthless
collection of things; junk.
Kill Mi Dead (Jamaica): A state-
Oui Foute (Dominica, Grenada,
St. Lucia): “How remarkable!”
Pickney (Caribbean-wide):
A young child.
Ping-Pong (Trinidad): The lead or
soprano pan in a steel drum band.
Ring-Ding (Belize, Guyana,
Jamaica): Any kind of noisy
excitement or party.
Soon Come (Caribbean-wide):
A short time from now … maybe.
Thingamerry (Barbados): Same as
thingumabob.
Vap (St. Lucia, Trinidad):
A sudden onset of moodiness;
a bad mood.
When Fowl Make Teeth
(Grenada): Never ever.
Wizzy-Wizzy (Barbados): To
whisper or speak in huddled
secrecy.
Yuck Up (Bahamas): To tick some-
BRUCE BUCK (2)

ment of certainty, or like “over body off, make them angry.

my dead body.” — Brad Kovach

28 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M
 ISLAND HOPPING

WHEN ON JAMAICA
Savo r t he Fla vo r

W
hy drag yourself on a
(yawn) factory tour when
you could be climb-
ing Dunn’s River Falls? Well, because
Walkerswood Caribbean Foods is more
than just boilers and bottling machines HOME AWAY
— it’s a genuine Jamaican village
Ne gril Be ach Vill a
tucked in the hills of St. Ann. This new
You pretty much have to be in a boat
45-minute tour includes stops
Do the jerk at to sleep any closer to the water than
at an authentic jerk pit and
Wa l k e r s w o o d you can in this three-bedroom Spanish-
a wattle-and-daub hut sur- Caribbean Foods,
style house on 160 feet of Jamaica’s
rounded by herbs, where Mother home of Jamaica’s cooking and healing. You can see
finest sauces and renowned Negril Beach. A bi-level
Thyme herself shares secrets on some of the company’s 21 sauces
seasonings. veranda provides cover for an alfresco
being made, but the payoff is a
dining area, plus there’s a private pool
snack at the tasting shack or a meal at the
and deck with a commanding sea view
café. Afterward, wander in the tropical
— and it’s all set amid one and a half
water garden and browse the kitchen craft

&/2&.:,6()5207230,''/(:$/.(56:22'&$5,%%($1)22'6  683(5&/8%6  =$&+6729$//

shop. Open daily 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Admission: $15 for adults, $7.50 for chil-
dren under 12. Contact: 876-917-2318;
walkerswood.com — B.K.
WEB POLL RESULTS
Wh a t’s yo ur f a vo r i t e t ro p i c a l d r ink ?
acres of gardens. Three bedrooms,
including an upstairs master with Jacuzzi
tub and dressing room, can sleep eight.
The villa is managed by SuperClubs,
and the staff of three includes a chef.
Rates: $5,950 per week in low season
($7,000 high). Contact: 877-467-
8737; superclubs.com

PIÑA COLADA 27%

MARGARITA 26%

RUM PUNCH 21%

DAIQUIRI 15%

MOJITO 11%

30 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M
 ISLAND HOPPING
DAY TRIP ST. CROIX
Joy R i d i n g
I
’m no horse lover — my childhood
included too many riding lessons
gone awry — but the idea of trotting
through a tropical forest and galloping
down the beach sounds like an irresistible
way to experience St. Croix. So I gather
my courage and make a reservation with
Paul and Jill’s Equestrian Stables on the
west coast near Frederiksted. When Jill
Hurd greets me and asks if I’ve ridden
before, I fib and tell her I’m as green as
they come — it never hurts to err on the
side of caution.
Jill saddles a quarter horse named
Lazy Blaze — I’m hoping for more laze
than blaze — and leads us through an
orchard of star fruit, mango and avocado
trees and then into the woods. Although
St. Croix’s lush expanses don’t receive
enough precipitation to qualify as true
rainforest, the dense canopy suggests
that’s a mere technicality. Mahogany,
turpentine and kapok trees mingle over-
head, creating a green canvas daubed
with vibrant yellow orchids and purple
passion fruit flowers.
So familiar is Jill with the plants
along the path that she’s even nick-
32
named some of them. We pass the them here to nibble from the waist-high
Swiss Family Robinson Tree, whose grasses. The warm glow of the setting
sprawling branches look like they sun and the unfettered horses wander-
could accommodate even the extended ing contentedly all around me create an
family Robinson. enchanting scene.
Farther along, she For a finale, we
tells me a ghost run the horses on the
story: In a particular- beach, and I realize
ly dense spot where that my fears have
sunlight is scarce, a vanished. I feel liber-
young upstart seed- ated and powerful,
ling moved in and even though my
began choking one horse is more comfy
of its elders as it Happy trails through St. Croix’s jungle sofa than fireball.
grew. When the wind and down one of its beaches. I say goodbye to
blows just right, the Jill and Lazy Blaze,
trees emit an eerie whine that sounds and head down the sand in search of a
like an attic door creaking shut. That’s saddle at the Sunset Grill. After my second
the Haunted Tree, of course. Painkiller, it occurs to me: Maybe I’m a
As we saunter along, Lazy Blaze’s horse lover after all. — Brooke Morton
leisurely pace makes for effortless sight- Paul and Jill’s Equestrian Stables (340-
seeing from a commanding vantage 772-2880; pws.prserv.net/paul-and-jills)
point, and plenty of photo opportunities. operates two rides daily in high season (one
Around dusk, we enter a field where ride in low). Each guided rainforest or
KASEY CANTON (2)
I’m surprised to see horses roaming nature tour lasts two hours. Cost: $75 per
freely. I ask Jill where they came from, person. The Sunset Grill (340-772-5855)
and she laughs. The horses aren’t wild, is open daily for lunch (11 a.m. – 3 p.m.)
she says — they’re hers — she brings and dinner (5 p.m. – 9 p.m.).
C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M
 ISLAND HOPPING
LIVELY UP CLIFF BAR
Pi ra t e s Ca ve Ba r & Re s t a u ra nt , Ne gril, Jamaica
D
DEEP BACKGROUND The set-
ting is the stuff of local legend:
a watery cave carved out of a
30-foot-tall sea cliff on Negril’s West
End. In the ’50s, parts of the film 20,000
Leagues Under The Sea were shot inside
the rocky hollow, and in the ’70s, Steve
McQueen leaped from the cliffs to make
his escape from Devil’s Island in the
prison classic Papillon. A thatched hooch
hut was added atop the precipice in the
early ’80s, and today it’s a funky hangout
for cliff-diving daredevils and wannabe
pirate booty hunters.
CAST OF CHARACTERS Shortly before
the sun slips below the horizon, party
boats float in and booze cruisers jump
ship to head for the cliff. One rum punch
later, they McQueen off the rocks and
into the sea below. Most of the cheerlead-
ing onlookers wander in from nearby
boutique resorts and villas or hop cabs
from the beachside all-inclusives.
34
DIVERSIONS While cliff jumping is
mainly an amateur-hour frenzy, hired
locals steal the show when they shimmy
into trees to perform Olympian flips
from 40 and 50 feet above the water. The
commanding west-facing view is perfect
for sipping a sundowner while jiving to
reggae rhythms.
SUSTENANCE To boost that spent adren-
aline, try the grilled lobster, or your choice TRY THIS AT
of chicken or shrimp in homemade jerk
sauce. Animal lovers can veg out on Rasta HOME
pasta with ackee and tomatoes. Pirates Punch
¾ oz. vodka
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE Pirates Cave
¾ oz. Appleton rum
(876-957-0925; piratescavenegril.com)
2 oz. orange juice
is open seven days a week starting at 11
2 oz. pineapple juice
a.m. There’s no cover, but cliff jumpers
squeeze of lime
from party barges pay a $2 fee, which
sugar to taste
=$&+6729$// 
includes a “rum punch of courage.”
Check with the bar for occasional Pirate Mix together and garnish with
Parties, featuring free buffets and rollick- orange wedge and cherry.
ing music. — Zach Stovall
C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M
 Clockwise from top
left: soft corals of
West Caicos; Delvin’s
Cove; endangered silver
thatch palm; pristine
shoreline. Opposite:
A Ritz-Carlton rises
above a national park.

36 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M
 ISLAND HOPPING

CARIBBEAN LIFE
Ca n Lux u r y Tre a d Li g h t l y ? • By David Sw anson

A
s the sun rises on West Caicos, the only sound is the swish of wavelets caressing the soft

white sand. When a faint breeze eases over the dunes of this uninhabited 11-square-mile

island, its wake ripples through a field of sea oats and gently stirs a stand of rare silver thatch

palms. On Lake Catherine, a 500-acre nature reserve in the center of the island, hundreds of roseate

flamingos rouse and begin to feed in the shallow water. By 7:30, though, the West Caicos hush is broken

by foreign sounds — the staccato beating of hammers and the whine of power saws.

Observers of the development fever gripping the Turks and Caicos see West Caicos as another domino

that’s falling to the luxury building boom taking place on Providenciales, just six miles away. “Turks and

Caicos is being developed very

&/2&.:,6()520723/()7%2%)5,(/'$9,'6:$1621 

quickly,” says Glenn Gerber, a

Caribbean conservation specialist

with the San Diego Zoological

Society. “There’s obviously some

pressure to bring money in and

develop things, sometimes in an

unsustainable manner.”

NOVEM BER 2006 37

 ISLAND HOPPING
Construction on Provo has proceeded
at light speed over the last decade, and
developers have already carved out their
plans for North Caicos, Ambergris Caye
and Dellis Caye. So why push resort
sprawl to West Caicos? Why build up a
small, environmentally unique island that’s
the site of two national parks?
“If we didn’t do it, someone else
would,” says David Hartshorn, director
of Logwood Development Company,
which recently began construction on
the island. Phase one of what Logwood
has named “West Caicos Reserve” calls
Further Developments
While no opposition was noted to
the plans for West Caicos, other new
developments in the region are raising
a considerable ruckus — and some are
not going up without a fight.
W hen it comes to beaches, water and
reefs, few places in the world can
match the natural beauty of the Bahamas’
Out Islands. And in few places is the
economy so directly tied to the health of
the environment. Tourism here has always
been low-scale and all about sand, snorkeling,
diving and sport fishing. The government of
the Bahamas, though, has stated its plan to
attract large “anchor” developments to each
of its island groups. Two current projects
that many consider out of scale with their
surroundings are being fought by both local
interests and international organizations.
Marine biologists who’ve done research
for more than two decades around the tiny
pair of islands that make up Bimini are already
calling the mangrove destruction and exten-
sive siltation created during the ongoing con-
struction of Bimini Bay Resort & Casino an
ecological disaster. A press release from the
developer, Miami-based Capo Group, states
that the Bimini Bay will eventually include
1,590 residential units, 500 marina berths
and an 18-hole Robert Trent Jones golf
course. Along with the damage to the fragile
ecosystem, residents have also protested the
38
for a 125-room Ritz-Carlton, 35 condos
and a 140-slip deep-water marina able
to handle yachts as long as 200 feet. Up
to 190 more private homes and cottages
(starting at $2.6 million) will be added
over the next 10 years in settlements all
around the coast.
With the marina dredging, the diesel
generators to power at least 350 air con-
ditioners, the outflow from potentially
thousands of toilet flushes a day, up to
140 boats with their fuel and waste tanks,
tons of garbage, and all the fresh water
needed to keep people and landscaping
number of permits given to foreign workers
and being prevented from accessing public
land and beaches.
Seven-mile-long Great Guana Cay has
a population of fewer than 200. A group
of those residents –— descendants of the
Abacos’ Loyalist settlers along with expat
homeowners -— are battling tooth, nail and
barrister (saveguanacayreef.com) against a
585-acre project called Baker’s Bay Golf &
Ocean Club. The luxury development by San
Francisco-based Discovery Land (discovery
landco.com) calls for 400 homes and 100
“villa rooms” behind a guarded gate.
This moonscape was part of Bimini Harbour before a Miami-based developer began a dredge
and fill operation to create more land for Bimini Bay Resort & Casino. (Photo 2002)
alive, this kind of development could
easily be an ecological tragedy for West
Caicos’ fragile wetlands and its coral
reefs. Directly offshore, the reef drops to
6,000 feet, creating some of the world’s
most spectacular wall dives, and corals
are extremely sensitive to the siltation
and eutrophication (nutrient loading)
that accompanies human activity.
Hartshorn is acutely aware of the
Turks and Caicos rocketing growth.
“When I moved here in 1991, there
were only 900 people living on Provo,”
he says. “Today, there are 30,000.” But
The Baker’s Bay plan includes cleaning up
the mess made when the Premiere Cruises/
Disney Big Red Boat used part of the area for
day-trippers, but in what some experts feel
will be a catastrophe for Guana’s coral reef
and mangrove estuary, it also includes build-
ing an 18-hole golf course and a 180-slip
mega-yacht-ready marina. At press time, con-
struction had been halted by a Privy Council
stop-work order while Bahamian courts pon-
der the issues. — Bob Friel
Go to caribbeantravelmag.com/developments
for more on the issues.
%2%)5,(/
&5(',7
C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M
 ISLAND HOPPING

he says that he saw in West Caicos an

opportunity “to do it right” by taking
advantage of green strategies to mitigate
the harmful impacts of development.
In 2003, Logwood and the T&C
government drafted a 10-year plan for
the island with the help of Hitesh Mehta,
an expert on sustainable tourism with
the Florida-based design firm EDSA.
Though West Caicos Reserve won’t be
an eco-resort by any stretch of the phrase,
a strategy for low-impact development
was established. Among the resolutions:
No structures will be built on dunes
or ridgelines; the national parks will be
expanded; and more than
90 percent of the island Paddling in saltwater
will remain undisturbed. Lake Catherine.

Solar power will be
used for electric vehicles
(the plan is for guests and
residents to get around
'$9,'6:$1621 
Opposite: An osprey
takes flight over the
dunes of West Caicos.

40 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M
via golf carts or bicycles, with as few
combustion-engine cars and trucks on
the island as possible), but not for the
buildings, which will get electricity from
high-efficiency generators. “Right now,”
says Mehta, “because of high duty, instal-
lation costs and maintenance issues, alter-
native energy is too expensive.” Reliable
power is also necessary for Logwood’s
hotel partner. “The Ritz-Carlton has very
high standards,” says Mehta. “They don’t
want to risk a minute of blackout, and
they have to make sure foods are kept at
exact temperatures.”
Air conditioning will be available in
all guest rooms. As the single biggest
energy gobbler at a resort, AC is “one
of the most environmentally unfriendly
things out there,” acknowledges Alan
Lisenby, Logwood’s managing director.
But in a break with standard Ritz-
Carlton practice, air conditioning will
NOVEM BER 2006
not hum through most common areas
of the resort.
Introduced landscaping, with its vora-
cious needs, can also be especially dam-
aging to the environment. “Traditionally
what a hotel does is rip out the native
vegetation and put in plants grown in
Florida that require a lot of water,” says
Lisenby. “We’re not going to do that,
and we’re putting in a waste-water treat-
ment plant that will return gray water to
use for irrigation, pumped using solar
power.” The resort will also eschew the
use of chemical fertilizers that would
quickly poison the reefs.
Sludge from the waste treatment plant
will be hauled to drying beds in a landfill
area. After drying for a few weeks, it will
be composted or used as fill. “We are
opposed to using incinerators for this
particular project,” says Lisenby.
As for other waste, the plan calls for
glass to be crushed and used for road
aggregate, metals to be sold or given
away, and anything biodegradable to be
composted for mulch.
If developed according to the current
plan, West Caicos may offer those who
can afford the steep buy-in at least a feel-
good shade of light-green environmental
41
 ISLAND HOPPING

stewardship. For now. The stipulation to leave

90 percent of the island undeveloped expires West Caicos and its
in 2013. What happens after that is largely up coral-sand beaches
to the Turks and Caicos government, a body have been empty since
that is just now putting forth a plan for devel- the early 1900s.
oping North West Point on Provo — possibly
to include a mega-yacht marina, resort and golf
course on part of an existing national park.
Ethlyn Gibbs, director of the non-profit Turks
and Caicos National Trust, which is charged with
protecting the historic and natural heritage of the
islands, says her group has struggled to stay abreast
of such accelerating developments.
“Our team is very small, and we haven’t been
able to deal with all the issues as efficiently as
we’d like,” she said. “We’re doing what we can to
make sure that some of these places are protected
for future generations. But we sometimes feel like

'$9,'6:$1621
we’re very much alone in our fight.”

West Caicos Reserve (westcaicosreserve.com)

Turks and Caicos National Trust (nationaltrust.tc)

42 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M
ISLAND HOPPING
The Caribbean’s hang-
ing harvest includes
(clockwise from top):
bunches of sea grapes;
egg-textured ackee;
sweet, sweet sapodilla.
LOCAL FLAVOR
R i p e f or th e Pick ing
M
angoes, passion fruit, papa-
yas, guavas … one of the
true pleasures of Caribbean
travel is filling up on the
freshest of these familiar tropical fruits.
Look around carefully on market day,
though, and you’ll find that the region is
also home to a mouthwatering selection
of truly exotic gems.
That thing that looks like an avocado
on steroids? Soursop. How about the
juicy result of crossbreeding an orange
and tangerine? It’s the homegrown
Frankenfruit called “ortanique.”
From ackee and guinep to sapodilla
and star apple, tropical fruits come in all
shapes, sizes, textures and flavors. And in
many parts of the Caribbean, they’re reach
44
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: BILL BOCH/BOTANICA; NATURAL VISIONS/ALAMY; STEVEN MARK NEEDHAM/FOODPIX
up and pick ’em off the tree bountiful.
We asked chefs throughout the region
to weigh in on their favorites and recom-
mend the best ways to enjoy them.
Q SOURSOP
These lopsided ovals covered in spiky
green bumps ain’t much to look at, but
our chefs agree that the tart white flesh
tops the taste charts. Called zuurzak in
the ABC islands and guanábana in the
Spanish-speaking Caribbean, this fruit’s
distinctive flavor survives even the too-
common over-sugaring.
Soursop juice is popular for pepping
up cocktails, both spiked and virgin.
Vanilla and condensed milk are frequent-
ly mixed with the juice on Dominica,
C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M
 ISLAND HOPPING
says Beau Rive’s Mark Steele, though he
prefers a squeeze of lime and just a hint
of sweetener. Edward Ellis of Aruba’s
famed Papiamento Restaurant concocts
a healthy quaff with soursop juice and
soy milk (“It gets the milk excited,” he
says), while at the Home Restaurant on
Antigua, Carl and Rita Thomas whip up
a soursop cocktail that’s an intoxicatingly
tart delight. “It’s a great fruit for drinks,”
says Rita. “It goes really well with rum.”
Soursop desserts are winners, too.
Nevisians use it to flavor a popsicle-like
concoction known as “frozen joy.” Nigel
Gore and Calvin Francis of Antigua’s
Jolly Beach toss it on cheesecake and
make ice cream with it.
It’s not all swigs and sweets, though.
Sarah Daniels of Nevis’ Golden Rock
Hotel recommends it for jams, jellies and
even wine. Its tart taste makes it good for
main dishes, says Andy Niedenthal, who
46
whips it into a jerk glaze for just about
anything at Peter Island Resort. Roland
Czekelius of the Westin St. John marinates
mahi-mahi in it, and finishes the dish
with soursop beurre blanc. Club Med’s
Erik Peters says, “It’s best au naturel.”
Q STAR APPLE
Not to be confused with carambola (star
fruit), the star apple comes with green
or, more commonly, purple skin. Cut it
in two and the halves show a star pat-
tern on the fruit. Its dusky, sweet flavor
is apple-like, and the most familiar use
is in the Jamaican dish called matri-
mony, a fruit salad in which the deep
violet of star apple combines with the
bright hue of orange or ortanique, often
with condensed milk added. “The tangy
orange and slippery sweet star apple work
well together,” says Jamaica Inn’s Belinda
Collier-Morrow.
Soursop
Q SEA GRAPES
More than just a shady shrub for beach-
goers to hide under, these plants produce
tiny purple fruits that are used from the
Bahamas to Tobago for wine, jams and
even post-swimming refreshment right
BURKE/TRIOLO PRODUCTIONS/BOTANICA
off the bush. Gloria Webbe of Nevis’
Oualie Beach tops cheesecake with them,
while the Westin’s Czekelius boils them
into vinaigrette. “Their tartness and acid-
ity is a refreshing surprise,” he says.
Q SAPODILLA
Also known as sapodilly, naseberry or
sometimes just dilly, this sweet fibrous
C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M
 ISLAND HOPPING
fruit looks like a dark brown egg, has the
texture of chewing gum and tastes like a
mouthful of brown sugar. It’s most often
seen in jams, custards and ice creams,
but you’ll even find a shudderingly sweet
“dilly pie.” Robert Oliver of Almond
Resorts blends sapodilla with sugar syrup
and ginger beer, then spritzes in lime
juice and a shot of rum.
Q ACKEE
Here’s an oddity — a fruit that’s poison-
ous until it’s fully ripe. Used more like a
vegetable, it has a texture and taste not
unlike scrambled eggs. The classic dish
is Jamaican ackee and saltfish, though
Collier-Morrow suggests onion, scotch
bonnet and bacon for the “saltfish-phobic.”
She also recommends the less common
treatment of frying ackee whole. Janice
Ryan uses them for soups and soufflés
at Montpelier Plantation Inn on Nevis,
48
while Grand Lido Negril’s executive chef,
Martin Maginley, creates ackee waffles,
cheesecake and ice cream.
Q GUINEP
This small, round fruit is the bane of
Caribbean moms, who have despaired
over many a stained shirt from their
kids’ guinep munching. Its large seed
leaves little meat, but what’s there is
lusciously sweet-tart, like an extra-sour
lychee. Islanders crack the tough green
skin with their teeth and suck out the
flesh. Richardson Skinner of St. Lucia’s
Coco Palm Hotel mixes the juice with
lime and/or ginger. They’re also soaked
in rum and spices for a popular drink
called “bili.”
Q ORTANIQUE
This Jamaican-born cross between
an orange and a tangerine (ORange/
A styled ortanique
TANgerine/unIQUE) has a sweeter, richer
taste than its forebears. Marry it with star
apple to create matrimony, or halve it
and eat it like grapefruit. At Jolly Beach
they use it in salad dressing. Jeff Billone
of Breezes Curaçao combines its juice
CHRIS DENNIS/ALAMY
with cilantro, cumin and garam masala
for a poultry marinade. Or just squeeze
out the goodness. “There’s orange juice,”
says Collier-Morrow, “and then there’s
ortanique juice.” — Rich Rubin
C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M
 ...a marriage made in heaven

Whether you choose Antigua and Barbuda for the holiday of a lifetime, for the perfect wedding
location or for an unforgettably romantic honeymoon, you can be absolutely sure that in these
exotic Caribbean islands you will discover an experience that will remain with you for a lifetime.
Winner of the prestigious Caribbean World Magazine award for 'Best Wedding Islands of
the year, Antigua and Barbuda is far more than just a honeymoon paradise – it's the ideal
destination for both couples and young families.
With 365 palm-fringed, white sand beaches, there is an amazing choice of accommodation
– from all-inclusive luxury resorts, to designer hotels, friendly guest houses and self catering
villas and apartments. And so much to do, from watersports to jeep
safaris and mountain biking and some of the most eye-catching
historical sites in the whole Caribbean.
Find out more about the unforgettable islands of Antigua and Barbuda
at www.antiguahotels.org or www.antigua-barbuda.org
WHAT'S HOT
THIS COMING WINTER PROMISES A SIZZLING HIGH SEASON,
WITH THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC MAKING ITS CLAIM AS THE
HOST WITH THE MOST GOING ON AND ALL YOUR OTHER
FAVORITE DESTINATIONS RAMPING UP THE STYLE.

50
P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y G R E G J O H N S T O N

WHAT’S HOT!

THIS COMING WINTER PROMISES A SIZZLING HIGH SEASON — THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

MAKES ITS CLAIM AS THE HOST WITH THE MOST GOING ON, AND ALL YOUR OTHER

FAVORITE DESTINATIONS RAMP UP THE STYLE.

