Caribbean Archives - Page 7 of 19 - Jim Murty’s TravelTravelTravel

The CaribBorisean

21st October 20221st November 2022 funtime65

It’s the question on everyone’s lips which West Indian island is The CaribBorisean on?

With the king over the water planning a return to take power, editors will have dispatched journos to the Windies to get BoJo.

We know, of course, that the former PM is a big fan of the Caribbean.

And he has been known to visit St Vincent and the Grenadines and Mustique in particular.

A Scot’s Mustique

Mustique we know, of course, as being Princess Margaret’s favourite getaway.

And she had a Scot, entrepreneur Colin Tennant to thank, the businessman buying the island in 1958.

And turning it into a playground for the rich and famous.

Which is where Boris Johnson comes in.

And with $100,000 in his pocket from his speaking engagement in Colorado Springs in the US.

It’s where you might expect him to be now.

Mia Casa, tua Casa

Only the smart money as to his whereabouts seems to be is the ‘in’ Caribbean resort Casa de Campo

The Dominican Republic resort has been the go-to destination of Presidents and politicians for years.

And if you found yourself sitting cradling a rum punch across from Bill and Hill and BoJo and Carrie you wouldn’t be surprised.

You’d maybe want the Premier Club then.

Dom from home

Our Dom friends from the Caribbean Road Show tell us:

It is a place for guests to gather in their own exclusive bar and lounge area.

And enjoy best beverages and a unique selection of complimentary canapes and appetisers from their executive chef.

We expect, of course, that BoJo, whose childhood ambition was to be world king, would want to stay in the Presidential suite.

A three-bedroom suite with a private office area and full kitchen.

There’s a separate staff entrance, full dining room table for up to eight and a spacious family room for his spacious family.

Located on the second floor, guests also have the option to have two additional rooms and enjoy the entire floor in privacy.

And the rooms are on sale now for arrivals from 21 December through to December 2024.

Stay where you are

As fans of the Caribbean ourselves and having trod on the same Nylon Beach as Princess Margaret partied in Tobago.

We can see why he would want to take off for the Windies.

And wonder why he would want to swap T-shirts and Bermuda shorts for Aran sweaters and tweed troosers on this cold, drizzly isle.

Whether Britain goes for a new old PM in Boris Johnson or A.N. Other then one thing is for sure.

The CaribBorisean won’t be a stranger to the Casa de Campo in the Dom Rep in the future.

While Rishi Sunak and his wife Ashkanta Murty (she’s disclaimed me somewhere along the line) won’t be welcome.

Despite their hundreds of millions.

Ashkanta is a non-Dom you see.

America, Caribbean, Countries, Europe, Ireland, UK

Flower of England

10th October 202210th October 2022 funtime65

The anticipation was at fever pitch ahead of The One Show announcement… no, not Eurovision but on Britain’s blooming with my Flower of England.

And in this one we have skin in the game with My Green-Fingered One and her North Berwick in Bloom team in the Britain in Bloom contest.

It is NB’s good fortune that they have someone on their team who brings the English country garden with her.

My love grows where my Sadie goes

My English Rose has got her hands dirty wherever I’ve taken her, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Co. Wicklow.

Where I treated her to a busman’s holiday at one of her favourite places, Powerscourt Hotel.

Tulips from Amsterdam

Flowers everywhere: At the Dylan in Amsterdam

And when we’re away too with tulips from Amsterdam from the Tulip Museum planted for the autumn and ready to spring next year.

We all have our own indulgences on our travels and you’ll know well I like to go where the locals ‘play and pray’.

Italia’s green and pleasant land

While My Green-Fingered One loves to dig out a gardens which meant the Villa Borghese in Rome and Villa d’Este, Tivoli.

Now I’ve oft been somewhere and thought my wee petal might enjoy the charms of a maze.

Such as the one Napoleon used to play in the Villa Pisani near Padova

Flower of Ireland: My mum in our old garden in Greystones, Co. Wicklow

The Parco Fauna Orobica in Bergamo, the lungs for the northern Italian city at the time of Covid.

And Padova is of course itself famed for its grounds, the world’s oldest academical botanical gardens, dating back to 1545.

Where the thing to do is to live it up with a sit down tux meal with full orchestra.

