Caribbean Archives - Page 3 of 19 - Jim Murty’s TravelTravelTravel

Asia, Caribbean, Countries, Deals, Europe

Are the world’s best hotels the world’s best for you?

19th September 202419th September 2024 funtime65

Congrats Capella Bangkok, voted best place to stay, which triggers a question are the world’s best hotels the world’s best for you?

Now, I’m usually content with a three-rolls bed, a power shower and a hearty breakfast.

But I can be won over by bells and whistles too and a killer view.

Ah, Capella

All of which Thailand’s jewel, the Capella, has in spades in its 101 suites and villas.

Described as an award-winning new-age sanctuary perched along the meandering bends of the Chao Phraya River.

With a two-night reservation at the Best Available Rate in any room category to receive a complimentary third night.

So what other special features separates the Capella Bangkok from the rest?

The Capella helpfully offers daily breakfast for two guests, a bottle of house Champagne and daily sunrise yoga by the river.

Daily complimentary non-alcoholic mini-bar.

And here’s the real kicker… complimentary pressing of up to five pieces of clothing per stay!

All for TBH 75,300, or 1,712 of your Earth pounds.

Sandals in the swim

Now no vista can be replicated but those special features can and we’ve enjoyed them around the world at other hotels.

And dare we say… better.

So, let’s start with sunrise in Sandals Barbados.

Where you can be greeted with your very own Bim bird who will perch on your hot tub as you soak.

With glass of Champagne in hand from your complimentary daily bottle.

Other drinks are available obviously from your complimentary alcohol maxi-bar.

Now should you struggle to get through that bottle by yourself you can always share with your pals down in the pool.

Or have cocktails in the island pool bar before swimming up to your room.

And if you’ve forgotten anything your personal butler will have seen to it for you.

Your inner Robinson Crusoe

Thumbs-up: Porridge and Janelle at Castara Retreats in Tobago

Now should you think someone of your standing shouldn’t be asked to share your pool then Kuramathi in the Maldives obliges.

With your own secluded pool outside your bedroom with views of the Indian Ocean obviously.

While if you’re looking for something even more exotic and authentic why not go for what we’ll call the Robinson Crusoe upgrade.

Sleep in your very own hammock on the balcony at ‘Porridge’ and Janelle’s Castara Retreats in Tobago.

And for a morning stretch allow your yoga specialist to lead you through some gentle moves.

Porridge in the morning: With Janelle and ‘Porridge’

All of which goes to show that luxury can be just around the corner which is, in fact, the Tobagonian pledge,

Your hotel, your stay

And if it looks like they don’t have a hotel near you on the World’s 50 Best Hotels here.

There could well be an alternative, just as good, or better, on your doorstep or a quick flight away.

Which is why we would never dream of staying anywhere else than George and Amal’s favourite stop-off, the Dylan in Amsterdam.

Yes, we can have passed down a list but are the world’s best hotels the world’s best for you?

And so as we see that the Gleneagles in Perthshire, Scotland makes the list.

We prefer to recommend Andy Murray’s more intimate and welcoming pad, the time capsule Cromlix House, near by, in Stirlingshire.

Game, set and match to us.

Caribbean, Countries, Deals

Bring on the multi-gen holiday in Saint Lucia

16th September 202416th September 2024 funtime65

Globetrotting doesn’t come cost-free with Daddy’s Little Girl prising promises out of me to take her with her next time… bring on the multi-gen holiday in Saint Lucia.

It’s no exaggeration to say the Caribbean changed me.

I went out to Barbados tone deaf, with two left feet and drinking the ‘wrong’ rum but came back Bim Jim, a Soca Warrior.

And a superhero, aka Bandanaman.

And it was as a rebranded West Indian, and credit here to my old Scots/Bajan pal Jevan, that I turned DLG into an honorary Nutty Girl.

All of which focuses our mind on the Multi-Gen market which gives you fun for all the family.

Caribbean family fun

We’ve been here before with Tropical Sky when they invited us out to Club Barbados, a couples hotel.

Only for me left to go it alone as Chez Murty and a pressing shed paint took precedence.

Of course, this being the Caribbean, the locals took me under my wing proving three isn’t always a crowd.