D.R. digs: The Pacific-

style Sivory Punta
Cana. Opposite: Cap
Cana boasts 3.4-
miles of beach.
 T H E D . R . ( D Y N A M I C
T hese days, the Dominican Republic’s coast-
line is spiked with almost as many construc-
tion cranes as coconut palms. Ribbons are
being cut at sweatshop pace. The island
already hosts as many hotel visitors as
big players like Jamaica and the Mexican
Caribbean combined, and its
capacity is growing each year
by the total number of hotel
rooms in the entire USVI. Tourism-wise,
brand-new mega-resort compounds and bou-
tique hotels are hastening the transforma-
tion of the country from its Euro-package,
watered-down-booze past, into the capital
of a new style that can only be described as
“mass luxury.” The next three years alone will
see the opening of 10 world-class golf courses
and nine marina resorts.
Grandest of all the projects is the highly
anticipated Cap Cana in Punta Cana, the
largest development in the Caribbean with
30,000 acres and 3.4 miles of unspoiled
beaches. The 15-year $1.5 billion project
will eventually feature three Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf
Courses, the largest mega-yacht marina in the Caribbean
and three boutique hotels with 500 rooms, 5,000 resi-
dences and a polo club. Already, visitors are enjoying the
first phases, including the Caletón Beach Club and gour-
met restaurant, and Nicklaus’ first D.R. design, the Punta
Espada Golf Course (7,396 yards, par 72), which opened
this summer.
The first 79 of Cap Cana’s 500 boat slips are scheduled
to open next month along an elaborate network of canals
that will be lined with marina villas and shopping prom-
enades. Also scheduled for a December opening is the $54
million Altabella Sanctuary Hotel & Spa, a beachfront
property with 177 deluxe suites served by butlers. Next
year Cap Cana plans to open the Altabella Fishing Lodge
with 410 rooms at the marina, and the Golden Bear Lodge
with 98 rooms on the golf course.
Another enormous resort planning to open its first
52
R E P U B L I C )
phase by the end of this year is Atlantica in Luperon on the
north coast. This historic hurricane hole has a deepwater
harbor and 12 natural islands and peninsulas that will be
lined with waterfront residences. When fully completed
in 10 years, the 2,200-acre site will host three signature
golf courses, two luxury hotels, 16 boutique hotels, 3,000
residences, a 450-slip marina, 260 super-
yacht hangars, a cruise-ship terminal, a
tennis club and a polo club. Golfers are
already polishing their drivers in anticipa-
tion of teeing off by the end of the year on
the resort’s cliff-clinging Punta Atlantica
Ocean Signature Course, designed by
Arnold Palmer. Other Atlantica elements
expected to open by the holidays are
Hotel Ambar — a 50-roomer that looks
like a fortified Mediterranean island —
the Fisherman’s Village Bed & Breakfast,
and Bay Beach Club.
Although the D.R.’s third mega-resort
project, Roco Ki, won’t debut for over a
year, it already has golfers salivating. Roco
is being built on a 2,700-acre tract of land
northwest of Punta Cana, with 3.7 miles of white-sand beach-
es plus rocky headlands rising 100 feet out of the crashing surf.
Nick Faldo designed a 7,118-yard, par-73 signature course,
Campo Alto Verde, to tease along the cliff edge, Pebble Beach-
style. Complementing the golf course will be the Westin Roco
Ki Beach Resort hotel with 327 rooms and a large spa. As it
develops over ensuing years, Roco Ki will add more hotels,
residences, links and an equestrian center.
With all the new courses ready to play or coming online
soon, the D.R. looks ready to compete with Puerto Rico as
the Caribbean’s premier golf destination. Long ranked as
the region’s best course, Pete Dye’s Teeth of the Dog at Casa
de Campo reopened a year ago after an extensive makeover
that gave it even more bite. In addition to the Nicklaus and
Palmer courses, the 2006 openings include the Nick Price-
designed Punta Blanca Golf Course in Bavaro, adjacent
to the Majestic Colonial Punta Cana, which opened in
September. Scheduled to open in 2007 along with Faldo’s
C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G. CO M
 Clockwise, from left: Villa at
Puntacana Tortuga Bay, an
elite resort within Puntacana
Resort & Club/Tortuga; its
palmy beach; Six Sense Spa;
sophisticated Cap Cana.
Opposite: Sivory sommelier.

N OV E M B E R 2 0 0 6 53
 Roco Ki are the Corales Golf Course designed by Tom
Fazio at Puntacana Resort & Club/Tortuga and Catalonia
Cabeza de Toro Golf Club by Alberto Sola at Catalonia
Bavaro Resort.
On the resort front, it’s not all mega-news. When Casa
Colonial Beach & Spa — an elegant 50-suite luxury hotel in
Playa Dorada near Puerto Plata — opened to instant success
in November 2004, the boutique model was set in place.
Now, Dominican native Oscar de la Renta has personally
designed the sophisticated interiors at Puntacana Tortuga Bay,
an exclusive villa hotel within the Puntacana Resort & Club
that opened in December 2005. Guests get a golf cart with
their villa and have full use of resort facilities, including the
marina, tennis courts, riding stables, water-sports facilities
and Dye’s La Cana Golf Course. Six Senses Spa opened in
August featuring eight treatment suites that resemble wine
cellars, and two thatched-roof spa suites on the beach.
54
Sivory Punta Cana, which opened last December in
Uvero Alto, offers helicopter airport transfers, caviar-and-
gold facials in the Aquarea Spa and an 8,000-bottle wine
cellar. Ten of its 55 suites feature plunge pools, and all have
double-jet showers, stocked wine coolers and optional but-
ler service. The Ysla Club, an exclusive resort within a resort
made up of seven suites with a private pool and beach, is
scheduled to open at the end of the year.
Although much of the recent development has centered
around Punta Cana, the previously remote Samana penin-
sula is now getting a lot of attention and investment. With
El Catey International Airport opening at the beginning
of this month, large jets will be able to land here, and the
new highway from Santo Domingo to Samana is due to be
completed by 2008. The cruise lines discovered Samana
last winter, offloading some 50,000 day-trippers for land
adventures and whale watching. Cruise arrivals are expected
C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G. CO M
 Clockwise, from left: to double this winter.
Paradise awaits, poolside, To meet the burgeon-
at the ultra-sophisticated ing demand for rooms in
Sivory Punta Cana; sultan- Samana, Bahia Principe will
ate style at Paradisus Palma open four new hotels this
Real; newly opened Majestic year. Gran Bahia Principe
Colonial Punta Cana. Cayacoa overlooks the bay,
with 295 rooms, a pool and
deck overhanging the cliff, a circular restaurant on
another promontory and stone bridges that lead to two
offshore islands. Gran Bahia Principe Samana will offer
103 rooms, and Gran Bahia Principe El Portillo will add
396 rooms on the north coast near Las Terrenas. The
hotel company also purchased three-quarters of Cayo
Levantado, a small island with fluffy white-sand beaches,
and the 195-room Gran Bahia Principe Cayo Levantado
will evoke a castaway feel — except with hydro massage
tubs and optional butler service.
Of course, the Dominican Republic has not turned its
back on all-inclusive resorts, and new additions include
Riu Palace Punta Cana, which opened in May with 612
suites; Sun Village Resorts-Juan Dolio with 263 rooms
set to open early next year; and a Palace Resort under
construction in Punta Cana. Even the all-inclusives are
moving upscale: The $120 million Paradisus Palma Real
in Bavaro opened last December with 554 suites and the
option of Royal Service, private check-in and an exclusive
pool with Bali beds.
With all the new and improved resorts set to open, this
coming high season in the Dominican Republic should
prove hotter than a midday merengue marathon.
— Kathy Mangan

N OV E M B E R 2 0 0 6 55
 WHAT’S HOT FOR HIGH SEASON

R
ST. LUCIA
Right now, no island in the Caribbean is looking
at so many new resorts and condo communities
as St. Lucia. And yet this mostly quiet, hilly land
has managed to contain runaway development
because, with the exception of the Rodney Bay
hotel zone, most of its resorts are tucked away in
secluded coves.
Up north, the Plantation on Cotton Bay has
Egyptian cotton sheets and European kitchens.
The views from most balconies help compensate
for the logistics involved in getting to the beach.
(From $210 in low season, $420 high; 866-440-
6600; discoverystlucia.com)
What may well be the most eye-popping, jaw-
dropping new lodgings anywhere are to be found
further south near Soufriere, at the Infinity Suites
at Jade Mountain. A stand-alone wing of the

%27+3$*(6&/2&.:,6()520/()7$16(&+$67$1(7$9,/$%($&++27(/
emerged as a sort of villa village, with 74 spacious ever-popular Anse Chastanet Resort, the suites
suites in villas and townhouses arranged around have three walls, with infinity-edge plunge pools
a sprawling free-form pool. Secluded they may at the threshold of the absent fourth wall. From
be, but the Plantation is all about family-friendly the pool, or the comfort of custom-designed fur-
',6&29(5<$70$5,*27%$<$%$&2&/8%21:,1',1*%$<
domestic luxury, complete with designer kitchens niture, you can stare for hours at the mesmerizing
and entertainment centers. (From $425 in low panorama of the twin peaks of the Pitons. (From
season, $550 high; 800-544-2883; theplantation $950 in low season, $1,150 high; 800-223-1108;
cottonbay.com) jademountainstlucia.com) — Ian Keown
Halfway down the Caribbean coast lies
Marigot Bay, the picture-perfect, CURAÇAO
palm-shaded inlet where the origi- New and improved. Both There was a time, not so long ago,
nal Dr. Doolittle was filmed. Now, pages, left to right: Anse when Curaçao visitors automatically
scrambling up the hillside above the Chastanet’s Jade Mountain; checked into the Avila Hotel because
sailboats and dinghies, there’s a new Curaçao’s Avila Beach Hotel; it was a cozy family-run place, or as
luxury hideaway — Discovery at Discovery at Marigot Bay. they say in Dutch, gezellig. Over the
Marigot Bay, with 57 suites and 67 Opposite, inset: green scene years it was upgraded and restyled,
rooms kitted out with Fili d’Oro at Abaco Club, Bahamas. and now the Avila Beach Hotel is

56 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G. CO M
reinventing itself yet again
with the addition next month
of a 1,722-square-foot swim-
ming pool and a new 68-suite
Octagon Wing. A new spa will
open next spring. (From $90
year-round; 800-747-8162;
avilahotel.com) — I.K.
THE BAHAMAS
Come January, connoisseurs
of overstimulation will find
more attractions than ever at
Atlantis, Paradise Island. There will be $1 billion worth
of enhancements made to the resort and its famous
waterscape, including four adrenaline-inducing slides in
The Turbine and a Dolphin Cay Habitat and Education
Center featuring the marine mammals rescued from New
Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. When The Cove, Atlantis
opens with its 600 luxury suites, guests will be able to
enjoy “flying room service” that promises to get breakfast
to your bedside in less than 20 minutes. Also to come: a
new Mandara Spa in January. (From $600 in low season,
$800 high; 800-285-2684; thecoveatlantis.com)
Serenity-seekers, on the other hand, slip off to the
Out Islands, where Ritz-Carlton has just established a
N OV E M B E R 2 0 0 6
Bahamas foothold by taking
over management of the Abaco
Club. That’s great news for
escapists who want to enjoy
an improved level of wining
and dining in an unspoiled
environment. The new team is
changing the rules so vacation-
ers who want to enjoy the golf,
tennis and water sports at this
most exclusive of resorts will be
able to do so without forking
over a fortune in dues to join
the club. (From $650 in low season, $750 high; 800-241-
3333; theabacoclub.com) — I.K.
CANCÚN AND COZUMEL
By the time Wilma was downgraded from hurricane to
gale, Cancún and Cozumel were already painting, plant-
ing and plumbing around the clock — it was like This Old
House on steroids. Now the major resorts (the Marriotts,
El Presidente, Fiesta Americana, Ritz-Carlton and Westin)
have sprung back to life, rehabbed, restyled and rethought;
in some cases, they’re virtually new. Even the beach at
Cancún got a multimillion-dollar makeover, with tons of
new sand and landscaping.
57
 Club Med Cancún Yucatán Barceló recently opened two all-
reflects the resort chain’s “new lux- inclusives, the Maya Tropical Beach
ury” move, unveiling 384 larger- Hotel and the Maya Colonial Beach
than-usual rooms with flat-screen Hotel; both have 474 rooms, and
TVs. Unlike some of its sister Club the company rates them at five stars.
Meds, this 22-acre playground rolls They sit cheek by jowl with two
out a welcome mat for families, and other Barceló hotels, rated four stars;
some packages include tours of the five-star guests have access to every-
Yucatán’s spectacular cultural and thing the mega-resort has to offer.
natural sites. (All-inclusive rates for (All-inclusive rates from $147 in low
seven nights are $1,190 in low sea- season, $213 high; 800-227-2356;
son, $1,350 high; 800-932-2582; barcelo.com)
clubmed.com) Not to be outdone, in December
The spiffed-up 365-room Ritz- Iberostar is opening its luxurious
Carlton Cancún includes the adults-only Grand Hotel Paraiso on
Caribbean’s first Cliff Drysdale Tennis Playa Paraiso, adjoining no fewer
Center. At the Kayanta Spa you can than four sister hotels. The other
also take part in pilates, hotels’ all-inclusive
“poolates” and Thai facilities are available to
kickboxing, and come Grand guests, but the
evening, private dinners Grand’s pools, spa and
are served in tented casi- specialty restaurants are
tas on the beach. (From exclusively for guests of
$299 in low season, its 312 suites and 12

)52072335(6,'(17(,17(5&217,1(17$/&2=80(/)$,502170$<$.2%$23326,7(0$<$&2/21,$/%($&+
$649 high; 800-241- honeymoon villas. (All-
3333; ritzcarlton.com/ inclusive from $640 in
resorts/cancun) low season, $952 high;
Over on Cozumel, 888-923-2722; ibero
the 10-story Park Royal star.com)
used its post-hurri- But for all that
cane insurance settle- expansion, the loud-
ment to triple in size est buzz in these parts
to 344 rooms, with is being generated by
an amphitheater and a the opening of the
new kids’ club. (Rates brand-new Fairmont
not available at press Mayakoba just north of
time; 011-52-987- Playa del Carmen, on
872-0700; parkroyal 45 bosky acres of man-
hotels.com.mx) groves and lagoons. It’s
The 220-room InterContinental Presidente Cozumel the first phase of a five-resort luxury development. You
Resort Spa upgraded with new Ocean Suites, an adults- have a Greg Norman golf course, a spa with a treetop treat-
only pool and expanded water-sports facilities. (From $208 ment room, seven restaurants and bars, and 401 rooms
in low season, $315 high; 888-424-6835; intercontinental with high-speed Internet access and LCD TVs — all in
.com/cozumel) — I.K. the midst of a serene natural landscape of waterways and
caverns. The rooms are set back from the beach to con-
RIVIERA MAYA serve the shoreline, and all the facilities are linked by
You’d be forgiven for assuming there’s not another acre of complimentary shuttles, golf carts and canopied lanchas.
space left along the coastline between Cancún and Playa (From $399 in low season, $529 high; 800-441-1414;
del Carmen — but still the hotels keep coming. fairmont.com) — I.K.

58 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G. CO M
GRAND CAYMAN Maya Colonial Beach The Reef Resort on the eastern tip of the island.
Here’s an island that takes a lickin’ and keeps Hotel on the Riviera In August it added 36 new suites with balconies,
on tickin’. Maya. Opposite, from top: sea blue interiors and kitchens, bringing the total
For those who want to be simultaneously in InterContinental Presidente room count to 110. (From $205 in low season,
the middle of the action and yet ever so slightly Cozumel Resort Spa. Brand- $275 high; 888-232-0541; thereef.com.ky)
above it all, there’s the new Meridian on Seven new Fairmont Mayakoba. Blue Tip, a nine-hole golf course designed
Mile Beach. The small, luxury condo-hotel opened by Greg Norman, opened exclusively for guests
in April, and features 28 two- and three-bedroom suites with and owners at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman in June.
gourmet kitchens and screened balconies. (From $380 in low The signature ninth hole plays to an island green (345-943-
season, $700 high; 345-945-4002; caymanvacations.com) 9000; ritzcarlton.com). The Links of Safe Haven is now
Another option on Seven Mile Beach is The Anchorage, fully restored after the hurricane. This 6,605-yard, par-71
with 15 two-bedroom condos that reopened in July. course along the North Sound was designed by Roy Case.
(Low season rates TBA, from $285 high; 345-945-4088; (345-945-4155; safehaven.ky/links.htm)
theanchoragecayman.com) Boatswain’s Beach, a 23-acre marine park incorporating
Alternatively, those looking for a quiet spot can head to Continued on page 114

N OV E M B E R 2 0 0 6 59
 girls will be girls
&5(',7

60
by santa choplin bogdon and bob friel • photography by zach stovall

men will be boys

Put a gaggle of gals together, and it automatically becomes a Lifetime Network
special. Send a bunch of guys off on their own, and you get Animal House.
Just clichés, right? We sent two groups to the Bahamas to find out.
 b a h a m a
s soon as Margo
stepped through the
Grapevine’s white-
picket fence, I knew
I’d picked a
winner. The
antique clap-
board cottage, a charmer in teal and
white, practically reached out and gave
her a hug.
“It’s perfect, just perfect,” she said,
walking into the cozy living room
where islandy artwork and tropical
furnishings stood out against freshly
painted white floors and walls. “The
colors,” she said, touching the tropi-
cal-blue sofa patterned with bits of
staghorn coral. “The view,” she sighed
as she stopped at the front door, look-
ing out over the blue-green waters of
Harbour Island.
I think Margo wanted to marry the
Grapevine, which confirmed that if
you’re planning a girls' getaway, you
should never underestimate the value
of charm. When I hatched the idea for
a weeklong Bahamas trip with Margo
and two other dear friends, I wanted
more than a prepackaged resort vaca-
tion with complimentary rum punch-
62
p a j a m a
es and a couple of spa treatments.
Harbour Island, a 3½-mile sliver of
paradise off the coast of Eleuthera,
offered exactly what I was looking for
— easygoing atmosphere, great restau-
rants, local color, a famous pink-sand
beach — all just 45 minutes from
Fort Lauderdale. Finding the beautiful
three-bedroom cottage on the bay to
serve as our home for the week was the
icing on the cake. Instead of separate
hotel rooms, we’d get to play house in
a cozy retreat with the privacy to let it
all hang out.
Margo, Carolyn, Erin and I first met
when we were pups
just out of college,
and formed a bond
that has endured 20
years, through mar-
riages, kids and career
changes. Though it’s
a challenge, we still
carve out girlfriend
Harbour Island, a 3½-mile sliver of paradise
atmosphere, great restaurants, local color, a
time every few years and shed our
responsibilities as moms, wives and
career women. Our number-one get-
away activity is gabbing, and this trip
got off to a fast start. Carolyn and Erin
couldn’t even wait until they got to the
p a r t y
island. They were yakking so intently
at the airport that they didn’t hear their
flight called — or the airline paging
them. Carolyn phoned to let us know
they’d missed their flight and couldn’t
get another until the next day: “We’re
sorry! I can’t believe we did this, but
we’re here in Fort Lauderdale drinking
margaritas.”
The next morning, Margo and I
hopped in our golf cart and whizzed
around historic Dunmore Town look-
ing for a latte. The village was hum-
ming. Folks going about their busi-
ness smiled and waved; roosters darted
across the narrow streets; and fishermen
brought in the early catch. We found
our fix at Arthur’s Bakery. Inside the
simple pink building was a decadent
display of fresh croissants, pineapple
muffins and the biggest temptation —
Key lime tarts. We sampled the crois-
sants and grabbed a box of temptation
to go. Passing a series of cottages almost
as cute as ours, we drove at
a snail’s pace while talking
a mile a minute. We made
it to the dock just as our
tardy chat queens stepped
off the water taxi. A squeal-
ing four-way hug-fest made
a bit of a scene, but none
of us cared. We could be as
girlie as we wanted: There
were no husbands or sons
around to embarrass.
Back at the Grapevine, our gab-
athon shifted into full throttle.
“Being with you guys makes me feel
like I’m 20 again. I don’t look like it,
but I feel like it,” Carolyn said.
“Oh, you guys look the same as
C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G. CO M
off the coast of Eleuthera, offered exactly what I was looking for — easygoing
famous pink-sand beach — all just 45 minutes from Fort Lauderdale.

zzriusto dolor sim

The Grapevine, charming inside and

out, offers great bayside views and is a
quick golf cart ride away from Arthur’s
Bakery and Pink Sand Beach.

N OV E M B E R 2 0 0 6 63
Clockwise from top: A sunset stroll
on Girls Bank; shrimp with black-
bean cakes; sharing at Sip Sip;
Carolyn and Margo at Pink Sand
Beach; golf carts are best for getting
around Harbour Island. Opposite
page: View from the Grapevine’s
front porch; a fine feathered friend
in the front yard.
you did 20 years ago,” Erin said, which
greenlighted the tell-each-other-how-
fabulous-we-look conversation.
“You don’t have a line on your face,
honey. What are you hiding in that
makeup bag?”
“Well, look at her wearing that
bikini. I can’t wear a bikini anymore.”
“Your hair color is fantastic. I’ve
never seen it look better. Look at the
highlights, they’re so natural.”
Who needs Botox when we’ve got
each other?
If Margo wanted to marry the
Grapevine, we all wanted to have a
torrid affair with Pink Sand Beach.
Our first sight of that wide blanket
stretching seductively to the glisten-
ing teal water even caused a pause in
the chatter. When someone finally
spoke, it was Erin, our Colorado
ranch girl turned Denver attorney.
“This is the most beautiful spot on
God’s green earth.”
Nestled in sea grapes at the top of
the dune was Sip Sip, the beach bar
favored by movie stars and supermod-
els. From our table on the deck, we
took in the beach view and had fork
fights over grilled shrimp with black-
bean cakes. Rum punch and laughter
flowed, and if there were any A-listers
or leggy models around, we were too
busy with the great company, food and
view to notice.
Stopping at Arthur’s Bakery became
our morning ritual. When Robert, the
owner, discovered we were on a girls’
getaway, he started teasing us.
“There were paparazzi on the
island yesterday looking for Drew
Barrymore and Cameron Diaz,” he
said. “I told them they were staying at
the Grapevine.”
“Well,” I said, “I bet they think
Cameron and Drew look a lot shorter
and older in real life.”
After Arthur’s we’d head straight to
the beach. We’d walk and talk, swim
N OV E M B E R 2 0 0 6
and talk, and sometimes just sit and
drink in the beauty. And talk.
“Look at that stunning red tree in
bloom. What kind is that?”
“Have you ever seen water that
color? That blue?”
“He was a mama’s boy. I was so
glad when you two broke up. You
were way too good for him. Thank
goodness you didn’t marry him.”
“I really needed this.”
“Look at the way the sand shifts
from pink to purple when the tide
comes up. It’s gor-
geous.”
“Can we stay
another week?”
“Being with you
guys is the best!”
“Who ate my Key
lime tart?”
Afternoons found us
sprawled on the veranda
of the Grapevine. We
watched kids fishing
off the dock out front,
and it made us miss our own. Day by
day we all fell in love with Briland
(run “Harbour” and “Island” together
and you get the nickname). Some eve-
nings we dressed to dine out among
the beautiful people — one night at
the renowned Landing, where local
grouper in Thai red curry sauce was
a big hit. Another night we set a
lovely table back at the Grapevine, lit
candles and sat barefoot, eating one of
Carolyn’s famous pasta dishes.
Just so we couldn’t be accused of only
talking, eating and drinking, one after-
noon we climbed aboard a snorkel boat
for a trip to the Devil’s Backbone, a long
reef littered with shipwrecks.
“What about sharks?” Margo asked
as we were about to jump in. I laughed,
but she didn’t.
“I’ll put you out on the side of
the boat with the vegetarian sharks.
And we’ll put her on the meat-eaters'
side,” our guide dead-
panned, pointing to
me. This time every-
one laughed.
Margo probably
would have been hap-
pier hanging back at
Sip Sip, but everyone
took the plunge. The
colorful underwater scene teemed with
sea life, but it’s tough to talk with a
snorkel in your mouth, so the girls were
in and out pretty fast.
On our final evening, realizing
the precious time was coming to an
end, we climbed on the golf cart for
one last joy ride and sunset on the
beach. Down past Fisherman’s Dock
and the conch shacks on Bay Street,
we ended up on Girls Bank — site of
a lone tree standing out on the flats,
well known as a location for fashion
shoots. We waded, chatted and shared
cold Kaliks. Just after the sun dropped
below the horizon, the afterglow shift-
ed through a palette of pink, orange
and purple — all reflected on the
shallow water covering the sand. For
the first time all week, nobody
needed to say a word.
For the Inside Guide to Harbour Island,
see page 120.
65
 B l o o d , S w e a t
ords of
encour-
agement
rained down
from the pea-
nut gallery.
“Bob, you
okay down there? With all the grunt-
ing, it sounds like either a pig farm or
a porno movie.”
“Hey, it’s getting really hot up here
in the shade. Grab me a Kalik out of
the cooler if you’re not busy.”
Actually, I was a little busy — 30
minutes into a battle with an extremely
miffed blue marlin about twice my
size. It was 4 o’clock on a Bahamian
August afternoon. Ninety-five degrees,
no breeze and the sun beating on my
head like a blacksmith. Using heavy
big-game gear to fight a billfish is akin
to holding a broomstick at arm’s length
with a 30-pound weight dangling from
the far end. After 10 minutes, all
pretense that it’s not a physical strain
goes overboard. After 20 minutes, your
face contorts into the heart-attack red,
jowl-shuddering, snot-blowing grimace
of a constipated lumberjack.
It wasn’t pretty, but it didn’t matter
— it was only us guys out there.
“Can we wrap this up already?”
came another hoot from on high.
66
“My arm’s getting tired holding up the
camera.”
“Yo, Bob, are you crying? I thought
I just heard a little girl weep.”
Arrayed above me, on the boat’s
flying bridge, were my uncle Frank,
cousin Tim and a clairvoyant dog
wearing mirrored sunglasses. My dad
was down on the deck behind me,
tasked with driving the fighting chair,
steering it so I always faced the fish
as it tore line off the reel. Apparently,
though, he thought he was working
at a barber shop and wanted to make
small talk.
“Hey, this fight is just like that
Hemingway story ...” he said.
I really couldn’t spare the breath to
respond, but I’m genetically
programmed to never pass
up an argument.
“No, that was a sword-
fish.”
“No, it wasn’t,” he said,
proving that the debating
gene comes from his side
of the family. “I’m not talk-
ing about Old Man and the
Sea …”
“Yeah, I know. Old Man had a mar-
lin, but this fight is more like the one
in Islands in the Stream …”
“Right, it’s a marlin …”
“But in Islands in the Stream they
hooked a broadbill swordfish …”
a n d B e e r s
“No, it …”
“Reel! Reel!” yelled Captain Billy
Black, a grizzly with a perma-tan who’s
been fishing monster marlin all over the
Caribbean for the last three decades. He
terminated our inane literary debate with
the implied threat that if I let the line go
slack and the fish threw the hook, I’d be
swimming back to the dock.
WE HAD ARRIVED IN MARSH
Harbour the day before for what was
to be a boys-only portion of my dad’s
70th birthday celebration. When we
checked into the Abaco Beach Resort
& Boat Harbour, Tim noticed a photo
pinned to the message board. “We
must be at the right place,” he said. It
was a shot of a 900-pound bluefin tuna
caught during a fishing tournament
earlier in the summer — one of six
big-time tourneys hosted by the resort
each year.
The rest of arrival day was a blur. We
went right from a swim off the beach
to the bar by the pool for an extended
happy hour full of “remember whens,”
keeping alive the oral history of our
family’s most important events.
“Remember when that dusky shark
tried to bite you in the ass?”
“Remember when you drank the
glass of water with Tim’s contact lenses
in it?”
“Remember when you sliced your
wrist open trying to get the milk out of
a coconut to mix with rum?”
After a Bacchanalian feast of spicy
Bang Bang Shrimp, tuna sashimi and
grilled grouper at the resort’s excellent
Angler’s Restaurant, it was back to the
bar, talking and drinking until they
pulled down the shutters on us.
FORTY MINUTES INTO THE
fight with the marlin, I was really regret-
ting those last four or five rounds. So
C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G. CO M
 After 10 minutes of fighting a marlin, all pretense that it’s not a physical strain
goes overboard. After 20 minutes, you're grimacing like a constipated lumberjack.

