Other Caribbean Destinations
Aruba isn't the only island of its kind; in fact, it is not at all unique among Caribbean destinations (even Aruba's claim to be out of the hurricane paths is untrue). This is the first part of several- you see, there's no need to deprive yourself of a Caribbean vacation by boycotting Aruba; Aruba's loss will be someone else's gain!
Note: all excerpts are from www.caribbean.com unless noted otherwise.
Jamaica
Kingston
For the best of Kingston, check out the ultra-modern commercial centre called New Kingston, and/or the mansions and villas that cling to Kingston mountainsides. For a look at the rich lifestyle of the late 1800s, visit Devon House with its louvred balconies, antique furnishings, and palm-patterned silk wall hangings. Then there is Jamaica House, built in the 1960s to house the Prime Minister, and Kings House, official residence of the island nation's Governor-General. The city's zoo and botanical gardens are also highly recommended tourist destinations. Bob Marley fans will want to visit the Bob Marley Museum. The Mona campus of the University of the West Indies is another place worth visiting, as are the many art galleries. Kingston is ground zero for the nation's lively art scene. Jamaica produces some of the finest paintings and pottery in the Caribbean. National Heroes Park pays tribute to Jamaican political leaders Norman Manley and Alexander Bustamente. Also remembered is Simon Bolivar, liberator of Spanish South America. Bolivar spent time in Jamaica as an exile planning the liberation of his people in Venezuela, Colombia and elsewhere.
Montego Bay
Montego Bay, better known as MoBay, is encased in mountaintop jungles and edged in miles and miles of tropical beaches. Jamaica's "Second City" is where most Jamaica visitors arrive by air, landing at ultra-modern Sir Donald Sangster International Airport. Older sections of MoBay look pretty much like they did two centuries ago. Sightseeing musts include 18th century plantations, restored Great Houses revealing the splendour of planter digs and, sadly, the squalour of slave lifestyles. But then, all great civilizations have been built on the backs of slaves, from Egypt to Greece, Rome, and the pre-Civil War American Confederacy.
Today's distillery near MoBay produces Jamaica's famed Appleton rum. The sugar cane ingredient for choice rum is grown in Jamaica's rich soils. The lush rainforests of Jamaica and its green valleys evoke the Emerald Isle of Ireland. Bucolic meadows, chockablock with grazing livestock, resemble England outside its teeming cities.
Ocho Rios
Call it Ochee. Most everybody else does.
Jamaica's No 2 tourist magnet is about 70 miles from Montego Bay and around the same distance from Kingston. Ocho Rios sounds like ochos rios, Spanish for eight rivers. A more likely name derivation is the corrupting of Las Chorreras, meaning waterfalls. Dunn's River Falls, after all, is Ochee's main claim to tourism fame. A collection of waterfalls tumbles helter-skelter about 600 feet from top to bottom. This is the place to really "get down," act a little juvenile and silly, if you will. Join a line of crazy tourists slippin' and slidin' as they cavort on the edge of a cascade of water.
Note: Jamaica is included here because of its reasonable rates and overall poularity. However, Jamaica has a high street crime rate outside of tourist areas. An American woman is currently missing from Jamaica under very similar circumstances as Natalee Holloway’s; American collegiate soccer player Jamie Lue was shot to death in Jamaica as well. Travelers to Jamaica are advised to be very careful and stay within tourist areas at all times.
See also http://www.visitjamaica.com/home/Default.aspx
Dominica
What makes Dominica so different? To mention just a few of the island's unique offerings, there is Dominica's historic heritage as the last home of surviving traces of the once proud and warlike Carib race
he island is so rugged and mountainous that it was the last to be developed by Europeans. Today, it remains the least developed of the larger Caribbean isles. The island's interior evokes the romantic beauty of Kauai, Hawaii's Garden Isle. Like Kauai, it is almost always raining somewhere in the ubiquitous rain forests. Chances are, you will see quite a number of rainbows at just about any given moment while exploring the jungle-clad interior. Also, as in Hawaii, whale watching is an option.
