Tag Archives: Cayman Islands

Stingray Grand Cayman
Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas-New Providence, Bahamas-Out Islands, Caribbean, Cayman Islands, Play, Trip Ideas, Turks & Caicos

Swim with Stingrays in the Caribbean

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Once considered a novelty, swimming with stingrays has become one of the Caribbean’s most popular aquatic animal encounters. What began more than three decades ago in the Cayman Islands has now spread to locations across the region. Some programs are little more than marine petting zoos, but the best allow humans to interact with rays in a natural setting, and get to know these surprisingly gentle sea creatures.

Grand Cayman

Grand Cayman’s world-famous Stingray City happened by accident. In the 1970s, local fishermen would stop to clean their catch over a sandbar in the sheltered waters of North Sound. This soon attracted the attention of the resident stingray population, and within a few years, dive masters were bringing tourists to the site to snorkel with the rays. Fast forward 45 years and Stingray City has become one of the Cayman’s signature experiences. Encounters begin with a half-hour boat ride across the sound, and there are actually two sites that the tour operators visit. In the first area, the water is as shallow as two feet, giving participants of all ages a chance to wade and feed the rays. Snorkelers and divers are often taken to a second nearby site, where water depths range from four to eight feet, and the rays are joined by a colorful assortment of reef fish.

Grand Cayman Stingray

Grand Cayman island is the home of the original Stingray City. At this world famous site, the stingrays come close, and may brush their wings against swimmers and snorkelers. Photo: Douglas Klug/Flickr

Antigua

Though not as famous as the Grand Cayman original, Antigua’s Stingray City has become one of the island’s most popular attractions. Encounters begin in a cove on the northeast coast, near Seaton’s Village and the Verandah Resort. Participants board small boats for a five-minute trip to a sandbank in the center of the cove, where they disembark onto a floating dock. Guides are provided to help adjust snorkel gear and provide a short briefing, then its time to enter the water by way of steps. Depths on the sandbar are three to four feet, making the adventure suitable for most children and those who aren’t strong swimmers. Those who want to try their hand at feeding the rays are given bits of squid, and shown how to safely present them to the passing animals.

Antigua Stingray

Antigua’s Stingray City is located on a sandbar within a bay located on the island’s east coast. Visitors arrive by small boat, and enter the water from a floating dock. Photo: sshawha/Flickr

Nassau, Bahamas

There are several stingray encounters available in the Bahamas. Some are staged on the private islands affiliated with various cruise ship lines; others take place on remote Out Islands reached only by small boat or charter flights. The most accessible encounters take place on the small islands surrounding Nassau. A favorite is Balmoral Island, which is reached by way of a 30-minute ferry ride from the cruise ship docks. As part of an all-day beach excursion, guests can spend time interacting with rays in a shallow area close to the beach. This is a wade-in experience suitable for ages five and up, as water depths range from ankle deep to swimming depths. After meeting the rays, participants can spend the rest of their day swimming, snorkeling, sunning and dining.

Nassau Stingrays

Visitors to Nassau can make day trips to Balmoral Island, where one of the featured activities is the chance to interact with stingrays in a sand bottom lagoon. Photo: Balmoral Island

Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas

Stingray pedicures are just one of the unique marine life encounters that are part of an out island adventure with the man known as Bahama Brendal. The owner of Brendal’s Dive Center of Green Turtle Cay offers day trips by small boat to a beach on uninhabited Manjack Cay. Along the way, there is a stop on a shallow reef to swim with green sea turtles, then shallow sandbar where stingrays are sometimes joined by nurse sharks, which are a species that pose no threat to humans. In addition to the usual stingray interactions, guests on Brendal’s trips are encouraged to place small bits of fish between their toes, and allow the rays to glide in and over bare feet.

Green Turtle Cay Abacos

Green Turtle Cay is a small island in eastern Bahamas. Here, visitors can sign up for an adventure cruise that includes a stop at a secluded beach where stingrays gather. Photo: Larry/Flickr

Gibbs Cay, Turks & Caicos

Visitors to the island of Grand Turk can meet the local stingrays when they sign up for a boat trip to the deserted island known as Gibbs Cay. Participants are provided with snorkel gear to explore the shallow reefs that begin just 50 yards from shore, and hold an assortment of colorful tropical fish. The stingrays appear at a nearby sand-bottom area where waters are knee to waist deep. Rays glide around and over bare feet and legs, making light contact. When the rays circle out into deeper water, snorkelers can follow. Back on shore, the guides demonstration the art of cleaning a conch, then transform it into a delicious ceviche.

