Caribbean Tales: People, Places, Sun and Sea

Caribbean Vacations on Sale Due to Economic Slow Down

The economic problems that started in the U.S. and have now spread to the rest of the world are probably going to result in people canceling vacations or delaying them for a while until things settle.

This means that the probability of finding last-minute Internet travel deals for the Caribbean Islands will be high for this year’s tourist season.

If the economic downturn in the world does affect Caribbean Island tourism, you can bet your bottom sand dollar that Caribbean Island hotels, charters, condos, restaurants and everyone else will be lowering their rates.

For the average tourist that has a few bucks or the college student looking for some adventure in the Virgin Islands, Jamaica, or Trinidad this may be the time to book that vacation of a lifetime.

Keep your eye on the Internet and the Caribbean for hot deals resulting from hotel and charter cancellations.

Can a Rum Tax Save Tourism in the Caribbean Islands

Reaction to the $700 billion bailout for the U.S. economy is generating some interesting blog posts these days. The inclusion in the bill to continue the rum tax rebate to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands is getting a lot of coverage. The rum tax rebate is supposed to be used for maintenance of the infrastructure on Puerto Rico and the USVI.

Caribbean Rum Saves Canadian Economy

Caribbean Islands rum is important to other economies too. Just last week the economy of Toronto, Canada was saved from ruination by Caribbean Rum. The Caribbean Week Festival featured an evening of Rum and Rhythm at the Harbourcastle Westin. Caribbean chefs from the Bahamas, St. Lucia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and many other Caribbean Islands served up their culinary Caribbean masterpieces that relied on rum.

Have Your Cake and Eat It Too!

Tortuga Original Caribbean Rum Cake, 4 Ounce Cake’s price decreased 71% from $16.96 to $4.99! World Famous Tortuga Golden Original Rum Cakes are baked fresh daily in the Cayman Islands with only the finest natural ingredients, including imported walnuts. The only preservative used is our specially blended 5-year-old; oak barrel aged Tortuga Gold Rum. Each cake is individually hand glazed then vacuum packed, ensuring a shelf life of 6 months, or indefinitely if refrigerated or frozen.

More Links for the Caribbean Islands

Virgin Islands Fractionals

Botany Bay Resort, U.S. Virgin Islands

Botany Bay located on the U.S. Virgin Island’s secluded West End of St. Thomas is a protected 397-acre preserve with beguiling views where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic. Overlooking two half moon beaches, with waves gently lapping at the shore, where a steel drum floats on the breeze – there may be no better place to watch the sun slowly slip below the horizon than The Preserve at Botany Bay.
The Preserve at Botany Bay will have a magnificent resort-style infinity-edge pool overlooking Botany Beach to Salt Cay and the Atlantic beyond. A casual bar & grill will serve poolside favorites with indoor and al fresco seating.
The Preserve at Botany Bay in the Virgin Islands is surrounded on three sides by clear blue waters, the property gently slopes down to three secluded beach coves.At Botany Bay, time slows and the world is at bay.  Your days will be spent snorkeling the coral reefs, watching the migration of sea turtles and whales, sailing the trade winds, hiking the scenic natural trails and enjoying the magnificent sunsets which paint the sky a new picture each night.
At the tip of the property, protected by the Nature Conservancy, are islands that jut off into the horizon. The perfect place for a sunset kayak. A reef filled with fish waiting to be discovered. Petroglyphs carved into the rock walls. Trees filled with colorful birds and flowers reaching up towards the sun.

More Info on Caribbean Islands

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Raffles at Lambert Bay - Tortola, British Virgin Islands

Raffles Tortola adorns 50 acres of pristine beachfront on Tortola’s beautiful north end and will consist of 250 Raffles Residences of luxury villas, casitas, condominiums and estate lots and a 90 meter pier.

The British Virgin Islands comprise some 60 islands and cays, of which Tortola is the largest and most populated, beckoning travelers with its gentle trade winds, clear blue waters and sheltered anchorages. The island’s lush, mountainous interior is framed by ribbons of secluded white-sand beaches–such as Apple Bay, Lambert Beach and Smuggler’s Cove–that afford numerous opportunities for swimming, snorkeling and a range of other water activities. Tortola is also home to a variety of unique attractions, including centuries-old ruins like Fort George, and various national parks, such as Sage Mountain National Park.

The sheer quality of Tortola?s beaches could leave you speechless, and the choice is enormous. Starting with Cane Garden Bay, to Smugglers Cove, from Little Bay to Lambert Beach there are lots to visit and enjoy. White sand and palm fringed with little bars to keep your liquid content up between swimming in the warm clear, clean turquoise sea.