Caribs called the island Waitukubuli or "tall is her body." And tall the island is! The island's peaks rise higher than any in the mother country: England. The interior is chockablock with trails, rustic but comfortable mountain lodges, a national park and some magnificent public gardens. Little wonder, then, that the island is called Nature Island of the Caribbean.
Dominica beaches tend to be dark volcanic grey or jet black, except for the golden sands in the far northeast. Beachcombers prefer the area around Portsmouth where beachfront bars and water sports are available.
Roseau, the island's capital, is located on the protected east coast. The only sizeable town on the island is framed by magnificent mountains and looks out over a wide expanse of colourful Caribbean water. Despite extensive hurricane destruction, Roseau has been rebuilt without losing its Caribbean flair for quaint architecture and a charming atmosphere. Friendly townspeople are apt to greet you in a French patois, the French having been first to settle on the island. Like so many Caribbean Windward Islands, Dominica has switched back and forth from French to British jurisdiction. It ended up being a British colony, but French patois can still be heard and most of the people are Catholic.
Note: Dominica is not to be confused with the Dominican Republic, a much poorer and more dangerous nation adjacent to Haiti.
See also http://www.ndcdominica.dm/index.php
Barbados
After about 300 years of British heritage, Barbados has become 'veddy British,' and Bajans, as Barbadians call themselves, are not about to stop now. Cricket is huge in the sports category of Bajan lifestyles. There is a statue of British Royal Navy Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson in Trafalgar Square, Bridgetown, the Bajan capital. There is also a dress code; formal attire isn't just for weddings and funerals. Businessmen dress up, even to the point of sometimes wearing a jacket as well as a tie. And, here, bathing suits are strictly for the beach.
What to do on Barbados? For starters, there is kitesurfing, windsurfing, spelunking (exploring caves), golf and tours ranging from safari to rum, submarine, helicopter and catamaran adventures. Highly recommended are the so-called Seven Wonders: Harrison's Cave, for its gallery of stalactites; the huge Baobab or Monkey Bread tree; two of the Western Hemisphere's three Jacobean mansions; the intact and restored Morgan Lewis Sugar Mill; the 17th century Jewish synagogue; the world's rarest collection of 17th century English iron cannons; and the place where a Bajan citrus cross-fertilization produced the world's first grapefruit. In addition, there are many romantic plantation houses, a zoo, and the world-class Pelican Crafts Centre. At Orchid World, there are thousands of orchids in and around the cane fields of St George Parish.
See also http://www.barbados.org/
Cayman Islands
Our Marine Parks and spectacular dive and snorkel sites are full of sea creatures that make science fiction seem tame. Ashore, you can see rare flora and endemic wildlife found nowhere else. Year-round we have a feast of cultural and sporting events for every interest, and special "island lifestyle pleasures" and values only residents know about. But finding out about these hidden attractions takes someone on the inside to guide you. The Tattling Turtle cruises around Cayman constantly, spying on all three islands, on and off the beaten track, and brings back this report.
Out here, nature will take your breath away - and relax you in ways you never imagined.
Our Sister Islands of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman have preserved that elusive tranquility and natural island charm many search all over the world for. Located 89 miles northeast from Grand Cayman, they are a short flight but an enchanting world away; an ecotourism paradise for divers and nature-lovers. The Sister Islands legendary underwater walls and breathtaking marine life have thrilled many of the world's most famous underwater photographers for decades.
Today, professional dive operators on both Sister Islands offer services ranging from instruction to underwater photography centers. Above water, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman are as colourful and exciting as the surrounding Caribbean Sea. Discovering the terrestrial treasures of each enthralls curious travelers, nature lovers and photographers. Small, casual beachfront resorts, condominiums, cottages and guest houses offer modern comforts and amenities that make sampling the Crusoe-like attractions a pleasure.