Turks and Caicos Stingray

Just off the coast of Grand Turk, the waters of uninhabited Gibbs Cay attract gregarious stingrays, which are not shy about making contact with humans. Photo: Henry Silva/Flickr

Guadeloupe Marie Galante Beach
Bahamas-Out Islands, Caribbean, Cayman Islands, Central America, Guadeloupe, Nicaragua, Plan, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Trip Ideas

Off the Path Caribbean Beaches

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The great thing about staying at a Caribbean Beach resort is that a prime patch of sand is usually just a few steps away. The downside is that you probably aren’t the only one within walking distance of that sand, and you’ll likely end up sharing a beach lounge with a number of other vacationers. Fortunately, there are still islands all across the region where you can find seclusion on the shore. To truly escape the crowds, you’ll have to venture beyond the range of cruise ships, and separate yourself from the resort districts by taking a puddle jumper or water taxi to a place less visited. We’ve come up with five of our favorite islands that are off the beaten path but reachable, and which reward those who make the journey with some of the most pristine and uncrowded beaches in the Caribbean.

Anse Canot, Marie Galante, Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe isn’t an island; it is a group of islands that together form an overseas region of France. And while the main island of Guadeloupe has its share of beachfront resorts, outliers such as Marie Galante are a different story. With no airport, this 60-square-mile island can only be reached by ferry or freighter. Once there, travelers will discover the Caribbean of yesteryear, where cane fields and farms spread across the landscape, and the only high rises are the traditional stone windmills that perch on hillsides. In a nod to the 21st century, there are taxis on call and cars for rent. After touring the back roads for a bit, and possibly touring the Rhum Belle Distillery, head to the undeveloped shores of Anse Canot. There are no beach bars, and no facilities, but you will find plenty of sand that is all yours to enjoy.

marie galante guadeloupe

Farming is the number one activity on Guadeloupe’s Marie Galante island, which means that the relatively small number of visitors can often stake out their own private stretch of beach. Photo: Michel Letertre/Flickr

Point of Sand, Little Cayman Island

This deserted swatch of sand stands in sharp contrast to the sophisticated luxuries of Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach. Little Cayman is the smallest and least developed member of the Cayman Islands group, with fewer than 200 full-time residents, and a single road ringing the shores. Visitors arrive aboard a small aircraft that lands on an unpaved strip, and there is no town to speak of, just a handful of small beach resorts scattered along the southern side of the island. It’s a great place for fishermen, divers, and nature lovers, who are vastly outnumbered by iguanas and rare birds. Bikes and motor scooters are often the preferred method of transport, but rental jeeps are also available. Whatever transportation you choose, the coast road will lead you east to the tip of the island, and Point of Sand Beach. The powdery white sands of this beach are soothing to the feet and pleasing to the eyes, as turquoise shallows extend to a snorkeling reef that marks the boundary with blue water.

little cayman

With only a handful of small resorts scattered around its undeveloped coast, Little Cayman Island provides almost total seclusion for those who make their way to beaches such as Point of Sand. Photo: Ray Bodden/Flickr

Otto Beach, Little Corn Island, Nicaragua

Even well traveled Caribbean veterans don’t know about the Corn Islands. Sitting 40 miles off the coast of Nicaragua, these small islands are way off the radar, and the cruise ship routes. It’s possible to fly from the mainland to a simple airfield on Big Corn Island, but to reach Little Corn will require a boat ride in a panga-style water taxi. Once there, plan on walking, because no motorized vehicles are allowed on this two-mile-long strip of sand and jungle. Footpaths connect the limited number of beachfront hostels and guesthouses that cater to adventurous backpackers and savvy travelers. There is one paved walkway that leads from the island’s only village to several east-side beaches, but for the ultimate in seclusion, you’ll want to follow a trail through the island’s wooded interior to the north shore, where there’s a good chance you will have the sands of Otto Beach all to yourself.

little corn island

There’s never a crowd at Little Corn Island’s Otto Beach, because getting there begins with a boat ride from Big Corn, followed by a mile of walking on a wooded cross-island trail. Photo: Brian Johnson & Dane Kantner/Flickr

Pink Sand Beach, Harbour Island, Bahamas

Given the number of rich and famous that have visited, it would be hard to call Harbour Island a hidden gem. But it is certainly the crown jewel of the Bahamian Out Islands, and a place where a select few travelers can enjoy the seclusion that privilege provides. The island can only be reached by a puddle jumping flight, followed by a land and then a water taxi ride. Forget owning one of the quaint and colorful cottages that front the flower-lined streets of Dunmore Town that would set you back a minimum of seven figures. But for the price of an upscale Caribbean beach hotel, you can rent a bungalow that’s just steps from the island’s famous pink sand beach. This rose-colored strand has been featured on magazine covers and in countless fashion shoots, but on any given day, there are surprisingly few folks out sunning on this three-mile expanse.

