Tag Archives: Caribbean

Anguilla, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Caribbean, Cayman Islands, Grenada, Plan, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, Trip Ideas

Caribbean Christmas Traditions

November 14, 2016

They may not hang stockings with care, or watch for a jolly fat guy breach the chimney, but celebrants throughout the Caribbean have their own holiday traditions. Each island celebrates the season in slightly different ways, but food, fellowship and song are sure to play a central role. Here are some of the ways to ring in the holidays, island style.

Grenada

On the Spice Island, the holiday season is the time for parang music, where groups of singers and musicians go house to house to serenade friends and family with folk songs that often include ad-lib lyrics with a personal note. The week before Christmas, Grenada’s sister island, Carriacou, hosts the annual Parang Festival, where tunes may take on social and satirical overtones. The sounds of steel pan music also fill the air, as musicians put a tropical riff on holiday classics. Holiday bunting takes a tropical turn in Grenada, as the halls may be decked with bamboo, palm, or coconut, and Christmas trees adorned with nutmeg, cinnamon, or sea shell ornaments. A favorite treat is black cake, which is flavored with dried fruits and infused with spices and the rich flavors of rum. Christmas ham is a must for each household, and seasonal refreshments include sorrel tea, ponch-de-crème and ginger beer.

On islands such as Grenada, the uniquely Caribbean sound of a steel pan orchestra transforms traditional Christmas tunes into lilting island melodies. Joshua Yetman/Grenada Tourism Authority

Barbados

In December, holiday lights brighten the historic buildings of Bridgetown; music fills the air as speaker-equipped trucks take to the streets to spread Christmas music. Two of the season’s most anticipated concerts are the Christmas Jazz Festival and the Carols by Candlelight celebration, which takes place at the gardens of Ilaro Court, the residence of the Barbadian Prime Minister. After the observance of a midnight mass or Christmas morning service, many Bajans flock to a concert in Queens Park for musical performances from the Royal Barbados Police Force Band, Tuk bands and gospel performers. Food is an important part of the season, and visitors can sample an array of Barbadian favorites. Must try dishes include great cake, jug jug and baked ham. Great cakes blend dried fruit and spices with a liberal infusion of Barbados’ famous rum. Harking back to Barbados’ Scottish heritage, jug jug is a porridge-like dish made from green peas, guinea corn flour, herbs and salt meat. The most important part of a Bajan Christmas meal is the baked ham, basted in a pineapple and sorrel glaze.

Holiday lights along Wharf Road are reflected in the still waters of Barbados’ Constitution River. Through December, the island’s capital is resplendent in seasonal décor. Photo: Andrew Browne/Barbados Tourism

St. Lucia

St. Lucia’s holiday season kicks off with the Festival Lights, an annual celebration honoring the island’s namesake Saint Lucia, the Patron Saint of Light. Residents and visitors are encouraged to make colorful and creative lanterns, which then decorate towns and streets. Another favorite Saint Lucian Christmas tradition is bamboo bursting, which involves the making of homemade fireworks from hollow bamboo canes. In the nights leading up to Christmas, the booms of exploding bamboo stalks can be heard on village streets. Holiday feasts center around roasted lamb or turkey, complemented with local yams and plantains. The traditional desert is the St. Lucian version of fruitcake, made with dried currants, raisins and fruits soaked in red wine for several months before being mixed into the pudding to create spicy, fruity taste. The signature drink is the Caribbean favorite known as sorrel, a refreshing spiced drink that is often mixed with rum and enjoyed during a stroll along the beach.

Aruba

Seasonal music and special foods are a big part of any holiday celebration, and in Aruba this means Gaita and ayacas. Several weeks before Christmas, Aruban families gather to make a traditional holiday food called ayacas. Though no two family recipes are the same, ayacas are made by smearing plantain or banana leaves with a cornmeal dough; adding a mixture of chicken, pork, or ham, along with a potpourri of spices, prunes, raisins, olives, pickles, cashews, piccalilli, and pearl onions; and folding the assemblages into neat little packets to be boiled in salted water for an hour. These hearty treats can then be kept ready for last-minute holiday parties or served to impromptu visitors.

Ayacas came from Venezuela, and so did Gaita music. Arubans have adopted this Venezuelan Christmas music and made it their own. Gaita bands are typically made up of a line of female singers accompanied by musicians playing the furuku, cuarta, base, piano, tambu. These groups perform at public venues across the island from October through December, with festive rhythms that put passers-by and partygoers into the holiday spirit. Another musical tradition unique to Aruba is Dande, which occurs after Christmas. Dande means “to revel” or “to carouse” in the local language, Papiamento. These small groups of singers and musicians travel to the homes of friends and families, serenading with wishes of success and happiness in the coming year.

In Aruba, Gaita bands perform during the holiday season at homes and in public areas, passing a hat that the audience fills with coins to ensure prosperity in the coming year. Photo; Julien de Bats/Aruba Tourism Authority

Cayman Islands

The annual Christmas Tree Lighting at Camana Bay marks the beginning of the Cayman Islands’ holiday. The Island is transformed into a tropical version of a winter wonderland with the hallmark 40-foot tree, musical performances by the Cayman National Choir, a Christmas craft market, and a special visit from Santa. The Parade of Lights brings a fleet of colorfully lit boats into the harbor, as thousands watch from shore, and the evening ends with an over-water fireworks show. Throughout December, the island’s National Trust hosts a Christmas Lights Bus Tour, where guests can sample Christmas beef and cassava cake during a guided tour of local houses and gardens beautifully decked out for the season. Musical highlights of the season include the Christmas Carol Concert at Elmsie Church and the Singing Christmas Tree, a pageant which highlights the story of Jesus’ birth depicted through a 25-foot Christmas tree encased with over 5,000 lights, and featuring more than 60 local and international performers. Also popular with locals and visitors are the Christmas Moonlight Movies, which are family friendly flicks shown on a big screen under the stars in Camana Bay.

Santa makes a much-anticipated appearance on the island of Grand Cayman. The downtown waterfront at Camana Bay is a focal point for many holiday events, from concerts to boat parades. Photo: Cayman Islands Department of Tourism

Bermuda

Christmas traditions brought from Olde England take on a tropical flavor in Bermuda. In the historic district of St. George’s, historical re-enactors roam candlelit streets, and the sound of classic carols fills the air. Private homes, some dating from the Colonial era, are resplendent in lavish displays of holiday lights, and historic churches are filled with singing and lights on Christmas eve, The mood lightens at the Hamilton Christmas Parade, and goes full tropical on Christmas Day, when hundreds of ex-pats and visitors gather at Elbow Beach for a festive day of food, drink and music. December 26—Boxing Day—puts yet another unique spin on the season with the arrival of the Gombies, traditional troupes of colorfully-attired dancers who move to the sounds of goatskin drums, beer bottle fifes and tin whistles.

Holiday lights fill the historic district of Bermuda’s capital, St. George’s. Each December, a tradition known as the walkabout brings islanders into the streets for singing and mingling. Photo: Bermuda Tourism Authority

Puerto Rico

In Puerto Rico, Christmas celebrations start early and keep going into the middle of January. Starting the first days of December, groups stage impromptu parrandas, which are a local version of caroling. In late evening, the parranderos gather quietly at a chosen home of a friend or relative, then burst into song to surprise and wake the occupants. The parranderos are invited in and refreshments, music and dance follow. Christmas Day is the time to gather for lechón asado, the roasting of a whole pig over a fire pit. The cooking begins well before dawn, and continues through the day as friends and relatives gather to gossip and sing. Santa is a recent addition to Puerto Rican culture, and long before the man in the red suit was imported to the tropics, island children looked forward to El Día de Reyes on January 6th, which honors the arrival of the three wise men in Bethlehem. On the evening of January 5th Puerto Rican children fill boxes with grass for the king’s camels, and go to sleep with the anticipation of having the grass eaten, and exchanged for candies and presents. Traditional holiday celebrations continue with a pair of weeklong festivals known as the Octavas and the Octavia, which stretch the season through late January.