And following on from that then four is more… and when it comes to a 2+2 getaway then Tropical Sky is all over it.

It’s a rap: With Saint Lucian, Jerry The Big Rapper

If Barbados is the Caribbean island that always draws me back and Tobago, like Robinson Crusoe, where I’d stay washed up for ever.

Then Saint Lucia where we had a runway stopover is the isle that has got away.

And my interest has only been pricked since partying with Saint Lucia’s favourite son The Big Rapper in the Red Sea, Petra and the Jordan desert.

Saint Lucia for Harmony and a Splash

Caribbean green: And blues at the Coconut Beach

So it’ll be somewhere fresh and fun for all the family and maybe that would silence Daddy’s Little Girl.

The Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa is situated along the exotic Savannes Bay on St. Lucia’s undiscovered south coast.

This 250-room resort is divided into two wings.

Harmony, an intimate adults-only section ideal for relaxation with the serene St Lucian weather.

And Splash,’ a family-friendly area featuring CocoLand, Saint Lucia’s largest water park, and the Kidz Klub.

The resort’s layout allows older relatives to enjoy peaceful moments away from the children thanks to the Harmony area.

Additionally, the resort offers spacious family rooms, including popular two-bedroom interconnecting options.

Which accommodate up to two adults and four children, making it a versatile choice for families.

Kids, Creole and a Coconut

A seven-night stay at Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa, arriving 12 August 2025 on the island of Creole will fulfil all your needs.

And comes in at from £6,156 total for two adults and two children (aged between two and 11).

In a Deluxe Garden View Splash Room on an all-inclusive basis, with flights and transfers.
And if you book by the end of Tuesday, January 30, you can avail of exceptional savings with Tropical Sky’s flash sale.

So bring on the multi-gen holiday in Saint Lucia.

Caribbean, Countries, Music

Antigua for the Caribbean Soca Showdown

5th August 20245th August 2024 funtime65

The West Indies are on a roll so ready, steady, go, it’s a hop, skip and a jump to Antigua for The Caribbean Soca Showdown.

Our favourite set of islands in the sun are beloved for their laid-back lifestyle.

But they do, of course, punch above their weight too on the sporting field as they continue to show at the Paris Olympics.

Jamaican flyers Usain Bolt, Don Quarry, Merlene Ottey, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce have led the way over the years.

As have cricketing royalty Sir Garfield Sobers (Barbados) and Sir Viv Richards (Antigua).

And my Foreday Morning mate Brian Lara and his footie pal Dwight Yorke from Trinidad & Tobago among many, many more.

Add to that new Olympic heroes from Paris 2024 in pride of St Lucia in 200m women’s champ Julien Alfred, their first-ever medal winner.

And the island looks like it will never stop partying since the weekend win.

While triple jumper Thea LaFond worked the same magic for Dominica.

Soca not soccer

Of course all eyes are on the Olympics right now but for many of us attention will switch back, and has already started with the resumption of Scottish league football, on soccer.

Soccer has its place in the Caribbean, but in truth, if you ask about it, you’re more likely to be taken to a big field for a Mas (party) and a festival of Soca, or So Calypyso music.

Where there is no tribal rivalry, only peace, love, rhythm and rum.

There will be good-natured island competition across 12 islands on Saturday it is true.

But that just adds to the carnival when the Kari Soca Caribbean Soca Monarch Showdown.

Take to the stage

Empress will proudly represent Antigua and Barbuda, while D Phillip Blackest will showcase talent from the US Virgin Islands.

Christy D will sing for Barbados, and Rae will fly the Trinidad and Tobago flag.

Dominica will have two representatives, Mr Gwada and Benji.

Montserrat have sent Lyrikal, Riggy is flying in from Grenada, and Eazi from Nevis.

Imran Nerdy is St Lucia’s pride and joy, TR Shine represents Belize, and Ras Kelly is St Kitts’ contestant.

None of the names there that I’ve come across and Biggie Irie, King Bubba and his pals will no doubt be jumping at Crop Over in Barbados just now.

So that means new names and friends to jump alongside.

So for a celebration of life and music get out to Antigua for the Caribbean Soca Showdown.