Boys and their toys (clockwise from top

left): Trolling off Abaco; mano a marlin;
dinghy envy; big blue, subdued then
released. Opposite: Little Foot, chillin’; the
author and Captain Billy fly the marlin flag.
&5(',7

N OV E M B E R 2 0 0 6 67
 Bonefishing was a blast, but the tenor of our trip called for getting back
to dealing with something that could shove its nose through your sternum.
Or worse. “You want to see some sharks?”

&5(',7

68
 much rum-tinged sweat was soaking my
shirt that I smelled like the dumpster
behind a Barcardi factory. Each time
the fish made a run, the dog, Little
Foot — who wears shades to prevent
sun-caused cataracts — started barking.
He’s lived with Captain Billy aboard
the 50-foot Duchess ever since he was
a pup, so it wasn’t surprising that he
got excited about a fish on. What was
amazing is that Little Foot had started
yapping before anyone else even knew
we’d hooked the marlin. And earlier,
he’d started barking at the empty blue
ocean a full 10 seconds before a pod of
dolphins surfaced. “I can’t explain it,”
shrugged Billy.
“What brand of sunglasses does he
wear?” asked my dad. “I need to get me
some of those.”
After nearly an hour, my arms
were limp as cooked noodles. I was so
dehydrated that even my jaw muscles
were cramping. But I finally reeled the
fish within sight of the boat. Captain
Billy was like a one-armed short-order
cook, rushing from one side of the boat
to the other to keep an eye on the fish,
then back to the wheel to steer and then
readying gloves and a hook remover, all
the while yelling directions to me and
my dad. Tim climbed down to the deck
carrying a $10 disposable underwater
camera. “Um,” he asked Billy, “is it okay
if I jump in and get a picture of the fish?”
This stopped the captain in his tracks.
For one thing, the boat was moving
— both to keep the fish healthy and to
prevent it from cutting the line off on the
props — and second, marlin are armed
with dagger-sharp bills and are always
feisty when hooked. In fact, the big news
%2%)5,(/ /,21),6+$1'6+$5.
by-seafood by offering to let him help
wrangle and release the estimated 300-
pound blue. While they were pulling the
hook, the marlin thrashed and raked the
captain with his bill before swimming
off triumphantly, adding fresh-flow-
ing blood to our sweat-soaked, diesel-
smoked, hairy-chested, salty-language-
peppered day. Even allowing for the tasty
pesto lobster wraps and fruit cups that
Abaco Beach’s chef
had packed for our
lunch, there was
more testosterone
on board than in
a Tour de France
first-aid kit.
Abaco Beach Resort
THOUGH IT’S (above) offers a
most celebrated for beachy base for boat-
being close to off- ers, fishermen and
shore waters rich with marlin, tuna, On the way divers. Left: Angler’s
mahi-mahi and wahoo, Abaco Beach out to the reef, Restaurant. Opposite,
Resort also sits near productive flats. Kay and her clockwise from top:
The following morning we traded our crew stopped Abaco’s bonefish flats;
heavy gear for light tackle and followed at a secret spot Shark Ledge; making a
guides out into mangroves. This time, in the Sea of point about family at
Tim had the hot rod, hooking a dozen Abaco to show the bar; Mongo like
bonefish. It was a blast, battling the us a bizarre shiny fishy; Frank eyes
three- and four-pound fish in skinny sight for the a wayward lionfish.
water, but the tenor of our guys' trip Bahamas: a
really called for getting back to dealing full-grown lionfish, a beautiful and
with something that could shove its painfully poisonous native of the Pacific
nose through your sternum. Or worse. and Indian Oceans that must have been
“You want to see some sharks?” asked released from someone’s aquarium.
Kay Politano of Above and Below Abaco, Next stop was Shark Ledge. My
the dive and tour operation based at the dad’s last scuba dive had left him with
resort’s marina. She must have noticed a bum ear, so he’d be snorkeling above
that Tim’s “I Have Gas” T-shirt was cut the rest of us.
to reveal an arm covered in a frenzy of “The sharks might take an interest in
shark tattoos — each an animal he’d you bobbing around up there,” I said.
seen up close underwater. We’d taken “No problem,” he said. “If one attacks,

around the docks that week was the true
story about a blue marlin that jumped out
of the water, speared a fisherman through
the chest and took him overboard off
Bermuda. Billy wasn’t sure if Tim was
joking. And, of course, he wasn’t.
Billy talked my cousin out of suicide-
to calling my cousin “Mongo,” both for
his sophisticated sense of decorum and
because the sleep deprivation and end-
less bull-and-beer sessions had worn him
down to a slack-jawed shell of himself.
The mention of toothy critters, though,
instantly perked him up.
he’s going to have to swim through a lot
of dirty water to get to me.”
“Yeah,” added Frank. “If they think
it’s bad when a squid shoots ink, wait
until they get a load of what my big
brother can do.”
Continued on page 121

N OV E M B E R 2 0 0 6 69
B E A C H - L O V E R ’ S G U I D E

B Y J A M E S S T U R Z
T O T H E TURKS &
CAICOS

Grace Bay, Providenciales

P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y D A R R E L L J O N E S
B E A C H B Y B E A C H

72
G
Go to the Turks and Caicos Islands and you’ll need to pack
a color chart along with your swimsuit. How else to identify
the dozens of variations of blue that radiate out from the
islands’ beaches? First, you wade through inch-deep aquama-
rine. Then you splash through cerulean, pale turquoise, light
jade and cyan, before reaching a 7,000-foot-deep coral wall
bathed in Prussian and cobalt blue.
Drag yourself out of the water and you have vast stretches
of beach to choose from: 230 miles of confectioners’ sugar
sand line the 100-mile-long, 40-island archipelago. With a
population of just 21,000 inhabiting only eight of the isles,
there really are beaches you can call your own.
Getting here and getting around are a breeze. This British
Overseas Territory makes up the tail end of the archipelago
that includes the Bahamas, and it’s only a 90-minute flight
from Miami. Traveling between the main islands is easy via
charters and scheduled flights on SkyKing (skyking.tc) and
Air Turks & Caicos (airturksandcaicos.com). Trips between
neighboring islands by taxi and tour boats can be arranged
at every local marina, providing further opportunities to sort
out the myriad shades of blue.
PROVIDENCIALES
Most international flights arrive on “Provo,” as the most
populous of the islands is known. The 38-square-mile island
offers the greatest concentration of resorts, restaurants and
activities, and is in the midst of a red-hot, real-estate-driven
growth spurt.
NORTHWEST POINT
One of Provo’s hardest-to-reach beaches is also one of its
best. Divers have long visited Northwest Point Marine
National Park for its coral reefs, but Malcolm’s Road Beach
is almost as pretty. Take the nominally paved Blue Hills Road
through Wheeland and follow signs for the park. You won’t
need four-wheel drive, but expect several miles of rocks and
bumps. Although the entire two-mile beach is open to the
public, its southern end is the near-exclusive domain of the
new Amanyara resort.
 Where to Stay and Play: The 40-pavilion Amanyara
(from $1,000* in low season, $1,350 high; 800-477-9180;
amanresorts.com) opened in March as Singapore-based
Amanresorts’ first Caribbean venture; it’s easily the most
stunning resort in all the Turks and Caicos. Rooms have
multiple sun decks, 20-foot teak ceilings, free-standing tubs,
king-sized platform beds and 11-foot sliding glass walls. Just
* Room rates for double occupancy, 2007
** Average main course; each $ = $10
N OV E M B E R 2 0 0 6
a few paces from the beach, there’s a 164-foot black volcanic-
stone pool and fully equipped dive center for hotel guests.
To get a taste of the buzzy resort without committing to
the steep room rates, you can dine at Amanyara Restaurant,
where you’ll find pan-Asian and Mediterranean cuisine
($$$**). For lunch, stop by the Beach Club for grilled fish,
sandwiches and salads ($$-$$$), or just come for a drink and
gaze at the bar’s soaring ceiling.
 Hot Stuff: If you really like Amanyara, it’s not too late to
buy one of their villas for sale. Prices start at $8 million.
BLUE HILLS
The beaches along Blue Hills Road are most enticing for the
restaurants and conch shacks on their shores.
 Where to Play: Bugaloos fans will recognize it, renamed
and under new ownership, as Da Conch Shack & Rum Bar
($; 649-946-8877). Bite for bite, an even better choice is
Sailing Paradise Restaurant & Bar ($; 649-941-7485), some
100 yards west. Look for the row of multicolored pastel
beach shacks. By day, they’re souvenir shops; come week-
ends, there’s dancing to bands or DJs.
TURTLE COVE
Turtle Cove sits at the westernmost end of Grace Bay Beach,
but boat slips give it a more nautical than beachy feel. Follow
the road for the Yacht Club to get to the sand. A five-minute
walk east from the parking lot will take you to Smith’s Reef,
where you’ll find the best snorkeling on the whole island.
Closer to sunset, stroll the marina and stop at any of the
dockside restaurants for drinks or dinner.
 Where to Play: Established in 1970, Art Pickering’s Provo
Turtle Divers (two-tank dives from $99; 800-833-1341;
provoturtledivers.com) is the oldest scuba center in Turks and
Caicos, and still one of the best. If bill-, bone- and fly-fishing
are more your thing, try Hook’Em Fishing Adventures (from
$125 for half-day trips; 649-231-3586; hookem.tc).
GRACE BAY
Grace Bay Beach is the best-known place in the Turks and
Caicos, with 12 uninterrupted miles of picture-perfect coast-
line. The beach is lined with luxury resort condo-hotels (and
cleared lots where new ones are
going up), and there’s no sign of the Opposite, top
building boom losing steam. left and bottom:
 Where to Stay: The Somerset Everything’s Zen
on Grace Bay (from $300 in low at Amanyara’s
season, $450 high; 649-946-5900; pool. Top right:
thesomerset.com) opened in June. Grace Bay sea oat.
It has the islands’ longest lap pool,
73
 complete with an underwater audio
system. Next door is The Palms (from
$300 in low season, $575 high; 866-
877-7256; thepalmstc.com), last
year’s splashy $95 million newcomer.
The accommodations are spacious
and covered with marble. For more
modest digs, try the Sibonné Beach
Hotel (from $110 in low season, $125
high; 800-528-1905; sibonne.com).
The 24 new Reef Residences at Coral
Gardens (from $275 in low season,
$375 high; 800-950-2862; cunadevida
.com) are the centerpiece of the resort’s
upgrades for this season, along with
the Epicurean restaurant.
 Where to Play: Provo Golf & Country Club’s 18-hole
Karl Litten-designed course ($140 per round; 649-946-
5991; provogolfclub.com) regularly attracts white herons
and pink flamingos. Dine at Anacaona at the Grace Bay
Club, where Caribbean-inspired cuisine is served in beach-
front palapas ($$$; 649-946-5050; gracebayclub.com).
From top: Grace LEEWARD AREA
Bay, Provo; seaside Leeward, at Provo’s northeast tip,
eats at Sibonné claims the last stretch of Grace Bay
Beach Hotel. Beach. Without the resorts, you’ll
find open expanses of sand and
74
even a few nude sunbathers. To find
it, walk east along Grace Bay Beach,
or take Sunset Drive or Pelican Road
north from Grace Bay Road.
 Where to Play: Beach aside, the
main reason to visit Leeward is its mari-
na. Big Blue Unlimited runs daily dive
trips with small groups and exquisite
attention to detail (two-tank boat dives
from $150; 649-946-5034; bigblue
.tc); the company also runs snorkeling,
kayaking and biking trips on and to
nearby islands. Next door, Silver Deep
has a fleet of 14 boats for fishing char-
ters and excursions (fishing from $145;
other trips from $45; 649-946-5612; silverdeep.com).
LONG BAY HILLS
For isolation, there’s no better choice on Provo than Long
Bay Beach. It doesn’t have the same powdered-porcelain sand
of Grace Bay — but there are no hotels, just some private
homes and vast stretches of nothing but beach. To reach the
three-mile strand, take any of the unmarked turnoffs along
Long Bay Beach Drive.
 Where to Stay: Blue Nautilus offers a two-bedroom villa
($1,600 weekly in low season, $1,800 high; 649-946-5645;
bluenautilusvilla.com) and a separate studio ($150 nightly
year-round). The three-bedroom Villa Pisces has a private
C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G. CO M
 B
Barefoot Factor: Turks and Caicos’ beaches are all powdered
with white, finely crushed coral and calcium carbonate. Some 196
square miles of reef encircle the islands’ 193 square miles of land,
safeguarding the beaches from waves and surges, and replenishing
them with fresh clean sand.
Access: All beaches in Turks and Caicos are public and easily
reached via paths or well-marked public access points. Only reg-
istered guests and homeowners may stay on Pine Cay and Parrot
Cay, where day-tripper drop-ins are strongly discouraged.
Getting Around: On Provo, most activity outfitters offer free
shuttle service to and from Turtle Cove and Grace Bay hotels. The
Gecko Shuttle Bus ($4 for single rides; one- to 14-day passes
available; 649-232-RIDE; thegecko.tc) also runs between Turtle
Cove and Grace Bay, but if you plan to leave your hotel regularly
your best bet is to rent a car. Parking is no problem. On North and
Middle Caicos, car rentals are available through hotels. On Grand
Turk, taxis are sufficient. The islands are a British territory, so driv-
ing is on the left-hand side. Most aquatic
outfitters on Provo, Grand Turk and Salt Cay
also run boat trips to neighboring islands.
Undress Code: Nude sunbathing is illegal in
Turks and Caicos, although it is sometimes
practiced on Provo’s Leeward Beach. Topless
bathing is tolerated in areas where there’s
little foot traffic.
Best Snorkeling Beaches: Smith’s Reef at Turtle Cove, Provo;
North Beach, Salt Cay; Three Mary’s Cays, North Caicos; Aquarium,
Pine Cay
Best Beach Sunsets: Balfour Town, Salt Cay; Pillory Beach,
Grand Turk; Northwest Point, Provo; Meridian Club, Pine Cay
Best Picnic Beaches: North Beach, Salt Cay; Mudjin Harbor,
Middle Caicos; Governor’s Beach, Grand Turk
Best People-Watching: Parrot Cay beach and pool;
The Palms and Grace Bay Club beaches, Provo; Grand Turk
Cruise Center
Best Beach Bars: Green Flash Café, Balfour Town, Salt Cay;
Amanyara Beach Club, Provo; Da Conch Shack & Rum Bar, Blue
Hills, Provo; Sand Bar, Cockburn Town, Grand Turk
Best Beach Parties: Friday and Saturday evenings at
Sailing Paradise Restaurant & Bar,
Grace Bay Blue Hills, Provo; Thursday evenings at
Guanahani Restaurant at Bohio Dive
Resort, Pillory Beach, Grand Turk;
Friday evenings at Big Josh McIntosh,
Whitby, North Caicos
Additional Visitor Information: turksand
caicostourism.com; tcimall.com

C T & L B E A C H R E P O R T
1. Malcolm’s Road Beach
NORTH
2. Blue Hills
10
9 CAICOS 3. Turtle Cove
8 4. Grace Bay Beach
2 3
5 11 5. Leeward
4 6. Long Bay Beach
1 7. Chalk Sound
6
8. Pine Cay
7 9. Parrot Cay
WEST
CAICOS PROVIDENCIALES MIDDLE 10. Whitby Beach
CAICOS
11. Mudjin Harbor
EAST GRAND
CAICOS TURK
12. Pillory Beach
12 13. Cockburn Town
TURKS AND CAICOS 13 14. Governor’s Beach
ISLANDS 14 15
16
15. White Sands Beach
SALT 16. North Beach
CREDIT

CAY

N OV E M B E R 2 0 0 6 75
 KEITH RICHARDS, BRUCE WILLIS
AND DONNA KARAN ALL HAVE
HOUSES ON PARROT CAY.
CREDIT

76
pool and outdoor gazebo (from $4,500 weekly; 649-941-
5703; seafeathers.com).
I Where to Play: Provo Ponies offers rides along Long
Bay Beach (starting at $75 for 60 minutes; 649-946-5252;
provo.net/provoponies). Off Seasage Hill Road, “the Hole”
is an 80-foot-deep, 40-foot-wide limestone crevice that you
can descend into by rope for a swim.
CHALK SOUND AREA
The small beaches at Sapodilla Bay and Sunset Bay (also
called Taylor Bay) on Provo’s southern shore are mostly used
by folks from the nearby luxury homes and rental villas.
Just behind the sand, the road cuts through Chalk Sound
National Park, a three-mile inland waterway. The drive is so
stunning you won’t mind the bumps,
although you’ll need four-wheel drive
to reach the end.
I Where to Stay: Turks and Caicos
Safari specializes in home rentals (828-
625-9992; tcsafari.com), beginning
at $1,900 weekly. Sea Feathers Villa
Rentals (649-941-5703; seafeathers
.com) also represents area properties,
starting at $1,600 weekly.
I Where to Play: Stop at the bottom
of Sapodilla Hill on South Dock Road
and follow the trail to the top to find
rocks engraved by shipwrecked sailors
as far back as 1767.
PINE CAY
Just northeast of Provo lies 800-acre Pine Cay, a private
island with the most exquisite beach in all the Turks and
Caicos. The mile-long stretch along its northwestern shore
combines perfectly textured bone-white sand and irides-
cent turquoise surf. A low-key hotel and a few low-lying
houses back the beach, which rarely holds more than a
half-dozen people.
I Where to Stay and Play: Unless you own one of the
island’s 37 houses, the only way to visit Pine Cay is as a guest
of the 13-room Meridian Club (from $650 in low season,
$895 high, including all meals; 866-746-3229; meridian
club.com). The classic breeze-cooled resort has remained
virtually unchanged since it opened in 1973. No auto-
mobiles are permitted on the island, so you get around
by foot, golf cart or mountain bike. Snorkelers will be
particularly charmed by a cove on the southeastern shore
called the Aquarium. From there you can kayak to nearby
sandbars for pure isolation.
N OV E M B E R 2 0 0 6
PARROT CAY
Parrot Cay’s mile-long beach is the second-most beautiful
in the Turks and Caicos. But, unlike Pine Cay, this private
1,000-acre island doesn’t go in for understatement. Guests
at the Parrot Cay resort can rent tiki huts off the beach for
$100 per day, where waiters will serve them private lunches.
Or they can rent three-bedroom villas on a private beach,
with butlers and pools. It’s a 35-minute boat ride to Parrot
Cay from Provo’s Leeward Marina.
I Where to Stay and Play: Parrot Cay bills itself as “the
world’s most exclusive resort,” and the only way to see it is to
own a home on the island or arrive as a paying guest (from
$450 in low season, $680 high; villas from $2,105 in low
season, $2,670 high; 877-754-0726; parrotcay.como.bz). In
addition to the water-sports center,
there’s a 5,000-square-foot infinity-
edge pool, a gym, a yoga pavilion,
restaurants and tennis courts. But
the biggest draw is the resort’s Como
Shambhala Spa; to visit Parrot Cay and
leave unmanipulated is like going to
a steakhouse and ordering vegetarian.
I Hot Stuff: You’ve probably read
that Bruce Willis, Keith Richards
and Donna Karan all have houses on
the island. But in the 18th century,
Parrot Cay, née Pirate Cay, was home
to pirates “Calico” Jack Rackham,
Mary Read and Anne Bonny.
NORTH CAICOS
It’s a five-minute boat ride to North Caicos from Parrot Cay,
or a 12-minute flight from Provo. The most fertile of the
Turks and Caicos, this 41-square-mile island grows papa-
yas, bananas, tomatoes and watermelons, among dozens of
crops. North Caicos’ 1,500 residents are outnumbered by
roseate flamingos.
WHITBY AREA
Whitby Beach is seven miles long and accessible at multiple
points along the Whitby Highway.
Toward the beach’s western end, Above: Da Conch
the Three Mary’s Cays are excellent Shack, Provo.
for snorkeling. At the beach’s mid- Opposite, clock-
point, the stretch by the defunct wise from top:
Prospect of Whitby Hotel is superb Parrot Cay Resort;
for swimming or sunning, espe- its mile-long beach;
cially the lick just west of the hotel’s Lotus Restaurant.
broken pier — the hotel wreckage
77
TRIPS BETWEEN ISLANDS PROVIDE
OPPORTUNITIES TO SORT OUT THE
MYRIAD SHADES OF BLUE.

and the freighter stuck a mile out in the reef are the stuff of MIDDLE CAICOS
local legend. At the beach’s eastern end, past Pelican Point, Middle Caicos is the largest island in the chain, measuring
Whitby Beach changes its name to Horsestable Beach and 48 square miles, but it has fewer than 300 residents. Keep
becomes truly spectacular. Even with condominium con- an eye out for the pumpkin-orange love vine, so named
struction, you’ll insist it’s one of the loveliest stretches of sand because it grows over everything. Islanders use it to make an
you’ve ever seen. aphrodisiac tea.
 Where to Stay: Pelican Beach Hotel (from $160 in low
season, $225 high, including breakfast and dinner; 649-946- MUDJIN HARBOUR
7112; pelicanbeach.tc) is a simple hotel with colorful owners. The third-best beach in Turks and Caicos is half-mile-long
Clifford Gardiner, the first Turks islander to become a pilot, Mudjin Harbour, a natural lagoon set in the limestone cliffs
built it himself in 1983 and is continually making adjust- of the Conch Bar settlement. Crag-filled Dragon Cay pro-
ments, including the addition of eight new suites opening tects it from the surf and makes the spot particularly good
soon. Clifford’s wife Susie is the affable, no-nonsense chef. for snorkeling. A sandy isthmus from the coast to the cay
Ocean Beach Hotel Condominiums (from $130 October to cleaves the lagoon in two, while a pair of natural caves pro-
June; 800-710-5204; oceanbeach.tc) opened in 1982 with 10 vide shade and easy entry points. To the west, the five-mile
suites and a freshwater pool. Its new Crossing Place Trail passes a dozen beaches that gather a lot
This page, clock- surf-and-turf restaurant, the Silver of flotsam and jetsam.
wise from left: Palm, sits next door ($$).  Where to Stay: Blue Horizon Resort’s cottages and villas
Sailing Grace  Where to Play: Off the beach, occupy 50 acres at Mudjin Harbour, including the island’s
Bay; Windmills Whitby’s biggest attraction is its best beachfront (from $185; 649-946-6141; bhresort.com).
Plantation; Grand wild flamingos. There’s a view-  Where to Play: Conch Bar Caves are the largest above-
Turk flamingos; ing platform off the Whitby ground cave system in Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas, cov-
Salt Cay’s North Highway, overlooking Flamingo ering three square miles. Inside, you’ll find hollow stalagmites
Beach. Opposite: Pond, but you’ll need powerful that ping to the touch, blind fish and shrimp, and several thou-
Mudjin Bay. binoculars or a telephoto lens to sand squealing and flapping bats. Cardinal Arthur, who grew
see the birds clearly. up on the island and built the walkway to the cave’s entrance, is

78 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G. CO M
 C AY S F O R B E AC H DAY S
Here are the best of the Turks and Caicos Islands’ uninhabited
cays, all reachable on day trips.
 Little Water Cay: Home to 2,000-plus endangered rock
iguanas, many measuring two feet in length, Little Water is
good for snorkeling, too. Book the five-minute passage across
the Leeward Going Through Channel with outfitters in Provo’s
Leeward Marina, or cross from Pine Cay or Parrot Cay.
 Dellis Cay: Traditionally the best island in the chain for
shelling, thanks to local currents. The shells are now a little
harder to come by, but the sandy beach is still just as beauti-
ful. Dellis is situated between Pine Cay and Parrot Cay, and
accessible by boat from either island, or with outfitters in
Provo’s Leeward Marina.
 Gibb's Cay: Located less than a mile west of Grand Turk,
Gibb’s Cay is perhaps the best day trip in all of Turks and
Caicos. Free-dive for queen conchs, then snorkel with south-
ern stingrays while your guides turn the mollusks into salad.
Afternoon trips leave from Grand Turk and Salt Cay.
 Big Sand Cay: Seven miles south of Salt Cay, this island
offers one of Turks and Caicos’ finest beaches. Loll on the
sand, and then explore the lighthouse ruins and, at your own
discretion, two abandoned bunkers stamped “Keep Out. U.S.
Government Property.” Trips leave from Salt Cay.
N OV E M B E R 2 0 0 6
the premier tour guide on Middle Caicos (rates start at $40 per
hour; 649-241-0730). He’ll also take you boating and fishing.
GRAND TURK
The 22-mile-wide Turks Island Passage (known locally as the
Columbus Passage) separates the Turks island chain from the
Caicos. A monument in Cockburn Town says Grand Turk
was Columbus’ first stop in the New World, a claim that’s
in dispute. The island’s best beaches are on its western shore,
although they’re not as pretty as those in the Caicos chain.
Grand Turk’s biggest draw is for divers. The coral reef wall is
just 200 yards from its fine white sands.
PILLORY BEACH
 Where to Stay and Play: Mile-long Pillory Beach is the
prettiest on the island. The Bohio Dive Resort (from $589 for
three nights in low season, $718 high; dive package available;
649-946-2135; bohioresort.com) replaced Grand Turk’s old
Pillory Beach Hotel. Two-tank boat dives start at $35. The
resort’s Guanahani Restaurant ($$), serving both Caribbean
and international cuisine, is the best on the island.
COCKBURN TOWN
Founded by Bermudian salt rakers three centuries ago,
Cockburn Town is the administrative, historic and political
Continued on page 122
79
 ST. VINCENT
These Are the Good Old Days

Time and tourism have

barely touched this lush
volcanic island, but
Vincies wonder how
their traditional way
of life will fare when
imported white sand
creates a beachhead for
shiny new resorts.
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80
N OV E M B E R 2 0 0 6 81
 Clockwise from top
left: Peter’s Hope,
a historic plantation;
pepper sauciée Erica
McInstosh; out of
bounds in Barrouallie.

