Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for caribbean
Mexican Resort Offers Tahitian-Style Bungalows
By Linda Tancs
If the allure of a South Pacific bungalow has you longing for a Tahitian holiday (but not the flying time), then consider its North American equivalent in Mexico’s Riviera Maya. Rosewood Mayakoba is a 1600-acre luxury resort enveloped by silky Caribbean sand and a verdant jungle. Imagine yourself being welcomed to a deluxe overwater lagoon suite with an outdoor terrace and a heated plunge pool. Have your private butler hail a boat from your private boat dock, sail around the nine classes of gorgeous accommodations and meet your neighbors. You’ve found your Bali Hai.
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Dolphins 101
By Linda Tancs
Meet Chabelita, Kayena, Pasku, Nubia, Alita and Machu. Those are just some of the dolphins waiting to engage with you at Curaçao’s Dolphin Academy. Located at the Curaçao Sea Aquarium marine animal park, the facility offers dolphin interactive and educational programming covering topics like dolphin training, communication, cognition, senses and anatomy. Put your knowledge to the test while enjoying an open ocean dive, where the dolphins will meet you outside their lagoon in the open ocean and dive with you among some of the most beautiful coral reefs of Curaçao.
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Paris of the West Indies
By Linda Tancs
Prior to its destruction by an eruption of Mt. Pelée in 1902, Martinique’s then capital, Saint-Pierre, was known as the little Paris of the West Indies. Although the capital has changed, little else has altered the island’s French flair to disturb its status as little Paris. As an overseas department of France, you can imagine that gastronomy figures strong, in this case marrying French and Creole cuisines. Don’t be surprised to see your fried foie gras blended with exotic local fruits and vegetables like guava, sour sop, cassava, christophine, breadfruit, okra or plantain. Even the rum has been awarded the prestigious French label “appellation d’origine contrôlée,” previously reserved only for French cheeses and wines. So have a ti’ punch (derived from the French word petit) and let the culinary magic begin.
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The Nature Island
By Linda Tancs
The Caribbean island of Dominica identifies itself as The Nature Island. Let us count the ways. Volcanic peaks. Check. Boiling waters. Check. Underwater springs. Check. Waterfalls. Check. Rushing streams. Check. Rainforest canopies. Check. And 300 miles of trails to see it all. Naturally, you should go.
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Stingrays On the Loose
By Linda Tancs
Grand Cayman is the largest of the Cayman Islands, a hotspot for diving and snorkeling. That’s especially true at Stingray City, a natural haven for southern stingrays who move with ease among their guests. They say that these gentle creatures started gathering in the area decades ago to feed on the remains of fishermen’s catches. Thankfully, they won’t feed on you. The story goes that kissing a stingray brings you seven years of good luck. What have you got to lose?
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Nature’s Baths in BVI
By Linda Tancs
If you’re not necessarily the beach going type, there’s still good reason to visit Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands. A top attraction are The Baths, a series of boulders forming pools and grottos that attract as many shutterbugs as sun bathers. At the entrance to The Baths you can shop for clothing and tropical trinkets like shipwreck coins and mahogany and hibiscus wood carvings. You can whet your palate there as well and enjoy the panoramic views from Top of the Baths restaurant. Another earthy delight is Gorda Peak, the highest point on the island. You’ll find hiking trails there, offering magnificent views of North Sound. The area is also home to the world’s smallest lizard, the Virgin Gorda gecko, and one of the Caribbean’s last remaining dry forests.
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The Switzerland of Central America
By Linda Tancs
For decades Costa Rica has been referred to as the Switzerland of Central America, owing to peace, prosperity and stability. But let’s not forget the other Swiss-like attributes, like gorgeous mountains offering sweeping panoramic views and hiking opportunities galore. And, like Switzerland, thrill seekers will love rafting. Costa Rica offers some of the best whitewater rafting in the world thanks to its mountainous terrain and rain produced by the rainforests. It’s available year-round, but white-knuckle enthusiasts should wait until May through October to get wet and wild.
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Racing Around the Caribbean
By Linda Tancs
Nelson’s Dockyard is the only Georgian dockyard in the world and is the largest tourist attraction on Antigua. In its midst is The Inn at English Harbour, a relaxing location from which competitors in today’s Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Caribbean 600 have been gearing up for the fourth annual yacht race around 11 Caribbean islands. The RORC Caribbean 600 features over 500 hundred competitors from at least 24 different nations taking part in this high-speed yacht race. The list of nations represented includes Australia, Austria, Canada, Cayman Islands, Croatia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and the United States. The largest yacht competing this year is Hetairos, the world’s largest carbon composite sailing yacht and the favorite to win.
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Oldest Botanic Gardens in Western Hemisphere
By Linda Tancs
One hundred miles west of Barbados in the Eastern Caribbean lies a chain of 32 islands and cays making up St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Some of the most fertile soil in the world can be found there, but perhaps its biggest claim to fame are the botanic gardens, the oldest in the Western Hemisphere founded in 1763. Among its many distinctions is the sucker from one of the 630 breadfruit plants brought to St. Vincent in 1793 by Captain Bligh. Perhaps not surprisingly, roasted breadfruit (along with fried jackfish) is the country’s national dish.
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Caribbean’s Longest Running Resort
By Linda Tancs
If you’d expect a centuries old, longest running resort to be a bit stuffy, then you’d be pleasantly surprised in St. Croix. The Buccaneer is the island’s (and Caribbean’s) longest-running resort, a legend that balances old-world charm with the wish list of today’s traveler, including spa treatments, a kids’ camp, and golf and tennis lessons. Connections are widely available from San Juan, and U.S. residents can leave the passport home. Book now for 20% off select rates this winter.
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