harbour island pink

Harbour Island is famous for the pink sand beach that runs the length of its eastern shore. The absence of large hotels on the island keeps things from getting crowded. Photo: iStock

Petit Tabac, Tobago Cays, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Remember that deserted beach where Johnny Depp’s character was marooned on the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie? It’s actually Petit Tabac, which is the smallest of five islands that make up the Tobago Cays. You can reach these uninhabited bits of land aboard a chartered sailboat, or by hopping a water taxi from nearby Mayreau or Union Islands. Bring provisions, and plan on a day trip, because as there are no hotels for overnighting—or any other signs of human impact. The Cays lie within a marine park, and are surrounded by coral reefs that attract divers and snorkelers. The scenic beach on Petit Tabac is shaded by coconut palms, and there is good snorkeling just a short swim from shore.

petit tabac

One of the five uninhabited islands in the Tobago Cays, Petit Tabac is a popular nesting spot for hawksbill, leatherback and green turtles. Photo: Christian Lendl/Flickr

Kitesurfing Aruba
Aruba, Bahamas-Out Islands, Bonaire, Caribbean, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Turks & Caicos

The Caribbean’s Top Kiteboarding Beaches

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Over the past decade, kitesurfing has grown from a niche activity to one of the world’s most popular wind sports. Innovations in equipment and teaching methods allow people off all ages to embrace the sport. The islands of the Caribbean are ideal destinations for kiteboarders, as they offer warm waters and stead trade winds. The best locations have winds that blow from on shore or side shore to the beach, and waters that are sheltered from ocean waves. Here are six of the region’s kiting hot spots.

Palm Beach, Aruba

Windsurfers discovered Aruba in the 1980s, and the island’s west coast remains a hotbed for sailing activity. These days, the area known as the Fisherman’s Huts sees more kites than sails, as it offers all the right ingredients. Trade winds sweep in from the east, which allows kites to be deployed over the water, and rides to start right from the beach in shallow water. Beginners are able to hone their skills in flat water and forgiving near shore conditions, while advancing riders can ramp up the action by moving a few yards offshore to make long, fast runs along the beach. More experienced riders can also venture to Boca Grandi, a small bay on the island’s south side where winds and waters are more intense.

Aruba Kite Boarding

Aruba’s Boca Grandi is the place where advanced kiteboarders gather to play in the chop, or venture beyond the mouth of the bay to launch off larger waves. Photo: Robinszeggs/Flickr

Great Exuma, Bahamas

Running north to south through the central Bahamas, the Exumas are a chain of small, green islands surrounded by white sand shoals and the deep blue waters of the Atlantic. In summer, lighter winds create relaxing conditions for kiteboard runs in calm bays and passages between islands. Stronger winter fronts amp up the action with chances to play in the waves and power up for high-flying aerial chop hops. The largest island in the group, Grand Exuma, is the starting point for most kiting excursions, and Exuma Kitesurfing is the outfitter of choice. This full-service shop offers rentals, lessons with certified instructors, and taxi boat services to begin long downwind runs, or excursions to remote, wind-swept sandbars.

Exumas Bahamas Kite Boarding

The Exuma Islands are known for white sands and emerald waters. In recent years, these islands have gained a reputation as the premier kiteboarding destination in the Bahamas. Photo: Billy Bosch/Flickr

Atlantis Beach, Bonaire

Bonaire is best known for it’s world-class shore diving, but the sheltered waters of the island’s west coast are also prime kiteboarding territory. Three miles south of the town of Kralendijk, Atlantis Beach is the local mecca for kiting. Two companies, Kiteboarding Bonaire and the Bonaire Kite School, offer gear, lessons and chase boat support. It’s an ideal place to learn the basics, as the trade winds that sweep across the island’s southern salt flats are steady and predictable, and instruction can take place in knee-deep water over a forgiving sand bottom. The kiteboarding area is located on the southwest tip of Bonaire and can be found by following the brightly colored kites soaring through the air.

Bonaire Kite Boarding

A kiteboarder makes a sunset run in the waters off Bonaire’s Atlantis Beach. With winds blowing from across the island, sailors can make easy launches from this west-facing beach. Photo: Tourism Bonaire

Cabarete, Dominican Republic

Like other breezy spots in the Caribbean, the north shore of the Dominican Republic was first discovered by windsurfers. They came not only for the consistent winds, but also the varied sailing conditions, which included not only flat water bays for instruction and speed runs, but also ocean swells and beach breaks that became the playground of the world’s best riders. The same conditions now stoke kiters, and a number of the world’s top pros have made Cabarete a seasonal home. There are several IKO (International Kiting Organization) certified schools in the area, and new riders can master the basics in the flat water lagoon at Kite Beach, where consistent side- shore winds make for easy launches. Cabarete Bay is where the experts play, both inside the reef, on the breakers and in open ocean swells.