Arroz con Dulce—sweet rice pudding—is a favorite end to a traditional Puerto Rican Christmas dinner that typically centers around lechón asao, a fire-roasted whole pig. Photo: Olaf Speier/iStock

Anguilla

One of the most anticipated holiday observances on the quiet island of Anguilla is the Festival de Noel, which takes place December 18 – 19. This gathering on the grounds of the Old East End School kicks off with competitions and pageantry, caroling, a visit from Santa, and the distribution of food baskets to the elderly. Another island-wide holiday tradition is the annual Christmas Tree Lighting, which kicks off the Festival of Lights display along Coronation Avenue, the main street of the island’s capital. A relatively new tradition on Anguilla is the South Hill Christmas Experience, which is a celebration of holiday traditions and culinary treats hosted by a local village. Like a number of other Caribbean islands with a British heritage, December 26, Boxing Day, is a public holiday.

Caribbean, Dominica, Plan, Trip Ideas

Dominica: 10 Reasons to Go

November 14, 2016

1 Big Views

From any point on the island, you’ll never be without the sights of a mountain peak. There are five major mountains on the island, the highest rising to 4,000. Roads and trails lead to scenic high points that provide sweeping views of the ocean. Some of the most dramatic vistas can be found within the 17,000-acre expanse of Morne Trois Pitons National Park.

The west coast port of Roseau is Dominica’s capital and only large town. It is built on a coastal plain that was inhabited by Amerindian tribes for more than 2,000 years. Photo: iStock.

2 River Runs

The island boasts 365 rivers. In reality there are around 200 that actually qualify for the title, but if you count every stream and creek you could indeed find a different flow of water for every day of the year. While the list of named waterways is long, there are actually still some waiting to be identified. The longest is the Layou River, popular for tubing and kayak tours. The mangrove- lined Indian River was featured in Pirates of the Caribbean, while the sulfur-tinged waters of the White River are said to be therapeutic to bathers.

3 The Last of the Caribs

In a remote valley on Dominica’s eastern shore, descendants of a pre-Columbian culture continue a way of life that dates back more than a thousand years. The Kalinago people live on a 3,700-acre reservation in small villages and farms that could only be reached by torturous mountain trails well into the latter 20th century. Now accessible by roads and a short hike, the tribe welcomes visitors who come to discover the old ways, which are shared through stories and demonstrations of artisanal skills, and celebrated in song and dance. Be sure to try the cassava bread, shop for wooden and woven arts and don’t pass up on any ceremony open to the outside.

Dominica’s Kalinago people are expert basket makers. Their handicrafts are prized by collectors, and can be purchased directly from weavers who follow thousand-year-old traditions. Photo: iStock

4 Whale Watching

Dominica has earned a reputation as the whale watching capital of the Caribbean. Sperm whales can be seen in the waters of Dominica through the year, with prime viewing months between November to March, when mothers arrive to nurse their calves. Other marine mammals often seen in the same area include pilot, humpback, and false killer whales, plus spinner, spotted and bottlenose dolphin.

5 Waterfalls

The cascade at Emerald Pool gets all of the ink due to its easy access and convenience to the town of Roseau, but the entire island is loaded with waterfalls, some easy to reach, others requiring some vigorous hiking. An easy 20-minute walk through the forest leads to Trafalgar Falls, while you’ll have to devote three hours for a round-trip to Middleham Falls. Hikers willing to do some scrambling over rocks and across river beds can discover Sari Sari Falls or the island’s grandest, 165-foot Victoria Falls, which is fed by the waters of Boiling Lake.

The cascade known as Emerald Pool is one of Dominica’s prime natural attractions. It is also one of the easier to reach, requiring just a five-minute walk from the roadway. Photo: iStock

6 Natural Spas

At locations across the island, natural sulphur pools and hot springs well up from the island’s interior. Some are hidden in the woods, while others have been enhanced by enterprising islanders, who charge a small fee for soaks in pools set within landscaped gardens. A favorite is Screw’s Sulphur Springs, where pools range from hot to warm to cool and refreshing. Also popular are the baths and waterfalls at Ti Kwen Glo Cho and the Papillote Wilderness Retreat which combines sulphur soaks with yoga and massage.

7 Diving

The underwater landscape of Dominica is the most dramatic and varied in the Caribbean. It is also among the healthiest. The island is ringed by coral reefs that begin close to shore, and the calm western coast of the island includes more than two dozen prime diving and snorkeling sites that lie within a trio of marine reserves.

The western coast of Dominica is home to some of the healthiest coral reefs in the Caribbean. The underwater landscape includes pinnacles and unusual formations created by past volcanic activity. Photo: Discover Dominica Authority

8 For the Birds

More than 175 species of birds can be found in the forests of Dominica, including 4 types of native humming bird. Other noteworthy sightings include two species of endemic parrot, the Sisserou and Jacquot, along with blue-hooded euphonias, mountain whistlers and broad winged hawks. A prime birding area is the Syndicate Forest on the western slopes of the Morne Diablotin National Park, and also popular is a boat ride up the shaded Indian River to search for the giant ringed kingfisher.

9 The Longest Path

The Waitukubuli National Trail is the Caribbean’s longest hike and took years to complete. It stretches 115 miles across the mountainous backbone of Dominica, and runs south from Scott’s Head to the Cabrits National Park in the north. Along the way it leads through national parks, villages, coastal areas, and the Morne Trois Pitons National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The trail is broken into 14 individual segments, giving day hikers plenty of options.

Dominica’s Boiling Lake lives up to its name, with waters nearly 200 degrees near the shore, and come to a boil near the center, where hot gasses bubble up from volcanic vents. Photo: iStock

10 Eco-minded Hotels

You won’t find any large hotel chains on Dominica, as accommodations tend toward boutique properties with an edge toward environmentally sound operations. Rosalie Bay is a 28- room enclave built to resemble a traditional village, overlooking a black sand beach on the island’s surf-washed eastern shore. Powered by solar and wind energy, the resort serves organic foods harvested fresh from their farm, and sponsors a turtle protection program that is followed island wide. Even more secluded is Secret Bay, an eco luxury resort of just eight bungalows and villas, all nestled into a hillside overlooking Prince Rupert Bay, and one of the longest and less-visited beaches.

Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Caribbean, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Nevis, St. Lucia, Stay, Trinidad & Tobago, Trip Ideas, U.S. Virgin Islands

Best Caribbean Resorts for Holiday Celebrations

November 8, 2016

You won’t have to choose between a white Christmas and a Caribbean holiday getaway at these resorts, which honor holiday traditions, but with a tropical spin. And for the white stuff? Look no farther than the beach.

