It’s that time of year when people cluster around brochures and start eagerly pointing at the Caribbean, cooing over pictures of white sand beaches and carefully constructed rum punches. And you can bet your bottom East Caribbean dollar they will be on about Jamaica or Antigua. But what about the less explored places among these tropical islands? nowfly swerves off the beaten track in search of what’s new and not so obvious for 2009.
Arikok National Park has a facelift - Aruba.
This park is home to a number of indigenous species of wildlife, flora and fauna typical of Aruba’s unique tropical desert climate. The 12.5 square mile park accounts for 18 per cent of the total land mass of the island. In July they unveiled the fruits of their three-year, €7.1-million infrastructure upgrade. The project has modernised the roads and paths and created a new visitors’ centre at the park entrance. And if history gets you feverish there are several historical sites located within the park’s boundaries. These include Aruba’s famous caves, Fontein and Quadarikiri, which feature ancient Cacquetío Indian paintings.
Check www.aruba.com for details.
Flights to Aruba www.nowfly.co.uk/cheap-flights-to-Aruba.aspx.
The island’s first campsite and eco-lodge - Montserrat.
Budget accommodation goes up a notch with the new Mount Pleasant Eco Lodge and Camp Site. Located in the green forest of Woodlands, walking and nature trails are all around. Alongside 12 camping pitches, Harmony Cottage is a self-contained unit similar to a Mongolian Yurt. A see-through panel in the circular roof means guests can stare at the stars and talk gibberish for hours. Solar panels generate the on-site electricity, produce from the fruit trees includes mangoes, paw-paws, oranges and limes and they provide most equipment, including tents.
Check www.GreenLivingMontserrat.com for details.
Travel to Montserrat via Antigua www.nowfly.co.uk/cheap-flights-to-Antigua.aspx.
Fight the sun-lounger - Dominica.
The Caribbean’s first long-distance hiking trail opens within the next two years, although some sections are already open. The Waitukubuli National Trail covers the length of the island from north to south, totalling a hearty 115 miles. It will take walkers around two weeks to complete and passes through rainforests, the Morne Trois Pitons National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and along old Carib and Kalinago paths first cut by indigenous people. Some trail sections also follow the coast, in case sea breezes and the smell of salt floats your boat.
Check www.discoverdominica.com for details.
For flights to Dominica www.nowfly.co.uk/cheap-flights-to-Punta-Cana.aspx.
Dive in - Grenada.
Grenada is working towards becoming the dive capital of the Eastern Caribbean by 2012. There are currently 30 world-class dive sites and Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique all have unspoilt reef formations and moray eels, angelfish, octopus and seahorses. If you feel lazy, do a drift dive over coral gardens to the world’s first underwater sculpture park. If you hanker after adventure dive Bianca C, the largest shipwreck in the Caribbean. And from October British Airways is flying twice weekly year-round, making things almost suspiciously convenient.
Check www.grenadagrenadines.com for details.
For flights to Grenada www.nowfly.co.uk/cheap-flights-to-Grenada.aspx.
A classic reopens - Barbados.
OK, so Barbados is pretty mainstream. But we thought the Atlantis Hotel on the rugged east coast was worth a mention. The new owners are restoring the 10-bedroom boutique property to its former glory and it will reopen for Christmas. They are also going to charge one year-round rate of US$ 300 a night per room B&B. The property, situated in the beautiful and much photographed Tent Bay and Bathsheba beach area, will have an oceanfront restaurant sling about ‘ABC’ (All Bajan Cusine). The new management also owns Little Good Harbour, famed in celebrity circles for its award-snaffling Fish Pot restaurants.
Check www.atlantishotelbarbados.com for details.
For flights to Barbados www.nowfly.co.uk/cheap-flights-to-Barbados.aspx.