Africa, America, Asia, Canada, Caribbean, Countries, Europe, Oceania, UK

Your train is early after 200 years

7th July 20247th July 2024 funtime65

What’s this… your train is early after 200 years?

Yes, the Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham has only stolen a march on the birth of the railways.

By announcing that 2024 should be the year to mark the bicentenary of the first train journey.

On account of the creation of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway Company.

Do the Locomotion

Only that it was not until the next year, 1825, that the first passenger train took off.

When George Stephenson’s steam-powered Locomotion No. 1 travelled 26 miles between Shildon, Darlington and Stockton.

Which is what Railway 200 have begun planning.

It is no exaggeration to say that trains transformed Britain.

And that makes it all the more galling to see the state the service is in today.

So it is understandable that Mayor Burnham should want to claim the genesis of railways.

And push for a 35-minute super train journey between Manchester and Liverpool.

On the right track

Steamin’ ahead: Channel your Casey Jones

For the full story of how Britain’s trains used to work then the train has moved on from Darlington south to York.

And so should you to the National Railway Museum, a wonderland for all Casey Joneses and their train-spotting daughters.

If trains could connect this island and expanded our work and early travel horizons.

Just think what they could on a larger scale in the US, in South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania.

America we know was built on the backs of Irish navvies.

And north, south, east and west there are towns and states celebrating how railroads were at the heart of their story.

Station to station

We all have our own romantic visions from cowboy movies of train tracks snaking through the Wild West.

All of which I saw for myself at the Colorado Railroad Museum with a nod to a far more patriarchal time.

Trains tell us so much about a society and we all have pictures in our mind of Indians hanging off trains.

Japanese crammed into theirs and eastern Europeans and mid-Asians making palaces.

Those, and the great train journeys of the world are in safe hands with, erm, oul’ Casey Jones’s recommendation, Great Rail Journeys.

Now whether you make rail journeys your centrepiece and tick off an Orient Express…

The Lake Titicaca in Peru, the Rocky Mountaineer in Canada, the Darjeeling Train in India, the Indian Pacific in Australia.

Or just get your tickets stamped on the way.

Whether it is up the highest rail route in Europe, the Jungfraujoch, a Bajan steam train, up the Norwegian fjords, or Amtrak it around New England.

Stephenson’s train on time

Enjoy and remember it all started in Old England with Robert Stephenson.

When 550 passengers were transported , making this the world’s first steam-powered passenger railway.

Put your back into it: A bit of fun in Barbados

From Shildon, Darlington to Stockton.

Although the opportunistic Mayor Burnham would like to assure you that your train is early after 200 years.

Caribbean, Countries, Flying

Chop, chop, get out to Saint Lucia

18th May 202418th May 2024 funtime65

You’ve flown over one of the jewels of the Caribbean and have had to stop for a deep clean when all you want to hear is… chop, chop, let’s explore Saint Lucia.

Of course, the best way to first see Saint Lucia and its stand-out Piton Mountains is in a bird’s view.

And how much closer can you get than by chopper as we found out over Barcelona and the Grand Canyon.

So if you had your head turned down the first time you saw a copter, say in Magnum PI, or now I’m A Celebrity, read on.

Because luxury boutique resort & spa, Cap Maison in Saint Lucia has raised the bar with its ‘Fly & Save’ offer.

Giving guests the chance to kickstart their summer getaway with a VIP arrival in a helicopter.

From Hewanorra International Airport to George F.L Charles Airport in the north

Where a private car will take them on the remainder of their journey to clifftop billet Cap Maison in the exclusive Cap Estate.

Mud, glorious mud

You’ll get to enjoy the Sulphur Mud Baths, horse-riding along a beach, a coco ‘Bean to Bar’ experience and a Rainforest Zip Line Adventure.

Some of which we’ve enjoyed elsewhere in Barbados and Tobago and would obviously like to repeat.

While Saint Lucia boasts the only Drive-in volcano in the Caribbean (grilled burger please!!).

Nothing to worry about here… do like the islanders and just go with the flow.

Cap Maison offers newly refurbished hacienda-inspired fully fitted and furnished rooms.

Two to three-bedroom suites are available, as are smaller one-bedroom suites with roll away beds in various living spaces.