The Buccaneer, St. Croix, USVI

Santa comes to the tropics to visit this beachfront classic resort on Christmas morning, with presents for the children staying there. Midday is devoted to lounging on the beach and listening to live local bands, then guests gather at the historic Great House to enjoy a holiday buffet created by Executive Chef Dave Kendrick. A week later, when it’s time to ring in the New Year, the party moves to The Terrace restaurant, which sits high on the hill overlooking the grounds and beach. Guests enjoy a New Year’s Eve buffet complete with carving stations, followed by a champagne toast at midnight. There are fireworks, which can be enjoyed from The Terrace bar or from private room patios or balconies. www.thebuccaneer.com

After a morning visit from Santa, Christmas Day is spent enjoying live bands and sunshine on the beach at St. Croix’s Buccaneer resort. Photo: The Buccaneer Resort

Windjammer Landing, St. Lucia

The Windjammer Landing goes all out for Christmas, with a tree lighting ceremony, special Christmas menus and a visit from Santa, who makes a visit to the sun and sand at Labrelotte Bay. Guests wanting a taste of sweet holiday spirit will find eggnog stocked at the bar and restaurant during the season. The resort is popular for family and group holiday getaways, with villas of two to five bedroom boasting private pools where everyone can gather before heading out to the resort’s festivities. www.windjammer-landing.com

Families and groups can gather for private celebrations at the villas of St. Lucia’s Windjammer Landing, and then join a range of resort-wide activities. Photo: Windjammer Landing

Montpelier Plantation & Beach Resort, Nevis

This elegant enclave brings in a holiday choir to kick off the festivities on Christmas Eve. In keeping with the resort’s tradition, guests are invited to join in to sing The 12 Days of Christmas. The evening continues with refreshments in the stone walled Restaurant 750 before moving to the terrace for an elegant meal paired with fine wine to celebrate Christmas Eve. As the holiday spirit progresses, guests can join the “Save Water, and Drink Champagne” event at the poolside restaurant Indigo. Here, the bubbles flow all afternoon, accompanied by light canapés. On New Year’s Eve, there is a white party held on Montpelier’s private beach. The night unfolds with a big beachside bonfire as guests dine and dance to live music before ringing in the New Year. www.montpeliernevis.com

One of the signature traditions at the Montpelier Plantation & Beach Resort on Nevis is the poolside known as “Save Water, and Drink Champagne.” Photo: Montpelier Plantation

Mango Bay Hotel, Barbados

Located in historic Holetown, this small all-inclusive resort offers guests of all ages a range of holiday activities. During afternoon tea, a primary school choir visits the hotel to serenade guests. Santa Claus arrives on Christmas morning, and during the day guests indulge in Christmas breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are candy hunts and a piñata party for the youngsters, and Boxing Day brings races, sand building workshops and an evening movie on the beach. Entertainment and fireworks follow the resort’s annual New Year’s Eve Grand Buffet. mangobayresort.com

Special Christmas activities at Barbados’s Mango Bay Hotel include choir concerts, a visit from Santa beach parties and holiday foods. Photo: Mango Bay

Spice Island Beach Resort, Grenada

Music fills the resort during the weeks leading up to Christmas, with a mix of Grenada top brass bands, steel bands and choirs, all rotating nightly to put guest in the holiday spirit. Christmas Eve is a time for caroling and the following morning begins with a champagne brunch. Guests head beachside to round out the day with a buffet lunch to the background sounds of the Jolly Boys—a local group playing Caribbean tunes. Dinner is a traditional Christmas meal served at Oliver’s restaurant. On New Year’s Eve, a culinary journey begins at 7pm and guests dance until midnight when the firework welcome in the New Year. www.SpiceIslandBeachResort.com

Music enlivens the holiday season at the Spice Island Beach Resort, where the sounds of Grenada’s favorite brass bands, steel bands and choirs put guest in the holiday spirit. Photo: Dehoog/Spice Island Resort

Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman

The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman is home to the Christmas Elf Village, an edible community of 12 elves, which are brilliantly colored showpieces made of pure chocolate and fondant. In addition, there are two holiday dessert-making classes hosted by pastry chef, Melissa Logan. The Gingerbread House workshop brings families together to decorate a pre-made house with edible decorations. The second class is devoted to making the chocolate roulade and butter crème Yule Log. In this class guests learn how to roll the log with different filling and add decoration. The New Year’s Eve ball includes a festive dinner with music of Spinphony, a string group. After dinner the DJ takes over and couples hit the beach for dancing and fireworks at midnight. www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/caribbean/grand-cayman

The Christmas Elf Village is a tasty tradition at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. These chocolate confections are just for show, but guests can create their own gingerbread houses. Photo: Irene Corty/Ritz-Carlton

Peter Island Resort & Spa, Peter Island, BVI

Christmas Eve kicks off with a visit from the Peter Island Choir, followed by dinner and guitar music. Christmas Day takes guests to the beach for a sandcastle building competition while waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. At the resort, a steel band plays holiday music and moko jumbies entertain guests. New Year’s Eve begins with a pre-gala cocktail hour featuring flowing champagne and oyster stations. Dinner is a grand gala buffet while the Elvis White band plays. After the meal a DJ spins and fireworks bring in the midnight hour. Guests are free to find their own private holiday moments on the 1,800 acres that make up the island resort. peterisland.com

Guests at Peter Island Resort can start with caroling and a visit from Santa, then go tropical with steel band music and a parade of stilt-walking moko jumbies. Photo: Peter Island Resort

Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort, St. Lucia

Magic, meditation and mind reading ring in the holidays at Sugar Beach as well as traditions of lantern lighting and tree decorating. Holiday activities include appearances from Michal Sindelar, magician and illusionist, who will engage guests in his defying magic tricks with cards, coins and balloons. Gerard Senehi, the master mentalist, will perform mind reading, telekinesis and telepathy in his show. A small session is open for moonlight crystal mediations with Latham Thomas. And, for the little ones, Santa arrives on Sugar Beach by boat to hand out presents. New Year’s Eve begins with a young DJ, Fulano Librizzi, and as the evening progresses DJ Marc JB takes over to usher in the New Year. A highlight of the night is the fireworks show against the backdrop of the pitons. www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/en/sugarbeach

At the Sugar Beach resort, the holidays are enlivened by visits from magicians and mind readers, and a New Year’s Eve fireworks show with a backdrop of the Pitons. Photo: Sugar Beach

Hyatt Regency, Trinidad

Everyone in the culturally rich islands of Trinidad & Tobago celebrate the holidays. Children go from house to house for festive food and drink, with holiday favorites that include pastelles, spicy meat filled corn patties, and black fruitcake. At the resort guests can enjoy holiday specialties like sorrel, which is a crimson-colored drink obtained from a local flower, ginger beer, and ponche de crème, which is a sweet milk and rum-based drink similar to eggnog. At the end of the day, celebrants can take a dip in the rooftop infinity pool and enjoy the views overlooking the city, with a sorrel mojito in hand. trinidad.regency.hyatt.com

One of the favorite seasonal libations offered at Trinidad’s Hyatt Regency is sorrel, which is a crimson-colored drink, here, in the form of a mojito. Photo: Hyatt Regency

Hermitage Plantation, Nevis

The Hermitage holiday experience is reminiscent of a home party. The halls are decked, the sorrel and black cake is served and carolers come to visit. Because the planation is a family home, guests are made to feel like family members. When the children make Christmas cookies, guest can join in. On Christmas Eve, the traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes is served. Christmas Day is typically spent at the beach after a Christmas buffet brunch. Afterward, guests come home to a visit from carolers from nearby church choirs. Christmas dinner its roast goose and all of the trimmings followed by Victorian figgy pudding. New Year’s Eve is a more subdued dinner of beef and salmon followed by drinks and relaxing music. www.hermitagenevis.com

At the family-owned Hermitage Plantation on Nevis, guests enjoy an intimate setting and holiday traditions such as caroling, and a Christmas dinner with roast goose. Photo: Hermitage Plantation