Dominican Republic Cabarete Kite Surfing

On the north coast of the Dominican Republic, Cabarete Bay has become one of the world’s premier kitesurfing destinations, both for novices and pros. Photo: Remon Rijper/Flickr

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Mention the Caymans, and most people think of either scuba diving or offshore banking. Although not as well known as a kiting destination, the island of Grand Cayman has several sites that are well suited to the sport. The prime season for kiting is between November and June, when the easterly trades blow steady. The most popular kiting area is Barkers Beach on the island’s northwest corner. Here, a large sand flat provides waist to chest deep water inside a protective barrier reef, and a large expanse of beach to launch kites without fear of tangling lines with other sailors. On the other side of North Sound, near the Rum Point area, a lagoon known as Kaibo is also popular, and savvy kiters know of a spot on the island’s east end called the Sweet Spot. Here, there is both a reef protected flat-water lagoon, and a chance to move out into open water to play in the waves.

Grand Cayman Kite Surfing

Grand Cayman’s North Sound offers large expanses of sheltered water where kiteboarders can spread out and sail without concerns of crossing lines or tangling kites. Photo: Don McDougall/ Cayman Islands Department of Tourism

Long Bay, Providenciales

Kiteboarding came relatively late to the islands of the Turks & Caicos, but once sailors discovered what awaited on the southwest shores of the island of Providenciales, it didn’t take long for the word to spread. This three-mile- long beach combines soft, powder white sand with clear waters and expansive shallows. Today, there are four kiteboarding schools on Long Bay Beach, and during the prime sailing season, which typical runs from November to May, aspiring riders fill the expansive lagoon. This entire area has water depths of two to three feet, which creates very friendly learning conditions. Aspiring kiters don’t have to tread water as they recover and relaunch after a spill, and there’s no danger of being blown onto the breaking waves of a reef. The flat waters are also prized by more advanced sailors, who can enjoy three-mile-long speed runs along the shore.

Turks and Caicos Providenciales Kite Boarding

On the Island of Providenciales in the Turks & Caicos, the waters of Long Bay lures kiters with the promise of steady winds and the chance for long, fast runs. Photo: S.Neller/Flickr

Grand Cayman Snorkeling
Caribbean, Cayman Islands, Play, Trip Ideas

Grand Cayman’s Top Snorkel Resorts

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On the island of Grand Cayman, the clear Caribbean waters that wash the shores create a siren song few can resist. The island has attracted scuba divers for decades, but there are also plenty of snorkel-worthy reefs. And some of the best sites lie just offshore of premier beach resorts. Here are three of the best.

Tortuga Club

Morritt’s Tortuga Club is about as far as you can get from the resorts of Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach and the cruise ship crowds of downtown George Town. The property is located on a white sand beach on the island’s windward eastern coast, where snorkelers can enjoy calm waters, thanks to the extensive barrier reef that parallels the shore. In front of the club, sea grass beds and coral heads begin just a short way from shore, but reaching the liveliest reefs will require about a five minute swim across the lagoon to the lee side of the barrier reef. Less ambitious snorkelers need go no farther than the pier that holds the over-water bar, where colorful tropical fish gather around the pilings. In addition to snorkeling from the beach, guests can sign up for a boat tour with on-site Tortuga Divers, or head to nearby Ocean Frontiers for a snorkel safari that takes in three different sites along the island’s eastern end.

Grand Cayman Morritts Room

Suites at Morritt’s Tortuga Club feature separate living areas and fully equipped kitchens. Spacious floor plans make this east end property a favorite with families and groups. Photo: Tortuga Club

The Tortuga Cub is an expansive, self-contained resort that includes more than 200 one, two and three-bedroom suites, spread across a large section of beachfront. Amenities include three pools, a fitness center, a full-service spa, supervised children’s programs, and an on-site dive shop. David’s Deep Blue restaurant serves an upscale menu, while Mimi’s Dock Bar blends casual fare and signature libations with a 360-degree water view. The Club has been named one of the Caribbean’s top family destinations, as there is a wide range of daily activities such as beach barbecues, volleyball, karaoke and game nights. Adults will enjoy the swim-up bar at the infinity-edge Grand Pool, which has spectacular ocean views. It’s a half-hour drive from the club to the Seven Mile Beach area, but between the resort’s facilities and a group of nearby shops, there’s really no reason to leave this waterfront oasis of relaxation.

