Caribbean (Plus) Corner

This fabled sea, covering more than a million square miles and 7,000 islands with diverse languages, cultures, and ecosystems, has become probably the planet's premier vacation playground. Here it's all about its regional issues and allures. And yes, the (Plus) means we're including the Bahamas and Bermuda along with the Caribbean coasts of Colombia, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guayana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Suriname, and Panama.

For individual island forums, check out Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Bermuda, Bonaire, the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saba, Statia (St. Eustatius), St. Barth, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Maarten/Martin, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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The Island of Tobago Is a Sweet Little Slice of Old-Time Caribbean

VisitTobago.gov.ttThe smaller of the two main islands which make up the country of Trinidad and Tobago lies 22 miles northeast of larger Trinidad (a 20-minute flight away, as well as with direct service to/from Barbados, the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany). It´s known for its unspoiled natural beauty, rich history (dating back to 1654, and vibrant culture (which besides numerous current ways to experience it is particularly on display during events such as the Tobago Heritage…

Started by Helen Brown

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3 of the Caribbean´s best Sandals resorts for honeymoons

Sandals Grande St. Lucian Based in Montego Bay, Jamaica, the famous Caribbean resort chain founded in 1981 by legendary Jamaican entrepreneur Gordon "Butch" Stewart was instrumental in pioneering the "all-inclusive" concept - paying one (usually very attractive) rate to cover all food and drink as well as many activities and amenities, in addition to just a room. Sandals properties now number 18 on eight islands, and they´re especially popular with (and indeed, marketed to) couples and…

Started by Tripatini

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Martinique, c´est magnifique!

David Stanley One of the four islands of the Antilles Françaises, with around 370,000 inhabitants, Martinique was settled by the French beginning in 1635 and today is an overseas département (meaning an integral part) of France. It’s packed with a vibrant blend of French and West Indian cultures; stunning landscapes, nature, and beaches; rich historical sites; fantastic rum; and a chill, laid back vibe. I visited here around 15 years ago and still remember it fondly and fairly vividly.…

Started by David Paul Appell

1 Reply · Reply by Jordan Simon Oct 15

Wastin´ away again at the Dominican Republic´s Margaritaville Island Reserve Cap Cana

Set along a stretch of pure white-sand beach in Cap Cana, an exclusive enclave of the DR´s most popular resort area Punta Cana - and just 15 minutes from the Punta Cana International Airport - five-star all-inclusive property Margaritaville Island Reserve Cap Cana., which opened a little over three years ago is one of just eight Cap Cana resorts. On our visit, my husband and I found its “no worries,” tropical vibe spoke to me the moment we pulled up to the hotel entrance adorned with a…

Started by Tripatini

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- Hal Peat > José Balido November 8, 2022 at 8:04pm
  
  Jose, this was of great interest to me at the moment since I was in the D.R. just this August and still presently producing work from that trip. While I was only in the Santo Domingo area on this occasion, what's described in this link doesn't surprise me too much - I had a general impression in walking the streets that the urban infrastructure might be potentially fragile in the event of extreme weather or daily degradation, and as far as the offshore aquatic access, not very good even in good times. Sporadic electric outages also happened even in the short space of time I was on island. Hopefully, the private and public sectors involved in mass tourism have had enough wake-up calls at this point to take meaningful action on the human and natural environmental fronts. The sargassum challenge has become a wider issue within the region, and probably something which area governments need to collaborate meaningfully on short and long-term solutions.
Helen Brown October 5, 2022 at 10:52am

Too many Caribbean islands succumb to the allure of cruise tourism, but Anguilla is a notable standout, citing its negative environmental impact. Of course, it's easier for them, since they make more from their exclusive, high-end brand of tourism. But commendable nonetheless! https://www.express.co.uk/travel/cruise/1669741/caribbean-cruise-sh...

Stunning Caribbean island bans cruise ships - 'Not debatable'

A CARIBBEAN island has said that cruise tourism is not worth the environmental impact. The Government has said it doesn't want to encourage cruise sh…
John Kipper September 16, 2022 at 11:35am

Several months ago, Porthole, a magazine devoted to cruising, ran a piece about what makes St. Kitts particularly special - worth a read! https://porthole.com/what-makes-st-kitts-so-unique/

What Makes St. Kitts So Unique? | Porthole Cruise and Travel News

Cruise guests have looked to St. Kitts as one of their favorite destinations to step ashore for an all-inclusive experience.
David Paul Appell August 16, 2022 at 12:53pm

Of course the Caribbean's number-one draw is its beaches and limpid waters, but currently those throughout the region are enduring a rise in a smothering golden algae called sargassum, and it's affecting both health and tourism in various countries: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/8/11/2115737/-Caribbean-Matte...

Caribbean Matters: A stinky 'golden tide' of Sargassum seaweed strangles the Caribbean

The environmental threats faced by both island nations in the Caribbean Sea and the mainland Caribbean basin are not limited to just hurricanes. Curr…
Jeffrey Kunst August 7, 2022 at 9:26am

The Miami-based website Caribbean Journal recently featured a cool tiki bar in Kralendijk, opened at the end of 2020 and called Tiki & Co. (https://tikiandco.nl/), which it says is a great example of how Bonaire is expanding beyond diving and snorkeling to also become increasingly known for its hot dining and mixology scene: https://www.caribjournal.com/2022/02/18/caribbean-bonaire-tiki-bar-...

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Helen Brown July 19, 2022 at 8:45pm

A good look at St. Barth in the off season, from TheObserver.com: https://observer.com/2022/07/st-barthelemy-travel-guide-le-toiny-ho...
Max Pesling June 5, 2022 at 9:26am

This past February, the British travel site Wanderlust.co.uk ran a piece called "Discovering the Real Haiti" in which it claims "It seems that, from the (now mostly cleared) rubble, a new Haiti is emerging." Well, we've heard this kind of thing before, but writer Phoebe Smith says that this time evidence includes: "chain hotels are springing up; flights from Latin America are launching, making Haiti a viable add-on to a South or Central American adventure; the diaspora in the USA are beginning to take vacations in the coastal resorts of Côte des Arcadins; and whispers abound of more cruise-ship visits – currently only one boat docks here, and that’s on a local-free private beach." Read about it for yourself: https://www.wanderlust.co.uk/content/discovering-the-real-haiti/
Paul Varmuza May 18, 2022 at 11:10am

St Lucia is an irresistible draw for travel writers for a good reason - here's the latest example, by a freelancer for Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/adammorganstern/2022/02/25/10-amazing-...
José Balido April 9, 2022 at 11:34am

At the end of this past year, Lonely Planet came out with this article from its Cuba guide writer about pandemic-era travel to the island, which has had a low number of COVID cases and the world's second highest vaccination rate. Interesting reading; check it out: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/what-its-like-to-travel-to-cu...

Cuba reopens to tourists: what you need to know before you go - Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet's Cuba travel expert visited the country in December as it reopened to visitors. So how did he find restrictions, or was it business as…
- Hal Peat > José Balido April 9, 2022 at 11:14pm
  
  Heavily focused on the logistics of the COVID issue ins/outs, and skirts the issues of cost effectiveness. Whether you're going for leisure or work purposes - the latter being people like me - the air cost has skyrocketed since I went there for the first time in 2017. $400 R/T for a 40 min. flight between MIA/FLL - Havana? You can almost get to Europe from here for that. Biden hasn't solved any of that huge upsurge in air cost since he came in. Very disappointing. Glad I went when I did, was in love with Havana and want to see more, but until the logistics and price points in air and accommodation all change radically back to at least near where they were, it's not for me again.