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82 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G. CO M
O ON TOWARD SUNSET OF MY SECOND DAY
in St. Vincent, I stood on a pier in a lively leeward-
side town called Barrouallie and had that dreamlike
sense of déjà vu you get when foreign situations
are suffused with an aura of familiar well-being.
Teenage boys played soccer on the beach and chased
the ball into the water where a big, frisky dog was
getting a soapy bath. A young couple with an infant
sat close together on the pier, sharing quiet intima-
cies. Nearby was a fisherman’s beachfront house
— red, white and blue with gingerbread trim, and
out front, a rowboat and nets hanging to dry. The
fine condition of the home and equipment spoke
volumes about the calloused
hands that worked at making
it just so.
I recognized the tableau
not because I’d been to that
spot before, but because this
was the kind of elemental
Caribbean scene that dwells
in the archives of the collec-
tive unconscious. It brought
to mind black-and-white pho-
tos taken in the middle of the
last century, before the era of
inexpensive air travel and the
global village. But this was no
nostalgic Neverneverland, it
was a living, breathing com-
munity of souls savoring the
end of the workday at the
threshold of the Caribbean Sea, more or less as it
must have done for ages.
St. Vincent had not visibly changed since I first
saw it 10 years ago — it’s still out of the main-
stream of everything except yachts en route to the
Grenadines just south. The Vincentians I met were
fine with that, extravagantly fond of their island
just the way it is. (A young man’s tattoo I saw put
it succinctly: V2D, for Vincie To Da Heart.)
There’s a general awareness, though, that in another
10 years time, things are sure to be different. The
N OV E M B E R 2 0 0 6
government has earmarked a couple of choice bays
for large, upmarket resort development along the
lines of Barbados and St. Lucia, and ground has
been broken on a new airport to attract more
foreign investment. Increased tourism is seen as a
way forward after the decline of the island’s banana
industry, and the European Union has dedicated
financial support to the parks and recreation side
of the effort. The push will surely bring a much-
needed upgrade to the island’s laggard hospitality
infrastructure and may well boost general economic
conditions, but there’s still a lot of ambivalence about
the plan. Standing on the shore at sunset and looking
to the horizon, Vincentians see
the world gaining on them, and
wonder what effect it will have
on their timeless lifestyle.
THE RUBBER MET THE
road on a heart-pumping, thigh-
busting bike ride with a guide
named Ozzie Holder, who took
me on a two-wheel tour of the
neighborhoods uphill from the
capital, Kingstown. Elevation
gave us a good lookout over to
a couple of St. Vincent’s little
sisters, nautical Bequia and
posh Mustique. The big island
may not be able to compete
with the Grenadines in terms
of overall loveliness — few
places can — but the well-tended homes and gar-
dens along Queen’s Road were considered scenery
suitable for Elizabeth II herself on her tour of the
Commonwealth nation.
When Ozzie spoke with folks we came across,
there was a rural kind of jovial camaraderie among
strangers, as if they were members of an extend-
ed family. He explained that the island’s ethnic
stock includes a harmonious blending of Scottish,
Portuguese, Carib, African and East Indian. “That’s
why Vincie girls are so pretty,” he said.
83
 built for adventure, we drove up the coast
to Buccament Bay, the put-in for a kayaking
and snorkeling outing and also the site of an
impending luxury condo-hotel-casino project
expected to open in stages beginning next
year. The bay, lined with palms and draped
across the mouth of a valley that spills down
green mountains to the coast, will be made
yet more picturesque by the addition of
white sand imported from Guyana to cover
the ash-colored volcanic stuff that’s found on
all of the island’s beaches.
Black sand — which
Two-wheel views makes you feel dirty and gets
above Kingstown. unbearably hot — explains
Below: Petit Byahaut. why, until now, tourism
Opposite: paddling has made such a light foot-
into Buccament Bay. print on St. Vincent. “If
all our island was white
sand, we wouldn’t have the
island to ourselves,” said driver
Desmond Goule. His point was
dramatized by a Buccament
Bay farmer — one of a couple
dozen whose families stand
to be dislocated by the resort
— who came along bearing an
agenda. He wanted this curious
outsider to know about his des-
perate situation, so he showed
me a prospectus from an English
website touting investment in
the very land he lived on. He
promised to fight the develop-
ment scheme with all his might.
“Good luck,” was all I could say
to the poor gent.
Pedaling past hillsides blanketed At the mouth of Buccament
with sweet potato plants and some of Bay, we floated through a nar-
the 60 varieties of mango trees that row cave full of bats that could
grow here, Ozzie described a coopera- be heard but not seen, and
tive culture where folks catch fish and paddled along a stretch of coast
tend crops to earn cash, but also barter their skills and har- where a couple of rocky spires jutted from the sea; the guide
vest for goods and services they need. described how these had been draped with scenery and used
Looking down at the empty cruise-ship harbor, he said as locations for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.
the island receives only one ship every eight days, a comfort- Before long we pulled our kayaks onto a 500-foot-long
able pace as far as he’s concerned. More than that, he said, beach at Petit Byahaut, a sweet little bay where there’s a tiny
and “we’re afraid we’ll be like all the rest of the islands.” eco-camp of the same name.
Carrying on with my multi-sport immersion in an island Completely off the grid and inaccessible by road, the

84 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G. CO M
 Picturesque Buccament Bay will be made more so by the addition of white sand imported from
Guyana to cover the ash-colored volcanic stuff that's found on all of the island’s beaches.
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N OV E M B E R 2 0 0 6 85
 Clockwise from top left:
A roadside shop; the
Mesopotamia Valley;
Joseph Morris; Trinity
Falls. Opposite: I-Ston
Lewis; rush-hour traffic.

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86 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G. CO M
I-Ston puts St. Vincent, along with Dominica and Grenada, in a category of islands that haven’t
sold out their essential character and picked up the nasty ways of the world.
handful of hillside raw-pine cabins are set amid a valley full
of trees (flamboyant, almond, mango, coconut palm) and
birds (finches, tanagers, whistling warblers). There’s superb
diving and snorkeling in the bay out front, and the camp has
a scuba shop (but no divemaster, so certified divers are on
their own). Tours and outings can be arranged, but according
to manager Michelle Murphy, guests mainly come to “veg-
etate” for a week in this eccentric tropical redoubt. Though
the plain accommodations may be something south of rus-
tic, judging by the seafood salad served for lunch (including
shrimp, scallops and whelks plucked from the shore), Petit
Byahaut’s fare deserves its solid reputation among yachties
who stop into the bay.
THE NEXT DAY, I TOURED THE BALANCE OF THE
coast that’s accessible by road in a vehicle captained by one
Winston Lewis, a driver-guide who
goes by the stage name I-Ston even
when he’s not singing reggae or
acting as an extra in Pirates. Flashy
decals on the panels of his jeep
announce the showbiz credentials
of its driver, a shameless legend in
his own mind. I-Ston, 44, has been
around, performing on cruise ships
and living in the States, and he puts
St. Vincent, along with Dominica
and Grenada, in a category of islands
that haven’t sold out their essential
character and picked up the nasty
ways of the world. “When you deal
with nature, you get wiser,” he said.
“You get time to think.”
Shortly after he told me there was so little crime on St.
Vincent that you can leave your keys in the car all night, we
passed a crew of prisoners hacking away with machetes at
the tall grass in a graveyard. A lone guard supervised, arms
folded over his chest, billy club in hand. “See how peace-
ful our island is?” I-Ston crowed. “The prisoners have the
weapons and the guard has a stick — we must have the best
prisoners in the world!”
We stopped at the side of the road to buy a to-go lunch
from a toque-wearing chef set up in the shade of a breadfruit
tree. “All natural, no chemicals,” said the cook while stuffing
Styrofoam containers full of saltfish, roast breadfruit and
N OV E M B E R 2 0 0 6
chicken pilau with brown rice and lentils. Each tasty portion
cost three dollars EC, or barely over a dollar, possibly the
best food value in the Western Hemisphere.
Peter’s Hope, a defunct cane plantation a bit further up
the coast, was in the initial stages of being spruced up as
the “heritage” centerpiece of another proposed resort devel-
opment, possibly to include a marina and golf course. At
Wallilabou Bay we stopped to have a look at a Pirates film set
that’s been left intact as another tourist attraction — ersatz
heritage in this case. The island had a case of Pirates fever:
Guides excitedly pointed out all the locations, and some of
the Buccament Bay resort literature refers to the attention
the movies bring as a selling point for potential investors.
The paradox is too rich: Chosen as a location in part for its
pristine nature, sleepy St. Vincent becomes enthralled by
the Hollywood dream factory that’s so utterly alien to that
nature, and folds the fame factor into its own
rapidly evolving identity.
“From now on, it’s uppie-uppie, downie-
downie,” said I-Ston as we reached the midpoint
of the island and the terrain became drastically
more mountainous. He drove to the end of the
leeward road, then we hiked for half an hour
through a tropical forest to Trinity Falls. The
only other people there were yesterday’s guide,
Ozzie, and his guests of the day, a group of
women and girls from Bequia and two smiley
honeymooners from England. I’d been on the
island less than two full days and was already
87

running into friendly faces in
beautiful places. At the falls, a Clockwise from top
series of three cascades spilled left: Decorator crab;
into a spacious pool where the orange ball corallimorph;
water churned around with flying gurnard; sea
such centrifugal force that you horse. Opposite: mar-
could simply ride the current ket day in Kingstown.
round and round. In fact, you
had to exert some effort to swim out of the whirlpool. Some
of the Bequia girls were wary, so everyone joined hands and
swirled around together. It was sheer, playful, Edenic joy
— and evidently an everyday sort of thing on St. Vincent.
I was enchanted anew with the island, a feeling that only
increased as we made our way back down the coast in late
afternoon, passing a goatherd with his flock and women car-
rying laundry and provisions on their heads. I-Ston pointed
out a ganja field growing on a hillside across a valley, and said
Rasta culture was deep-seated in St. Vincent; nobody gets in
trouble, he said, as long as the peace is undisturbed.
IF ST. VINCENT IS STILL AN IDIOSYNCRATIC
island travel-wise, nowhere is it more so than underwater:
Forget the spectacular walls and pelagics marketed by the more
famous dive destinations, St. Vincent is happy to be known
as “the critter capital of the Caribbean” for the rare species to
be found here. The coral sites are good but not extensive, and
sharks and rays are more common in the Grenadines, so Bill
Tewes of Dive St. Vincent specializes in finding bizarre creatures
in the “muck” or sandy bottom, mainly for the benefit of pho-
tographers and very experienced divers in search of the new.
88
I asked Tewes, a 64-year-old ringer for Robert Duvall,
why this was critter-land. He explained that converging
ocean currents and geographical anomalies create conditions
favorable for sea horses to grow to oversized proportions and
conducive to little fish (like eelgrass blennies) that he says
have never been photographed elsewhere.
He motored us over to a stretch of coast between
Buccament Bay and Petit Byahaut, and we descended onto
a drab-looking bottom. Tewes started combing the sand
with his fingers to find burrowing camouflaged fish like
mushroom scorpions and lancer dragonets, species which
give new definition to “fugly.” He gently massaged clumps of
algae like a gardener, clearing clutter to discover the secrets it
concealed. He showed me a fuzzy, purple thingie with lots of
legs — a decorator crab — and used his pointer to indicate
its eggs. He found a long snout seahorse, pink and red, that
had camouflaged itself on a sponge of the same color — a
good trick for a hard-skinned fish.
Most amazing was a melon-sized clump of matter that
we held in our hands and turned around to examine like
an extraplanetary object. In the middle was a starry-eyed
hermit crab, peering out from underneath a shell encrusted
with a half dozen hitchhiker anemones. Elsewhere on the
surface was a pair of thumbnail-sized porcelain crabs;
Tewes handed me a magnifying glass so I could see their
exquisite markings.
That night, I saw a science fiction character called an
orange ball corallimorph that had a translucent jellyfish body
with dozens of antennae-like arms, each tipped by a glowing
orange orb, blossoming from its sucker mouth. An ornament
straight from the Star Wars bar. On the way into my hotel
room after a day in which I spent three and one-third hours
underwater looking at mind-boggling expressions of the life
force, I was met by a 10-inch-long stick insect climbing a
wall by the door. Critter capital, indeed.
&/2&.:,6()520723/()7%2%)5,(/  &/$<:,6(0$1
WHEN I FIRST DOVE ST. VINCENT IN THE MID-
’90s, I stayed in a dreary hotel on Villa Beach at the southern
end of the island, which is what passes for the tourist zone.
(If I were in charge, this is where the upgrade of the tourism
infrastructure would begin.) I'd gazed across the narrow cut
full of sailboats to the resort on Young Island as longingly as
Gatsby looking across the sound to the light on Daisy’s dock.
This time, I was in.
I found a resort that’s owned and managed by Vincentians,
and operated to a high international standard with a friend-
ly local touch. The cottages, with louvered wooden shades
and sliding glass doors leading onto patios, are open to the
elements and luxurious in terms of space and privacy
C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G. CO M
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N OV E M B E R 2 0 0 6 89
 shops and the marina. Operating on the sound principle
that a visit to St. Vincent works best in combination with
a sail in the Grenadines, I hitched a ride on Inviolate, a
42-foot catamaran that’s in the Barefoot Yacht
Charters fleet. The boat slipped past Bequia’s
Young Island is St. eastern shore and tacked toward Mustique,
Vincents' finest another three miles distant, trolling all the way
resort — so far. for tuna, kingfish and mahi-mahi. The one that
instead of ostentatious furnishings and acces- Opposite: Inviolate got away broke off a 50-pound-test line and
sories. Importantly, Young Island has a under sail. took the lure and leader with it, but a couple of
stretch of naturally occurring white sand barracuda were landed.
beach to call its own. My favorable impres- Also aboard were Kay Wilson, the British
sions were seconded by another guest, who in two years owner of an outfit called Indigo Dive, and her husband
of sailing the Caribbean has sampled more resort hotels Malcolm, whose family is from St. Vincent. They moved
than most people will in a lifetime. to the island three years ago, for the tropical lifestyle and a
“This is the most comfortable, hospitable, unpreten- sense of opportunity. “I think you’ll see big changes here in
tious resort with class that I’ve found,” said Brenda Clark, a the next two years,” said Malcolm.
Canadian woman of a certain age. Other places, including Kay envisions various kinds of tourism that are compat-
some in the Grenadines, may have far better beaches and ible with St. Vincent’s essential character and natural assets
more picturesque scenery than the Villa waterfront to look — historical and agricultural tours, overnight volcano
at, but to her taste, such places tend toward the fussy and hikes with Rastafarian guides, outings with fishermen and
overpriced, and they lack character. “This place is a marvel- sail-dive charters — and reckons it can all work out as long
ous combination of what the Caribbean is all about,” Clark as the government takes good care of the environment as
said, and I couldn’t have agreed more. development moves forward. “This is the island that time
It’s a four-minute water taxi ride from Young Island forgot, one of the best kept secrets in the West Indies,”
across to Villa Beach, so there’s easy access to the dive she said, “but it’s on the cusp of change.”

CT&L Says
A well-planned
inside ST. VINCENT
Terrestrial Trips
St. Vincent is blessed with
vacation to St. natural attractions — a vol-
cano to ascend, waterfalls
Vincent would also
to splash around in, trails
include quality time to hike — and for now
on a sailboat, or on they exist in the raw. The
one of the other European Union has dedi-
Grenadines. Why cated $19 million for the
development of a park sys-
not have the best
tem to provide facilities and
of both worlds? site management, but for
now, the best way to take it
all in is with a friendly guide.
Sailor’s Wilderness Tours
specializes in bike tours and
rentals, as well as hikes and
general sightseeing (784-
457-1712; sailortours
.com). Hazeco Tours offers
the most complete menu
of nature tours, including
several day trips to nearby
Bequia (784-457-8634;
hazecotours.com). Corea’s
Caribbean Adventures
offers 3.5-hour kayak and
snorkel outings, usually
when cruise ships are in
port ($38.50; 784-456-
1195).
Underwater Explorations
If St. Vincent is really the
“Critter Capital of the
Caribbean” when it comes to
scuba diving, then Bill Tewes
of Dive St. Vincent is the
undisputed Critter King. In
addition to two-tank boat
dives every morning ($110
including all equipment
except wetsuit and comput-
er), he arranges week-long
package trips that include
equipment and accommoda-
tions (784-457-4714;
divestvincent.com).
By Boat
It’s always fun to go zipping
around on a big speedboat,
and Fantasea Tours offers
trips around St. Vincent and
Bequia ($60) and over to
Mustique ($70; 809-457-
4477; fantaseatours
.com). For a quite extraor-
dinary day trip, hop a flight
down to Union Island for a
catamaran sail to the Tobago
Cays, Mayreau and Palm
Island with Captain Yannis
($56; 784-458-8513;
captainyannis.com; round-
trip flights on SVG Air,
$67).
Continued on page 132

90 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G. CO M
 The 42-foot catamaran slipped past Bequia’s eastern shore and tacked toward Mustique, another
three miles distant, trolling all the way for tuna, kingfish and mahi-mahi.

N OV E M B E R 2 0 0 6 91
Floris Suite Hotel
Surrounded by sumptuous tropical gardens, this all suite hotel, a
creation of the famous Dutch designer Jan des Bouvrie, is a true
sanctuary on the beautiful island of Curaçao. All suites are equipped &
furnished with first class design materials, direct dial telephone with data
port, fully equipped kitchen & a large patio/balcony. Enjoy the tropical free-
form pool, a gourmet dinner in the Mediterranean restaurant “Sjalotte” and
the private beach with bar/restaurant “La Plage Hook’s Hut”. The compli-
mentary shuttle to the downtown area & the beach runs 4 times a day.
Call +1-800-781-1011 or +5999-462-6111
visit www.florissuitehotel.com or www.designhotels.com

Lodge Kura Hulanda & Beach Club

Not the end of the earth, but the end of the Island is where you will find
Curacao's newest Oceanfront Resort - Lodge Kura Hulanda and Beach
Club. Elegantly-appointed suites, refreshing swimming pool perched above
the ocean, on-site dive shop, snorkeling just steps from one’s door, water
bikes, kayaking, state-of-the-art fitness center; open air dining and sunsets
beyond compare.
Contact us at 877-264-3106 or
Kurahulandafl@aol.com or visit www.khspecials.com

Sunset Waters Beach Resort

Situated on Curacao’s southwestern coastline on a magnificent stretch of
white sand beach, All Inclusive Sunset Waters boasts large oceanfront
rooms that offer panoramic vistas of the mountains, bays, cliffs, and calm,
pristine waters that create Curacao’s Gold Coast. Discover true Caribbean
charm as the enthusiastic staff caters to your every need. Experienced
Caribbean travelers find this intimate boutique hotel the perfect island retreat.
Contact us at 866-5SUNSET or
info@sunsetwaters.com or visit www.sunsetwaters.com

Breezes Curaçao
Super-Inclusive, family friendly beachfront resort in front of National
Underwater Park featuring all inclusive amenities, a five-star PADI dive
center, casino, 3 restaurants, bars, fitness center, spa, golf, playground,
pools, kids programs, tennis, snorkeling, ice skating rink and more.
Romantic and intimate weddings and honeymoons. Just about everything
you can eat, drink and do is included in one upfront price.
Contact us at 800-GO SUPER or
Info@SuperClubs.com or visit www.SuperClubs.com
Hilton Curaçao
Located at Piscadera Bay, the beachfront Hilton Curaçao boasts two private
white sand beaches, beautiful grounds, diving, a casino, and a health club
& spa on premises. All 196 guest rooms and suites feature stunning island
or ocean views and private balconies. Just four miles from the capital city of
Willemstad, Curaçao offers guests the luxury of a tropical resort with it’s
colorful Dutch architecture.
Contact us at 1-877-GO-HILTON or
visit www.hiltoncaribbean.com/curacao

Lions Dive & Beach Resort

The Natural Place to Stay on Curacao. Experience the Caribbean at its best
at Lions Dive & Beach Resort Curacao. You can relax in one of our ocean-
front rooms or luxury apartments with direct access to the beach. Stay
connected with our wireless hotspots, or cool down with refreshing cocktails
at our new beach bar-restaurant Hemingway, or take a refreshing dive into
the National Curacao Underwater Park which lies adjacent to Lions Dive &
Beach Resort.
Contact us at 11-5999-434-8888 or Toll Free 1-866-LIONSDIVE
www.lionsdive.com
 T R AV E L S M A R T
S T R A T E G I E S A N D E X P E R T
AFFORDABLE TORTOLA
BVI on a Bud g e t
B
lessed with white-sand coves
and easy sailing waters, the
British Virgin Islands are an
island hopper’s paradise. No yacht? No
worries. If you stay at an inexpensive
family-owned inn (request “Intimate
Inns and Villas” from the BVI Tourist
Board: 800-835-8530) on the main
island of Tortola, you can ferry to its
smaller siblings on day trips.
'$9,'6:$1621
Though Tortola is the most developed
of the BVI, as soon as you slip out of
Road Town you’re cruising hilly green
terrain with resplendent Virgin vistas.
NOVEM BER 2006
A D V I C E F O R Y O U R N E X T V A C A T I O N
A car is helpful for reaching a bet for budget-conscious trav-
greater variety of restaurants, Cane Garden Bay, elers. The five rooms are small
beaches and bars, but you with its walkable and simply furnished, but well
don’t need one for your entire selection of inns kept and cheerful. Three units
stay. If prices for flights into and eats, is a good share a bathroom, and three
Tortola’s smallish (and jet-free) low-budget base. have air conditioning. The
Beef Island Airport seem high, inexpensive restaurant attracts
look at fares to nearby St. Thomas. The boaters, and live music accompanies
scenic ferry ride from Charlotte Amalie Friday and Saturday night barbecues.
to Tortola’s West End is only 45 minutes Rates range from $60 to $80 in low
and $25 each way. season ($76 to $95 high); closed August
Next to the West End ferry dock in and September. Smuggler’s Cove Beach
Soper’s Hole, the Jolly Roger Inn (284- is a short car ride away.
495-4559; jollyrogerbvi.com) is a good At the other end of Tortola, on the
95
 TRAVEL SMART

Lambert Beach

WORTH A SPLURGE
Lambert Beach Resort (284-495-
2877; lambertbeachresort.com) boasts
a flawless setting in an isolated cove.
Most of the 100 modest yet tasteful
rooms are standard size, with a few
suites. A huge swimming pool and a
good (but not inexpensive) restaurant
are other assets. The remote location on
Tortola’s northeast corner means you’ll
depend on a rental car or taxis for
excursions. Garden-view doubles start
at $127 in low season ($176 high);
beachfront doubles are $215 in low
season ($270 high).

airport islet — connected to the “main-

land” by a short bridge — Beef Island
Guest House (284-495-2303; beefisland
guesthouse.com) has a lost-outpost feel.
Its four rooms (all with private baths;
one with a beach view) are in a converted
cottage with a shared living room. The
swimming area in front is shagged with
turtle grass, but an excellent beach is
nearby. The modestly priced on-site res-
taurant is popular with yachties moored
in Trellis Bay, which is where ferries
'$9,'6:$1621

depart for Virgin Gorda. Doubles are

$95 in low season ($120 high), including
continental breakfast.
Continued on page 99