Information courtesy of the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism
http://www.caymanislands.ky/
Note: all excerpts are from www.caribbean.com unless noted otherwise.
Jamaica
Kingston
For the best of Kingston, check out the ultra-modern commercial centre called New Kingston, and/or the mansions and villas that cling to Kingston mountainsides. For a look at the rich lifestyle of the late 1800s, visit Devon House with its louvred balconies, antique furnishings, and palm-patterned silk wall hangings. Then there is Jamaica House, built in the 1960s to house the Prime Minister, and Kings House, official residence of the island nation's Governor-General. The city's zoo and botanical gardens are also highly recommended tourist destinations. Bob Marley fans will want to visit the Bob Marley Museum. The Mona campus of the University of the West Indies is another place worth visiting, as are the many art galleries. Kingston is ground zero for the nation's lively art scene. Jamaica produces some of the finest paintings and pottery in the Caribbean. National Heroes Park pays tribute to Jamaican political leaders Norman Manley and Alexander Bustamente. Also remembered is Simon Bolivar, liberator of Spanish South America. Bolivar spent time in Jamaica as an exile planning the liberation of his people in Venezuela, Colombia and elsewhere.
Montego Bay
Montego Bay, better known as MoBay, is encased in mountaintop jungles and edged in miles and miles of tropical beaches. Jamaica's "Second City" is where most Jamaica visitors arrive by air, landing at ultra-modern Sir Donald Sangster International Airport. Older sections of MoBay look pretty much like they did two centuries ago. Sightseeing musts include 18th century plantations, restored Great Houses revealing the splendour of planter digs and, sadly, the squalour of slave lifestyles. But then, all great civilizations have been built on the backs of slaves, from Egypt to Greece, Rome, and the pre-Civil War American Confederacy.
Today's distillery near MoBay produces Jamaica's famed Appleton rum. The sugar cane ingredient for choice rum is grown in Jamaica's rich soils. The lush rainforests of Jamaica and its green valleys evoke the Emerald Isle of Ireland. Bucolic meadows, chockablock with grazing livestock, resemble England outside its teeming cities.
Ocho Rios
Call it Ochee. Most everybody else does.
Jamaica's No 2 tourist magnet is about 70 miles from Montego Bay and around the same distance from Kingston. Ocho Rios sounds like ochos rios, Spanish for eight rivers. A more likely name derivation is the corrupting of Las Chorreras, meaning waterfalls. Dunn's River Falls, after all, is Ochee's main claim to tourism fame. A collection of waterfalls tumbles helter-skelter about 600 feet from top to bottom. This is the place to really "get down," act a little juvenile and silly, if you will. Join a line of crazy tourists slippin' and slidin' as they cavort on the edge of a cascade of water.
Note: Jamaica is included here because of its reasonable rates and overall poularity. However, Jamaica has a high street crime rate outside of tourist areas. An American woman is currently missing from Jamaica under very similar circumstances as Natalee Holloway’s; American collegiate soccer player Jamie Lue was shot to death in Jamaica as well. Travelers to Jamaica are advised to be very careful and stay within tourist areas at all times.
See also http://www.visitjamaica.com/home/Default.aspx
Dominica
What makes Dominica so different? To mention just a few of the island's unique offerings, there is Dominica's historic heritage as the last home of surviving traces of the once proud and warlike Carib race
he island is so rugged and mountainous that it was the last to be developed by Europeans. Today, it remains the least developed of the larger Caribbean isles. The island's interior evokes the romantic beauty of Kauai, Hawaii's Garden Isle. Like Kauai, it is almost always raining somewhere in the ubiquitous rain forests. Chances are, you will see quite a number of rainbows at just about any given moment while exploring the jungle-clad interior. Also, as in Hawaii, whale watching is an option.