Bloomin’ Barbados

Or more recently in the St Nicholas Abbey grounds in Barbados.

Where another of her passions can be indulged… there’s a steam train line there too.

And on the sea

Of course it’s not just on land that you’ll see great gardens… there’s the Eden project on Celebrity Edge too off Florida.

And Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas in Barcelona.

Although it’s sometimes best not to show her everything.

For fear that she’ll not let me away on my own again.

Now the judges only agreed with me, and North Berwick won Best Coastal award.

But I could have told them all about my Flower of England.

She’s Britain’s blooming marvel.

Caribbean, Countries, Cruising, Europe

Where Princess rules the waves

16th September 202216th September 2022 funtime65

It’s the only place on God’s earth where we’re happy to pay royal homage… where Princess rules the waves.

We’ve come to stand in awe port-side over the years at the majesty of the ships that transport us to the four corners of the globe.

And so we are instantly drawn to the new ship on their rank, the Sun Princess.

Their biggest ever, it houses 4,300 passengers.

It’s telling too that the name ‘Sun Princess’ is returning to operation because as we all know the sun is our guiding star.

The Sun King

Just as Louis XIV was to the French of the 17th and early 18th century who called him Le Roi Soleil ‘The Sun King’.

And whisper it in the 13-hour queues in London to catch a glimpse of the unopened coffin of the queen but…

French Louis is still the longest-serving monarch in history at 72 years and 110 days.

Sun Princess will have all the majesty we’ve come to expect for the livery.

Currently under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard it’s scheduled to debut in February 2024.

And if you’ve been paying attention, again the 175,500-tonne vessel is the largest Princess ship ever constructed.

A slice of Piazza

It embraces Italian heritage by featuring the brand-iconic Piazza and new feature ‘The Dome’.

It’s a cutting-edge entertainment space inspired by the terraces of Santorini.

Sun Princess will also feature the exclusive Princess Medallion badge, worn by the best.

It, of course, extends Princess’s leadership position in delivering exceptional personalised experiences.

Sun Princess will sail an inaugural spring/summer season of Mediterranean cruises from February 2024.

And then Western and Eastern Caribbean voyages out of Port Everglades, Florida in autumn 2024.

So let’s take you inside the palatial ship.

Where the Piazza is the centre-point, spanning three storeys with oceanside views.

An LED screen is also showcased in the centre of the Piazza that can be moved and configured to deliver live entertainment programming.

Oh, did we say there are 29 (count them) bar and dining experiences?

Dome from home

The other stand-out structure onboard Sun Princess is The Dome which is inspired by the terraces of Santorini.

The first glass-enclosed Dome on a cruise ship, here’s a multi-level covered deck.

It features an indoor/outdoor pool, and a unique water feature in a comfortable and relaxed space.

At night, the pool becomes a stage, and The Dome transforms into an entertainment venue with a South Beach vibe.

Shweet suites

And more on the numbers… it has 2,157 total staterooms, including 50 suites and 100 connecting rooms.

The 21-deck Sun Princess features more outdoor balcony space and all balcony accommodations feature an in-room sofa.

Also launching exclusively on Sun Princess will be a new level of suite accommodations, the exclusive Signature Collection.

Club Class accommodations and all other ships, will now be called Reserve Collection, the best-located mini suite staterooms.

Within the Reserve Collection will be Reserve Collection Cabana rooms, resort-style staterooms that offer a balcony.

And private cabana, an extra-large outdoor lounge space.

These premium accommodations also include access to the Reserve Collection Restaurant.

Trips of a lifetime

The inaugural season begins in February 2024 with Mediterranean itineraries. The ship’s first three voyages went on sale at 00:01 on Friday, September 16.

Fares start from €2,075pp for a 10-night Grand Mediterranean voyage, departing 28 February 2024.

Caribbean, Food, Food & Wine

Kabawe Libre in St Lucia

4th September 20225th September 2022 funtime65

The beauty of the Caribbean is that they all have their own take on island life and we can put our own mark on each which is why we give you Kabawe Libre in St Lucia.

And if that sounds like Cuba Libre then that’s deliberate.

And because the St Lucians hosted me so well on their trade show in Dublin you can have that pitch for free.

Apt really because that’s what Libre is and because the rum flows liberally throughout the West Indies.