All suites feature a private pool.

Water thrill

The well-situated beach is set within a shallow cove and features its own water sports centre.

If you only like to dip your foot into the choppy waves of water sports.

Then Hobie Cat sailboats, like Bubba’s on Barbados maybe, are probably more you than kayaks, snorkelling and windsurfing but I’ll let you make up your own mind on that.

And the two on-site award-winning restaurants The Cliff at Cap and The Naked Fisherman and the beach restaurant The Naked Fisherman.

And who knows it might do what it says on the tin, if it was tinned, but, of course, it’s straight out of the sea.

Maison about on Saint Lucia

Cap Maison’s Fly & Save package is the stay in a Oceanview Suite with Pool or Oceanview Suite with Pool & Roof Terrace.

Where you can enjoy not only Cap Maison’s Linger Longer offer but also a VIP Cap Maison arrival via copter.

Taking in the Pitons vista.

*Minimum stay 5 nights, If the helicopter is unable to fly a luxury car transfer or a water ferry will be offered in its place.

Helicopter valid for up to two passengers, any additional passengers can be added at a cost – Helicopter is a shared transfer with other travellers.

The Linger Longer deal is on all Junior Suites and One Bedroom Villas Suites.

Travel between January 3rd to December 19th for the best rates with Daily Breakfast or All-Inclusive Meal Plan included.

Available on stays from four nights. For stays of eight nights or longer, guests will receive a greater discount on their stay.

So, what are you doing? Get busy.

And chop, chop, get out to Saint Lucia.

With British Airways flying from London Gatwick return for a sample five days from £809.

Caribbean, Countries, Sport

Scots bowled ’em over in Barbados

30th April 202430th April 2024 funtime65

As the countdown begins for a cricket clash of the Auld Enemies a cry of freedom from when us Scots bowled ’em over in Barbados.

My old Aberdeen buddy Jevan is a proud Trini-Scot.

So he doubly delights in any victories over the Engerlush.

West-Indian born with a birthright to love cricket he is something of a fixture in around the Oval.

With his dapper dandy schtick while he is also wont to take on a fancy dress mask.

On the occasion he took me along to the Oval it was India who were in opposition on the first day of a Test match.

Howzat for a day out?

When if memory serves me well only three wickets fell all day.

The rum though tumbled all day from the moment we got into our box.

And the host looked quizzically at me when I said I would start slowly with a coffee.

And they turned to Jevan and asked ‘who’s this joker, get him a Mount Gay’.

Watching cricket with West Indians is an education,

Winning a maiden over

Everybody on Barbados has an opinion and an expertise.

And the charming, beautiful woman in our company opined.

On the selectors, the tactics and Bajan, American and British politics without missing a beat.

All the time remaining sharp of mind and style.

While my senses dulled through good rum and my body swelled from the fishes of the Caribbean and the staple Mac’n’cheese.

Holding out for a hero

By the time they called stumps I had had a lesson in life and cricket which to West Indians is much the same.

My charming West Indies cricket fan colleague had relayed to me the joy of a particular roasting an England legend had endured on this ground.

When Michael Holding had Geoffrey Boycott jumping around in his crease before getting done all ends up.

For yesterday’s Boycott, read today’s Joe Root, and a fast-bowling Scot.

And a fast-living, sharp-dressing Trini-Scot cheering on his mother’sland.

Remember too that this is an island with Scotland at its heart, the region named after the Scots who went out there.

And maybe thinking on when me and him, two proud Scots bowled ’em over in Barbados.

Twenty Twenty vision

The World T20 Cup runs through June in the West Indies and the US.

With my own Scotland playing England at the Kensington Oval, Barbados on June 20.

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic both fly nine hours to Bridgetown.

And, of course, you can go high-end at Sandals or Turtle Beach.

Or even take your significant other to a couples hotel at Club Barbados.

America, Caribbean, Countries, Europe, Music

Ich bin vinyl Berliner

20th April 202420th April 2024 funtime65

And to mark Record Store Day ich bin vinyl Berliner.

And I warn you you’ll be seeing a lot more of these lame Teuton rib-ticklers in the next few days’ odyssey of east Germany.