Laluna, Grenada

The white sand beach at Laluna replaces snow to create a tropical white Christmas, where villas are decked out with holiday decorations. Every year, carolers visit the Laluna Sunset Lounge, and guests gather around to enjoy the music and sip Ponche Crème, a local version of eggnog that infused with rum. Christmas lunch is celebrated as a barbecue on the beach. For holiday tastes from the tropics there is sorrel and black cake. www.laluna.com/

Each December, the beachside villas of Grenada’s Laluna resort are decorated and lit for the holiday season. Guests gather at the beach on Christmas day for a mid-day barbecue. Photo: Laluna Resort

Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach and Palace, Dominican Republic

These sister properties offer a wealth of special activities for the two weeks around Christmas and New Years. Both resorts are decorated with lights, trees and wreaths by early December, and Santa makes his first appearance for the lighting of the main Christmas tree a few days before Christmas. On the night of December 24, a live nativity scene is set on the beach and Santa comes for his visit in the late afternoon on December 25, landing by parachute to deliver presents to each of the kids at the resort. On New Year’s Eve, there is a huge party with Olympics games, live music and a gala dinner and show. The holiday activities continue until January 6. www.vivaresorts.com

In the Dominican Republic, the adjacent resorts of Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach and Palace liven up the Christmas season with a live nativity scene and a visit from Santa. Photo: Viva Wyndham

Aruba, Caribbean, Plan, Trip Ideas

Celebrate Christmas and New Year’s in Aruba

November 8, 2016

Aruba is one happy island that is ready for a celebration at any time of the year. But the holiday season is special, a time to be spent with family and friends, and to welcome new beginnings with the arrival of the New Year. It is a time when food, music and parties take over the island, homes are decorated and streets are lined with lights. The festive mood is inescapable, and everyone seems swept up in the spirit of the season, with proclamations of Bon Pasco y Bon Aña – Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

An Aruban take on the Christmas tree. Public spaces around the island are decorated in elaborate displays of holiday lights, including traffic circles. Photo: Marald Van Motfoort/Aruba Tourism Authority

Culinary Treats

As on many Caribbean islands, fruitcake is served when company comes to visit. For Arubans, the treat will be a black cake called bolo pretu, which is infused with brandy and fruit liqueurs, and loaded with dried fruits and spices. Every household has their own recipe, and visitors can find this favorite delicacy at supermarkets and specialty shops across the island. Other favorites for entertaining include pistachio cake and pan de jamon, a bread laced with ham.

Pumpkin soup is especially popular around the holidays. Turkey is served in some households, but the favorite holiday meat in Aruba is the Christmas ham, which is coated with glaze and spices. A Dutch treat that makes its way onto the holiday table is oliebollen, a small deep-fried ball of dough similar to a beignet or doughnut. You’ll often find these made fresh and hot at local supermarkets. Another island-wide tradition is ponche crema, a Latin American beverage that is a bit sweeter than the standard American eggnog. Every household has their own recipe, but expect it to be laced with rum.

The grand prize on every Christmas plate is the ayaca. With culinary roots in Venezuela, this dish starts with a boiled banana or plantain leave that is filled, wrapped, tied and boiled again when its time to eat. The stuffing is a mixture of chicken, pork or ham combined with spices, olives, raisins, cashews, prunes, onions and whatever the family recipe calls for, all spread over a layer of cornmeal mixture similar to polenta.

Ayaca is an Aruban favorite at the Christmas dinner table. Similar to a tamale, it is a mixture of meats and spices surrounded by corn meal, steamed within a banana leaf. Photo: Marald Van Motfoort/Aruba Tourism Authority

Holiday Playlist

Radio stations begin playing Christmas music in October, and while you might occasionally hear White Christmas in the mix, you will certainly hear the sounds of Gaita and Paranda Arubiano from popular bands such as Grupo Di Betico. When you are out and about, you’ll find Gaita bands performing at shopping centers, malls and public places. This is the music most identified with an Aruban Christmas. Originating in Maracaibo, Venezuela, this folkloric music is comprised of humorous lyrics and love songs. Groups are made up of a line of female singers who dance and perform while male musicians play cuartro and tambora.

For more than 50 years, the folkloric sounds of Grupo Di Betico have been a favorite sound during the holidays. Photo: Marald Van Motfoort/Aruba Tourism Authority

Right after Christmas, the island also has a tradition of caroling, known as Dande. Groups of five to six Dande musicians travel from home to home, especially on December 31. These groups feature a principal vocalist backed up by the sounds of drum, tambu, wiri and raspa. One member of the group carries a hat that is passed around, and the audience is encouraged to deposit cash for good luck. The tradition is pervasive across the island; you will find Dande played in public places and there is even a Dande Festival, as the tradition is becoming more popular.

A group of Dande musicians perform traditional holiday music. The singer holds an upturned hat, encouraging onlookers to deposit cash to ensure good fortune. Photo: Julien de Bats/Aruba Tourism Authority

Lights and Fireworks

The island’s most popular holiday light show covers the hill of Seroe Preto, where the nativity scene is creatively displayed. A drive around Aruba, passing by all the roundabouts on the main roads, will show off an amazing array of decorations. The entire island seems lit up as every hotel, business, shopping center, traffic circle and park is hung with strings of multi-colored bulbs. Hotel lobbies are decorated with trees; gingerbread houses, nativity scenes and an array of Christmas lights are hung from every thing imaginable.

At the stroke of midnight on December 31, the skies of Aruba erupt as hundreds of fireworks displays are set off, creating brilliant aerial displays of color. Photo: Marald Van Motfoort/Aruba Tourism Authority

As the New Year approaches, the focus shifts from lights to fireworks, which begin several days before the actual holiday. The streets of downtown Oranjestad are engulfed in smoke and noise as pagaras—long strings of Chinese firecrackers—are laid out and ignited. The noise is to ensure the New Year will have a clean start as evil spirits are being chased away. On the last night of the year, fireworks displays can be seen along the beaches. Many of the hotels stage their own shows, which can be seen from balconies as the entire island comes ablaze at the stroke of midnight.

New Year’s Eve is a big event on the island of Aruba. Food and family play are the central elements of celebrations leading to the midnight toast. Photo: Marald Van Motfoort/Aruba Tourism Authority

Bahamas-New Providence, Barbados, Caribbean, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Plan, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Trip Ideas

Five Unique Caribbean Christmas Traditions

November 3, 2016

Like much of the world, the Caribbean celebrates the Christmas holiday season with music, lights, food and gift giving. But islanders have also created a number of their own traditions, adding even more cheer to the end of the year. Here are five celebrations that are unique to the Caribbean.

A Different White Christmas

If you wake up on Christmas morning in Grand Cayman Island and see front yards covered in a blanket of white, you aren’t imagining things. Lacking snow, islanders created the tradition of the Sand Yard. Starting in late October, buckets of white beach sand are carried to homes, and deposited in piles in the front yard. On December 24th, piles are raked into even blankets of white, and are not to be stepped on until Christmas morning. The tradition has faded in urban areas, but may still be seen in traditional neighborhoods.

Pre-dawn Parties

For more than 100 years, residents of St. Vincent have started celebrating the Christmas season early. Literally. Starting at around 5 am on the 16th of the month, the Nine Mornings Celebration gets underway with parades, concerts, dances and group bike rides that end in ocean swims. Festivities wrap up around 7 o’clock and everyone heads off to work, ready to repeat the fun every morning through December 24. In many areas, the final morning’s celebration culminates with a steel band “jump up” party.