96 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M
 AN AFFORDABLE

DAY IN
TORTOLA
$120 PER PERSON IN LOW
SEASON ($138 high), based on
double occupancy. Not including air-
fare, car rental, airport transfers, tax
or service.
Average low-end hotel: $99 in low
season ($135 high)
Breakfast: $6 for the Mongoose Special
(eggs, hash browns, toast, fruit, and
coffee or tea) at De Loose Mongoose
on Trellis Bay (284-495-2303)
Lunch: $9 for honey-stung chicken at
Naomi’s Little Secret, on the beach at
Josiah’s Bay (284-495-2818)
Dinner: $15 for fettuccine Alfredo at
Spaghetti Junction near Road Town
(284-494-4880)
Activity: $41 for the ferry to Virgin
Gorda and a taxi to The Baths
Getting there: Tortola’s airport
is reached by American Eagle and
Caribbean Sun from San Juan;
Cape Air from St. Thomas. Ferries
travel throughout the day between
Charlotte Amalie in St. Thomas and
West End, Tortola (some ferries con-
tinue to Road Town).
Taxi from airport to hotels: $5 for
two to Beef Island Guest House;
$18 to $20 to Heritage Inn or Cane
Garden Bay; $20 to Lambert Beach;
$45 to Jolly Roger.
Rental car: From $32 per day in low
season ($38 high) from Itgo (284-
494-5150; itgobvi.com), with dis-
counts for weekly rentals. Add $10
for a local driver’s license; driving is
on the left.
Taxes: A 10 percent service charge and
7 percent government tax are added to
hotel rates; departure tax is $20 by air,
$5 by sea.
Additional information: 800-835-
8530; bvitourism.com

NOVEM BER 2006 97

YOUR CARIBBEAN GATEWAY TO CENTRAL AMERICA
Your peaceful, English-speaking neighbor only two hrs. from the US. Belize offers
tropical forests rich with wildlife, 3,675-ft. mountains, Mayan temples and diving and
fishing experiences beyond compare. In a single day you can go from a tropical forest
to the longest living barrier reef in the western hemisphere. And the people are as
warm and friendly as the climate. Discover Belize. And let the adventures begin.
Belize Tourism Board
PO Box 325 Gabourel Lane, Belize City, Belize
800-624-0686 www.travelbelize.org

SUNBREEZE HOTEL
A Perfect Vacation Getaway! Centrally
located within a stroll of downtown
San Pedro with easy access to all
activities and entertainment. 42 spacious
air-conditioned rooms • Ocean and
Garden views • Oceanfront Restaurant
and Bar • Oceanfront freshwater pool
and sun deck • Gift Shop • Art Gallery
• Massage Studio • Full Service PADI
resort operator • Variety of Packages
available. Call Toll Free: 800-688-0191
Fax: 011-501-226-2346
Email: travel@sunbreeze.net
www.sunbreeze.net

BELIZE LODGE & EXCURSIONS SUEÑO DEL MAR

We are a unique, all-inclusive, ecotourism Paradise Has A New Address!
destination and adventure travel operator Experience carefree island living
featuring an incredible variety of “Overland complete with a private beach. Fish, dive
Tour Packages” throughout all of Belize and
operators of two distinctive lodges deep
or snorkel in our azure blue water.
in the remote jungles of southern Belize. Onsite dive shop, Grill/Bar and pools.
Indian Creek Lodge & Jungle Camp, One and two bedroom luxury resi-
located within our 13,000-acre private dences are available starting at $39,000.
nature reserve, take seclusion, luxury and Phone: 011-501-623-6767
service, and uniquely blends the three Website: EasyBelize.com
to create the ultimate eco experience.
888-292-2462
www.belizelodge.com
info@belizelodge.com

AZUL RESORT TURNEFFE ISLAND LODGE

“A new level of relaxed luxury.” Escape to your own private island just
Azul combines the space, comforts 30 miles off the mainland. An all-
and privacy of a luxury beach villa inclusive resort for scuba divers,
with the amenities and services of fishermen & snorkelers. All rooms are
a world-class resort. Enjoy 400 feet ocean view and elegantly appointed.
of pristine beachfront, sculpted Over 70 dive sites less than a mile
infinity edge pool and beachside from the island. Some of the best
Tropical Lounge Cuisine at fishing in the Western Caribbean.
our renowned Rojo Lounge.
Refer to code ID04.
E-mail: info@azulbelize.com
Tel: 800-874-0118 or 713-236-7739
Phone: +501 226 4012
E-mail: info@turneffelodge.com
www.azulbelize.com
Web: www.turneffelodge.com
 TRAVEL SMART

The Baths

'$9,'6:$1621
CHEAP THRILLS
Hop on board the twice-daily supply
boat that heads from Nanny Cay on
Tortola’s south coast to the infamous
floating restaurant/bar/bacchanal
Willie T.; the ride is free to patrons
(284-496-8603). Eccentric Jost
Van Dyke is a charming backwater
with 272 residents and 10 beach bars;
get there via the West End ferry ($20
round-trip; 284-495-9477). Beautiful
Virgin Gorda offers amazing vistas
and a jumble of boulders and pools at
The Baths; it’s a 30-minute ferry ride
from Road Town ($25 round-trip; 284-
495-4495 or 284-495-6154).

Continued from page 96

Offering lofty views of the north coast,
Heritage Inn (800-226-9769; heritageinn
bvi.com) has nine one- and two-bedroom
suites, all with full kitchens, dining areas,
balconies, air conditioning and king-size
beds. There’s a pool and restaurant/bar,
but little else within walking distance;
good beaches are a 10-minute drive.
Superb sunsets are a regular treat. Doubles
range from $120 to $175 in low season
($175 to $275 high).
Cane Garden Bay Cottages (866-867-
8652; purplepineapple.com), a pair of
duplex cottages surrounded by gardens
and palms, lies just steps from one of
the BVI’s premier beaches. The four
one-bedroom units include full kitchens
and patios. There’s no phone or TV, but
amenities include CD players and air
conditioning. Water sports, six restau-
rants and a busy bar scene are all within
a few hundred feet. The weekly rate is
$840 in low season ($1,176 high).
— David Swanson

99
Photos Greg Johnston

One Friendly Island

www.St-maarten.com www.St-martin.org
 TRAVEL SMART

NEED TO KNOW
Hot Tips for Hot Shots • By Bob Friel

S
ure, your nine issues of to shoot. Harsh sun and high con-
Caribbean Travel & Life provide trast, along with blowing sand and water
plenty of gorgeous that are constantly trying to
photos to clip and Successfully capturing destroy your equipment, all
pin to your office corkboard the beauty of the make the tropics a demand-
for whenever you need a Caribbean on film or ing environment for photog-
little remembrance of vaca- digital media requires raphers, whether they’re pros
tions past and inspiration for a few specialized on assignment or travelers
future getaways. But nothing techniques and an taking happy snaps.
beats the satisfaction of hav- understanding of how Fortunately, by follow-
ing great, wall-worthy pic- to use light. ing a few tips, anyone can
=$&+6729$//

tures that you took yourself. come home from the

As beautiful and subject rich as the Caribbean with enough good photos to
Caribbean is, however, it’s a tough place make their friends sick with envy.

102 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M
N OV E M B E R 2 0 0 6 103
 Be aut i f ul
by Na t ure
The beautiful Turks and Caicos Islands

are situated 575 miles (or 75 minutes)

southeast of Miami. The islands have

the third largest coral reef system

complemented with crystal clear

turquoise waters, making it a premier

beach, diving and snorkeling destination.

With direct routes from Miami, New
York, Boston, Charlotte, Philadelphia,
Atlanta, Toronto and London the
islands are also an ideal location for
Royal West Indies Resort
Royal West Indies is an all suite, luxury, beach-side condominium resort located on
Grace Bay Beach. Featuring Studios and 1 or 2 Bedroom Suites, the resort is perfect
for honeymooners, sun lovers and families alike. Enjoy non-motorized water sports
and fabulous meals at the resort’s international restaurant, Mango Reef.
For reservations call 800-332-4203 and visit us at www.royalwestindies.com

romance, family vacations, ecotourism

and adventure seekers.

Turks & Caicos Club

Oceanfront 21 suite five-star resort on
Grace Bay Beach next to the island’s best
snorkeling reef. Full gourmet kitchens,
private balconies, pool, water sports,
fitness, restaurant and bar. Perfect for The Sands at Grace Bay
Honeymoons, Intimate Weddings & The Sands at Grace Bay is a combination of seclusion and sophistication. Spacious,
Escapes. For reservations call beautifully appointed suites for enjoying real vacation living on Grace Bay Beach
888-4TCCLUB and visit us at renowned for more than 12 miles of white powdered sand and transparent turquoise
www.turksandcaicosclub.com waters. For reservations call 877 77-Sands and visit us at www.thesandsresort.com
 TRAVEL SMART

SEE THE LIGHT pierce the sea’s surface and bounce off the
Most tourists only notice the sun’s pas- white sand below to light the water from
sage across the sky in terms of what within. The problem is that although the
SPF they should rub on each other and water will look incredible, the rest of the
what time they should start cocktail- scene and any foreground subjects may
ing. Photographers, though, need to be lit too hot and too high, with dismal
pay closer attention. Outdoor shooters shadows and bleached colors. So how
always speak of the “magic hours,” those can you overcome high-sun harshness?
times just after sun- Read on.
rise and, especially,
just before sunset BE THE LIGHT
when the sun’s long With all the sunlight
reach through our bouncing around a
atmosphere’s haze, beach at midday —
dust and pollution reflecting off the white
warms its light to sand and blasting off
a delicious orangey the water — the last
glow. Magic hours thing you’d think you
are the best time need is more illumi-
to shoot portraits, nation. But one of
architecture and any the most common
scenics where it’s not complaints about pic-
important that the tures of people taken
%2%)5,(/

water “pop” a bright in the Caribbean is

blue. Textured sub- that the subjects are

WHEN YOU AIM YOUR CAMER A AT HUBBY

HAMMING IT UP WITH SOME SWIMSUIT MODEL,
ITS SENSORS ARE NOT AS FOCUSED ON HIS
WANDERING EYES AND HANDS AS YOU ARE.

jects like sand dunes, sugar too dark. When aiming your
cane fields and palm groves To get a pleasing camera at hubby, who’s ham-
can also benefit from low- portrait when the sun ming it up with some swim-
angled light. is behind or above suit model on the beach, the
But what if you’re look- your subject, or when sensors primarily see bright
ing for that luminous water they’re wearing a hat, sand and water (they’re not
in shades of aquamarine and or both, zoom in so as focused on hubby’s wan-
turquoise, the kind that graces your camera exposes dering eyes and hands as you
many of CT&L’s covers and all the face correctly, or are). The lens closes down to
our Caribbean dreams? Magic add flash fill. expose for the overall scene,
hour sunlight simply bounces and your subjects come out
off the ocean like a skipped stone, leav- dark. When the sun’s too high above or
ing it dark. The screaming blues that anywhere behind your subjects, you’ll
make a shot say “Caribbean!” are only also get nasty shadows. And if anyone
possible when the sun is high enough to has a hat on, forget about seeing their

105
 TRAVEL SMART
face. There’s an easy fix, though:
Even today’s low-end cameras come
with a control that allows you to
override the auto exposure and tells
the flash to fire even in full sunlight.
It’s called flash-fill because it fills in
the shadows and adds enough light
to balance your subjects against a
bright background. Find it. Use it.
You’ll love it.
COMMAND THE LIGHT
The essential accessory for anyone
hoping to capture richly saturated
colors in a bright, sunny environ-
ment is a polarizing filter. Just like polar-
ized sunglasses, the filter works, basically,
by eliminating some of the scattered light
— glare and haze — that blanches the
color away from your scene, especially
the vegetation, sand, water and sky …
pretty much your entire scenic. Using a
106
THERE’S NO GREAT MYSTERY The real challenge is for those who
have a point-and-shoot camera with
ABOUT CAPTURING AWARD- a retracting lens that doesn’t allow
you to thread on a filter. You can
WINNING PHOTOS — JUST still get the great colors, but it will
take the extra effort of manually
LEARN HOW TO USE YOUR holding an oversized polarizing fil-
ter in front of the lens.
CAMERA AND HAVE IT
F8 AND BE THERE
READY WHEN SOMETHING That’s the answer experienced pho-
tographers often give to those ask-
GOOD HAPPENS. ing how they get such amazing
shots. It means that there’s no great
mystery about capturing award-
polarizer with the sun high on a clear day winning photos — just learn the basics
is the surest way to get that screaming of your tool, the camera (F8 is a good
blue water we crave. all-around aperture setting), and spend
You control the amount of polarizing enough time in the field to be there when
effect by rotating the filter — you can it happens, whether “it” is the perfect
see the result through the lens of an SLR sunset, a breaching whale, kids joyfully
or on the screen of your digital camera. jumping off a dock or whatever.
C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M
 Three islands. Endless possibilities.
ST. THOMAS/
ST. CROIX Antilles All-Suite
Resorts
St. Thomas: Anchorage Beach
Resort, Crystal Cove, Point
Pleasant, Sapphire Village, Sapphire
Beach. St. Croix: Club St. Croix,
Colony Cove. Beachfront, spa-
cious, luxurious vacation suites
with kitchens. Best locations.
Studio, 1-, 2-, or 3- bedrooms.
Maid service, great beaches,
tennis, snorkeling, watersports.
Golf, fishing,& fine dining nearby.
800-524-2025 800-874-7897
reservations@antillesresorts.com
www.antillesresorts.com
ST. THOMAS Bolongo Bay
Beach Resort
One-of-a-kind All Inclusive
experience offering 100% a la carte
dining at two of St. Thomas’ most
popular seaside restaurants and
premium brand liquor. Just 65
rooms right on the beach,
complimentary water sports, PADI
dive shop, tennis, beach volleyball
and best of all — the friendliest staff
on the island. European plan,
Wedding and Honeymoon
packages also available.
800-524-4746
www.bolongobay.com
ST. CROIX Sugar Beach
Condo Resort
Rated #1 condominium resort in
2005 by TripAdvisor.com! Located
on 500 ft. of sandy beach and
5 minutes from downtown shop-
ping. 46 spacious, deluxe units:
studios, 1 to 4 bedroom suites, all
facing the beach. Includes private
balconies, kitchens, central A/C,
ceiling fans, CATV, phone, pool,
lighted tennis courts and laundry.
Rates from $98.00.
800-524-2049
340-773-5345
www.sugarbeachstcroix.com
ST. THOMAS Pavilions and Pools Hotel
IDEAL HONEYMOON & VACATION!
Affordable 1-BR villas each with
private pool in America’s Caribbean
Paradise. Intimate, secluded,
perfect for “au naturel” swims &
sunbathing. King-size bed,
kitchen, LR/DR, cable, AC, garden
shower, maid service available.
Complimentary Continental
breakfast buffet. Cajun Restaurant.
5-minute walk to Sapphire Beach,
close to St. John and BVI ferries.
340-775-6110
800-524-2001
info@pavilionsandpools.com
www.pavilionsandpools.com
ST. THOMAS Secret Harbour
Beach Resort
Why settle for a room when
you can enjoy a fully equipped
beachfront or oceanview studio
or suite with private patio or
balcony overlooking our palm
lined beach? Enjoy tennis, pool,
dive/watersports and fitness
center and seaside restaurant.
Honeymoon, wedding and value
season packages available.
Last minute specials are on
our website.
800-524-2250
340-775-6550
www.secretharbourvi.com
ST. THOMAS Carib Beach Resort
Friendly, Informal & Affordable...
On Lindbergh Bay, near the
airport & 2-1/2 miles from
downtown & shopping. Bay view
rooms, private terraces & free
continental breakfast daily. Most
affordable beach resort on the
island. Waterfront restaurant,
fresh-water pool & bar. Value &
location is what you’ll find. Free
shuttle to the beach, Charlotte
Amalie & duty-free shopping.
800-792-2742
340-774-2525
www.caribbeachresort.com
 TRAVEL SMART

There are a number of situations in case they run out in the middle of the day. it. Be comfortable with your equipment,
the Caribbean, though, where having follow the simple tips above, and your next
your camera be there with you can be One of the best pieces of advice for Caribbean vacation should result in
dangerous to its health. Heat, humidity, getting good pictures is simply to know pictures to make you proud.
sand and especially salt water are all cam- your gear. If you buy a new camera for
era killers. To keep your gear safe: that once-in-a-lifetime trip, don’t wait until Go to caribbeantravelmag.com/phototips for
 Buy a good-quality, padded nylon you’re on the plane to learn how to use links to gear and accessories.
camera case with corrosion-resistant zip-
pers, and keep your camera and lenses
inside until you’re ready to shoot.
 On boats or on beaches with crashing
waves, add a waterproof dry bag on top
of your case, or simply keep your camera
in a Ziploc.
 Don’t let your camera cool down in
an air-conditioned hotel room and then
expose it to heat and humidity outside
— condensation will form inside the lens,
wrecking your photos and maybe the
electronics. Find your room’s warm spot
— often in a closet up on the shelf — and
store your camera there in its case. When
you leave the room, keep the camera in its
case with the zipper closed. Let it slowly
acclimate to the ambient temperature
— the hotter the day and the cooler your
AC, the longer it will take.
 Keep a blower brush, a clean camera
towel and a microfiber lens cloth in
your case, and use them to immediately
remove any sand or salt spray.

DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT THEM

 Plenty of media. Whether you’re using
film or digital capture cards, make sure
you have enough. If you ever run out,
rest assured that’s when the jaguar will
cross your path or your favorite movie
star will show up. How much is enough
depends on your shooting habits: On
average, pros on a travel magazine assign-
ment shoot about 400 frames of slide
film or three gigabytes of digital a day,
while some vacationers may have trouble
finishing a single roll of 36 prints or fill-
ing 256 megabytes in a week.
 Extra batteries. Just as frustrating as run-
ning out of film or card space is setting up
the perfect shot only to have your camera
die for lack of power. Even if you use
rechargeable batteries, carry an extra set in

NOVEM BER 2006 109

 TRAVEL SMART

HOT DEALS
ARUBA Take a bottle of
champagne, a sunset cata-
maran sail and a gourmet
dinner, and you’ve got a head
start on a lovey-dovey get-
away at the Radisson Aruba
Resort & Casino (800-333-
3333; radisson.com/aruba).
To further enhance the
mood, the hotel has tucked
a couple’s massage and daily
breakfast into its Romance
package, which starts at
$2,375 per couple for five
nights in low season ($3,125
high). Available from January
1 to December 21, 2007. R I N C Ó N BE AC H R E SORT

CARIBBEAN HILTONS included. Rates start at $1,615 per person

If you’re the type who fancies a bit of pam-
pering, the eight resorts under the Hilton
Caribbean and Coral by Hilton banners
(877-GO-HILTON; hiltoncaribbean.com/
spa) have something special for you through
the end of the year. The Spa Vacation pack-
age mixes in a variety of four treatments
(massage, facial, pedicure and manicure) and
includes daily breakfast. Rates start at $205
per night double occupancy, based on a three-
night minimum at Hilton Kingston (Jamaica)
and $216 per night double occupancy, based
on a four-night minimum at Coral Marien
(Dominican Republic). Request code 8F
when making the reservation.
DOMINICA Forget the Disney attraction
— a guided excursion around Dominica
to the locations featured in Pirates of the
in low season ($1,645 high). Available until
October 31, 2007.
PUERTO RICO The Rincón Beach Resort
(866-589-0009; rinconbeachresort.com) is
offering off-season-style incentives during
high season. With the Winter Getaway
from January 2 to April 15, those who book
four nights in a one- or two-bedroom suite
at the west-coast hotel receive a compli-
mentary fifth night, plus a $150 food and
beverage credit per suite and the use of a
kayak and a paddle boat for two days. Rates
are $2,196 and $2,796.
ST. LUCIA Start your marriage off right
with a honeymoon at Ladera (866-290-
0978; ladera.com), where a six-night
special for newlyweds incorporates all
&2857(6<5,1&Ð1%($&+5(6257

Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest is way more
authentic. The Tamarind Tree Hotel (767-
449-7395; tamarindtreedominica.com) has
a weeklong Pirates Package that features five
days of tours, including a boat ride to the
site of battle scenes, and a swim in a gorge
where Capt. Jack Sparrow tumbled downhill
to the sea. All meals and airport transfers are
things romantic: an open-air one-bedroom
suite with plunge pool; a couple’s mas-
sage; a bottle of champagne; a candlelight
dinner at the award-winning Dasheene;
and a dip in the Diamond Mineral Baths
nearby. Available from December 21, 2006,
to December 20, 2007, the Honeymoon
Package starts at $3,055.

110 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M

Aruba’s Calendar of Events
November 3-4-5
ARUBA BEACH TENNIS INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
November 4-11
ARUBA KLM OPEN TOURNAMENT
November 3-7
25th INTERNATIONAL VETERAN TENNIS CLASSIC
November 10-1 7
16th ARUBA HEINEKEN CATAMARAN REGATTA
December 5
SAINT NICOLAS DAY
December 25
CHRISTMAS
December 26
BOXING DAY
Enjoy the serenity of Aruba's only master
planned Villa Community, featuring a spec-
tacular 18-hole golf course, Health Spa,
Tennis, Restaurants & Bars. Luxury Condos
and Villa Homes, equipped with modern amenities and conveniences.
Toll Free: (800) 992-2015 • www.tierradelsol.com
info@icon-hotels.com
Luxury Caribbean elegance on
Aruba's famed Palm Beach. Ocean
view apartment suites. Various
Restaurants & Bars. Tennis. Health
Spa. Free-form Pool and more!
Toll Free: (800) 992-2015 • www.playalinda.com
info@icon-hotels.com
Thank God it’s Monday.
Located on Aruba's widest beach, the intimate
two-story resort offers Caribbean charm and
71 well-appointed guest rooms. Indulge at the
outdoor Caribbean-Balinese style spa facility
on the beach overlooking the turquoise sea.
Optional all-inclusive program is available.
For reservations visit www.manchebo.com
or call 1-800-223-1108
Have a different vacation experience at
our intimate and picturesque resort.
Warm smiles, friendly staff that will go
out of their way to offer you the per-
sonalized service you deserve, spacious
fully-equipped studios and suites, fine dining, and great amenities.
Toll Free: 1-800-932-6509
Reservations@AmsterdamManor.aw • www.AmsterdamManor.com
Casual elegance and spacious com-
fort within lush tropical gardens.
Rooms & Suites with Kitchen. Pool.
Tennis. Spa. Restaurant & Bar. Palm
Beach access across the street.
Toll Free: (800) 992-2015 • www.millresort.com
info@icon-hotels.com

The ultimate beach, breezy, sunny days.
Choice of 7 dining options and 7 bars.
There’s watersports, fitness center and
all guest rooms are just steps from the
sand or pools...it’s all included.
Toll free: (800) 554-2008
info@diviaruba.com • www.diviaruba.com
We invite you to frolic on our breezy, happy island.
Daily smiles and sunshine, complimentary.
1 800 to ar uba ~ ar uba.com
The Divi Village Golf & Beach Resort features
spacious deluxe suites surrounded by freshwater
pools and a challenging 9 hole golf course. Guests
enjoy romantic poolside dining, beautiful white sand
beach, beachside water sports and rock climbing
wall, Alahambra Casino, and the combined amenities
of a family of five Divi Aruba Resorts.
For more information, call 800-916-9740
Or visit us online at www.diviresorts.com/ctl or
www.divivillage.com
Everything’s included at this Aruba
hot spot on the beach...windsurfing,
rock climbing, biking and all rooms
are oceanfront. Choose from 7 dining
options and 7 bars.
Toll free: (800) 554-2008
info@tamarijnaruba.com • www.tamarijnaruba.com
WHAT’S HOT
Continued from page 59
the Cayman Turtle Farm, opened last
month in West Bay. Attractions include
a 1.3-million-gallon man-made saltwa-
ter lagoon for snorkeling, a shark tank,
touch pool, aviary, a blue iguana sanctu-
ary and a nature trail. (345-949-3894;
boatswainsbeach.ky)
Angels wannabes will feel right at home
in Hell, a village on the west coast, astride
Harley-Davidson XL 1200 Sportsters.
The three-hour guided bike tours around
the island use radios to provide narra-
tion. Tours have been offered since May
through Cayman Hog Riders. ($200; 345-
943-8699; caymanhogriders.com)
It’s all about the fish (and a soup-
con of French) at Harvey’s Island Grill,
which opened in the spring at the harbor
front, showcasing the murals of Cayman
resident Guy Harvey (guyharveyinc.com).
And Jimmy Buffett’s latest Margaritaville
114
opened in Georgetown in August
(margaritaville.com) — Kathy Mangan
ARUBA
JetBlue: What a perfect name for an
airline that ferries city-weary beach lov-
ers to the azure waters of Aruba. In
September, the carrier (800-538-2583;
jetblue.com) initiated the first-ever daily
nonstop service from New York’s JFK
to Queen Beatrix International Airport.
High rollers and high-flying kiteboarders
alike can enjoy gourmet snacks, sip sau-
KAYANTÁ SPA, RITZ-CARLTON CANCÚN
vignon blanc, smear on some lemon-sage
body butter and choose from more than
100 XM Satellite radio programs and 36
channels of DIRECTV.
The royal treatment continues upon
disembarking at Queen B, which has just
Ritz-Carlton, Cancún gotten a $34 million dollar makeover.
Work is underway on a 10-mile long,
C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G. CO M
 Free Trial Issue
MICHAEL MELFORD