When in rum

All shapes and colours: Rum in the Caribbean

Kabawe is the Creole word for Rum Shop.

And the St Lucians value theirs just as much as the birthplace of rum just down the water in Barbados.

Which is why the exotically-named St Lucia Tourism Authority CEO Lorine Charles St Jules is promoting the Kabawe Krawl experience.

Best explained by the woman herself:

“The aim of the Kabawé Krawl is that visitors to our shores experience the unique Bar, Rum, and Culinary adventures in Saint Lucia.

“This will allow for the tourism dollar to be spread through our smaller communities and local hot spots nationally.”

She explained that there was a process.

And that all interested bars will undergo an onboarding process.

Domino dancing

And they will be trained in customer service and safety management.

Of course the first starting point for me would be a bunch of oul’ fellas in the back room.

Slamming down dominoes and stamping down on a floor with sand on it.

And not the type we get in my own homeland of Scotland to mop up the slops.

But authentic grains from the beach outside.

We know what a rum shop should look like from limin’ with the locals in Barbados earlier this year and on previous trips.

And we’re keen to explore our old pal Marc’s new Island Time Rum Tour.

While we’ve been down this trail too with Antigua and Barbuda.

They clued us in on their Beach Bar Trail at that Dubin roadshow.

Best bar none

We imagine then that the Kabawe Krawl will follow a similar route which checking out a map of the isle might mean:

Starting in the north at the Irie Bar it has all the features we love…

A bamboo structure with plants, flags, local crafts and fishing elements and reggae.

The Pink Papaya at Point Seraphine is another which sells itself on its name…

And its jerk chicken and cocktails on the patio.

A rum, a therapy: The Rum Therapy Bar and Treatment Centre

The Rum Therapy Bar and Treatment Centre echoes Soca star King Bubba’s mantra on life… rum is mi only medicine.

And we’re told that owner Nicole will encourage you to do a little number at the karaoke.

All after you’ve lubricated your throat with her spiced rums.

Now whenever I’m out in the Caribbean I’m briefed by The Scary One to pick sea shells at the seashore.

She sells Seashell: At the Seashell Beach Bar

And The Seashell Beach Bar, the still resort, has the taste of the sea about it.

Jump in (literally) but maybe before your fruits of the sea and rum cocktails.

Finish off at The Hustler’s Beach Bar, a watering hole that looks named for me.

And it has been named in places as the best hideaway ever.

Situated in a very recognisable name place too, Londonderry… and I’m sure the locals will give you its history over a cold one.

Caribbean, Countries, UK

Bajan Auld Rummie in Edinburgh

26th August 202226th August 2022 funtime65

The Fringe faithful are wading through the rubbish from the strike… we though take to the water, it’s Bajan Auld Rummie in Edinburgh.

The Union Canal in the West End of Edinburgh is bathed in sunshine and the office buildings are reflecting off the water.

OK, it’s not Bridgetown.

But we’re with a true Bajan, Shane, and we’re drinking Barbados rum and cocktails.

And filling ourselves with our favourite drink and filling up on Scottish links with the Bajan rum story.

All with the help of Jamie and the two-hour Summerhall Drinks Lab Rum Cruise.

Labbing it up

Now you remember how gin had its hour with juniper (and more of that later) the tipple du jour of the Twentyteens.

Well, now that’s rum and hence why Summerhall Drinks Lab have added a rum tour to their popular gin cruise.

And why where Dark Matter in Banchory, Aberdeenshire, started pouring in 2015, a raft (well we are on a boat cruise) of rum distilleries followed.

And a shout-out here to my work colleague Michael.

His Jacobite Spirits business and their new spiced rum Charlie’s Chopper Clean Cut.

For the day and the company that’s in it we’re on the Bajan rum.

Well it is the birthplace of rom.

All roads lead to rom

And that means kicking off with Cockspur Old Gold which we taste.

As a sample to warm our palates and throats, a la a whisky or bourbon.

And if you’re getting that bourbon hit then it’ll be because one-use bourbon barrels get repurposed for rum.

For those who like their rum in mixers we’re treated to the daddy of them all the Mount Gay Black Barrel.

And the new kids on the block, St Nicholas Abbey and their white rum.