Christmas With a Bang

In the Dominican Republic the Christmas season kicks off in October, launching three months of parties, special meals and traditions such as Double Sueldo—an extra month’s pay to help fund the holidays. The biggest party of the season, Noche Buena, takes place on Christmas Eve, and in the weeks leading up to this gathering of friends and family, the skies come alive in impromptu barrages of fireworks. Known as fuegos artificiales, this tradition borders on a national obsession, and everyone gets in on the noisy fun.

Next Day Giving

The December 26 observance of Boxing Day began in England when employers and masters would reward their servants and employees with a seasonal gift box. The tradition continues on Caribbean islands with strong British heritages such as Barbados, where this post-Christmas holiday provides a chance to make the neighborhood rounds and drop off gifts to friends and relatives, then enjoy a picnic or beach outing.

Taking It to the Streets

In the early hours of December 26th, thousands of elaborately costumed dancers parade on the streets of downtown Nassau. The night comes alive with the rhythms of goatskin drums, cowbells, whistles and horns. Crowds of onlookers line sidewalks and the balconies of nearby buildings. The procession culminates with a pass by the judge’s stands for a chance with cash prizes and awards. Smaller versions of Junkanoo are staged on other islands, and the entire spectacle repeats on January 1.

Caribbean, Nevis, Stay, Trip Ideas

Celebrate the Broadway hit “Hamilton” on Nevis

November 3, 2016

The Hermitage Plantation Inn

The Hermitage Plantation Inn has introduced the Full Hamilton History Package, a fitting program for a property that is itself a historic landmark. The resort includes a group of meticulously restored chattel houses clustered around the 350-year-old great house that is said to be the Caribbean’s oldest surviving wooden building. Highlights of the package include a specially curated island history tour, a copy of the newly published book of the musical, and an afternoon sail to view Hamilton’s homeland from the sea. A portion of package proceeds will be donated to the Graham Wyndham Foundation, the orphanage founded by Hamilton’s widow, Eliza. www.hermitagenevis.com

A collection of restored chattel houses sits among orchid gardens and groves of cocoa, mango and breadfruit trees at Nevis’ Hermitage Plantation Inn. Photo: Debbie Snow

Montpelier Plantation & Beach

History and luxury come together with the Hamilton Package at the Montpelier Plantation & Beach. A member of the elite Relais & Chateau hospitality group, the Montpelier occupies the restored grounds of 300-year old sugar plantation, and has been named one of the Caribbean’s top boutique hotels. Guests are provided with a half-day excursion to Charlestown to visit Hamilton House at the Museum of Nevis History and enjoy a tour of the historic sights of the capital city. Upon returning, participants can then relax with a “Hamiltonian Green” couples massage in a relaxing outdoor tropical setting, and end their evening with signature nightcap cocktail, the “Brandy Alexander Hamilton”. www.montpeliernevis.com

On the restored grounds of a 17th century sugar plantation, the Montpelier Plantation combines five-star service with a quiet hillside setting overlooking the Caribbean. Photo: Debbie Snow

Nisbet Plantation Beach Club

In honor of our first Secretary of the Treasury’s legendary financial acumen, the Nisbet Plantation Beach Club has created the Alexander Hamilton “Take-It-To-The-Bank” Package, which provides substantial discounts or a resort add-on package. Constructed around an 18th-Century great house, this intimate resort overlooks a golden sand beach framed in majestic palms. Package perks include an island tour with a visit to Hamilton House Museum, a professional photo in front of the house, a candlelight dinner on the beach, and a treatment at the Palms Spa. This package can be combined with other specials to create additional savings and value. nisbetplantation.com

Stately palms and green lawns are signature elements of the Nisbet Plantation Beach Club. The resort’s tradition of afternoon tea adds a touch of British charm. Photo: Debbie Snow

Four Seasons Resort Nevis

The Four Seasons Resort has caught Hamilton Fever with the Perfect Union Package. At the island’s premier beach resort couples can rediscover their own “more perfect” union with variety of included experiences designed to reaffirm life, liberty and happiness. Highlights include a private candle-lit beach dinner featuring a colonial era-style or customized menu served to the accompaniment of a historic storyteller. Also in the mix are a private guided hike of Hamilton Estate, visits to the History of Nevis Museum and Hamilton House a spa under the stars experience and VIP treatment on arrival and departure. www.fourseasons.com/nevis

Guests at the Four Seasons Nevis enjoy sweeping views of Nevis Peak and direct access to the island’s finest golden-sand beach, premier golf course and a spa. Photo: Debbie Snow

Paradise Beach Nevis

Travelers who book a luxurious four-bedroom ocean or garden villa at Paradise Beach Nevis can shave 17 percent off their housing budget with the Hamilton 1755 Package. This upscale enclave brings a touch of Bali to the Caribbean with thatch-roofed villas that feature open floor plans and rich wood accents that complement sweeping ocean and island landscapes. In addition to the savings, the 1775 package includes a private island tour of historic sites, including Alexander Hamilton House / Museum of Nevis History. Guests will also be gifted with a copy of Alexander Hamilton, Ron Chernow’s bestselling book that inspired the play. www.paradisebeachnevis.com

The thatch-roofed villas of Paradise Beach Nevis are nestled in lush landscaping, and have private pools and exclusive beach access. Photo: Ken Hayden/Paradise Beach

Caribbean, Play, Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico’s Best Golf Resorts

October 27, 2016

With more than 20 championship courses to choose from, Puerto Rico is the grand dame of Caribbean golf. And a number of the island’s premier courses offer more than great play, as they are attached to world-class resorts. Here are five of the island’s best places to stay and play.

St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort

Nature comes into play at this Robert Trent Jones Jr. course, which is tucked into a native maritime forest between the ocean and the foothills of the El Yunque Rainforest. The course, which has been awarded Audubon International Signature Sanctuary status, plays through dense forest and winding lagoons, with 15 holes guarded by water hazards, and the final three finishing along the beach. With five tee sets providing a long game of just over 7,000 yards, play can be relaxing or challenging. The same foliage that provides scenic enhancement also shelters fairways from prevailing ocean breezes, though the final three beachfront holes can provide exhilarating late-round birdie opportunities in downwind conditions. Onsite facilities include a large driving range, practice area, and a plantation-style clubhouse with a pro shop and restaurant.

The course at Bahia Beach plays through a landscape of native forest and lagoons before arriving at the beach. The grounds have been awarded Audubon International Signature Sanctuary status. Photo: St. Regis Bahia Beach

The 483-acre grounds of the Bahia Beach Resort stretch along two miles of private beach, and more than 65 percent of the land remains undeveloped and protected as a nature preserve. There are miles of walking and bike trails, a bird sanctuary and kayak and canoe trails along 80 acres of lakes and the Espíritu Santo River. The 139-room hotel is the Caribbean’s first St. Regis property, and Puerto Rico’s first AAA Five Diamond rated resort. Guest rooms feature beamed ceilings, private terraces and upscale touches such as 300-thread-count linens. Onsite amenities include chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Fern restaurant, the 10,000 square-foot Reme?de Spa, a seaside swimming pool and esplanade, fitness facility, tennis facility, 24- hour concierge, and St. Regis’s signature Butler Service.