Caribs called the island Waitukubuli or "tall is her body." And tall the island is! The island's peaks rise higher than any in the mother country: England. The interior is chockablock with trails, rustic but comfortable mountain lodges, a national park and some magnificent public gardens. Little wonder, then, that the island is called Nature Island of the Caribbean.
Dominica beaches tend to be dark volcanic grey or jet black, except for the golden sands in the far northeast. Beachcombers prefer the area around Portsmouth where beachfront bars and water sports are available.
Roseau, the island's capital, is located on the protected east coast. The only sizeable town on the island is framed by magnificent mountains and looks out over a wide expanse of colourful Caribbean water. Despite extensive hurricane destruction, Roseau has been rebuilt without losing its Caribbean flair for quaint architecture and a charming atmosphere. Friendly townspeople are apt to greet you in a French patois, the French having been first to settle on the island. Like so many Caribbean Windward Islands, Dominica has switched back and forth from French to British jurisdiction. It ended up being a British colony, but French patois can still be heard and most of the people are Catholic.
Note: Dominica is not to be confused with the Dominican Republic, a much poorer and more dangerous nation adjacent to Haiti.
See also http://www.ndcdominica.dm/index.php
Barbados
After about 300 years of British heritage, Barbados has become 'veddy British,' and Bajans, as Barbadians call themselves, are not about to stop now. Cricket is huge in the sports category of Bajan lifestyles. There is a statue of British Royal Navy Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson in Trafalgar Square, Bridgetown, the Bajan capital. There is also a dress code; formal attire isn't just for weddings and funerals. Businessmen dress up, even to the point of sometimes wearing a jacket as well as a tie. And, here, bathing suits are strictly for the beach.
What to do on Barbados? For starters, there is kitesurfing, windsurfing, spelunking (exploring caves), golf and tours ranging from safari to rum, submarine, helicopter and catamaran adventures. Highly recommended are the so-called Seven Wonders: Harrison's Cave, for its gallery of stalactites; the huge Baobab or Monkey Bread tree; two of the Western Hemisphere's three Jacobean mansions; the intact and restored Morgan Lewis Sugar Mill; the 17th century Jewish synagogue; the world's rarest collection of 17th century English iron cannons; and the place where a Bajan citrus cross-fertilization produced the world's first grapefruit. In addition, there are many romantic plantation houses, a zoo, and the world-class Pelican Crafts Centre. At Orchid World, there are thousands of orchids in and around the cane fields of St George Parish.
See also http://www.barbados.org/
Cayman Islands
Our Marine Parks and spectacular dive and snorkel sites are full of sea creatures that make science fiction seem tame. Ashore, you can see rare flora and endemic wildlife found nowhere else. Year-round we have a feast of cultural and sporting events for every interest, and special "island lifestyle pleasures" and values only residents know about. But finding out about these hidden attractions takes someone on the inside to guide you. The Tattling Turtle cruises around Cayman constantly, spying on all three islands, on and off the beaten track, and brings back this report.
Out here, nature will take your breath away - and relax you in ways you never imagined.
Our Sister Islands of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman have preserved that elusive tranquility and natural island charm many search all over the world for. Located 89 miles northeast from Grand Cayman, they are a short flight but an enchanting world away; an ecotourism paradise for divers and nature-lovers. The Sister Islands legendary underwater walls and breathtaking marine life have thrilled many of the world's most famous underwater photographers for decades.
Today, professional dive operators on both Sister Islands offer services ranging from instruction to underwater photography centers. Above water, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman are as colourful and exciting as the surrounding Caribbean Sea. Discovering the terrestrial treasures of each enthralls curious travelers, nature lovers and photographers. Small, casual beachfront resorts, condominiums, cottages and guest houses offer modern comforts and amenities that make sampling the Crusoe-like attractions a pleasure.
Information courtesy of the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism
http://www.caymanislands.ky/
posted by Dan in Tx | 8:41 PM
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