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Issue
WHAT’S HOT
$16 million “linear park” between the
airport and the high-rise hotel corridor
with green spaces and paths for walking
and biking. The improvements are part
of $300 million worth of investment in
Aruba’s tourism infrastructure.
Golfers should have a gander at the 130
new villas (open and under construction)
surrounding a fresh nine-hole course at Divi
Village Golf & Beach Resort. (From $259 in
low season, $457 high; 800-367-3484; divi
resorts.com). Divi’s Aruba Phoenix Beach
Resort is working on 140 additional
suites on Palm Beach. (From $259 in low
season, $459 high; 800-367-3484; divi
resorts.com). The Radisson Aruba Resort
is opening the 13,000-square-foot Larimar
Spa this month. — Sarah Tuff Dunn
BARBADOS
Major international sports events are
driving a big-time push on Barbados
these days. To accommodate the influx of
fans for the World Golf Championships’
Barbados World Cup in December and
the Cricket World Cup next year, new
resorts are opening, hotels are upgrad-
ing, and Grantley Adams International
Airport has been expanded.
Sandy Lane Resort’s Country Club
Course, a 7,060-yard, par-74 layout
designed by Tom Fazio that opened in
2001, has been tweaked to challenge
the world’s best golfers. (866-444-4080;
sandylane.com)
Mango Bay Hotel in Holetown beat
the construction rush by completing
its $10 million expansion earlier this
year. The new fourth floor features
10 deluxe rooms plus two penthouse
suites. (All-inclusive rates from $385 in
low season, $510 high, 800-537-8483;
mangobaybarbados.com). Accra Beach
Hotel & Resort on the south coast timed
the unveiling of its expansion — 80
new rooms, a restaurant, spa and fitness
center — for last month, in anticipation
of the golf tournament. (From $160 in
low season; $196 high; 246-435-8920;
accrabeachhotel.com)
This month sees the planned reopening
of Treasure Beach Hotel on the west coast,
which has been completely renovated and
expanded to 35 rooms, including two
plunge pool suites on the beach. (From
$265 in low season, $765 high, includes
breakfast in high season only; 246-432-
1346; treasurebeachhotel.com) — K.M.
ST. MAARTEN/ST. MARTIN
Cramped spaces, snail-paced immigration,
negligible air conditioning and grungy
toilets — for way too long these were the

Almond Beach Almond Beach

Village Club & Spa
The Almond Beach Here, relaxation and
Village is a play- exhilaration walk
ground for adults hand in hand along
and children like no powder-soft shores.
other. Kids-only activ- It’s as easy to enjoy a
ity areas guarantees leisurely day of gour-
babies to teens will met dining, afternoon
have the time of tea and treatments
their lives. Adults are in our full-service spa
free to enjoy a village replete with water sports, fitness classes, as it is to experience the rush of water-skiing, windsurfing and
entertainment and gourmet dining options. Contact your travel snorkeling along a tropical reef. Contact your travel professional
professional or Almond Vacations. or Almond Vacations.
1-800-4 ALMOND • www.almondresorts.com 1-800-4 ALMOND • www.almondresorts.com

Treasure Accra Beach

Beach Hotel & Resort
Treasure Beach offers Ideally located on
a stunning location 3 1/2 acres of tropical
and quiet, intimate landscape, this hotel
charm. Located on has rooms offering
one of the island’s panoramic views of
best white sand the ocean, pool or
beaches, the 35-room island. Whether your
hotel is set in lush, stay is for business or
tropical gardens. Its pleasure our beauti-
suites are cool and contemporary in design. Newly modernized, fully appointed rooms, highly acclaimed gourmet restaurants and
the hotel also offers new luxury suites with private pools over- well equipped banquet and conference facilities have been host
looking the Caribbean Sea. Treasure Beach offers a ‘house party to the most discerning guests the world over. We look forward to
style’ where service always comes with a smile. making you one of them.
(246) 432 1346 • www.treasurebeachhotel.com (246) 435-8920 • www.accrabeachhotel.com
reservations@treasurebeachhotel.com Reservations@accrabeachhotel.com

116 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G. CO M
hallmarks of St. Maarten’s busy airport.
At last, the long-promised, $87 million
Princess Juliana International Airport
has opened, with a curvaceous terminal,
multistory concourse, four jet bridges and,
we can only hope, impeccable toilets.
The new facility is designed to handle
2.5 million passengers a year, which will
help keep pace as the islanders build larger
hotels and condos — at least five major
projects are in the works on the Dutch
side alone. The $120 million Westin St.
Maarten, Dawn Beach Resort & Spa is slat-
ed to debut in December with 311 rooms
and 99 condos, a 10,000-square-foot spa
and a casino of the same size. (From $261
in low season, $345 high; 888-625-5144;
starwoodhotels.com/westin)
Over on the partie Francaise, the
highly anticipated $60 million reno-
vation that will transform the former
Le Meridien into the new 250-room
Radisson Resort St. Martin has been
extended until next summer — and here
come another 500 guests to keep the
new airport humming. (Rates TBA in
Janaury; 800-333-3333; www.radisson
.com/stmartin) — I.K.

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

On St. Thomas, glitter is no longer
confined to the duty-free diamond
emporiums of Charlotte Amalie. Yacht
Haven Grande, a brand-spanking-new
development at the eastern end of Long
Bay Harbor, was designed specifically for
mega-yachts (up to 450 feet) and their
discerning owners. Each of the 50 slips is
serviced by high-speed fueling and high-
speed communications; sailors stretch
their sea legs at the exclusive yacht club,
dine at a selection of four restaurants and
shop for luxury items at deep discounts.
The complex also features 12 luxury con-
dos with plunge pools.
You’ll find more glitz at the Ritz-
Carlton, St. Thomas, where a $40 million
renovation added a new Club Lounge with
55 guest rooms, 16 executive suites, four
presidential suites and two villas. The

NOVEM BER 2006 117

 WHAT’S HOT
spa and each of the Ritz’s four restau-
rants have gotten makeovers that will be
unveiled next month. (Low season rates
unavailable at press time, from $699
high; 340-775-3333; ritzcarlton.com).
St. Thomas also sees the new Surfside
Spa at Divi Carina Bay Beach Resort
& Casino (from $189 in low season,
$250 high; 877-773-9700; diviresorts
.com) and a $100,000 renovation to
Villa Olga and its 12 guest rooms at
Bolongo Bay in Frenchtown (from $100
in low season, $125 high; 340-715-0900;
villaolga.net).
Another USVI December opening
angled for a less luxury-minded, more
limber set is the new yoga center on
St. John at Estate Concordia Preserve.
Now, yogis and yoginis can practice in a
1,500-square-foot pavilion overlooking
the fabled Ram Head hiking area, and
re-energize with Concordia’s homemade
granola (naturally) at the pavilion’s café
(from $95 in low season, $155 high;
800-392-9004; maho.org). — S.D.

GRENADA
Grenada keeps battling back from a one-
two hurricane punch, with new lodging,
entertainment, dining and shopping.
Affordable new villas will be a wel-
come addition to the island’s lodging
lineup when Paradise Bay Resort opens
in December. Perched on a hill between
La Tante and St. Pierre beaches on the
southeast coast, it features 18 rooms and
suites with hardwood ceilings, rattan
furniture, local art, Jacuzzis and verandas
(from $116 in low season, $179 high;
473-405-8888; paradisebayresort.net).
True Blue Bay Resort & Villas solidi-
fies its in-spot status this month with
the opening of the waterfront Dodgy
Dock Restaurant and the Lounge Bar.
Between them, the resort will put on live
music four nights a week. True Blue also
opened Serenity Spa this summer. (888-
883-2482; truebluebay.com).
June saw the start of a tasty new tra-
dition in the village of Gouyave on the

118 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G. CO M
northwest coast, when fishermen kicked
off the popular Fish Friday Festival, with
fresh seafood cooked on open fires, plus
music and cultural performances from 6
p.m. to 1 a.m. every week (gogouyave
.com). Shoppers enjoy enhanced browsing
grounds at the Esplanade Mall at the cruise-
ship terminal and at South City Duty Free
Plaza on Grand Anse Beach, both of which
opened this spring. — K.M.

JAMAICA
Chukka Caribbean Adventures — the
company that takes you on horseback rides
and Bob Marley birthplace tours — now
presents Stingray City on James Bond
Beach in Oracabessa, near Ocho Rios.
The 29 rays will be exposed to no more
than four groups of visitors each day, and
guides will see that each person (6 years
and up) enjoys a close encounter of the
most memorable kind. ($65 for adults, $35
for children; 876-726-1630; stingraycity
jamaica.com)
Come this winter, guests at Half Moon
at Rose Hall will walk a different path when
it’s time for spa treatments: At the new Fern
Tree Spa, they’ll have a consultation with
a Spa Elder who will guide them through
the four stages of wellness. The $4 million,
68,000-square-foot complex will include six
beachfront suites with private patios over-
looking the sea, outdoor tubs and showers,
and a personal treatment studio. (From $250
in low season, $400 high; 866-648-6951;
halfmoon.com) — I.K.

PUERTO RICO
The Normandie Hotel (from $175 in
low season, $245 high; 787-729-2929;
normandiepr.com) in Old San Juan
has finished an $8 million renovation
with property-wide Wi-Fi, art-deco
furnishings, two restaurants and a spa.
Construction at the San Juan Marriott
Resort & Stellaris Casino (from $295 in
low season, $350 high; 800-464-5005;
marriott.com), part of the resort’s $35
million renovation, is scheduled for
completion in December. — S.D.

NOVEM BER 2006 119

 inside
Continued from page 65
HARBOUR ISLAND
WHEN (not) TO GO
Unless you crave solitude, avoid Harbour
Island in September or October. Many estab-
lishments are closed during these months.
PICKING YOUR DIGS
Harbour Island rental homes offer casual
comfort and the privacy to enjoy it as you
darn well please. If charming and historic is
your preference, there are plenty of options
in Dunmore Town, within walking distance of
restaurants and shops. Cottages on the bay
side have great views and sometimes include
a dock; those on the side streets are often
just steps from the harbor. Weekly rates in
town range from $600 for a small apartment
to $8,000 for a large house that accommo-
dates up to 10 people. Beach homes offer
the luxury of stepping right off the deck
onto famous Pink Sand Beach. Prices range
from $1,200 for a one-bedroom studio with
kitchen and bath to $12,320 for a spacious
estate with 300 feet of oceanfront.
Wherever you stay, it’s a good idea to rent
a golf cart for trips to the beach or town.
WATER ADVENTURES
Lil’ Shan’s Watersports (242-422-9343;
lswatersports.com) offers the full sun-and-fun
experience, from scuba to fishing to boat
rentals, plus special kids’ programs. A two-
stop snorkel outing is $45 per person,
including gear.
WHERE TO EAT
Q Arthur’s Bakery
Setting: Small and casual, with a few tables
Cuisine: From croissants to banana bread to
wedding cakes; salads and sandwiches at lunch
Atmosphere: Come and go, or linger to use
the Internet access
Recommendation: Key lime tart, $3
Contact: myharbourisland.com/bakery.htm
QThe Landing
Setting: Romantic, colonial, with sidewalk
tables for people-watching
Cuisine: Contemporary menu based on local
produce and fresh-caught seafood
120
Atmosphere: Bahamas chic
Recommendation: Lobster Capellini, $38
Contact: 242-333-2707; harbourisland
landing.com
QSip Sip
Setting: Boutique eatery perched on a beach
Cuisine: Traditional, fresh island lunches (not
open for dinner)
Atmosphere: Trendy casual
Recommendation: Grilled shrimp with black-
bean cakes, $21
Contact: 242-333-3316
WHERE TO STAY
QBlue Bonnet
Style: Vintage ship captain’s house
Location: Centrally located in Dunmore Town
Rooms: Three bedrooms, with two twin
beds in third bedroom; 1½ baths
Rates: $2,000 per week year-round
Amenities: A/C in bedrooms; TV; daily
housekeeping
Contact: Island Real Estate; 242-333-
2278; brilandrealestate.com
QGrapevine
Style: Charming cottage with casual feel
Location: Full harbor view on Bay Street
Rooms: Three bedrooms, with three single
beds in upstairs bedroom; two baths
Rates: $3,000 per week year-round
Amenities: Terrace/courtyard at rear; cov-
ered verandah at front; A/C; TV; Internet;
daily housekeeping
Contact: Island Real Estate; 242-333-
2278; brilandrealestate.com
QSitting Pretty
Style: Exclusive beach estate
Location: Five acres of oceanfront property
Rooms: Four bedrooms; 4½ baths
Rates: $7,700 per week in low season
($11,200 high)
Amenities: Flat-screen TV; DSL; wine fridge;
wraparound decks; use of Dunmore Beach
Club facilities; daily housekeeping
Contact: Dunmore Beach Club; 242-333-
2200; dunmorebeach.com
C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G. CO M
BLOOD, SWEAT, BEER
Continued from page 69

I swam down over the coral wall try-

ing to shake that image. It’d taken only a
few days away from the civilizing effect
of women for us to devolve into grunt-
ing beasts that wallowed in bathroom
humor. It felt great.
At the bottom, three Caribbean reef
sharks approached. I pointed to the big-
gest one and signaled Tim to swim close
to it so I could get a picture. Without
a moment’s hesitation, he took off after
the shark into deep water. As he herded
it back towards me, I could tell by the
gleam in his eye that he was deciding
where on his hide he was going to
immortalize the scene.

WHERE TO STAY
insideMARSH HARBOUR

 Abaco Beach Resort & Boat Harbour

Style: Topsiders and T-shirt casual marina
resort with nice beach
Location: On the Sea of Abaco, within walk-
ing distance of several restaurants and bars, and
short boat rides from great fishing and diving
Rooms: 76 air-conditioned oceanfront rooms
and suites; six two-bedroom villas
Rates: From $240 per room; dive, romance,
family and weekend packages available
Amenities: Two pools; 190 protected boat slips
Dining: The resort recently snagged the chef
from exclusive Musha Cay, instantly elevat-
ing the cuisine at its Angler’s Restaurant and
making it the best on the island.
Contact: 800-753-9259; abacobeach
resort.com

WHAT TO DO
Fishing: Offshore Big game with Captain Billy
Black (and Little Foot) aboard Duchess. Email:
Captbillyblack@yahoo.com; or book through
Abaco Beach Resort. Bonefishing with Dee
Albury or Terrance Davis (book through resort).
Diving: Above & Below Abaco, based at Abaco
Beach, offers scuba (instruction available),
snorkeling, island-hopping and land tours. (321-
206-9197; aboveandbelowabaco.com).

NOVEM BER 2006 121

 TURKS & CAICOS
Continued from page 79

center of Turks and Caicos. Its streets are

lined with weathered colonial buildings.
Queen Street has a narrow beach along
most of its length. Additional beaches
extend south of Duke Street and north of
Front Street. The best of those is Cedar
Grove Beach, where a new restaurant and
gift shop opened this summer.
Q Where to Stay: On Front Street, the
Grand Turk Inn ($250 in low season,
$300 high; 649-946-2827; grandturkinn
.com) opened last year in a 150-year-old
Methodist manse. Its rooftop sun deck
provides an exceptionally civilized place
for winter whale watching. Tucked off
leafy Duke Street, Manta House (from
$73 in low season, $78 high; 649-946-
1111; grandturk-mantahouse.com) con-
sists of two bungalows and a charming
guesthouse.
Q Where to Play: Oasis Divers runs two-
tank boat dives for $85 (800-892-3995;
oasisdivers.com) and whale-watching
expeditions in winter. Across from Manta
House, the Water’s Edge serves conch
burgers and is a fine place for a Turk’s
Head Beer ($$; 649-946-1680).

GOVERNOR’S BEACH
Mile-long Governor’s Beach is the
island’s second-best beach, depend-
ing on whether any cruise ships are in
port. Twenty minutes south by foot,
the Grand Turk Cruise Center opened
in February, changing the sleepy
feel of Grand Turk forever. Large
enough to accommodate two ships,
the 13-acre complex includes 45,000
square feet of shopping and the
Caribbean’s largest Margaritaville. Just
south of the center, around the tip of
the island, White Sands Beach is ideal
for snorkeling and shelling.
Q Where to Play: The Cruise Center has a
second, smaller pier for water-based excur-
sions. For land-based activities — ranging
from lighthouse tours to horseback rides
— there’s a four-acre transportation hub,
with taxis, vans, buses and car rentals.

122 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G. CO M
SALT CAY
Eight miles southwest of Grand Turk,
Salt Cay exists in a world unto itself.
Once the world’s leading salt producer,
the island today is a quiescent collection
of salt ponds, 19th-century stone and
stucco buildings, wild donkeys and cows
(which have the right of way), and just
70 residents. From mid-January to early
April, the 2.5-square-mile island is also
a prime spot for watching the migrating
North Atlantic herd of 2,500 humpback
whales. Excursions leave daily — in
Turks and Caicos, captains are allowed to
approach the whales, and snorkelers can
swim alongside them — but it’s just as
popular to watch the passing humpbacks
from balconies and the beach.

NORTH BEACH
Spectacular North Beach runs from Point
Pleasant to North Point, with more than
two miles of sweeping white sand and
pristine coral heads offshore. Chances are
you’ll have most of it to yourself, along
with a few whales on the horizon.
Q Where to Stay: The Windmills
Plantation (from $655 year-round, includ-
ing meals; 649-946-6962; windmills
plantation.com) is the best choice for
lodging on Salt Cay and, in some respects,
in all of Turks and Caicos. With Greek
columns, Bermudian-style architecture,
brightly colored roofs and sprawling, eclec-
tic suites, it’s a place to spend several nights
or an entire month, as some do. Take the
glass-bottom kayak over the reef; go on
an island safari; sit in the “whale watch”;
or just enjoy having the beach to yourself,
anticipating another of Jim and Sharon
Shafer’s elaborate, multi-course meals.
Q Where to Play: Salt Cay Divers (649-
946-6906; saltcaydivers.tc) is the island’s
chief activity coordinator; two-tank boat
dives and whale-watching/snorkeling
excursions each cost $60. Island Thyme
Bistro ($-$$; 649-946-6977; island
thyme.tc) is gourmet, Caribbean and
eccentric. Green Flash Café ($; 649-946-
6909; saltcaytours.com) is a gather-
ing spot at sunset.

NOVEM BER 2006 123

 GRENADA
spice up
your life
Blessed with lush
green mountains and
Q uality, peacefulness, bliss —
a captivating luxury retreat for
complete relaxation of the body &
valleys and the abun-
dance of nutmeg,
mind. Intimate and serene, above cinnamon, all spice
spectacular Aquarium Restaurant
Beach. For those who like indepen-
and vanilla — filling
dence, spontaneity and privacy. the air with faint and
GRENADA, WEST INDIES
7 artistically designed villas in lush exotic aromas.
gardens with dazzling ocean views
and private massaging hot tubs.
You will see why
Stay at the Flamboyant on
Grand Anse Beach. Enjoy One of Grenada is called the
the Best Ocean Views in the Spice Island of the
Caribbean from Our Renovated
and Tastefully Decorated Units. Caribbean.
Grenada Needs You.
phone/fax: (+1 473) 439-5355
www.flamboyant.com mobile: (+1 473) 535-1900
473-444-4247 macabana@caribsurf.com
email: flambo@caribsurf.com www.macabana.com

The Monmot Hotel is a new jewel

in the crown of Grenada’s hotels. It
is a unique resort offering comfort
and convenience that adds a new
concept in 'Intimate Boutique Hotel
Accommodation.'
With 20 stunning luxury self-con-
tained suites. It is an intimate setting
with ambiance that instills an exotic
feeling of being in Paradise.

www.monmothotel.com
monmothotel@caribsurf.com
1-473-439-3408
 TRAVEL SMART
ONLINE NOW
SURF AND SAVE
Autumn is back, winter is just around the
corner, and that means it’s high time to
start planning your high-season getaway.
Did you know that Caribbean Travel &
Life’s website details hundreds of travel
deals? Go to caribbeantravelmag.com/
travelspecials and surf until you find an
incentive that speaks to you: a hotel that
offers a fifth night free; a resort that’s lay-
&2857(6<3/$=$5(6257%21$,5(
ing on complimentary spa treatments; or
maybe even a free wedding.
BONAIRE BONANZA
Bonaire is best known for its underwater
scenery, but there’s a lot to see and do
on this peaceful island that doesn’t call
for a snorkel or scuba tank. You can
NOVEM BER 2006
Plaza Resort Bonaire
tour historic sights, stroll the downtown
waterfront, dine on local and interna-
tional cuisine, and mingle with some of
the region’s friendliest people. But first,
visit caribbeantravelmag.com/treasuresof
bonaire by February 1 for a chance to do
it all during a free stay at Plaza Resort
Bonaire, Divi Flamingo Beach Resort or
Captain Don’s Habitat. Soon, our three
winners will be exploring all of Bonaire’s
treasures for themselves.
PHOTO PHRENZY
The judges for CT&L’s Photo Contest
2006 poured over nearly 2,000 entries.
Now you can see if you agree with their
picks and find out if your shot made it
to the final cut. Check out the gallery of
our top 100 finalists at caribbeantravelmag
.com/photocontest. Even if you didn’t
win a prize or get online, these shots
— some great, some so darn bizarre that
we kept them in the running just to get
another look — should inspire you to
get out and start shooting for next year.
125
villa vacations

island marketplace V I L L A VA C AT I O N S | I N T I M AT E H OT E L S | T H E M A R K E T | I N D E X

Your Caribbean dreams can come true in the Island Marketplace. Rent a villa,
buy a home, find the perfect hotel or a little bit of Caribbean charm. In addition,
you’ll find the handy index to our display advertisers. So call or follow-up online,
just don’t forget to say you saw it in Caribbean Travel & Life.

Villas by Linda Smith

“Once you’ve stayed in a staffed villa, you’ll never go back
to another vacation style again.” More than 50 exquisite
private villas adorn Linda Smith’s remarkable collection in
the heart of the Jamaican Riviera. Large or small, each
comes with its own pool and staff: chef, butler, house-
keeper, gardener and even a laundress so everyone leaves
with a suitcase full of clean clothes. Nannies, drivers and
masseuses available too. Handicap accessible. Golf and
tennis on site or nearby. Our collection includes intimate
honeymoon cottages, breathtaking beachfront villas, a
glamorous 18-acre mountaintop estate for 20, and even a
magical 18th Century plantation on 2,000 acres
renowned for its dreamlike weddings. They’re wonderful
for memorable birthday and anniversary celebrations for
everyone from toddlers to tycoons. We specialize in family
reunions (children welcome!). Simply the best.

linda@jamaicavillas.com
301-229-4300
www.jamaicavillas.com

The Villas at Bluefields
Live like royalty. Jamaica’s best villa staff will attend to your every need. CT&L
wrote “Jamaica offers nothing better”. Safe, secure & unspoiled by commercial-
ism. Five waterfront villas nestled in total privacy & tucked into a secluded cove
on Jamaica’s exotic southwest coast. Packages include internationally acclaimed
staff, gourmet meals, all liquor, watersports & more. Spa services available on site.
A world apart…call owners for details at 202-232-4010. Fax 703-549-6517.
Website: www.bluefieldsvillas.com E-mail: vacations@bluefieldsvillas.com
The Westin St. John Resort & Villas
Relaxing under a palm tree has reached a wholenew level… Serendipitous days
spent sailing, snorkeling and exploring an island that is 2/3 US National Park.
Sensuous nights of delicious dining and Heavenly Beds. Surrounded by 47
acres of lush landscaping on a white sand beach. Superb service and gracious
amenities provided with personal touches that will surprise and delight. The
Westin St. John Resort & Villas — the perfect respite for friends and family.
Contact us at (340) 693.8000 or visit westinresortstjohn.com

126 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M
 Special
THIS ISSUE

TURKS & CAICOS

Calypso RealtyDestination St. John
– St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands Calypso Realty – St.
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340-779-4647. Visit us at www.destinationstjohn.com.

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Phone & Fax: 599-545-2243 e-mail: cupecoy@sintmaarten.net or 207-871-1129 ph: (649) 232-1143.
www.absolutevilla.com

Palm
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NOVEM BER 2006 127
villa vacations
Amazing Vacations with Wimco Villas
Imagine lounging pool-side at your own private villa in an
exotic Caribbean island. Imagine the privacy, the space,
and the glorious surroundings. Wimco Villas manages over
1,200 private luxury villas in the Caribbean, including
200 exclusive villas in St Barts. We have 25 years expe-
rience in providing concierge level services in all of our
villas. We will take care of your Air travel, Restaurant
reservations, rental cars, babysitters, chefs and more.
Exclusive agent for SIBARTH Villas in St Barts.

Call 800-278-6469
Or visit us at www.wimco.com/ctl

St. Barth - Live Your Dream™

St. Barth...It’s what we do - EXCLUSIVELY!
Established in 1989, St. Barth Properties represents
over 140 private villas and 20 preferred hotels on St.
Barts, the Caribbean’s chicest island. We offer a full
menu of concierge services. The staff of both our US
and on-site affiliate offices are dedicated to meeting
our clients’ needs. We will be pleased to help you
choose an intimate, elegant hotel or one of our villas, all
personally inspected, ranging from a cozy bungalow to a
6 bedroom amenity-laden home. To view our collection
in full color, contact us for a copy of our Dream
Portfolio. Visit www.stbarth.com, to check availability
and book, live, on-line 24/7.