There will be much to fit in during my whistlestop transit through Berlin en route to Chemnitz, next year’s European Capital of Culture.

Wax lyrical

But one stop-off we’ve been recommended is the Hard Wax Berlin record store at 44A Paul-Lincke-Ufer.

No David Hasselhoff here… Hard Wax Berlin is known as a dance destination.

Situated in an old factory building behind the canal in Kreuzberg it keeps the theme going with a metal counter.

Where DJ Hell, Modeselektor and Marcel Dettmann have all polished their acts over the years.

Of course music and musicians played a key role over the Fall of the Berlin Wall despite The Hoff’s interruption.

And we’ll also delve into the part heavy metal played and the Leipzig protests 35 years ago… stay tuned.

Jammin’ in Jamaica

But getting back to those beats.

And today’s celebration of record stores allows us to take a spin around other cool vinyl shops across the world.

Now if you’ve been watching One Love, the Bob Marley biopic, and if not why not?

Then you’ll be familiar with the Jamaican record store scene.

And particularly Orange Street, Kingston, where everyone from Sir Coxswane Dodd to Bob flicked through the records.

Known to locals as Beat Street, Prince Buster was even born here.

Rockers International and Randy’s keep the tradition alive.

The vinyl Trade

Now we all know the rich crossover between reggae and punk.

And indy label royalty Rough Trade started life in Notting Hill, London as a reggae record store.

If timing is what music is all about, and it is, then Geoff Travis had it in spades when he bought his shop in 1978.

And he was open to the fusion of reggae and punk… today Rough Trade spans the whole range of indy music.

Bigger in LA

Of course when it comes to size the US of Eh tries to do everything bigger and better.

And few could argue with the credentials of Amoeba Records in Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.

Where I’ll take time to frequent when I’m in La La Land next month.

The hangar-sized emporium occupies an entire city block and is across two huge floors.

We’ve been pointed to the Jazz room, the Out of Print section, the Punk aisle by the excellent guide The Vinyl Factory.

But whatever your thang is you’ll find it there.

LA though is for next month… Germany is my appetiser this week.

Where I’ll be happy to say Ich bin vinyl Berliner.

Caribbean, Countries, Deals

Andi Oliver’s food glorious food in Antigua

6th April 20246th April 2024 funtime65

Now it takes one to know one so I’m flagging up my fellow Caribbeanophile Andi Oliver’s food glorious food in Antigua.

You’ll have seen the awesome Andi on British television screens.

Not least on her odyssey of the West Indies, the Caribbean with Andi and Miquita, her daughter and fellow Celebrity Googlebox partner.

Their first stop in the BBC show is Antigua where they meet their eldest relative who retraces colonial days.

Before heading for Barbados ahead of Bim becoming a republic, and getting their DNA results.

Handi Andi

Reckon mine too would show Barbados roots, having found my name on the Building Wall of Barbados.

Next to Robyn Rihanna Fenty.

Antigua was where it began for Andi though through her mum’s family.

And she is heading back there for the Pepperpot Rum Shop pop-up experience in Fort James next month.

The collaboration between Andi Oliver, the Treehouse Beach Club and the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority launches on May 8.

Andi’s offerings coincide with the Antigua and Barbuda Restaurant Week (May 5-19).

Now you may have sampled Andi’s wares at her London restaurant Wadadli Kitchen, and foodie memoir, Pepperpot Diaries.

Curry favour

Visitors to the pop-up will be treated to some of Andi’s most celebrated dishes, like chocolate curried goat, alongside innovative new recipes.

A sensitive issue here having taken my goat Bandanaman to racing victory in Tobago.

Now having gambolled with goats and I draw the line at cooking them I am available to help Andi out.

Having learned ocra at the hand of Ruby at Club Barbados.

And curry with Auntie Ali and Uncle Kenneth at the Blue Crab in Tobago.

See, I told you I had Caribbean roots.

Pineapple Beach Club

If you want to enjoy the flavours of Andi Oliver’s food, glorious food in Antigua then..

A week at the Pineapple Beach Club by Elite Island Resorts for May 5 to 12 from London Gatwick with British Airways is from £2,061.50 pp.