And a couple of sips and I’m right back.

In the verdant courtyard after our steam train journey and old plantation visit from June’s Barbados Celtic Festival trip.

Rum’s a Ting or Hing

Jamie is a font of wisdom on Bajan rum and how Scottish craft and guile was at its heart.

And he has even adapted the staple Rum Ting cocktail.

With a Scottish version the Rum Hing with local grapefruit juice and lime.

Limin’ is of course the daily Bajan rhythm of life.

And we lime our way throughrums, samples and cocktails…

And the lychee-based beaker particularly hits the spot.

All before we arrive back at Leamington Lift Bridge and toast Shane and Jamie with a Doorly’s 14-year-old from Foursquare rum distillery.

Juniper Mac and Cheese

There’s time enough in the evening to carry on the party in true Bajan style.

And we taxi to Juniper on Princes Street.

And we avoid the garbage which has revived references to the Scottish capital’s old nickname of Auld Reekie.

Juniper offers a relaxed library to lime.

With mini-saucepans of Mac and Cheese, a particular Bajan fave, my pick from its menu.

Do like the rumans do

With Mount Gay kindly providing us with rum punch which is, of course, water to Bajans but strong water at that.

Talk, of course, turns to absent friends.

And old pal Marc who represented the island so well over eight years in the UK.

But who has understandably returned home.

And he has now set up a rum tour business with distilleries, rum shops and the magic ingredient, Bajans at hand.

We’ll meet again, and hopefully soon but for now I’m keeping my end up here…

A Bajan Auld Rummie in Edinburgh.

Caribbean, Sport

Dom Rep it up

19th August 202219th August 2022 funtime65

So we bought my Dear Old Dad a book of the world’s most difficult golf holes though the Teeth of the Dog where they like to Dom Rep it up wasn’t on it.

The book was, of course, a joke with tees on one mountain and the green on the other among the ‘holes from hell’.

And bless him, Dad was incredulous and slightly nervous even looking at the holes.

On account that he took a 7-iron off the tee at a particularly difficult par-5 at his local Hilton Park Golf Club, near Glasgow.

Teeth of the Dog

The Teeth of the Dog in Casa De Campo is one of those courses which will test all those Sunday golfers, like Dad and me, but it’s for real.

Casa De Campo, which my old chum and expert on all things Caribbean (and golf) Clem Walshe, came on my radar.

When we all met up for a Caribbean Road Show in Dublin.

And the Dominican Republic resort brings news to us that it has been voted No. 1 golf resort in the Caribbean.

All of which hasn’t escaped the notice of the world’s A-listers.

Grand Slam Dunk It

Grand Slam Dunk Michael Jordan is a fan.

As well as Jennifer Lopez, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg and Dennis Quaid.

While Bill Clinton has even got his molars into the Teeth of the Dog.

The specs are that it was designed by Pete Dye with seven of the 18 holes on the 7,357 yards course playing right along the Caribbean Sea, 20 feet above the surf.

For those golfies among you Golf Digest placed The Teeth of the Dog at No.20 in its top 100.

It was topped by Royal County Down at No.1 but with Gullane’s Muirfield.

Up the road from me here in New Berwick, at No.7.

On the Teeth of the Dog the sea is on the left on holes five through eight.

And on the right on holes 15 through 17 and every hole is unique and scenic.

The rates

Now there are three courses at Casa de Campo in La Romana.

The geniusly-named Dye For and the more traditional The Links building the trinity with our Teeth of the Dog.

We’re told that with your all-inclusive stay you can enjoy daily golf across all three award-winning courses at a reduced daily rate.

The nightly rates per person are between $65-$95 and follow the site for other rates.

The resort also boasts eight outstanding restaurants.

And the stunning Minitas Beach Club, a Marina and an Equestrian Center featuring Polo.

There’s a shooting course too.

While there’s great shopping, and three private pristine white sand beaches.

So go on Dom Rep it up.

Canada, Caribbean, Countries, Europe, Ireland, Oceania, UK

Car hire and higher

21st July 202221st July 2022 funtime65

Off on a road trip, well it’ll cost you because it’s getting car hire and higher out there.

And nowhere more so than my spiritual home Ireland where in some counties they’re a must.