Morritts Tortuga Pool Cayman

Grand Cayman’s Tortuga Club is a large resort with three swimming pools. Shown here is the family pool. The nearby Grand Pool sits directly on the beach, with views enhanced by an infinity-edge design. Photo: Tortuga Club

Sunset House

Sunset House sits within mere yards of the Caribbean Sea, but it isn’t technically a beach resort. That’s because there are no sandy beaches on the southwestern coast of Grand Cayman Island. Instead the property perches on a low limestone outcropping that drops right into the ocean. This is actually good news for snorkelers and divers, who can submerge on a series of finger-like coves by simply making a giant stride entry from shore. The waters are calm and clear, and there’s an abundance of marine life, including passing turtles and rays. While divers head out to deeper water and Grand Cayman’s famous wall, snorkelers can spend hours in the shallows exploring the nooks and crannies of the reef. Those who venture a bit farther from shore may catch a glimpse of the site’s famous bronze mermaid statue, which rests in 50 feet of water, but is often visible from the surface.

Sunset House Cayman

An aerial view of Sunset House shows the maze of coral-lined sand channels that extend outward from the shore, and the cove where novice snorkelers can practice their skills. Photo: Sunset House

Sunset House bills itself as a hotel run by divers, for divers. It is a mid-sized, mid-priced and family-owned resort with 50 rooms organized into smaller two-story blocks. A number of rooms provide direct water views, and all are furnished in a comfortable but unpretentious style. In addition to an oceanfront swimming pool and hot tub, there is a sheltered swimming lagoon carved out of the limestone. Downtown George Town is a short walk away, but most guests gravitate to the on-site Sea Harvest Restaurant and the adjacent My Bar. The outdoor terrace at this landmark watering hole is a favorite happy hour gathering spot for island dive masters and locals, and there is no better place on the island to take in a sunset.

Cayman Sunset House Room

Rooms at Grand Cayman’s Sunset House have undergone recent renovations. Some provide direct ocean views, and all include a full range of modern amenities and comforts. Photo: Sunset House

Retreat at Rum Point

Island lore attributes the name Rum Point to the casks of the namesake spirit that washed ashore when a cargo shipwrecked on Grand Cayman’s barrier reef. Today, the site is intoxicating for different reasons. The point’s white sand beach is shaded by a grove of Casuarina pines, and surrounded by the island’s finest shallow coral reef. Snorkelers can make a 30-yard swim from shore across a meadow of sea grasses to coral heads that begin in depths as shallow as five feet. The seascape includes staghorn, elkhorn and brain coral, along with a variety of colorful soft corals, sea fans and sea whips. The reefs are patrolled by schools of rainbow parrotfish, blue tang and queen triggerfish. Because this site is less than a half-mile from Grand Cayman’s famed Stingray City, snorkelers may also catch the occasional glimpse of a passing flock of rays.

At the Retreat at Rum Point, a long pier provides easy access to a shallow lagoon that is home to some of the best snorkeling reefs on the island of Grand Cayman. Photo: Retreat at Rum Point

The place to stay for easy access to the reefs is the Retreat at Rum Point. This small resort is made up of 23 condominiums with one, two and three- bedroom floor plans, each offering a full range of home-like comforts, including full kitchens. The complex includes a pool and 1,200 feet of beachfront, and provides full-time on-site management to assist with services such as dinner reservations, childcare, transportation, catering or scheduling an in-residence massage. There are several excellent restaurants nearby, and the beach scene includes volleyball courts, hammocks, a water sports center operated by Redsail Sports and the iconic Wreck Bar, which is reputed to be the establishment responsible for the island’s signature drink, the Mudslide.

Retreat at Rum Point

The beach at Rum Point is a favorite gathering point for both visitors and island locals, who come for a game of volleyball or a cool libation at the Wreck Bar. Photo: Retreat at Rum Point

Shark Cuba
Bonaire, Caribbean, Cayman Islands, Cozumel, Cuba, Mexico, Play, Trip Ideas, Turks & Caicos

The Caribbean’s Best Coral Reefs

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The islands of the Caribbean are ringed by coral reefs. These colorful underwater gardens are special places. But some are more special than others. There are a number of qualities that put certain sites at the top of divers’ and snorkeler’s aquatic bucket lists, including the clarity of the water, the health of the corals and the variety of fish life. When these factors are tallied up, a handful of reefs always top the list. Here are five of the best.

Kline Bonaire, Bonaire

The entire island of Bonaire is surrounded by a marine park that protects some of the most vibrant coral reefs in the Caribbean. At points all along the island’s calm western shore, divers and snorkelers can wade in from shore to discover a wealth of underwater diversity. But to discover the very best of Bonaire’s underwater treasures requires a short boat ride to the small, uninhabited island of Kline Bonaire. There isn’t much to look at above the surface, as the land is a barren limestone plateau almost devoid of vegetation. Slip below the waves, however, and you will be immediately immersed in riotous growths of colorful soft corals and sponges. The exceptionally clear water allows ample sunlight to penetrate and brighten this underwater garden, which begins just below the surface and continues into the depths in a series of slopes and ledges.