Most people associate Tortola as the epicenter of the BVI’s famous sailing community.

Located only 10 minutes from the island’s airport, Raffles Tortola is as effortless to reach as it is to enjoy. Other Virgin Islands, including Jost Van Dyke, Virgin Gorda, St. John and St. Thomas are only a brief boat ride away. “Raffles Tortola will truly be an awe-inspiring sanctuary,

More Info on the British Virgin Islands, Tortola, Raffles and Surrounding Islands

The British Virgin Islands has long been able to offer world class accommodations, however, Raffles will bring to Tortola a degree of luxury which is truly first rate and world class. The business and tourism communities have long asked for a resort of this stature on Tortola and Raffles will meet that demand. The fact that this resort is 100% owned by British Virgin Islanders is a perfect example of how we as a people are able to develop a large-scale project with the same quality and success enjoyed by major investors throughout the world. This is an accomplishment of which we are all extremely proud. - D. Orlando Smith, Chief Minister and Minister of Tourism of the British Virgin Islands

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The Caribbean is comprised of more than 7000 islands, cays, islets, and reefs.

The countries of the Caribbean include Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Martinique, St. Barts, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, and the United States Virgin Islands.

The Caribbean offers many amazingly spacious low cost luxury villas where a family can stay for a week, for far less than the cost of a weekend in a medium range hotel. Antigua, Aruba, Barbados, Curacao, Guadeloupe, St. Barts, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Tobago and Trinidad have a safe, welcoming family friendly culture that really suits this sort of accommodation.

Caribbean Islands Vacation Clothes

What to pack for a Caribbean Islands Vacation:

• Swim Suit
• Flip Flops
• Hat
• Sunglasses
• Wrinkle-free shirts, slacks and shorts
• A decent pair of shoes

Pack light - bring your credit card for T-shirts - make it an adventure!

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Vacation in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas is the home port of the yacht charter industry in the Virgin Islands. In fact, 80% of all Virgin Islands yacht charters originate from St. Thomas. Charter yachts often include snorkeling and diving.

St. Thomas is the number one cruise ship destination in the world. This busy port has duty free shopping, hotels with breath taking views, a colorful nightlife, and a stunning history that includes notorious pirates such as Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard The Pirate.

St. Thomas, USVI is only three miles from St. John and less than ten miles from the British Virgin Islands. Travel from St. Thomas to the other fifty islands that make up this group is easy and fun on the ferry.

Magen’s Bay on the north coast of St. Thomas has been voted one of the top ten most beautiful beaches in the world. Redhook, a small town on the east coast of St. Thomas is the gateway to St. John.

St John, USVI

St. John, USVI is mostly a National Park donated to the US Government in 1956 by the Rockefeller family. Some of the most beautiful beaches in all the Caribbean are located here, Hawksnest Bay, Trunk Bay, and Cinnamon Bay. Excellent snorkeling can be found at Hawksnest and Trunk Bay. The best way to visit St. John is by ferry.

Some extraordinary water sports activities are available on St. John. Be sure to take a snorkeling trip to The Indians and The Caves. Both locations are excellent for swimming and snorkeling. The Indians are pillars of coral filled with under water life in five to thirty feet of water. The Caves are shallow water caverns in five feet of water that are truly unique. Both locations offer safe and exciting snorkeling for children and adults.

Camping is an excellent alternative in the Virgin Islands because of ideal weather conditions year round. Camping is available on St. John at Maho Bay Campground or at the Virgin Islands National Park. Both campgrounds are located in pristine areas where snorkeling is available.

St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

Located forty miles from St. Thomas, St. Croix is a remote island unto itself. St. Croix is the largest of the three US Virgin Islands. The Dutch influence is still most obvious on St. Croix, complete with old -style buildings, the St. Croix Museum, and even a windmill or two can be seen traveling along St. Croix’s pristine country side. The major hotels are in Christiansted, a wonderful town filled with fine restaurants and some very unique duty free shopping.

Check Out the U.S. Virgin Islands for a Fantastic Vacation

Caribbean Vacations Require Caribbean Rum

Vacations in the Caribbean Islands help to keep the local rum flowing. A Caribbean vacation requires at least one tropical rum libation - if not several.

Rum plays a part in the culture of most islands of the Caribbean West Indies, and has famous associations with the British Royal Navy and piracy.

Rum is made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses and sugarcane juice by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak and other barrels. The Caribbean is the epicenter of world Rum production. Virtually every major island group produces its own distinct Rum style.