My old mum would oft refer to her homestead of Donegal in north-west Ireland as the ‘forgotten county’.

And it didn’t help when they ripped up the rail tracks in 1959.

Donegal driving

So now if you want to get about you need to either have a car, rent a car…

Or your hotel or B&B can get Eileen to ask Aoife who knows Niamh is passing and can get you halfway.

Where Bladhana can get you to Sorcha, but make sure you’re ready or they’ll leave without you.

By the end of it all, of course, you’ll feel one of the family.

Of course, many of us prefer our independence, but alas that comes at an increasingly greater price.

With DiscoverCars.com revealing the average cost of hiring a car in 2022 rose by 267% on the previous year.

Their data highlights an average increase of 47% worldwide.

With the average cost of a one-day car hire rising from £43 to £67.

So to get on the road in Ireland you’ll shell out £155 (yes, we know they’re in the Euro), up from £42.

Now we would never let a small thing like expense put us off a destination… we’re just giving you the road manual.

On the road again

Obrigado: With the Scary One in Portugal Centro

The world’s second biggest country takes some getting around.

And that no doubt is the spiel for a spike of 264%.

Full reveal here on the third biggest mover here, Portugal-Azore Islands.

Because when we toured Hidden Portugal, Portugal Centro, we had the services of a driver/guide/historian and Coimbra’s most famous son.

Jose Madomis of Madomis Tours.

Now we’ve availed too of the services of our own fellow Britons, ninth with an 85% rise, but still cheaper than the trains.

With Katarina in Bohemian Switzerland in the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic, fifth at 131% but again with a history lesson thrown in… and Becherovka and salty age-defying water.

While Greece is tenth at 81% which may persuade you to do a Pheidippides and run the 26 miles or so from Athens to Marathon.

There’s no rhyme nor reason why the other countries on the list should have seen such hikes.

But Israel, Iceland and Albania are countries where you need wheels because donkeys correctly have rights now.

Slowly does it

Of course with everything on the rise sometimes the best we can hope for are small increases.

And the Canary Islands at just 2% leads the way here.

Though if you do hire a car (at only £25 the cheapest on the list) then why not walk some of the way.

With CanariaWays where you’ll experience the many Tenerife eco-systems before refuelling at the Franco-theme Bar in Afur.

Fly drive

Now for many of us getting behind the wheel of a car in a foreign country requires a deep breath.

And my only attempt, in a Fiat 500 in Cannes, and it’s dashboard gearstick, never got out of the car park.

Although I kept that quiet from the organisers of the Florida Keys road trip.

Alas, but fortunately for other road users, it got cancelled by Covid.

Cut-price cars

Rocky mountain high: Colorado Rockies baseball team

Unbowed, I’ll be back though to the Sunshine State and you will too particularly with a 23% decrease in the hire of a car.

Bookended in the top four is America’s Playground, Colorado.

That’s when you’re not roped into their abseiling, freestyle rock climbing, white water rafting or roadside skiing.

Who is squeezed in between the two, why Guadeloupe and Australia… let’s go Outback.

And let’s not be put off when we see the car hire and higher.

Asia, Caribbean, Countries, Europe

Going out by staying in in the heatwave

17th July 202217th July 2022 funtime65

How to stay safe in this 40C greenhouse, this is going out by staying in in the heatwave.

A day at the museum

And what better way to stay cool than a day at the museum

Where Dubliners (and all of us tbf) flock to public parks in the sunny weather we head for the museums.

And more specifically the National Gallery of Ireland.

Where among the national, international, Classical, Renaissance and Low Countries art the biggest group gathered around a Vermeer.

As you do.

If you’re familiar with Lady Writing A Letter With Her Maid then you might notice something different.

Visitor listening intently at the back to the tour guide.

Now a tip to tailgaters, make sure you’ve got space to stay out of sight.

Difficult, of course, when you’re in the Capuchin Crypt in Rome and your nosey 13-year-old is still trying to learn the rules.

Go for a dip

Sail away: The Cool Runnings catamaran on Barbados

If you can barge others on the beach out of the way to get to the sea.

We’re grateful again to friends in Ireland for sharing a picture of friends making a pool out of a skip.

Now, it might seem counter-intuitive but you’ll stay cooler in inside swimming baths.