Bonaire Reef

The shallow reefs of Kline Bonaire give snorkelers a prime window to the underwater world. These sites are noted for colorful coral formations and abundant fish life. Photo: David Stahl/Flickr

Bloody Bay Wall, Little Cayman

Imagine hovering weightless on the face of a sheer cliff that drops vertically into unseen depths. This is wall diving, and for many, it is the Holy Grail of scuba. The Cayman Islands have long been a mecca for wall diving, as they sit atop oceanic plateaus that plunge dramatically into the depths just a short distance from shore. The most famous of these aquatic precipices is found off the northern shore of Little Cayman island. While most underwater walls in the Caymans start at depths of 70 to 80 feet, Bloody Bay Wall rises to within 20 feet of the surface, and then falls away abruptly to a depth of more than a mile. Adding to the drama is the site’s extremely clear water, which creates the illusion that divers are floating in air. For added adventure, there are canyons and tunnels that cut into the wall, creating an underwater maze ripe for exploration.

Cayman Islands Reef

A diver hovers on the face of Bloody Bay Wall. This mile-long underwater formation is the prime attraction on quiet Little Cayman island, which is home to fewer than 200 people. Photo: Erwin Poliakoff/Flickr

Palancar, Cozumel

Marine life thrives on the nutrients brought by moving water. And the steady oceanic currents that wash the western shores of the Mexican island of Cozumel create a bountiful buffet for both fish and corals. Small wonder that Cozumel has remained one of the Caribbean’s top diving destinations for more than 40 years. In addition to nurturing a rich variety of marine life, the moving waters are ideal for drift diving—a technique in which divers are dropped at one end of the reef, then picked up by the boat down current after enjoying the underwater equivalent of a soaring Superman flight. A series of shallow coral formations closer to shore allow novices and snorkelers to get in on the action, but the big ticket are the outside reefs, which rise on the edge of an underwater abyss that plummets to unseen depths.

Cozumel Reef

At Cozumel’s Palancar Reef, a grove of gorgonians extends webs of finger– like appendages to capture nutrients carried by the currents that wash over this site. Photo: Tam Minton/Flickr

West Caicos, Turks and Caicos

One of the thrills of diving is never knowing what might swim up from out of the blue. And one of the best places for these chance encounters are the reefs of West Caicos island. Here, just a chip shot from shore, a coral- encrusted sea wall faces the open ocean. These reefs are especially colorful, home to huge, bright-orange elephant ear sponges and multi-hued vase and barrel sponges. Stands of pillar coral shelter colorful butterfly, angel and parrot fish, along with large groupers, toothy barracuda and swirling schools of jacks. As captivating as these reef scenes can be, divers often keep one eye on open water while exploring these reefs. At any given moment, a squadron of spotted eagle rays may glide by, a curious sea turtle may come in for a closer look or patrolling reef shark may be seen in the distance. For the truly lucky, there may even be a visit from a passing pod of dolphins, and each winter humpback whales have been known to swim by on their way to southern breeding grounds.

Turks and Caicos Reef

A coral head near West Caicos island becomes a gathering point for numerous species of tropical fish, while the crevices hide lobster and crabs. Photo: Benignorco/Flickr

Gardens of the Queen, Cuba

When Christopher Columbus sailed into this archipelago of 250 coral and mangrove islands on Cuba’s southern coast, he was overwhelmed by the beauty of the waters, and christened the area Jardines de la Reina—Gardens of the Queen—to honor his Spanish Queen Isabella. These waters later caught the attention of another historic figure. In the 1990s, Fidel Castro declared the entire area a marine sanctuary, and banned all forms of commercial fishing and industry. A diver himself, Castro was reputed to enjoy exploring the reefs in his younger years, and considered the waters to be his private fishing spot. The gardens have since been opened for limited dive tourism, and those who visit proclaim the reefs to be the most vibrant and pristine in the entire Caribbean. As an added bonus, divers can move from the corals into nearby grass beds and mangrove lagoons that hold a wealth of juvenile fish species. The truly adventurous can seek out the North American crocodiles that visit certain reefs, and are said to be non– aggressive when encountered in clear water.

Cuba Reefs

A school of colorful grunts patrol a garden of soft corals in Cuba’s Gardens of the Queen. This protected area supports thriving fish populations. Photo: Jon McClintock/Flickr

Bermuda St George New Years Eve Onion Drop
Bahamas-New Providence, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Caribbean, Cayman Islands, Plan, St. Martin/St. Maarten, Trip Ideas, U.S. Virgin Islands

Favorite Caribbean New Year’s Eve Parties

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Forget Times Square. The best place to celebrate, say goodbye to the old and ring in the new is in the Caribbean, where balmy trade winds and sandy beaches set the tone for a night of celebration like nowhere else. Each island has something going on, but some go bigger than others, and that’s where you want to be. Here are seven of our favorites.

