Available Christmas & New Year's Villas!

The following villas are still available for the 2009-2010 Holiday Season - either Christmas Week or New Years Week or Both! Please inquire if interested!

{Jamaica}

Belle Abri ~ 7 Bedrooms ~ $22,500/week

Bougainvillea ~ 5 Bedrooms ~ $25,000/week

Calypso Shores  ~ 4 Bedrooms ~ $10,500/week
Endless Summer ~ 7 Bedrooms ~ $12,000/week
La Casita ~ 2 Bedrooms ~ $4900/week

Nutmeg ~ 5 Bedrooms ~ $10,714/week

Pimento Hill ~ 6 Bedrooms ~ $17,900/week

Spyglass ~ 8 Bedrooms ~ $13,500/week

Summertime ~ 6 Bedrooms ~ $9000/week

{St. John, USVI}

Coral Oasis ~ 3 Bedrooms ~ $8000/week

Inn Love ~ 5 Bedrooms ~ $7000/week

Unicorn ~ 3 Bedrooms ~ $6500/week

Saphhire Breeze ~ 3 Bedrooms ~ $6500/week

Waterfall ~ 3 Bedrooms ~ $8000/week

Top Photo is Bougainvillea in Jamaica & Bottom Photo is Unicorn in St. John

{Creepy} Dive a Plane Wreck in Curacao

You can do this and more on the fun and exciting island of Curacao!

TripCrave.com - Discounts on Caribbean Vacations!

I am so excited to tell you about a new website - TripCrave.com. TripCrave has GREAT discounts on Caribbean Vacations to all your favorite islands and hotels! I am a partner in this new site. My job to make sure the modern technology of online (24/7) booking access is partnered with the same old-school customer service values my travel agency has been known for. TripCrave was 3 years in the making and finally launched last week. Please keep this new little site in mind when planning your travel!

Air Jamaica Revises Baggage Policy

See larger print by clicking the flyer or here.

Coming Soon... Sandals Emerald Bay

Mark your calenders for January 2010! That's when the brand new Sandals Emerald Bay will welcome its first guests. I first told you about this hot new hotel in July, and the grand opening has finally been announced: January 22, 2010. See you there!

True Rum

All you ever wanted to know about Caribbean Rum, right here.

this travel blog speaks to my heart

Mix food & travel & a serious helping of the local scene and you have the perfect platform for my favorite blog. And this is just what Misty over @ Big Sweet Tooth offers her readers. So jump on over here, pour a glass, and enjoy seeing a few favorite places through her eyes.

Planning a Caribbean Wedding

Are you or anyone you know planning a Destination Wedding in the Caribbean? If so, please visit my other blog, dedication to Caribbean Weddings and join my brand new facebook page too!

**Photo courtesy of Vallentyne Photography - want more? Go here now!

Lighthouse Bay, Barbuda

Welcome to Lighthouse Bay Resort, Barbuda!

Lighthouse Bay is a new property with great introductory rates...

Pristine Beaches...
Delicious Cuisine...
Comfortable Accommodations...

Beautiful rooms...
What more could you ask for?

Have You Visited Fodor's Lately?

The Internet is overflowing with review sites... sites hosting forums for travellers to post their own personal account of their vacations. TripAdvisor, IgoUgo, and VirtualTourist, to name a few. While these sites serve a purpose as we all strive to become authors in our own right and need to feel validated when we have a negative or surprising experience, there is something wonderful about a well written, thoroughly researched travel review. Enter Fodors.com.

Many of the authors at Fodors are well-traveled and their point of references for noting details about a certain destination are many and varied. I have never understood why travellers would prefer to only read the reviews of "real" travellers and ignore the professional review. There simply is no comparison to a review of a Caribbean hotel by someone who has visited over 100 others. They know what to look for, what questions to ask of the staff, and what details you and I might just overlook in our research. So next time you are researching an island getaway, add Fodors to your list!

Jamaica & A Villa by the Sea....

A true villa vacation is one that comes with a staff included. A staff that considers this villa their own. They lovingly care for the property with tender touches...
You arrive to warm, smiling faces and huge bear hugs... followed by cool drinks and a light snack served poolside while you take in the view. Oh how this reception will wash away the weariness of travel and any effects from changing climates.

The butler quickly unpacks your suitcase and whips up another fruity concoction... at the bar... on the verandah... overlooking the sea. Just sit.