Bahia Beach is the first St. Regis property in the Caribbean, and Puerto Rico’s first AAA Five Diamond rated resort. More than half of the 483-acre grounds are set aside as a nature preserve. Photo: St. Regis Bahia Beach

Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Beach Resort & Spa

As the name promises, Rio Mar (river and ocean in English) gives players a choice between a Greg Norman-designed course along the Mameyes River, and a Tom and George Fazio course that delivers ocean views. The 6,782- yard Ocean Course is one of Puerto Rico’s most popular, with a classic layout that features four sets of tees, numerous bunkers and elevated greens. The signature 16th hole, an oceanside par 3, is regarded as one of the Caribbean’s best. The adjacent River Course plays 6,945 yards and is suitable for all skill levels, with wide fairways, open greens, shallow bunkers and light rough. When creating the course, Norman made a special effort to preserve native foliage and let the natural terrain determine placement of all holes. Rio Mar is also home to Puerto Rico’s only resort-based golf academy.

Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Golf Course Aerial

Rio Mar offers two courses set along river and ocean, with views of El Yunque rainforest in the background. The Ocean Course is one of Puerto Rico’s most popular. Photo: Victor Elias/Wyndham

The Rio Mar resort sits on 500 landscaped acres overlooking a mile-long stretch of Atlantic coast beach. Each of the property’s 400 rooms and suites has recently undergone a comprehensive renovation, and all feature private furnished balconies with views of the ocean or the El Yunque rainforest. There are five full-service restaurants on the premises, with menus created by Executive Chef Ramón Carrillo to reflect a diverse range of both innovative and traditional global cuisines. Recreational amenities include a tennis complex and watersports center. The full-service Mandara Spa provides more than 25 unique treatments inspired by indigenous products and Balinese therapeutic techniques. Guests can relax with oceanfront meditation and in-room yoga or work with the resort’s concierge staff to plan action packed days on land or water.

Wyndham Grand’s Rio Mar Beach Resort & Spa sits on a 500-acre oceanfront site fronted by more than a mile of beach. The property has recently undergone a complete renovation. Photo: Victor Elias/Wyndham

El Conquistador Resort

The Arthur Hill-designed course at El Conquistador is not your typical resort course experience. Elevation comes into play from the very first hole, where an elevated tee shot puts players on the first of many sloping and rolling fairways that reward precision while directing poorly-placed balls towards woods or water. The course rises and falls through 200 feet of vertical relief, with more elevated tees and numerous uneven lies along the way. But while challenging, the course is ultimately rewarding, and adds the bonus of sweeping views of ocean and rainforest. There is an on-site pro shop and available PGA instructor.

Located on a plateau high above the ocean, the course at El Conquistador features numerous elevation changes and sloping fairways that require strategic placements and careful attention to terrain. Photo: El Conquistador

The 984-room El Conquistador is a premier Waldorf Astoria property, and Puerto Rico’s most expansive resort complex. There are seven pools and a water park on site; four fine dining venues and 11 additional casual restaurants. The resort’s central area includes game rooms, markets, an ice cream parlor, cafes and two fully equipped fitness centers to work off those indulgences. A water taxi connects to beaches at nearby Palomino Island, where guests can enjoy water sports, snorkeling and horseback rides. Two on-site spas specialize in Thai massages, ocean detoxes, and aqua therapy, and for those who can’t leave the office behind, there is a modern business center. As a lower-key alternative to the main resort complex, there are the villas at Las Casitas, which sit just a short shuttle ride away.

The expansive grounds of the El Conquistador resort complex include seven pools, a water park, 15 restaurants, two on-site spas and a marina. A private island lies just offshore. Photo: Thomas Shelby/El Conquistador

Dorado Beach, Ritz-Carlton Reserve

Puerto Rico’s top-rated course is the star attraction at Dorado Beach. For more than 50 years, the East Course has challenged and delighted dedicated amateurs and PGA pros alike. Created by legendary designer Robert Trent Jones Sr., the course now benefits from updates by his son, Robert Jr., and remains one of the Caribbean’s must-play rounds of golf. Most famous is the par-5 fifth, which no less than Jack Nicklaus has called it one of the toughest holes he’s ever played. But the East Course is just one of four at Dorado Beach. Jones Sr. also created the scenic West Course, orienting holes to bring the ever-present sea breezes into play. Also on the roster is the Sugarcane Course, which winds through rivers and lakes, with a challenging yet manageable number of forced carries and deep bunkers. More relaxing is the Pineapple Course, which offers wider greens, shallower bunkers and ocean views from several holes.

The East Course at Dorado Beach was created by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1958. Over the years it has hosted tour events, provided challenges and rewards for golfers from around the world. Photo: Ritz-Carlton Dorado

Built on the lushly landscaped grounds of the former Laurance Rockefeller estate, the Dorado Beach is a Ritz-Carlton Reserve property. The resort’s 114 oceanfront rooms combine the founder’s original environmental design philosophies with a modern minimal décor. Rooms open directly onto beachside terraces that blur the boundaries between indoors and outside. A range of beachside dining options includes the signature Mi Casa from acclaimed chef José Andrés, who provides epicurean adventures that reflects Puerto Rico’s heritage. Also on the premises is Spa Botánico, a five- acre botanical sanctuary that provides a holistic yet modern approach to beauty and wellness, utilizing indigenous ingredients grown on site.

Rooms and public area at the Dorado Beach resort are positioned directly adjacent to the beach, and are designed in an open style that removes barriers between indoor and outdoor spaces. Photo: Ritz-Carlton Dorado

Royal Isabella

The Royal Isabella is unique among Caribbean golf courses. Perched cliffside on the island’s northwestern coast, this links-style course is the handwork of native sons Charlie and Stanley Pasarell, who set out to create a course for golf purists in the tradition of St. Andrews, Cabot Links or Pebble Beach. Working in collaboration with architect David Pfaff, they created a course that evolved from the land itself, integrating native grasses, natural sand dunes and deep canyons into the layout. After a series of jungle-shrouded holes on the front nine, the course moves cliffside to present a magnificent string of oceanfront challenges. The short but precise par-3 eleventh is the Caribbean version of Pebble Beach’s famous seventh, while the twelfth pays homage to the ocean carry at Hawaii’s Mauna Kea, with a tee shot over a cove of crashing surf.

With a back nine that plays along ocean cliffs, the Royal Isabela course is unlike any other in Puerto Rico. Signature par-threes have been likened to Pebble Beach and Hawaii’s Mauna Kea courses. Photo: Joan Dost/Royal Isabela

The centerpiece of the 2,000-acre golf resort is La Casa, a castle-like stone edifice golf club and restaurant built in the style of a historic sugar mill, and housing the golf club and restaurant. Guests are accommodated in 20 stand- alone casitas set at a high point on the property that captures sea breezes and delivers sweeping ocean views. Each casita is terraced onto the hillside, with split-level layouts that feature high ceilings, rich woods and floor-to- ceiling windows opening onto private terraces with plunge pools. Four- poster beds are draped with decorative netting, while separate living areas create additional private spaces. The emphasis is on tranquility, with a private beach at the base of the cliff, and the Pasarell family farm in the adjacent river valley, where guests can hike, bike and kayak.

Built to resemble an 18th century sugar mill, La Casa at Royal Isabela is the gathering place for members and resort guests. A collection of individual villas sits on nearby hillsides. Photo: Joan Dost/Royal Isabela

Anguilla, Caribbean, Nevis, St. Barts, Stay, Trip Ideas

Best Caribbean Family-Run Boutique Hotels

October 27, 2016

It’s great to be treated like family. And though many resorts will make that claim, the places that are best suited to deliver that special brand of warm, familiar service and welcome are those small hotels that are, in fact, family owned and operated. These are the places where the owners not only know your name, but also may stop by your table at dinner to share conversation and a drink. Here are three of our favorite family-owned Caribbean resorts.

