On my trips down to Trinidad & Tobago I always flew with American Airlines, mainly because I had enough mileage to get down there for little to no cost, which means I never had the opportunity to fly with BWIA. Sad, I suppose. In early 2007 BWIA will close after 66 years of service, but will become known as Caribbean Airlines. All tickets already purchased for travel on BWIA will be honored under the new airlines and customers can also count on having their BWEE club memberships transferred as well. For details and a full press release refer to the BWIA site or you can go see what Caribbean Airlines has in store for the coming year.
Miami Herald On the Caribbean
Trying to decide on the Caribbean island that’s best for you? I know, the decision can be a toughie, but shouldn’t be too much of a strain. The Miami Herald features an excellent piece highlighting noteworthy hotels, environmental aspects, restaurants and the basic ‘why’ you should come questions all there to help you plan. Ready to go nude? Try visiting St. Maarten’s Orient Beach to score your full body tan. Need a good reason to head over to St. Lucia? If beautiful beaches aren’t enough, grab a sunset cocktail at Ladera and just lounge to the sweet sounds of island music. Whether it’s live or from the stereo I’m sure there will be some coming from somewhere. Oh, and there’s my personal island favorite – Trinidad & Tobago. If you can’t make it for Carnival next year try planning a week long getaway to hike and bird watch. There’s always a blissful thing to do in Trinidad & Tobago – if you ask me. See the Miami Herald for all their spicy Caribbean island recommendations.
Puerto Rico Island Hopping
From the East Coast of the US, Puerto Rico is an easy, short and cheap flight away. If you want to see the real beauty of Puerto Rico, get away from the mainland. The two islands off the east coast of PR–Culebra and Vieques–are both well worth the trip. There are no big hotels and no cruise ships, just chickens on the street and men playing cards.
If you rent a car to get around, you don’t have to drop off your rental car at an office. Just leave it parked on the street somewhere and they’ll find it (no kidding). But best just to walk or bike the islands, though, to enjoy the pace of life. And don’t forget to go swimming at night under their pitch-black skies, to experience the bioluminescent plankton in the water.
Getting there is half the fun, especially if you decide to take the island hopper plane run by Air Flamenco. It only costs about $50 and takes about 30 minutes. Sure, it is a little bumpy and the fact that the pilots look about 18 does not make one feel particularly safe (and don’t mind the red, flashing “STALL” warning light on the dashboard as you’re coming in for a landing), but seeing all the miniature “Robinson Crusoe” islands in the blue Caribbean sea from a bird’s perspective is a much better (and faster) option that taking the ferry. Try it at least one way.
Philly Caribbean Festival
Score! It looks like I’ll be fortunate enough to head over to the Philly Caribbean Festival this weekend. The event takes place on Sunday, August 20, 2006 at the Great Plaza in Penn’s Landing from 12 PM – 8 PM. Like most festivals of this nature it will be a celebration of Carib culture through island cuisine, music and vendors selling authentic island crafts. Also on the scene will be the Expedia Team distributing info on their special giveaway in Philadelphia. Now, I would imagine it would be something really incredible like an all-inclusive vacation to the Virgin Islands or something. Well, okay wait, it looks like it will be info on their $50,000 Dream Vacation getaway, which is just as fabulous if not better than what I had imagined.
If you’re in the Philly area with nothing on your agenda as of yet, come check out the fest, grab some jerk chicken, Red Stripe and lime a little bit. Make sure you save me some!
(picture from locolosconplatanos.com)