Dinner the first night is always a traditional Jamaican roast chicken dinner with all the typical tropical sides... rice & peas (they're really beans), fried sweet plantain, and a veggie. Dessert is indulgent... chocolate rum cake, pineapple upside down cake or maybe rum raisin ice cream. The wine will flow alongside the conversation and soon sleep will whisper in your ears and you will retire... right here:Your first breakfast could be banana pancakes. Fluffy savory batter surrounding freshly picked pieces of banana... hot from the griddle and dripping with butter. The fruit plate is equally enticing... long strips of papaya holding tiny wedges of lime for squeezing, cubes of rich mango waiting to melt in your mouth, fresh oranges - huge - easily the size of your palm.

Sip coffee - Blue Mountain - thick and woodsy and only perfect with a dash of cream and a heaping spoonful of sugar... then gaze. Let your eyes land on the housekeeper as she places hot fluffy towels on the chaises by the pool... all rolled up and waiting.

Look past and see the sea. No words. It just is - perfect - and alive - all its own.

Back at the table and more conversation with travel companions who slept as soundly as you in a room like this:

What to do first?

A swim. Then it is lunch by the sea... and more swimming.

The staff spends their day chasing dust bunnies out of the house, pressing your laundry, and stirring the pots with tonight's dinner. All while humming a little diddy.

From the pool, if your lucky, you can hear this humming.

Dinner the second night is full of laughter enjoyed while sharing Pumpkin Soup, Fettuccine with Ginger Grilled Lobster in Olive Oil and Fresh Tomatoes, and Rum Apple Crepes.

Then its off to bed again. Repeat this scenario 5-6 times and it was time to fly home. This trip could be all yours. Just let me know when you want to go!

Pictures of Bougainvillea Villa Copyrighted by Nigel Lord .

Meet JoJo - Turks & Caicos Resident Charmer

If you've been to Grace Bay on the isle of Providenciales in the Turks & Caicos you've likely met Jojo and if not, you have certainly heard of him.

JoJo is male, wild and free. He is intelligent and curious and can majestically imitate the movements of a great Manta Ray or perfectly mimic the songs of whales. He brings back treasures from the ocean such as turtles, lobsters, starfish and even sharks. He is keen on searching for glass objects that Dean (his human companion) hides for him. Or listening to the sound of Chinese chimes.
JoJo is a lone and sociable Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus) weighing 400 kg and is approximately 3 m in length.

Want to know more? Read about the Dean & Jojo Story. A true-life, one-of-a-kind story. The Dean & JoJo Story is about a unique and special friendship between a wild dolphin known as JoJo and his human companion, Dean Bernal.

Soggy Dollar Bar - Jost Van Dyke

If I could I would BE HERE NOW! I'd pack a bag consisting only of flip flops, bikini, a tunic or two, cut-off jean shorts circa 1989, sunscreen, big sunglasses & hat, and trashy celeb magazines. I'd plant myself on Jost van Dyke for the weekend. I'd sleep here & spend my days soaking up rays and sipping painkillers at the Soggy Dollar Bar.

.

Sometimes, I just want to get away to place where I don't have to "dress" for dinner or schedule appointments of any kind. Where tank tops and shorts are just fine. Jost van Dyke, and especially the Soggy Dollar, is that kind of place... where rank and title are left on the boat and only the unpretentious true lovers of the Caribbean make it ashore. Next time you visit the BVIs, join the Painkiller Club.

In case you missed it...

I gave you fair warning so really there is no excuse... but in case you missed Caribbean Travel & Life Magazine's debut on the Travel Channel with a new show "Affordable Caribbean", you're in luck! You can watch them right here! So far, they have featured Barbados, Antigua, and the Bahamas. I just learned that the British Islands, including Tortola & Virgin Gorda, will be on in early October...

Here is a sneak peak... Enjoy!

The Villas at the Half Moon Resort - Jamaica

A villa vacation at Half Moon Resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica is a "best of both worlds" getaway! This vacation combines a luxurious private 4 to 7 bedroom villa with a full staff and all the five star amenities Half Moon Resort & Spa are known for.
Start your day with a full Caribbean breakfast, laze away on the beach or golf green, make your way to Half Moon's private stables and take a sunset horseback ride... then return to your villa for dinner by candlelight with white glove service. Be pampered!


Each Royal Villa Includes:

A personal butler, housekeeper and cook
A private swimming pool
Spacious living room add to each villa's charm and appeal
Television, Cable TV, Radio, CD Player
Ocean/Garden View
Air condition in each bedroom
Safe, Bathrobes in each bedroom
Wireless internet (living area)
Internet access
Access to the general hotel's facilities
Telephone
Private pool
Two golf carts

Special: Book & Travel by December 14, 2009 and receive:

Resort Credit - $600 for a 4-bedroom villa or
Resort Credit - $750 for a 5-bedroom villa or
Resort Credit - $900 for a 6-bedroom villa or
Resort Credit - $1,050 for a 7-bedroom villa
Complimentary Daily breakfast & Round-trip airport transfers