Hotel Le Village, St. Barth

The red-roofed cottages of Le Village perch on a terraced hillside overlooking Petite Baie de St. Jean. A short walk from this scenic enclave brings you to St. Jean Beach. This lively strand is lined with trendy restaurants, casually elegant beach bars, and the fashionably chic shops that St. Barth is all about. It’s a great place to people watch as you soak up the sun. When its time to reconvene to your hideaway, Le Village offers peace and solitude, something the hotel has been known for since it first opened in 1969.

Rooms at Hotel Le Village open to hillside terraces that welcome sea breezes and provide a private retreat for guests who value both privacy and the intimacy. Photo: Le Village

The property is a 25-unit enclave of one- and two-story rooms and suites, each individually decorated in island colors. Each offers a kitchen and a large covered terrace that doubles as living and dining spaces, all opening to outdoor sundecks. Guests relax in the gardens that surround their cottage, lounge by the pool or head for renewal at the Well Being Cottage. This glass-enclosed space offers massages and yoga classes set against panoramic views of the bay. The Charneau family has been receiving guests—some famous, others not so much—in a relaxing yet elegant manner for decades, and happy guests keep coming back year after year.

Hotel Le Village provides elevated views of St. Barth’s St. Jean Beach and its namesake bay. Just a short walk down the hill, a collection of chic cafes and shops awaits. Photo: Le Village

The Hermitage Plantation Inn, Nevis

Guests of the Hermitage Plantation Inn are treated to cooling afternoon breezes, and monkeys. The inn sits near the base of rainforest-clad Nevis Peak. These forests are home to vervet monkeys, who come down from the slopes in search of sweet mangos, and their whimsical presence is a guest favorite. The scene is bucolic, with horses in the pasture and an English-style garden filled with fruit, flowers and herbs. This is what Maureen and Richard Lupinacci visioned when they arrived in Nevis in 1967 and discovered the property. This husband and wife team fell in love with the location and nurtured it into the splendid village it is today.

Nevis’ Hermitage Plantation features furnishings and artwork from around the island. This meticulously restored structure is the oldest wooden building on the island. Photo: Hermitage

While the keys have since been handed to son Richie Lupinacci, the inn maintains a loving family essence with a bit of Italian heritage. Wednesday night’s West Indian pig roast spread is still hands-down the best on the island, and Friday nights now ring in the weekend with pizza and cichetti, as guests mingle around the bar and wander the great house filed with antiques and curios. Staying at the Hermitage is recasting the past, as each chattel house features a different motif. Furnishings and artwork collected from around the island are brought together in 15 individually decorated retreats, each of which feels like a private home. And being at home is exactly how you will feel when spending time on this family planation.

Cottages at the Hermitage began as dwellings known as chattel houses, which were used to house farm workers. Today, they sit in the inn’s lushly landscaped grounds. Photo: Hermitage

Frangipani Beach Resort, Anguilla

On an island known for spectacular beaches, you’ll want to stay in a waterfront property. Frangipani is located in the center of Meads Bay. This mile long stretch of shore has powder-white sand so soft you’d think it could be used to bake a cake. The resort includes just 19 rooms and suites, sets just steps from the sand. The active young couple running the resort, Scott and Shannon Kircher, were married at the resort and now live and love it. When time permits they share their love of watersports with their guests.

Frangipani Breakfast On Balcony Anguilla

Frangipani Beach Resort’s private balconies open to expansive views of Meads Bay. This west-facing beach provides spectacular sunset views. Photo: Thierry Dehove/Frangipani

Water sports are a focal point at the resort, and all equipment is complementary for guests. Spend your days sailing a Hobie, waterskiing, paddle boarding or just float on a raft. Head directly from room to the sand, find your personal palapa and let the day unfold. In addition to the beach, there is an infinity pool backed by the salmon-tinted Spanish Mediterranean enclave from which the sea is always in view. The island’s famed Straw Hat restaurant is now located in the resort. Owned and operated by another husband and wife team, it serves breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 days a week. Another marriage made in heaven.

Frangipani Beach Resort is a boutique property of just 19 intimate rooms and suites. On site is one of the island’s favorite restaurants, the Straw Hat. Photo: Thierry Dehove/Frangipani

Bahamas, Bahamas-New Providence, Cancun, Caribbean, Cayman Islands, Grenada, Mexico

Four Amazing Caribbean Underwater Sculpture Parks

October 24, 2016

Swimsuits and snorkels are not usually considered appropriate attire for viewing works of art. But that’s exactly what you’ll need to gain a full appreciation of these sculptures, because they all lie beneath clear Caribbean waters. What started with the placement of a single iconic statue has become a trend, with four islands now offering underwater exhibitions, and more expected to follow. Here are the places where you can combine artistic appreciation with aquatic recreation.

Grand Cayman’s Bronze Gods

In the summer of 2000, a mermaid appeared on one of Grand Cayman’s most popular snorkeling and shore diving sites. Swimmers will have no trouble finding this legendary lady, because she hasn’t moved since. The 9-foot-tall, 600-pound bronze statue is a representation of Amphitrite, the legendary queen of the seas and wife of Poseidon. The work was created by Canadian artist Simon Morris, and placed just offshore of the Sunset House Resort, where it can be viewed from the surface, or enjoyed by the many divers who pose for underwater selfies.

The bronze statue of Amphitrite sits on a shallow reef off the west coast of Grand Cayman Island. It is one of two submerged sculptures created by Canadian artist Simon Morris. Photo: Cathy Church/Cayman Islands Department of Tourism

Three years after Amphitrite arrived, a second iconic bronze figure appeared on a reef eight miles to the north. The Guardian of the Reef, also created by Morris, is a 13-foot-tall creation that is half seahorse, half mythological warrior. The work was commissioned by the owners of Divetech Resort, and placed on a popular dive site a short swim from their dive shop.

Art Goes Underwater In Grenada

Grenada’s Molinere Bay became the world’s underwater art gallery when British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor – http://www.underwatersculpture.com/ – placed a collection of contemporary sculptures among the coral heads in 2006. The exhibition was instrumental in the creation of a marine protected area along the island’s southwestern coast. Each sculpture is strategically placed to enhance the natural beauty of the surrounding reefs, and fabricated from environmentally friendly materials that encourage corals and other marine life to overgrow and transform the statues over time.

The Ring of Children is a signature element of Grenada’s Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park. This exhibition was created in 2006 by British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor. Photo: Orlando Romain/ Grenada Tourism Authority

The original exhibition was expanded with additional works by Taylor and Grenadian sculptor Rene Froehlich, and now includes some 65 figures and still-life tableaus. The Molinere Bay Sculpture Park can be reached with a short swim from shore, or by a ten-minute boat ride from St. Georges and the resorts of Grand Anse. The works can be enjoyed from the surface, and are shallow enough to allow most swimmers to duck down for a closer look.

Mexico’s Underwater Museum

Three years after opening the world’s first underwater sculpture park in Grenada, sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor turned his talents to an even more ambitious project in the waters of Cancun, Mexico. The Museo Subacuatico de Arte is located in a national marine park just off the shores of Isla Mujeres, where it can be viewed by swimmers, divers and passengers in glass bottom boats.

The sculpture known as The Gardener is adorned with corals rescued after tropical storms or damage by human activity. Sculptures and photography: Jason deCaires Taylor

The exhibition is described as an interaction between art and environmental science, as the exhibits 500-plus life-size sculptures are made from specialized materials used to promote coral life. The Museum is divided into two galleries called Salon Manchones and Salon Nizuc. The first is located in 25 feet of water and suited for viewing by both divers and snorkelers, while the second gallery is positioned at a depth of just 12 feet, with sculptures rising to within six feet of the surface. It is reserved for snorkelers. Snorkelers and swimmers can reach the exhibits from shore or boat tours from Isla Mujeres or Cancun.