Caribbean, Countries

Easter eggstravaganza in the Chocabbean

14th March 202414th March 2024 funtime65

And they personalise us out in the Windies which is why I know there will be an Easter eggstravaganza in the Chocabbean.

As you’ll know if you find yourself out there from the Murty written on the Building Wall of Barbados next to Robyn Rihanna Fenty.

While the good people of Tobago even have a chocolate in the name of my daughter Laura.

Now it’s often been said of me that if I was chocolate I’d eat myself.

Life is schweeeet

And that’s an option in the Caribbean where life is schweeeet.

Boutique resort Cap Maison in Saint Lucia has created an indulgent chocolate-themed Easter break.

The holiday includes an excursion to the local Howlerton Estate in Castries.

And learn about the bean to bar chocolate- making process.

And, of course, sample the chocolate.

Hello old bean: Chocolate making in Tobago

This being the Caribbean, of course, drink is to the fore too.

With a chocolate-themed cocktail-making masterclass at Cap Maison.

Under the expert guidance of Cap Maison’s professional rummier.

Choc wellbeing

While chocolate can be found too in its spa experience.

With several of the treatments at the Spa Maison incorporating chocolate into the mix, including Chocolate Delight.

Where guests will breathe in the scented aromas of chocolate as they experience the stimulating effects of a chocolate body scrub.

Followed by a rich chocolate body wrap, completed with a warm chocolate oil relaxing massage.

The spacious private villas (2 – 4 bedrooms) will also appeal to families along with the secluded beach.

And proximity of Rodney Bay and its family friendly attractions.

Of course, Saint Lucia also has an abundance of family-friendly activities.

From a visit to the sulphur mud baths, horse-riding along a beach or a rainforesr, zip line adventure.

Count us in

Rates in a one-bedroom Garden View Room on a half board basis in the summer season (3 April – 19 December) start from £538 per room, per night.

Up to two children under 12 stay FREE and eat FREE when dining with parents.

*All activities and excursions can be booked separately at an additional charge through the hotel’s concierge desk.

So go on treat yourself to an Easter eggstravaganza in the Chocabbean and CapMaison in Saint Lucia.

America, Caribbean, Countries, Europe, UK

I’m a copy Kate too around the world

12th March 202412th March 2024 funtime65

Everyone has their own altered reality of who they are so I admit it, I’m a copy Kate too around the world.

And aren’t we all, airbrushing here and pretending we’re somebody we’re not?

And so for this Irish-Scot, schooled in Classical Greece and Rome, with a tranche of Irish-American rellies I’ve channelled all their icons.

Now, far from wanting to come in and do a fixer’s job for the Windsors.

But I’ve always found that the best way of redressing a pile on is to send yourself up.

Altered images

And so if Kate Middleton put out a Picasso-type photo of herself and her sprogs then she could show that she can laugh at herself.

Now four score months and seven days ago (or thereabouts) I brought forth my Presidency.

See, there I am, writing an order in the White House in DC.

And, I was entitled to do so, having been given the authority by no less a figure than George Washington himself.

The new President of America: In Washington DC

Now, I’ve been photographed with many an American icon over the years.

Martin Luther King, Elvis Presley, Annie Oakley and more recently Donald Trump, although he probably met them all too.

Of course, I fought too in the American Civil War.

In fact much like the Universal Soldier of Donovan’s song or the Rolling Stones Sympathy for the Devil I was there for the major events in history.

My place in history and culture

With the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Archduchess Sophia in Sarajevo at the time of their assassination which triggered the First World War.

And spooky this, she too like Kate was of ‘common stock’

Then modern rock royalty in Cliff Richard in Portugal and R&B (that’ll be Rihanna and Bandanaman) in her native Barbados.

While I’ve skied with Olympic champions in Gelsenkirchen, won the Open Golf Championship in Portrush in the north of Ireland, run with the Pamplona bulls.

And danced with Judy Murray and sung with Natasha Bedingfield… you can make up your mind on those last two name drops.

Fake it till you make it

Now, there’s the old saying about fake it till you make it.

Now admitting it is the first step which is why I acknowledge I’m a copy Kate around the world.

Kate though has it the other way round down Kensington Palace way as she prefers to make it till she fakes it.