Dropping the Onion in Bermuda

Bermuda is no longer a major exporter of onions, but the island still pays homage to its namesake vegetable on December 31. The celebration starts before dark as thousands gather at King’s Square in the city of St. George’s to enjoy street food and live music. The party builds towards midnight as everyone waits for a lighted papier-mâché replica of an onion to descend, then the fireworks light up the waters of the harbor.

The Ultimate Beach Party on Jost Van Dyke

In the British Virgin Islands, revelers converge on the small island of Jost Van Dyke to join local icon Foxy Calwood at his legendary Old Year’s Eve party. Staged on the shores of Great Bay at Foxy’s Tamarind Bar, the party draws boaters and celebrities alike for a night of dancing on the sand, lobster barbecues, Firewater Rum punches and, for the less inhibited, a plunge into the foam pit. Additional ferries are pressed into service from the islands of St. Thomas and Tortola to handle the arriving crowds.

Grand Cayman with No Resolutions

No need to keep the little ones up late to see the show at Grand Cayman’s Camana Bay complex. The center’s No Resolutions Party kicks off at 6 p.m. on The Crescent, with food, drink; music and early fireworks show at 7 p.m. Once the youngsters are tucked away the dancing and celebrations keep going past 1 a.m., with a second fireworks lighting up the harbor at midnight. Those who would rather get some sand between their toes wander over to Seven Mile Beach, where the Westin Grand Cayman hosts a beach party with bubbly, sand sculptures and island tunes.

Fire on the Water on St. Martin/Sint Maarten

If you love fireworks, the island of St. Martin is the place to be on December 31st. Several clubs along Orient Beach stage parties that spill onto the sand as revelers await a spectacular display of midnight pyrotechnics. Even more popular is the show that takes place above the waters of Great Bay in the Dutch capital of Philipsburg. As dusk falls, the Great Bay Beach Promenade takes on a festival atmosphere with music and food. The fireworks show that is unleashed to herald the New Year is said to be the largest in the Caribbean, and it is certainly the most spectacular.

Night of the Junkanoo in the Bahamas

Counting down and toasting in the New Year are just the beginning of the celebration on the Bahamian island of New Providence. At 2 a.m. on New Year’s Day, the capital of Nassau comes alive with the sounds of drums, bells and whistles as thousands of costumed revelers make their way down Bay Street. The Junkanoo parade continues through the night, ending in mid morning as everyone heads home to sleep it off.

Greeting the Dawn on St. Croix

In the U.S. Virgin Islands, residents of St. Croix turn the entire month of December and the first days of January into one big celebration. In the spirit of keeping the party going, many follow up a harbor side fireworks display in Christiansted on December 31 with a trip to the eastern end of the island, where Point Udall is recognized as the easternmost point of the United States. Here, a crowd of revelers greets the New Year with toasts and dancing that continues until first light.

Jump Up on Montserrat

On the Caribbean’s Emerald Isle, the end-of-the-year party starts on December 23 with the annual Festival, an island-wide celebration of the season that includes pageants, a Calypso King Competition, musical extravaganzas and costumed masqueraders parading in the streets. The Festival continues through New Year’s Eve and on to January 1st, which is known as Jump Up Day. This holiday commemorates island emancipation with parades, steel bands and street dancers.

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

Caribbean Christmas Traditions

 

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.

Grenada Christmas Music

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.

Barbados Bridgetown Holidays

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.

Aruba Dande

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.

Cayman Islands Christmas Santa

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.

Bermuda St. George Christmas

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.

Puerto Rico Arroz Con Dulce Holiday

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.

 

Trinidad Hyatt
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

 

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

St Croix Buccaneer Beachfront

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

St Lucia Windjammer Landing Villa

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

Nevis Montpelier Resort Champagne

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

Mango Bay Barbados

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

Grenada Spice Island Resort

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

Grand Cayman Ritz Carlton Christmas

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

Peter Island BVI

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

Sugar Beach St Lucia

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

Trinidad Hyatt Regency

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

Hermitage Nevis

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/

La Luna Grenada

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

DR Wyndham

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

Bonaire Buddy Dive
Bahamas, Bahamas-Out Islands, Bonaire, Caribbean, Cayman Islands, Central America, Curacao, Honduras, Stay, Trip Ideas

Best Caribbean Resorts to Learn to Dive

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Forget your hometown pool or lake. Where better to learn to scuba dive than in a Caribbean resort where the waters are warm and clear, and colorful coral reefs are just a fin kick away. We’ve picked five top resorts that combine first class instruction and comfortable amenities with immediate access to world-class reefs.