If you’re going to the British or U.S. Virgin Islands, Pusser’s rum is a must try. Pusser’s continues to be distilled in the same wooden stills as it has for more than for more than 200 years! These are the original stills that produced the Royal Navy’s “Pusser’s Rum”. They are the bedrock of Navy Rum, the vital part of the distillation process that makes a true Navy Rum like Pusser’s so distinctive in its taste and so different from other dark and golden rums that are distilled in ordinary metal stills

Caribbean Islands to Visit

Things to look for: “Virgin Island rum” means from St. Croix. “Cuban style” tells you nothing. “Estate bottled” or “Estate rums” are usually just marketing terms employed by large corporations but carrying little meaning. “Plantation” has similar connotations, as does traditional, except in the French islands where “traditionnel” means made from molasses.

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Grenadian Economy Suffering from Male Sex

The “Painkiller,” a favorite Caribbean drink, is finished off with a dusting of Grenadian nutmeg. The nutmeg industry in Grenada suffered a disastrous blow in 2004 from hurricane Ivan. Efforts at reestablishing the crop have run into troubles from too much male sex.

Agriculture Minister Denis Lett (Grenada) said this week that 80 per cent of the (Grenada nutmeg) plants farmers expected to produce a big harvest are not bearing fruit. This is because Grenadian farmers unknowingly planted too many male trees and you can’t tell the sex of a nutmeg plant until it is capable of bearing fruit.

Trinidad Leatherback Sea Turtles

In Trinidad, efforts to save the leatherback sea turtles from extinction continue.

The leatherback is the champion of sea turtles: It grows the largest, dives the deepest, and travels the farthest of all sea turtles. They were listed as endangered in the United States in 1970. Populations have declined in Mexico, Costa Rica, Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Trinidad, Tobago, and Papua New Guniea. Leatherbacks are seriously declining at all major nesting beaches throughout the Pacific. The decline is dramatic along the Pacific coasts of Mexico and Costa Rica and coastal Malaysia. Nesting along the Pacific coast of Mexico declined at an annual rate of 22% over the last 12 years, and the Malaysian population represents 1% of the levels recorded in the 1950s. In contrast, there has been a recent increase in leatherback nesting on the central and south eastern coast of Florida.

Leatherback sea turtles have been known to die from ingesting plastic bags which they mistake for jellyfish. Trinidad & Tobago have wonderful nature preserves for eco-tourists.

Calypso Music from Trinidad

The Roots of Rap Music??? - Calypsos From Trinidad: Politics, Intrigue and Violence in the 1930’s Trinidad is recognized as the birthplace of Calypso music. Could this album be evidence that calypso music was the original rap music?

BVI vs. USVI

What’s the difference between the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands?

Love in the USVI vs.
Limp Currency in the BVI

A vacation in the Virgin Islands (British & U.S.) usually includes some bar hopping. A lot of tourists spend their time checking out the local bars and nightclubs in the Virgin Islands.

United States Virgin Islands Vacation Bar of Choice

Duffy’s Love Shack is a popular bar on St. Thomas in the USVI. Home of the famous Love Shack Volcano, a 50 ounce mind-boggling experience for adventure seekers, Duffy’s Love Shack has been in operation since 1995.

What if Jimmy Buffet gave a party & everybody came? It would look like Duffy’s Love Shack. Its almost guaranteed to blow your inhibitions away . . . it’s Parrot Head paradise.  - The Washington Post

Readers nominated Duffy’s Love Shack as their favorite watering hole in the Caribbean . Based on the reports of our readers, the Love Shack seems to have a combination of Halloween and Mardi Gras almost every night. An Israeli dentist wrote that he was “dancing on top of a tank” . Another reader . . . “dressed up like pirates and drank from coconuts for days.” - -Caribbean Travel & Life

British Virgin Islands Vacation Bar of Choice

The Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Ilands gets its name from the fact that they don’t have a dock and guests swim ashore from their boats and buy drinks with their ’soggy dollars.’

All At Sea Magazine voted the Soggy Dollar Bar - The Best Waterfront Beach Bar in the Caribbean in May of 2006. In 2000 and 2001, readers of Caribbean Travel & Life “The Best Beach bar in the Caribbean and in 2002 Islands Magazine’s readers chose the bar “The Number One Watering Hole in the World”.

The Soggy Dollar claims to be the originator of the “Painkiller” - a concoction of premium dark Rum, Cream of Coconut, Pineapple and Orange Juice (proportions are secret), topped with fresh grated Grenadian Nutmeg.

See the competition??? - Love vs. Limp Currency