(800) 421.3396 or (508) 528.7727

Fax (508) 528.7789
Email: info@stbarth.com
www.stbarth.com

Virgin Gorda Villa Rentals Caribbean Villas & Resorts Management

Our private homes include charming and affordable seaside cottages & deluxe
beachfront villas with kitchens, pools, jacuzzis & A/C. Spa, tennis, shopping,
dining, water sports, fishing & more available nearby. For hotel accommodations,
stay at Leverick Bay Resort-Caribbean Style. Perfectly suited, well-priced,
comfortable & clean and, best of all, friendly. For a free color brochure, call 800-
848-7081 or 284-495-7421; E-mail: leverick@surfbvi.com; Website:
www.VirginGordaBVI.com.
We offer 80 of the finest luxury villas & condos, w/ privacy, beautiful views,
pools, hot tubs, tennis or beachfront locations. Our diverse selection, from
1-6 bedrms & $170-$1,000/nt., insures we provide you with a villa to match
your budget & dreams. We also offer ultra-romantic hideaways for
honeymooners & lovers. Our friendly staff meets you at the ferry & serves as
your island hosts. Take a villa tour at: www.caribbeanvilla.com. 800-338-0987
or 207-871-1129

128 C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M

Catered To Vacation Homes St. John, USVI
Getaway to the most exotic destination in America, St. John, US Virgin Islands! Catered To
Vacation Homes offer a bit of paradise for every taste & budget from basic to luxurious. Our
private homes accommodate two to ten people, are beautifully furnished & landscaped,
all with breathtaking sea views, most with pools or spas. Located near Cruz Bay, the Virgin
Islands National Park & the best beaches, each home has fully equipped kitchen, all linens,
TV, VCR, stereo, gas grill, beach chairs, beach towels & coolers. Call 800-424-6641,
fax 340-693-8191, E-mail: CateredTo@islands.vi Website: CateredTo.com
RE/MAX Island Properties – St. Maarten/St. Martin
Your Caribbean Dreams can come true… for a week or two… at your own private
villa. For over 20 years, Island Properties has been villa rental specialists on St.
Maarten/St. Martin. We are renown for full product knowledge, ensuring the
highest quality villas and unsurpassed service for our guests. We offer everything
from a romantic one-bedroom cottage to breathtaking beachfront villas. Call the
Rental Specialists today Toll Free: (866) 978-5852 or (599) 543-6160
E-mail: info@islandpropertiesonline.com Website: www.islandpropertiesonline.com
Negril Beach Villa
A little slice of Eden ensconced on 1-1/2 lushly landscaped acres with 400 feet
of pristine sandy beach. Three spacious ocean view bedrooms each with complete,
modern bathrooms, a beachfront verandah with outside dining area, satellite TV,
phones & A/C throughout. There’s a fully equipped kitchen, living/dining room
and back-up generator. Separate staff quarters house your own cook, gardener,
housekeeper and 24-hour security. Laundry service is available upon request. Visit
www.superclubs.com or call 1-800-Go-Super (467-8737).
NOVEM BER 2006
villa vacations
Destination St. John
A unique and exclusive selection of private vacation homes on the beautiful
island of St. John, USVI. Private waterfront and hillside homes ranging from
luxurious villas to Caribbean cottages. All offer lush landscaping, private
decks and glorious ocean views. Most with pools or hottubs. Personalized
service from the moment you arrive on St. John. Discount airfare packages
available. Call Destination St. John: Toll Free 800-562-1901. Phone/Fax:
340-779-4647. Visit us at www.destinationstjohn.com.
Bequia Beachfront Villas – The Grenadines
Featured in Architectural Design,and located on the mile-long beach of Friendship
Bay. The 1-4 bedroom villas are large & beautifully decorated, with elegant design
details such as unusually high-beamed ceilings. Each luxurious villa has a kitchen, bed-
room, bath, and deep luxurious porches, superbly designed for entertaining, eating
outdoors, or just lounging. Bequia Beachfront Villas, a Fort Recovery Resort, have all
the comforts of private living with hotel amenities. 1-800-367-8455(wait for ring)
www.bequiabeachvillas.com Ph: 284-495-4467 Fax: 284-495-4036
Honeymoon Hideaway - Dolphin Beach
Private, intimate, secluded, & laid back, our cottages and suites sit
peacefully nestled in the lush green tropical foliage, just feet from the
crystal turquoise water of the Atlantic Ocean and miles of powder soft,
unspoiled beach...Dolphin Beach Resort - Great Guana Cay - Abaco,
Bahamas. 1-800-222-2646 or visit www.dolphinbeachresort.com
129
free travel information
Antigua & Barbuda
1. Antigua & Barbuda Department
of Tourism - Where the beach is
just the beginning — the Caribbean
you’ve always imagined. See page
107
2. Antigua Hotel & Tourist
Association - Here the Beach is just
the Beginning. See page 49
3. Elite Galley Bay - An exotic seclud-
ed Hideaway. See page 17
4. Elite St. James Club - Antigua’s
most famous address. See page 16
Anguilla
5. Carimar Beach Club - If you like
the beach, you’ll love Carimar at the
water’s edge Meads Bay, Anguilla.
See page 117
Aruba
6. Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort -
Enjoy Dutch hospitality, colonial
charm in a Caribbean surrounding.
Personalized service, fine facilities
and amenities. See page 112
7. Aruba Tourism Authority -The
Island Where Happiness Lives...
Unlimited fun, Romance, Relaxation,
Friendly People, One Cool Programs.
See page 111
8. Divi Aruba All Inclusive - The ulti-
mate beach, breezy, sunny days.
Choice of 7 dinning options and 6
bars. There’s watersports it’s all
included. See page 113
9. Divi Village Gulf & Beach Resort -
The best Caribbean luxury World -
class golf, casino and four-star ameni-
ties. See page 113
10. Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort &
Casino - Discover the rich Spanish
and Dutch ambiance at the Hyatt
Regency Aruba Resort & Casino.
See page 15
11. Manchebo Beach Resort & Spa -
Intimate spa resort located on Aruba’s
widest beach offering rejuvenating
vacations and all inclusive options.
See page 112
12. Mill Resort & Suites Aruba -
Casual elegance and spacious com-
fort within lush tropical gardens.
Rooms and suites with kitchen. Pool.
Tennis. Spa. See page 112
13. Playa Linda Beach Resort - Luxury
Caribbean elegance on Aruba’s famed
Palm Beach. Ocean view apartment
suites, Restaurants & Bars. See
page 112
14. Radission Aruba - Impressive…it’s
just our nature. See page 31
15. Tamarijn Aruba All Inclusive -
Everything’s included at this hot spot
on the beach…windsurfing, rock
climbing, biking and all rooms are
oceanfront. See page 113
16. Tierra Del Sol Aruba - Luxury
Condos and Villa Homes, some pri-
vate pool, Golf Course, Health Spa,
Tennis, Restaurants & Bars. See
page 112
Bahamas
17. Abaco Beach Resort & Boat
Harbour - A Sea of Blue....and all
Colors imaginable await you at the
popular and upscale Abaco Beach
Resort. See page 4
130
Simply MAIL the attached Reader Response Card, FAX toll-free to 888-847-6035,
18. Bahamas Out Islands Promotion
Board - The “closer” Caribbean! Ideal
for those seeking total relaxation,
world-class fishing, diving, snorkeling
and sailing. See pages 4-5
19. Cable Beach Resorts - Three hotels
sharing the most gorgeous stretch of
sand in the Bahamas. Cable Beach.
Very Bright. See page 119
20. Cape Santa Maria - Untouched..
Undiscovered..barefoot elegance in a
Caribbean paradise. Four miles of
pristine-white beach. See pages 4-5
21. Emerald Palms Resort - Tranquil and
secluded, the best in Bahamas vaca-
tioning. See pages 4-5, 48
22. Fernandez Bay Village - Secluded
beachfront resort with 15 villas and
cottages. Seaside dining. All waters-
ports. Family owned & operated.
See pages 4-5
23. Four Seasons Great Exuma -
Crystal-clear Bahamian waters for
diving, an open-air spa and an oceans-
ide golf course designed by Greg
Norman. See pages 4-5
24. Grand Isle Villas - Luxury Bahamas
resort rentals and sales, oceanfront
two-story villas, golf course, beach,
and marina. See page 102
25. Palm Bay Beach Club - Discover a
new way of life on this tranquil
island. An attractive investment, or
vacation getaway. See page 5
26. Club Peace & Plenty & Peace
and Plenty Beach Inn - Pristine
emerald waters, private beach on
island, neat and clean, ocean view
rooms. Family owned. See pages 4-5
27. Pineapple Fields - Eleuthera’s first
luxury condo/resort set amidst lush
tropical landscape on 80-acres the
kisses one of the most spectacular
beaches in the Bahamas. See pages
4-5
28. Small Hope Bay Lodge - Great
small all-inclusive resort specializing
in Rest, Relaxation, Rediscovery, and
Romance. See pages 4-5
29. Staniel Cay Yacht Club - The
embodiment of small island charm
and unique pleasures found nowhere
else on earth. See pages 4-5
30. Stella Maris Resort Club - Peaceful,
natural, surrounded by gin-clear
ocean and pristine beaches, gentle
island folk welcome you. See pages
4-5
31. Tiamo Resorts - Naturally one of the
great vacations in The Bahamas! See
pages 4-5
32. The Westin - At Our Lucaya - 7.5
acres of beach, 4 pools, golf, tennis,
14 restaurants and lounges, spa and
casino. See page 43
Barbados
33. Almond Beach Village - Here,
relaxation and exhilaration walk hand
in hand along powder-soft shores.
See page 116
34. Almond Beach Club & Spa - Is a
playground for adults and children like
no other See page 116
35. Accra Beach Hotel & Resort -
Ideally located on 3 1/2 acres of
tropical landscape, this hotel has
rooms offering panoramic views of
the ocean. See page 116
36. Elegant Hotels - At Elegant Hotels,
everyday is an encounter with the
unexpected. See page 39
37. Treasure Beach Hotel - 35-Suite
hotel offers a stunning location on
white sand beach and quite intimate
charm. See page 116
Belize
38. Azul Resort - A new level of relaxed
luxury, beachfront villas with the
amenities of a world-class resort –
See page 98
39. Banyan Bay Villas - See page 122
40. Belize Lodge & Excursions Ltd. -
A unique, all-inclusive, ecotourism
resort destination and adventure
travel operator. See page 98
41. Belize Tourism Board - Mother
Nature’s best kept secret. Choose
your adventure! On the Caribbean
Coast of Central America 2 hours
from the U.S. See pages 98-99,
120
42. El Pescador - the privacy of your
own villa combined with the full
service of our family-run hotel. See
page 99
43. Journey’s End - A private island
paradise on 50 acres of pristine
beach. A resort for the discriminating
traveler. See page 99
44. Mayan Princess Hotel - A paradise
for divers, snorkelers and beach lovers
– our beachfront hotel offers first
class accommodations and service
See page 99
45. Roatan Charter - Your one call
source to a perfect vacation in
Honduras and Belize. See page 99
46. Sueno del Mar - Residential Resort
on Ambergris Caye, combining the
best features of fractional ownership
and resort club membership. See
page 98
47. SunBreeze Hotel - Great locations,
superb value, friendly efficient ser-
vice, a/c rooms, restaurant, bar, gift
shop, massage studio, dive shop. See
page 98
48. Turneffe Island Lodge Resort -
Escape to your own private island all-
inclusive resort for scuba divers, fish-
ermen and snorkelers. See page 98
Bonaire
49. Plaza Resort Bonaire - Bonaire’s
premiere beachfront & reef-front
resort and Toucan Diving Center
“that have it all!” See page 10
50. Tourism Corporation of Bonaire -
Charming and unhurried with pristine
nature above and below the water,
Bonaire is an ideal destination for
couples and families. See page 114
British Virgin Islands
51. Elite Long Bay Beach Resort &
Villas - An adventurous hideaway.
See page 17
Cayman Islands
52. Cayman Airways - Jet services from
Chicago, Houston, Tampa, Miami and
Ft. Lauderdale with connections to
Brac & Little Cayman. See page 97
53. Cayman Condo’s - 1, 2, 3 & 4 BR
fully equipped condos on Seven Mile
Beach. See page 97
54. Cayman Islands Department of
Tourism - Stay with us for a few
days and we’ll stay with you forever.
See page 27
55. Grand Cayman Courtyard by
Marriott - Our 231 room, five-story
hotel is located just across from
Famous Seven Mile Beach. See page
97,125
56. Grand Cayman Marriott Beach
Resort - Discover the grace & color
of our intimate Grand Cayman
Experience. See page 97
57. Paradise Villas Little Cayman - The
only 100% oceanfront resort on
Little Cayman. 12 oceanfront villas,
seaside restaurant, dive operation.
See page 97
58. Reef Resort - All beachfront Luxury
Suites, Pure Beach Relaxation, the
Barefoot Man, what more could you
want? See page 97
59. Sunset House - Beautifully renovat-
ed rooms, walking distance to George
Town, meal packages, dive shop,
Cathy Church photo. See page 97
60. Westin Casuarina Resort & Spa -
Come and experience the Westin
Casuariana — the best resort directly
on famous Seven Mile Beach! See
page 42,97
Cruises/Yacht Vacations
61. Elite Island Yacht Charters - The
Vacation of a Lifetime at the Price of
a Lifetime. See page 12
Curacao
62. Curacao Tourism Board - Where
northern Europe meets the Southern
Caribbean. See page 92-93
63. Floris Suite Hotel - Surrounded by
sumptuous tropical gardens, Enjoy
the tropical free-form pool, a gour-
met dinner in the Mediterranean res-
taurant. See page 92-93
64. Hilton Curacao Hotel - Luxury of a
Tropical Resort with a Dutch
Architecture. See page 92-93
65. Lodge Kura Hulanda and Beach
Club - Elegantly appointed suites,
refreshing swimming pool perched
above the ocean, on-site dive shop.
See page 92-93
66. Lions Dive & Beach Resort -
Situated on a white sandy-beach
hugged by palm trees and spacious
air-conditioned rooms. See page 17
67. Sunset Waters Beach Resort - All-
inclusive sunset waters boast large
oceanfront rooms that offer panoram-
ic vistas of the mountains, bays, cliffs
and calm, pristine waters. See page
92-93
68. SuperClubs - The only
SuperInclusive resorts in the
Caribbean. See page 92-93
Dominica
69. Fort Young - Dominica’s premier
Hotel: Old World Charm, modern
amenities and open vistas of the
Caribbean Sea. See page 122
70. Rain Forest Aerial Tram - A fasci-
nating experience where vistors can
ride in an open-air gondola through
the rainforest canopy. See page 122
71. Tamarind Tree Hotel &
Restaurant - At this family-run hotel
you enjoy the best of Dominica at
reasonable prices. See page 122
C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G. CO M

or visit www.caribbeanttravelmag.com/freeinfo for DIRECT ACCESS to each Advertiser’s website and free information .
Dominican Republic
72. Eden Bay Resort - On the Lush
Tropical North Coast of the
Dominican Republic…See page 121
73. Sun Village Resort and Spa -
Come for a vacation or stay for a
lifetime. Brand New million dollar
spa Confresi Beach, Puerta Plata.
See page 118
Grenada
74. Grenada Board of Tourism -
Escape to the real Caribbean
Paradise…Romantic Grenada. See
page 110
75. Maca Bana Villas - Grenada’s brand
new secret, luxury hideaway in tropi-
cal gardens overlooking a gorgeous
beach. See page 124
76. Monmot Hotel - Located in the
prestigious area of L’anse Aux Epines
in the southern tip of the island of
Grenada. See page 124
77. Paradise Bay - Beachfront villa
resort for a romantic, peaceful gour-
met holiday. Off the beaten track,
gorgeous nature. Your gateway to
paradise. See page 124
78. The Flamboyant Hotel - Recently
renovated hotel on Grand Anse
Beach, with the most magnificent
ocean view. See page 124
79. True Blue Bay Resort & Villas -
Follow the wave to True Blue Bay.
Family vacations…Diving…Sailing…
Snorkeling. See page 124
Jamaica
80. Air Jamaica - Exceptional Service is
no Exception on Air Jamaica. More
than 270 weekly flights make us the
top choice to the Caribbean. See
page C3
81. Breezes Resorts - All-inclusive
luxury rooms and suites in Jamaica,
the Bahamas, Brazil, Curacao,
Dominican Republic. See page 9
82. Couples Resorts - Rediscover one
another. Luxury all-inclusive resorts
in Jamaica, Couples Negril, Couples
Swept away and Couples Ocho Rios.
See page 18
83. Grand Lido Resorts & Spas -
Jamaica’s premier all-inclusive resorts
— luxury rooms and suites by the
masters in the art of vacations. See
page 9
84. Jamaica Tourist Board -Jamaica
One Love - Experience the heart and
soul of the Caribbean; once you go...
You know. See page 11, 13
85. Royal Plantation - Deny yourself
NOTHING. See page 14
Mexico
86. Cozumel Promotion Board - With a
Mexican heart and a Caribbean soul,
Cozumel is a paradise where tradi-
tion, flavor and joy come together.
See page 35
87. Hotel Cozumel - Relaxed and friend-
ly atmosphere with a wide variety of
activities and PADI Dive Center. See
page 123
88. Iberostar Cozumel - All Inclusive
Service Resort with spectacular div-
ing to forget your worries. See page
106,123
N OV E M B E R 2 0 0 6
89. Playa Mia Grand Beach Park -
Explore the underwater Mayan City;
Enjoy the Paradise includes more
than 25 Services and Attractions.
See page 123
90. Puerto Costa Maya - Beyond Your
Expectations. See page 29
Miscellaneous
90. Colombian Emeralds - A 30 year
reputation for quality, integrity,
and value. Certified appraisals, US
Customer Service Center. See
page 45
91. Divers Alert Network - Dan is cele-
brating 25 years of helping divers
through research, products, services
and education. See page 132
Multiple Islands
92. Beaches Resorts By Sandals
Resorts - Voted world’s best all-
inclusive family resorts — Jamaica,
Turks and Caicos. See page 107
93. Cheap Caribbean.Com - Save up to
70% off published prices on vacation
packages and luxurious resorts. See
page 94
94. Choice Hotels International -
Inviting and affordable hotels amid all
the pleasures of the Caribbean. See
page 96
96. Divi Resorts - Miles of white sand
beach. Nine colorful Caribbean
resorts. Six magnificent Caribbean
islands. No worries. Unlimited fun.
See page 25
97. Hilton Caribbean - The places you’d
rather be. 14 beautiful hotels and
resorts on 9 different Caribbean
islands. See pages C2-3
98. Iberostar Hotels & Resorts - All
Inclusive Service Resorts in Mexico
and Dominican Republic to forget
your worries. See Page 106
99. Island Home - Caribbean Real
Estate specialists, Island Home can
help make your dream of owning an
Island Home…Reality. See page 103
100. Sandals Resorts - Voted the
world’s best all-inclusive resorts for
over a decade — Jamaica, Antigua,
St Lucia, Bahamas. See page 27
Puerto Rico
101. Copamarina Beach Resort -
Copamarina offers the finest in relax-
ation, dining, diving, sailing and eco-
tourist wonders to create the perfect
vacation experience. See page 10
102. Paradisus Puerto Rico - Puerto
Rico’s first all-inclusive, luxury all
suite resort with comfort, convien-
ience and amenities. See page 109
St. Kitts
103. St. Kitts Ministry Tourism
Authority - Blessed by nature and
rich in history — a Caribbean island
like no other. See page 121
St. Lucia
104. Anse Chastanet Resort -
Spectacularly scenic 600 acre hide-
away with 2 beaches bordering on
pristine reefs. Romance, Tranquility,
Adventure. See page 122
105. Coconut Bay Resort & Spa - Near
St. Lucia’s top attractions, this all
inclusive resort features multiple
pools, thrilling water park, and ocean-
front spa. See page 33
106. Discovery at Marigot Bay - This
124-room and suite resort, spa and
marina offers luxury accommodations
in the spectacular Marigot Bay. See
page 46
St. Maarten
107. Princess Heights - Luxury condo-
minium, boutique hotel-style accom-
modations with stunning ocean views
— exclusive part of St. Maarten. See
page 100-101
108. St. Maarten Tourist Office -
Caribbean Hospitality -European
Sophistication Great Beaches World
Famous Restaurants and Nightlife.
World Class Resorts and Hotels,
Intimate Guesthouses and Villas.
See page 100-101
109. Westin St Maarten Dawn Beach -
Relax on beautiful Dawn beach.
Revitalize yourself in our luxurious
spa. See page 41
St. Martin
110. Grand Case Beach Club - The
beach is so close, shoes are strictly
optional. Award-winning, charming
accommodations. See page 103
111. Green Cay Villas - Overlooking
Orient Beach — 16 private one- to
three-bedroom villas with services of
a luxury hotel. See page 100-101
112. St. Martin Tourist Board - The
charm of France, the beauty of the
Caribbean. Friendly and easy access.
You’ll love it! See page 100-101
Trinidad & Tobago
113. Trinidad and Tobago - Beaches,
waterfalls, scuba diving, rain forests,
and much more. Discover the twin
islands of Trinidad and Tobago — The
World’s most beautiful playground.
See page 47
Tortola
114. Elite Island Resorts, Tortola -
Private hideaways and luxury all-
inclusive resorts. See page 16
Turks & Caicos
115. Alexandra Resort & Spa - Escape
the ordinary with first-class ocean-
front vacation rental suites and
ownership accommodations. See
page 105
116. Royal West Indies Resort - all-
suite, luxury, beach-side condomini-
um resort on Grace Bay Beach;
studios, one- and two-bedrooms.
See page 104
117. The Palms - Discover an Oasis of
Timeless Luxury in a Caribbean
Paradise called the Palms. 72 luxury
suites and penthouse residences for
the truly discerning. See page 123
118. The Sands at Grace Bay -
Spacious, beautifully appointed
suites — real vacation living on Grace
Bay Beach. See page 104
119. Turks & Caicos Club - Oceanfront
21-suite five-star resorts on Grace
Bay Beach, perfect for honeymooners
and intimate escapes. See page 104
120. Villa Renaissance - The ambience of
a grand villa on the Caribbean’s most
spectacular beach — 36 luxury suites
and villas. See page 105
free travel information
USVI — St. Croix
121. Buccaneer - Luxury four-star golf
and beach resort. Spa, tennis, fine
dining, historic, best location. See
page 118
122. Sugar Beach Condo Resort - You
will find fun, sand, and tranquility
here! Choose from 1, 2 and 3BR
suites all facing the ocean. See
page 108
USVI — St. Thomas
123. Bolongo Bay Beach Resort -
Offers the best All Inclusive experi-
ence, great honeymoon or wedding
packages. There is something here
for everyone! See page 103,108
124. Carib Beach Resort - Planning a
family vacation, business trip, or a
romantic getaway, we offer the
perfect setting for whatever occa-
sion brings you to the islands. See
page 108
125. Pavilions and Pools - Your own pri-
vate 1-bedroom villa and swimming
pool — quiet, romantic, and beautiful.
5 minute walk to the beach. See
page 108
126. Secret Harbour Beach Resort -
located on the quiet East End of St.
Thomas with the comfort of a beach-
front or ocean view suite for your
visit to paradise. See page 108
127. US Virgin Island Tourism - US
Virgin Islands - America’s Caribbean:
St. Croix, St. John, St Thomas. See
page 40
Villa Vacations
128. Absolute View - See page 127
129. Bequia Beachfront Villas - The
Granadines - See page 126
130. Bluefield’s Bay Villas - Jamaica -
See page 126
131. Calypso Realty - USVI - See
page 127
132. Caribbean Villas & Resort Mgmt. -
Caribbean - See page 129
133. Catered To…Vacation Homes -
USVI - See page 129
134. Destination St. John - St. John,
USVI - See page 129
135. Honeymoon Hideaway - Dolphin
Beach - See page 129
136. Negril Beach Villa - Jamaica- See
page 129
137. Ocean Point Villas - Turks & Caicos -
See page 127
138. Palm Terrace Villas - St. John - See
page 127
139. Premier Real Estate - St. Maarten -
See page 127
140. Prestigious Properties - Turks &
Caicos - See page 127
141. ReMax Island Properties - St.
Maarten/St. Martin - See page 129
142. St. Barth Properties Inc. - St. Barts -
See page 128
143. Virgin Gorda Villa Rentals - See
page 128
144. Villas By Linda Smith - Jamaica -
See page 126
145. Westin St. John - St. John, USVI -
See page 126
146. WIMCO - Multiple Locations - See
page 128
131
 inside
Continued from page 90
ST. VINCENT
WHERE TO EAT
The vestigial remains of St. Vincent’s
French legacy endure mainly in the names
of its leeward-side towns, but the cuisine
is alive and well at the French Verandah
Restaurant, located at the Mariners Hotel
on Villa Bay. Well-prepared straightforward
dishes (beef Béarnaise, Roquefort or au
poivre) are complemented by regional
fare (conch — kebob, curried or cracked).
Entrees from $20 to $30 (784-453-
1111; marinershotel.com).
WHERE TO STAY
 Young Island
Style: Casual private island resort
Location: Southern tip, just offshore from
Villa Beach
Accommodations: 28 suites on 35 acres,
with water views
Rates: For 2007, $215 to $445 in low
132
season ($365 to $650 high; meal plans
available)
Amenities and Activities: Pool; beach;
non-motorized water-sports equipment;
tennis; spa
Dining: Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch
and five-course dinners
Contact: 800-223-1108; youngisland.com
 Petit Byahaut
Style: Rustic eco-camp
Location: Secluded bay on leeward coast
Accommodations: Five pine and screen
cabins
Rates: Three-day minimum at $390 per
day for two; all-inclusive except for alcohol
Amenities and Activities: Dive, snorkel
and kayak equipment
Dining: Restaurant serves all meals; adven-
turesome Caribbean cuisine
Contact: info@petitbyahaut.com;
outahere.com/petitbyahaut
WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Tourist Information: 784-457-1502;
svgtourism.com
 Documents: A valid passport is required.
 Getting There: Caribbean Star/Sun
Airlines (866-864-6272) connects to St.
Vincent from Barbados, Grenada, St. Lucia,
Trinidad and San Juan. LIAT (866-549-
5428) flies to St. Vincent from Barbados,
Grenada, Trinidad and Antigua. BWIA (800-
538-2942) has direct flights from the United
States to Barbados, Grenada, Antigua and St.
Lucia. American Airlines (800-223-5436)
has direct flights from the United States to
Barbados, San Juan, St. Lucia and Trinidad. Air
Jamaica (800-523-5585) has direct flights
from the United States to Grenada.
 Dialing In: 784 + seven-digit number
 Currency: The official currency is the East
Caribbean dollar (EC1 = US$ .37)
 Getting Around: Car rentals are available
at the airport with a valid U.S. driver’s license.
C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G. CO M
 intimate hotels
Anguilla Grenada St. Thomas

Anguilla Puerto Rico

ADV E RT I S E I N

www.anguillasurlaplage.com
I N T I M AT E
Serenity at your doorstep. Sur La Plage Anguilla offers two villas and a
studio directly on Meads Bay beach. This private 2-acre estate boasts full
amenities including pool, Jacuzzi, a/c, and your own personal maid.
For more information or reservations :
H OT E L S
Anguilla: (264) 497-6598 • USA (401) 423-1378
e-mail: surlaplagevillas@aol.com
UNIQUE
Bahamas St. John INDIVIDUAL
DISTINCTIVE
CALL 407-571-4712
FAX 407-571-4713
E-MAIL:
ADVERTISE@CARIBBEANTRAVELMAG.COM

the market
Car Rentals Island Art
RENTALCARSHOPPER.COM - Shop Rate from over 60
Car Rental Agencies Across the ENTIRE CARIBBEAN! Aru-
ba, Barbados, Belize, Cayman, Jamaica, Mexico, St. Barts,
St. Lucia, St. Maarten / St. Martin, St. Thomas, Puerto
Rico, Trinidad and more. Call us Toll Free 1.866.ST-
MAARTEN (1.866.786.2278)

Cruises/Yacht Charters

FINE ART OF PARADISE - www.IslandStudio.com

Voted #1 online tropical Art Gallery. Original paintings,
Gicleés, and More.