Bigger in the Bahamas

The world’s largest underwater sculpture comes with a message, and a mission. Ocean Atlas is a 60-ton, 18-foot-high depiction of a young Bahamian girl who appears to be holding up the ocean, much like the mythological Titan Atlas shouldered the burden of the heavens. The work is intended both as a reminder of the environmental threats oceans face, and a message of how human interactions with nature can be positive and sustainable.

Bahamas Nassau Atlas Coral Reef Sculpture Garden

Ocean Atlas is the world’s largest underwater sculpture, and the centerpiece of the Sir Nicholas Nuttall Coral Reef Sculpture Garden, located in the waters of New Providence Island, Bahamas. Photo: BREEF

The sculpture is made from sustainable PH-neutral materials, and surrounded by a collection of structures known as reef balls that will attract fish life and promote coral growth, eventually transforming the site into a living reef. More sculptures are planned for the site, which is shallow enough to be enjoyed by snorkelers. The Sir Nicholas Nuttall Coral Reef Sculpture Garden can be reached by a short boat ride from the south coast of New Providence Island, and has already become a favorite with cruise ship passengers and guests staying at the resorts of Nassau and Paradise Island. Check out more photos here: https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/worlds-largest-underwater-sculpture- unveiled-in-bahamas-144457/#/slideshow/144457-2/5

Bermuda, Cancun, Caribbean, Mexico, Playa del Carmen, St. Lucia, Stay, Trip Ideas

Amazing Water Treatments at My Favorite Caribbean Spas

October 24, 2016

Water Massage

Release physical and emotional tension with Jansu therapy at Belmond Maroma, Riviera Maya, Mexico

Watsu is an in-water treatment that resembles Shiatsu. You relax in warm, chest deep water while the therapist gently cradles you and works you through various dancelike movements that encourage relaxation and create a healing experience.

Relaxation begins as your walk down the long outdoor corridor to the Kinan Spa. The spa is aligned with the stars to create positive energy flow, treatment rooms point east and west and offerings include authentic Mayan treatments. Photo: Maroma

At Maroma these sessions are called Jansu and take place in an isolated area far from the center of the resort. Here in the mediation pool, your therapist will guide you through movements, stretches, twists and even submerge you for brief moments. Opt for a mid-day treatment just after the sun has warmed the pool, when sunbeams dapple the water’s surface.

At the Belmond Maroma in Riviera Maya, Jansu treatments involve an immersion in a pool of warm water, where a therapist guides you through a series of relaxing movements. Photo: Ingrid Rasumussen/Maroma

Cleansing Steam

Cleanse body, mind and spirit in the steam of a Temascal treatment at Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort, St. Lucia

Embraced by the majestic valley of the Pitons, the Rainforest Spa is secluded in 100 acres of tropical rainforest. Tree house gazebos become treatment rooms; each reached by wooden walkways and spaced for ultimate privacy.

Built of local materials, the seven thatched roofed tree house treatment rooms offer complete privacy and a connection to the natural surroundings within the rainforest of the Pitons. Photo: Sugar Beach

The on-site earthen steam room is inspired by the traditions of the indigenous people of Mesoamerica, who used steam ceremonies to purify the body and improve health. You’ll sit in a circle around a mound of hot rocks that are periodically doused with water to produce steam. Some people have visions; others just relax, as the treatment can be very cathartic. After a stint in the hot, moist heat, you head for a cool shower and drink liquids and juices to replenish lost electrolytes. Most people note that this treatment induces some of the best sleep.

The Rainforest Spa at St. Lucia’s Sugar Beach resort draws on the healing traditions of the indigenous people of Mesoamerica, using cleansing steam to relax and detoxify the body. Photo: Sugar Beach

Rain and Mist

Transport yourself to the rainforest of Thailand as you experience the Rain Walk at Banyan Tree Mayakoba, Riviera Maya, Mexico

This Asian-inspired spa brings centuries of Eastern healing wisdom and knowledge to each of its treatments, which are based on the traditions and techniques of Thailand. You could spend your entire stay experiencing a different therapy each day, but the Rain Walk is unlike any other.

Treatment rooms are set out over a peaceful fresh water lagoon where relaxation comes easy. Here, at Banyan Tree Mayakoba, Thai trained therapists deliver Asian inspired treatments in absolute tranquility. Photo: Debbie Snow

This extensive treatment can take an afternoon, as it includes eight unique hydrothermal therapy experiences. You begin with a walk on a pathway of river stone, where streams of water flow gently down from above. It’s immediately relaxing and takes your mind to another level. You’ll then move from room to room to experience even more unique sensations. There is the eucalyptus steam chamber, a summer storm chamber, a brine fog, and a chamber of ice fountains and cool winter rains. Treatments follow a sequential flow that culminates with an immersion into a vitality pool where water jets create gentle acupressure.

The Rain Walk experience at the Banyan Tree Mayakoba culminates with an immersion in the vitality pool, where water jets create the aquatic equivalent of an acupressure session. Photo: Debbie Snow

Not Just a Shower

Splish-splash away with a Tropical Rain Splash in the Silver TAG shower at Sense spa at Tucker’s Point on Bermuda.

The Sense spa at Tucker’s Point offers all of the world-class treatments you would expect from a Rosewood Resort. Treatments also incorporate natural materials found on the islands. Honey and sugar cane are used to exfoliate; cedar oils to relieve tension and stress; and papaya to nourish the skin.

At Sense spa at Tucker’s Point, Bermuda, patrons are enveloped in a soothing and cleansing spray delivered by the 18 separate water jets of the Silver TAG shower. Photo: Debbie Snow

You can add the Silver TAG shower to any spa treatment, or opt for an experience such the Bermuda Triangle, which is geared toward those arriving after long flights. You begin by entering the chamber where 18 showerheads massage you from top to bottom, both cleansing and relaxing the body. You then move to the massage table for a rubdown with aloe freshly plucked from the garden and end with a citrus inspired facial. You can come back the next day just for the shower, or combine it with another treatment.

Spa guests at Tucker’s Point can enjoy a private space along the calming reflection pool before and after treatments. Opt for a Rum Swizzle and enjoy the cocktail as part of the signature manicure and pedicure. Photo: Debbie Snow

The Colors of Relaxation

Receive the effects of crystal healing and color therapy at Cambridge Beaches on Bermuda.

The resort’s private and secluded setting is conducive to canoodling, but it’s not just for couples. Singles will also love the pool area, the four beaches and the many options for treatments at the Ocean Spa.

Soothing crystalline illumination sets the mood in the Experiential Suites, which are a signature element of the Ocean Spa, in Bermuda’s Cambridge Beaches resort. Photo: Debbie Snow

A signature element is the Experiential Suites, which provide a four-stage journey of color, temperature and moisture. Chambers allow each guest to enjoy private spaces as they move through a steam room, cooling mist room, rainfall shower and sauna. Along the way, glowing crystals set the mood as they change colors to invoke a sense of well-being. The whirlpool, relaxation pool and lap pool are also available before or after the experience. Many of the Ocean Spa Experiences are longer treatments that also include a stint in the Experiential Suites. Couples can partake in a Sauna Ritual where they exfoliate each other with sea salt before retiring to their couples massage.

The tiered infinity pool at Cambridge Beaches overlooks Morning Beach, the resort’s Zen beach. Guests have space for swimming laps or relaxing to the sounds of the water falling. Photo: Debbie Snow