Sunset House, Grand Cayman

Grand Cayman Island is the Caribbean’s number one dive destination, and Sunset House remains a favorite with scuba divers. Just steps from oceanfront rooms are shallow reefs where calm, warm waters are ideal for learning the basics of scuba, then venturing out to discover sights such as wrecks and the island’s iconic underwater mermaid sculpture. Rooms are reasonably priced and well equipped, and the open-air bar and sea view restaurant are a favorite with the local dive crowd.

Grand Cayman Sunset House

Grand Cayman’s Sunset House Resort is a favorite with the scuba crowd. A short swim from shore leads to a maze of coral-covered ledges and a submerged mermaid sculpture. Photo: Cathy Church/Sunset House

Buddy Dive, Bonaire

In addition to being one of Bonaire’s premier waterfront resorts, Buddy Dive is home to the only PADI 5-star Career Development Center in the southern Caribbean. The same facility that turns out dive instructors and specialists is ideal for learning the basics, which can be practiced right off the resort docks, where Bonaire’s famously colorful reefs are just yards offshore.

Buddy Dive Resort Bonaire

The waterfront scuba center at Buddy Dive resort is the starting point for boat trips to area dive sites. Divers can also enter right from the dock to discover a pristine reef just offshore. Photo: Buddy Dive

Lions Dive, Curacao

Sitting right on the edge of the National Curacao Underwater Park, the lushly landscaped Lions Dive Beach Resort houses the island’s number one dive shop and scuba training facility: Ocean Encounters. With the help of attentive instructors, newbies can master the basics in the 50-meter pool, and on shallow reefs just offshore of the Sea Aquarium Beach, and then catch the daily dive boats for visits to nearby coral gardens.

Curacao Lions Dive Beach Resort

Daily boat trips from Lions Dive Resort carry divers to sites within the Curacao Underwater Marine Park, where submerged slopes are covered in colorful growths of corals and sponges. Photo: Lions Dive Resort

Bimini Big Game Club, Bahamas

Though best known as a fishing lodge, the Big Game Club is also a great place to learn to dive, thanks to an affiliation with Neal Watson’s Bimini Scuba Center. The calm shallows around the island are ideal for practicing basic skills, and a bonus for newly-minted “bubble blowers” is the chance to dive some of the region’s most famous underwater attractions, such as the mysterious Atlantis Road and the playful pods of dolphins that gather nearby.

Bimini Big Game Club Bahamas

The docks of the Bimini Big Game Club are just a short boat ride away from prime dive sites such as the Mysterious Bimini Road, which is said to be the remains of the lost city of Atlantis. Photo: Bimini Big Game Club

Utila Lodge, Bay Islands

The Bay Islands of Honduras are famous for their lush coral reefs and thriving fish populations. Perched in the heart of the island diving scene is Utila Bay Lodge. This charming family owned lodge offers both dorm-style lodging and private ocean view rooms, and it is also home to the Bay Islands College of Diving. Snorkeling and introductory dive sites are right off the dock, and as skills are mastered, new divers can discover Utila’s many famous underwater attractions.

Honduras Bay Islands Utila Lodge

With warm, calm waters right off the docks, and pristine coral reefs just a short swim or boat ride away, the Utila Bay Lodge is an ideal location to learn to scuba dive. Photo: Utila Bay Lodge

Grand Cayman Stingray City
Caribbean, Cayman Islands, Plan, Trip Ideas

Caribbean Snapshots: Stingray City, Grand Cayman

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The Caribbean’s favorite marine life encounter doesn’t depend on captive animals, and it wasn’t even a planned attraction, it just happened.

For many years, native fishermen returning to the shelter of Grand Cayman’s North Sound would stop near a shallow sandbar inside the reef to clean their catch. The scraps tossed overboard attracted southern stingrays, which learned that a boat motor was the equivalent of a dinner bell.

Eventually, charter boat operators learned of this gathering, and by the mid 1980s were bringing divers and snorkelers to the site that had earned the name Stingray City.

Today, this mixing of humans and rays has grown to become one of the Cayman Islands’ signature attractions. A number of tour operators ferry passengers from docks along the island’s western end to the site aboard a fleet of PWCs, speedboats, sailing catamarans and glass-bottomed barges.

There are actually two adjacent sites where the rays gather. The most popular is the sandbar, where the water is waist deep. A bit to the north, scuba divers and snorkelers focus on an area with water depths of 10 to 12 feet. Once the boats arrive, the rays soon appear, ready for their daily offering of fishy bits. Participants hand feed the rays, which glide about and take the offerings with nary a nip of a finger.