AMERICAN AIRLINES® AADVANTAGE MILES® FOR
CREWED AND BAREBOAT CHARTERS! - 1,000 miles
per person. Caribbean/Worldwide. Best service/yachts/
price. www.PortYachtCharters.com, 800-213-0465.
BAJOR YACHT CHARTERS, INC. LOCATED IN
VIRGIN ISLANDS - Personally designed yacht
vacations. Power or Sail. Call Sandra 800-524-8292
www.bajoryachts.com
BVI ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE - Fully crewed luxury
charter yacht and villa from $11,500 per week,
all inclusive. (800) 479-7904, (284) 494-3656,
www.EndlessSummer.com, www.SummerHeights.com
VIRGIN ISLAND SAILING, LTD. - Sail & Power. Crewed
Yachts, Mega Yachts & Bareboats. 800-382-9666,
www.visailing.com
TURKS & CAICOS BEACH LOVER’S GUIDE, pg.70
Island Products
CARIBBEAN STYLE GIFTS & DECOR - Your on-line
source for tropical metal drum wall art. Palms, sea life,
beach themes, geckos. www.thefunkygecko.com
Naturist Vacations
ISLAND MARKETPLACE 2006 RATES
LISTING: (20-word minimum) $7.30 per word for a one-time
insertion or 10% discount for nine consecutive insertions.
DISPLAY: $360 per inch with additional $115 flat rate for
spot color for a one-time insertion or 10% discount for nine
consecutive insertions.
CONTACT: RYAN FRIDLEY DIANNE SMITH
(407) 571-4712 (407) 571-4953
ryan.fridley@worldpub.net dianne.smith@worldpub.net
NATURIST NEGRIL - Firefly Beach Cottages, Negril’s DEADLINES January/February 2007 Issue
premier small beachfront clothing-optional resort since Space Reservation: October 25, 2006
1980. *AFFORDABLE * Couples, families, singles and Materials Due: November 3, 2006
friends *Weddings au naturel. firefly@jamaicalink.com, Changes or materials arriving after November 3, 2006 will
run in the March 2007 issue of Caribbean Travel & Life.
Phone 876-957-4358. www.jamaicalink.com

NOVEM BER 2006 133

the market
Real Estate/For Sale
CARIBBEAN ISLAND PROPERTY, BOCAS DEL
TORO, PANAMA - Lots for $90,000 and less, Million
Dollar Views, ¼ - ½ acre lots! US 800-390-8818,
www.tropicalproperties.com.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - Beach Front Sub-Division
Lots from $39,950 – Only 10% Down. Developer Fi-
nanced – Yes! White Sand & Palms Galore – Meet “Pirates
of the Caribbean,” First View: WWW.LOTRINCORP.
COM – 800-548-3732 – Save $1,000 Inquire Now!
JAMAICA/NEGRIL - Large studio condo with loft, locat-
ed downtown, overlooking ocean, swimming pool, sleeps 4,
$89,000. kenhenry@cwjamaica.com, 876-957-9683
SAINT MAARTEN: NEW CLIFFSIDE LUXURY
OCEANFRONT CONDO - STUNNING CORNER UNIT
BELOW PENTHOUSE. CARIBBEAN AQUA WATER
VIEWS EVERYWHERE. $999,000.00. (305) 240-0438
WWW.THECLIFFRENTALS.COM
ST. JOHN, USVI - Town & Country Real Estate, 2 offices
covering all of beautiful St. John. Cruz Bay (340) 693-7325,
Coral Bay (340) 774-7962, www.towncountryusvi.com
Time Share
Travel
PERSONALIZED VACATION PLANNING - by Carib-
bean Specialists featuring an unique collection of hotels
and villas throughout the Caribbean. www.CaribbeanJo-
urney.com 866-236-1924
134
Travel Items
TRAVEL SUPPLIES - Save Big on Money Belts, ID/Ticket
Holders, Fanny Packs, Shoulder & Passport Wallets, Tilley
Hats, Eye Shades, Neck Pouches. Call 888-355-2358.
Visit www.BeltOutlet.com.
Weddings
AMERICA’S PARADISE, ST. THOMAS, USVI! - Un-
forgettable…From simply elegant to truly extravagant. St.
Thomas’ premier wedding service specializes in personal-
ized tropical wedding arrangements and vow renewals.
Ideal for cruise ship or hotel guests. WEDDINGS THE
ISLAND WAY (800) 755-5004, (340) 777-6505,
www.weddingstheislandway.com
ST. JOHN, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS - Ceremonies of St.
John Wedding Planning. Minister, Flowers, Photography, Mu-
sicians, Video, Cake, Champagne, Reception, Accommoda-
tions and Transportation on St. John. Toll Free (888) 282-
3933, (340) 693-7362 www.usviweddings.com
VILLA GUIDE
Anguilla
ANGUILLA - ArBron Villas – Caribella Beach Resort –
Masara Resort. www.lambertventures.com Call 800-969-8002
or Email us lambertventures@yahoo.com for free color brochure.
ANGUILLA - 2 BR, 2 bath villa on Shoal Bay. Pool, Cable
TV & maid service. $375/night Nov-April, $275/night
May-Oct. 909-795-2523
ANGUILLA - Rent this exclusive oceanfront private
estate villa with two identical master bedroom air-condi-
tioned suites, maid service, pool, all amenities, spectacu-
lar day and night views of St. Martin. Reasonable rates.
Call 954-757-8882. Fax 954-757-8883. Web http://
www.BaliHaiVilla.com
EDEN HOUSE VILLA - three spacious air conditioned bed-
rooms and an air conditioned POOL HOUSE SUITE, amidst
lush tropical gardens with views of neighboring islands from a
large dining patio. Tel: 264-497-5620 or 264-235-5620,
www.edenhousevilla.com E-mail: info@edenhousevilla.com
PALM SHORES VILLA - Unique duplex. 1BR/1BA,
2BR/2BA. Beachfront pool. Stunning Views. Quiet.
www.anguillavilla.com 1-800-258-9283
VILLA AZURE - Your Dream Realized! New Mediterra-
nean 5-Star Villa with every amenity overlooking Amaz-
ing Shoal Bay Beach. Over 8,000’, infinity pool, spa,
sunsets, 360° views, private! It was built just for you.
414.278.0554 or 262-376-2247 www.azurevilla.com
Antigua
ANTIGUA VILLAGE - Luxury beachfront condominiums
in a tropical setting. Located next to Sandals on Antigua’s
most popular beach, sleeping 2-8, swimming pool, daily
maid service, watersports available. www.antiguavillage.
net or Tel: 268-462-2930
Bahamas
BAHAMAS, ELEUTHERA “KOKOMO” - a 3 Bedroom/
2Bath home directly on a pink sand beach. Sleeps 6-8. Great
snorkeling! 4 kayaks, pool table, AC, Satellite TV, telephone,
huge decks sun/shade, hammocks, barbecue $2,195/Wk.
1-800-454-2299 or 239-732-5112. www.kokomo1.com
ABACO, BAHAMAS – OUR SPECIALTY, 70 HIDEAWAYS
- Small resorts, villas, inns, upscale private homes to island style
cottages - www.AbacoVacations.com. (800) 633-9197
ABACO – DOLPHIN BEACH RESORT - Intimate Out-Is-
land hideaway, Fodor’s Choice 2005/06. Unique beachfront
cottages, rooms, pool, new Blue Water Grill. Swim to reef,
on-site Scuba, tennis. Honeymoon or family escapes: 1-800-
222-2646; 242-365-5137, www.dolphinbeachresort.com
ABACO HIDEAWAY - Idyllic cottage on unique Man O’ War
Cay. Beach front and back - no cars, no bars, no hotels. Af-
fordable! 317-849-5308.
ABACO, HOPE TOWN - Turtle Hill Villas, Enjoy the charms
of this 18th century Out Island village. 800-339-2124, 242-
366-0557, www.turtlehill.com, www.turtlehillvillas.com
BAHAMAS VACATIONS - Spectacular, affordable tropical vaca-
tions in beautiful Abaco Islands. Private Homes, Villas, Resorts, Un-
spoiled beaches. 1-800-462-2426 www.bahamasvacations.com
DIVE ABACO! - (Since 1978….) Marsh Harbour - BAHAMAS.
Hotel Packages, snorkel or dive, even if not certified. Uncrowded,
Unspoiled, Unforgettable! 800.247.5338, www.DiveAbaco.com.
ELEUTHERA “BLUE PALMS” - New home directly on se-
cluded pink sand beach with fantastic reef snorkeling. 4BR/
2BA – 2 oceanfront master bedrooms. Sleeps 8. Fabulous tur-
quoise ocean views from 50’ patio. Fully equipped kitchen, AC,
42” flatscreen satellite TV, phone, gas grill, kayak. Car available.
$2,000 WK, 1-610-695-8552. www.bluepalms.info
EXUMA VACATION COTTAGES - Located in paradise,
across from Moriah Harbour Cay National Park – tranquil,
secluded, ocean-view two bedroom cottages with A/C
and fully equipped kitchen. Kayak to beautiful beaches,
bonefishing, exploring – www.exumavacationcottages.com
or email: vnoyes@batelnet.bs – From $139/night.
GREAT EXUMA – ALL-INCLUSIVE VILLA - Lone Palm
Villa offers the luxury of a fine hotel and the privacy of your
own beachfront retreat. Elegant villa on secluded pristine
beach with impeccable service. All food, beverages, car,
maid service, chef, concierge services included. This is Par-
adise! www.lonepalmvillaexuma.com; (901)748-0828.
PEACE AND QUIET? PEACE AND PLENTY! -
Three small intimate, friendly resorts in Exuma, Bahamas
www.peaceandplenty.com 1(800) 525-2210 info@
peaceandplenty.com Mention ad for premium!
Barbados
BARBADOS. LUXURY BEACH FRONT VILLAS AND
CONDOMINIUMS - on the island’s West Coast. Rates
include staff to cater to your every need. Book on line at
www.bajanservices.com call 1-877-462-2526, (246)
422-2618 email: villas@bajanservices.com
Belize
THE LODGE AT CHAA CREEK - Rainforest Reserve,
Adventure Centre and Spa. Canoe and kayak on pristine
tropical rivers, hike in Maya temple cities, horseback ride
through jungle trails, explore ancient ceremonial caves, bike
in the Maya Mountains, and enjoy charming accommodations
and our exquisite spa in a 365-acre Nature Reserve. Carib-
bean Reef and Rainforest packages. Tours throughout Be-
lize. Tel. +501-824-2037, Fax +501-824-2501, Email:
reservations@chaacreek.com - Website: www.chaacreek.com
British Virgin Islands
BVI – TORTOLA - Beautiful Villa, pool, private, panoramic views.
Walk to romantic beach. Experience Paradise. 772-692-1064
C A R I B B E A N T R AV E L M A G.CO M

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS - Just 12 charming cottages
on almost uninhabited Cooper Island. Remote, casual, infor-
mal. Restaurant, wonderful snorkeling, full SCUBA facilities.
$105-$195 double. Brochure: 413-863-3162; 800-
542-4624; FAX 413-863-3662: www.cooper-island.com
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS - 2 luxurious villas for rent.
Magnificent ocean views. Walk to beaches, marina, and
restaurants. Located on world famous North Sound on
Virgin Gorda at Leverick Bay – sailing capitol of the world.
www.bvivillarentals.com Owner (908) 938-4692
BVI – TORTOLA – PARADISE FOUND - Charming, airy
villa. 2BR/2BA, pool. Spectacular view of Brewer’s Bay.
Short walk to beach/snorkeling. 904-725-2832.
LUXURY CONDOMINIUM RESORT- on beautiful Virgin
Gorda, British Virgin Islands. Fitness center, tennis, spa, pool, café,
WiFi, A/C. www.oldeyardvillage.com, (284) 495-5544.
TORTOLA, VIRGIN GORDA, ANEGADA & LITTLE
THATCH VILLAS- wide selection! McLaughlin Ander-
son, 1-800-537-6246, Virtual Tours + calendars at www.
mclaughlinanderson.com.
VIRGIN GORDA, BVI - Elegant house, 2 bedrooms, 2
baths, swimming pool, privacy, spectacular seascapes, walk
to beaches, restaurant, resort facilities. Brochure. 202-
337-6820. http://www.mcarrow.com/seascape/
Cayman Islands
CAYMAN CONDOS - Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman.
1,2,3&4 BR fully-equipped condos. Christmas / New
Year’s available. 800-999-1338 www.cicondos.com
CAYMAN VILLAS - Over 100 Beachfront Villas and
Condos on all 3 islands; economy to deluxe. 345-945-
4144; or toll-free: 800-235-5888. Reservations@
caymanvillas.com or www.caymanvillas.com
COMPASS POINT - Cayman’s Outdoor Adventure Re-
sort. Located on the East End of Grand Cayman. Scuba
Diving, Snorkeling, kayaking, Deep Sea Fishing, Nature Trails.
18 Luxury condos, all oceanfront, free Wi-Fi. www.com-
passpoint.ky / 1.800.348.6096 / info@compasspoint.ky
5-TIER SWIMMING POOL/HOT TUB - Designer deco-
rated luxury. 3 + bdr., 3.5 bath NEW house! Beach. Best div-
ing/snorkeling! Affordable. www.CaymanParadiseVillas.com
OCEANFRONT VILLAGE CAYMAN BRAC - Friendly, af-
fordable 3BR/2BA/ house, two 1 BR/BA apartments, A/C,
pool, exclusive beach, spectacular dive / snorkeling coral reef.
1-800-733-9821, 360-877-5414 www.villamarbella.net
PARADISE VILLAS, LITTLE CAYMAN - Only 100%
oceanfront Resort on Little Cayman. 12 oceanfront
villas, dive operation, seaside dining at the Hungry Iguana.
1-877-3CAYMAN, www.paradisevillas.com
THE REEF RESORT - All beachfront Luxury Suites offering
“Pure Beach Relaxation” and exclusive entertainment from the
Barefoot Man. Plan your visit “virtually” at www.thereef.com.ky,
call toll free (888) 232-0541, or email ctl@thereef.com.ky
Grenada / Carriacou
VACATION VILLAS WITH STAFF - Free color catalog,
virtual tours at www.mclaughlinanderson.com. McLaughlin
Anderson 1-800-537-6246 or fax 340-777-4734
CARRIACOU – SIMPLEST OF THE GRENADINES -
Peaceful vacation villas. Down Island Ltd. www.islandvillas.com,
E-mail: islander@caribsurf.com Tel/Fax: (473) 443-8182
Hawaii
MAUI BEACHFRONT CONDOMINIUM - Breathtak-
ing!!! Watch humpback whales from private lanai. Sleep to
sounds of the surf fifteen steps away. Come listen! $119
Free brochures. Owners: 1-800-742-7955.
Jamaica
NOVEM BER 2006
NEAR MONTEGO BAY - Luxurious 4BR/4BA beach-
front villa at Silver Sands Resort. Tennis, snorkeling,
fishing, van/driver. Weekly $2,140-2500. Off-season
$1,380-1740, Includes cook/maid. 860-233-6821
www.jamahome.com / jamahome@hotmail.com
NEGRIL, CRYSTAL WATERS VILLAS - One, two and
three bedroom villas on Negril beach, each with cook/house-
keeper. Spacious beautiful landscaped grounds, private beach,
pool. Reservations 876 957 4284, www.crystalwaters.net
NEGRIL, FALL IN LOVE AGAIN! - Luxury condo studio,
clothing optional beach, pool, snorkeling, tennis, kitchen-
ette, A/C, restaurant, photos. From $450/wk. 876-
957-9683. www.interlog.com/~kenhenry
JAMAICAN TREASURES VILLAS – LARGEST COLLEC-
TION OF OVER 300 VILLAS IN JAMAICA - Luxury
Mansions. Honeymoon cottages. Spectacular weddings.
Fully staffed villas. www.jamaicantreasures.com Toll Free:
1-877-446-7188. Tel: 305-767-2282
OCEANFRONT NEGRIL - Intimate property offers best of
Negril: cliffs, private beach, cool pool, full bar and restaurant.
SUPERB VALUE! www.westenderinn.com/1-800-233-3876
Mexico / Cozumel
AKUMAL, RIVIERA MAYA, MEXICO. CARIBBEAN
BEACHFRONT PROPERTIES - for rent, one hour from
Cancun or Cozumel. Mayan ruins, diving, fishing, beautiful
beaches. Call AKUMAL VACATIONS: 800-448-7137,
www.akumalvacations.com
COZUMEL VACATION VILLAS - Best selection of rental
homes and condos beachfront or in town. Chef, maid, air-
port greeting. 1-800-224-5551. www.cVvmexico.com.
Montserrat
MILESAWAYVILLA.COM - Beautifully remodeled
exclusive, private 3br/3ba, fully equipped. Stunning
ocean views, sunsets, pool, ocean access, housekeeping.
$700-1100/week. Suites/Rooms $40-70/night
info@milesawayvilla.com
VILLA “TAN RY DOON” - Private oceanfront.
Breathtaking views of coastline, mountains, and
lush tropical gardens. Spectacular sunsets. 2BR/
2BA, pool, maid, fully equipped. 802-442-9236.
www.montserratrental.com
Roatan
HIBISCUS HAVEN - Oceanside 2BR/2BA panoramic
views, private dock, swimming, snorkeling, diving,
kayaking. Five Minutes to spectacular beaches. (972)
299-6105 www.kanddadventures.com
the market
St. Barthelemy
FRENCH CARIBBEAN INTL - The leading resource
for private villa rentals. 800-322-2223 / www.
frenchcaribbean.com
CASE ET CUISINE: TRADITIONAL LIVING & FINE
DINING IN ST. BARTHELEMY - “Other books will be
written about St. Barth, but this one will be tough to top…
a proper guide to the civilized exploration of St. Barth.”
www.case-et-cuisine.com
St. Kitts
ST. KITTS BEACHFRONT CONDO - in Frigate
Bay. One Bedroom, one bath condominium with full
kitchen. Nice Pool, walk to restaurants, casino and golf.
www.stkitts4u.com
St. Lucia
BEAUTIFUL ST. LUCIA - Secluded, elegant villas
with private pools and spectacular ocean views.
Specializing in Weddings, Honeymoons, Romantic
getaways. www.stonefieldvillas.com, info@stonefieldvillas.
com 1-758-459-7037 / 5648
LES CHAUDIERES - Simply paradise. Private secluded
oceanfront villa, extraordinary panoramic views, 3 bedrooms,
pool, beach. (610) 255-4903, www.leschaudieres.com.
Davis610@aol.com
St. Maarten / St. Martin
VILLA – Dreaming of a Caribbean home but don’t want to spend mil-
lions on 3-4 weeks vacation? Become a member of our St. Martin
private residence club and enjoy a private 4-bedroom multi-million
dollar villa complete with resort amenities without the hassles of
remote ownership. 28 day memberships available. $185,000 USD,
refundable upon termination. Call (617) 513-6811.
FRENCH CARIBBEAN INTL - The leading resource
for private villa rentals. 800-322-2223 / www.
frenchcaribbean.com.
JEFF BERGER’S EVERYTHINGSTMAARTEN.COM - for
info on sightseeing, beaches, restaurants, shopping, entertainment,
cruises, low-cost airfares, hotels, villas, car rentals, and more.
CUPECOY BEACH CLUB - Private, oceanfront condominium.
Available as deluxe room, one-bedroom, or two-bedroom
suite. Across from Atlantis Casino. 847-658-6081, evening
847-639-3996, or 1-888-CUPECOY
DAWN BEACH – OYSTER POND - Fabulous three-bed-
room, three-bath villa. View unsurpassed. Terraced Gardens,
peaceful. Pool, Maid. Airport pickup. A/C. Brochure. Chip
Maloney: (540) 347-0823. www.villaparadijs.com
SAINT MARTIN/SINT MAARTEN DREAMING? - Stop
dreaming and start planning! WWW.SXM-INFO.COM has in-
formation on hotels, villas, condos, restaurants, beaches, cars,
activities, shopping, services, contests, coupons and more.
ST. MAARTEN - 2 Bedroom Condo on Dawn Beach – Views
to St. Barths - $275/night to $500/night. New Westin
with Casino / spa next door. Great unit. Available nightly
or weekly. Contact via e-mail r.jacobs@usacoil.com
ST. MAARTEN - Luxurious but affordable one- and two-
bedroom spacious condos on beach. Pool, tennis, cable TV.
Private owner. 937-274-5853, E-mail: hrtuck@att.net.
VILLA’S LOCATION IS ONE IN A MILLION - A few
steps from the pool to one of the most beautiful Caribbean
beaches. www.oceanbeachparadise.com
VISTAROYALE- Private pool. Breathtaking view. All ame-
nities. 2-4 guests. More than 100 references provided on
request. www.vistaroyale.com 1-888-844-4149 E-mail:
samit@vistaroyale.com
135
 CONNECTIONS

I
’ve lived in L.A. for 32 years and have only
gone to Hawaii once — I always go to
the Caribbean instead. We’ve been going
to Jamaica, staying in villas at Round Hill, for
so long that my son, Duncan, has worn dread-
locks almost since he was born. I love it there
at Christmas. It’s focused on the good things:
community, togetherness, food, music — it’s not
about a lot of merchandise. I remember once,
when my daughter, Mavis, was 6 and Duncan
was 5, waiting for a Jamaican Santa who, of
course, was late. All of a sudden, he comes flying
across the water on a motorboat, lanky, no belly,
with a white wig on top of his ebony dreadlocks.
We go to other islands around the Caribbean
as well. St. Lucia is beautiful … and we once
spent 10 days sailing the Grenadines. One
story that hasn’t been told from that trip is
when we were moored off Mustique and I
was wishing I had special mustard for my fish.
My husband and the captain were pretty deep

LIMIN’ WITH ALFRE WOODARD

Fro m De s pe ra t e Ho u s e w i f e t o Ca r ibbe an C ook
into the rum barrel by
then, and they figured that Four-time Emmy award winner Alfre Woodard spent a season cooking up plots on
Princess Margaret would Wisteria Lane in ABC’s Desperate Housewives, but in her downtime she feeds a
have some. I finally had to passion for food by heading to the islands. She contributed some of her recipes to
let the dinghy float away the new cookbook Morgan Freeman & Friends: Caribbean Cooking for a Cause
because they were ready ($35; rodale.com); proceeds go to the Grenada Relief Fund.
to go ashore and up to her
pink mansion to borrow some Grey Poupon. are in Morgan’s book. Caribbean food is created
As soon as I arrive someplace in the with so many different spices that the tastes
Caribbean, I ask the locals, “Where do you change as you eat. It’s the perfect food.
eat?” You can go to fancy restaurants, but you No matter how many times you go to the
can also eat in simple places and have the great- Caribbean, there will always be something new
est meals. I love escovitch, Festival bread, ackee to find. And the places where you’ve been will
… everything. And I love watching people cook begin to feel like home — that’s what makes it
— that’s how I collected a lot of the recipes that so special. — Interview by Jane Ammeson
67$5/$)25781$72

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