While you’re also more likely not to put sunscreen on when going into the sea and get burnt.

As I found to my cost on a catamaran off Bridgetown, Barbados.

Now few do indoor public baths better than the UNESCO heritage-listed Great Spa Towns of Europe.

And we can thoroughly recommend Czechia and Marianske Lazne.

Though King Edward VII’s bath in Hotel Nove Lazne looks a bit small and tinny.

Instead head for the Roman bath but be sure to remember where you put your gown.

It wouldn’t do to have a wee Japanese woman chasing you around the ornate baths.

Massage your limbs

And lie back and think of… well, there’s been all stops from Barbados through Istanbul to the Maldives.

And all have left me soothed and becalmed though out of lotalty and reality none as magical than at Whitekirk in North Berwick, near Edinburgh.

Where Daddy’s Little Girl is the coolest of them all.

If you can’t stand the heat

Family dinner: In the Blue Crab in Tobago

Get into the kitchen.

Yes, cooking classes on-site at your hotel can remove you from the steaming heat of the outside.

You’ll be well aired and watered (or wined), learn a new skill.

And maybe even as with Uncle Kenneth and Auntie Ali in the Blue Crab in Tobago become one of the family.

Just stay in bed

Champagne on ice: In the Skiwelt, Austria

And enjoy the best thing you can get for free.

No, not that, you smutty divil, anyway you’ll just end up sweatier than before.

Well, if you can get away then head for the snow, obvs.

We visited the Alpeniglu in Austria’s Skiwelt and while out of season the snows have melted the memories have not.

Now while the polar cap is also taking a hit, hence the heatwaves, there’s still plenty of ice, ice baby.

And in Sweden they claim to have the world’s first ice hotel complete with a night’s stay among ice art.

So, that’s the answer. Going out by staying in the heatwave.

Caribbean, Countries

Bangladeshi in Barbados and solo women

24th June 202224th June 2022 funtime65

The e-drop struck a note and recalled a Bangladeshi in Barbados and solo women. And one at home who wants to get on the road.

More of my new travel buddy Azmery in due course, but first the solo women in my life.

My Dear Old Mum, of course, who ventured beyond her Donegal townland to the capitals of Britain and Ireland and further afield.

And her successor who took off on her own to Monte Carlo as a young woman… and then on my adventures.

While Daddy’s Little Girl is now up and running on her own odyssey with Berlin under her belt.

After the last two years of Covid false starts.

Google eyes

Let’s hear it for New York: And this young lady

Of course, it would be grudging to deny there is a vehicle to explore holiday destinations beyond this site, such as Google.

And the search engine reveals volumes for ‘female solo travel’ have increased by 84% within the last year.

And travel companies that cater specifically to women have increased by 230%.

The 2021 Solo Female Travel Trends Survey also tells us 90% were driven by the flexibility to make their own plans.

While 86% wanted to get away from their routine and their day-to-day responsibilities.

Bang on

One such, though she may be too busy travelling just now, is Kazi Asma Azmery, who introduced herself on the dance floor as Azmery.

Azmery is a true world traveller, having saved up, sold her jewellery and left home in Bangladesh and chronicle the world.

Azmery has 130 countries under her belt since setting out at 19 in 2009.

And Barbados now, after ripping up the floor recently at Harbour Lights.

As a single woman travelling abroad Azmery admits that is not without its challenges.

And particularly when it comes, alas, to the outside world’s perceptions of the Asian country.

Passport to success

As Azmery pointed out: ‘I always carry my Bangladeshi passport so that people could know me by my country.

‘European or other citizens of other developed countries are welcomed everywhere, whereas we face negligence.’

My own British passport I admitted I have always taken for granted probably as a reluctant Briton, but proud Scot.

With Irish blood running right through me.

A split personality

Girl power: Laurie with Blanca in Berlin

It is timely to consider, and lament, that six years ago this week Britons decided to leave Europe and trigger panic about passports.

That has come into play now with different queues emerging at airports.

Of course one solution is to make capital of joint identity which for millions of us half-irish half-bloods means pursuing an Irish passport.

And that is exactly what Daddy’s Little Girl, schooled in Ireland over 13 years living there, is doing just now.

That has meant digging out her Grannie’s passport and wedding certificate, from Dun Laoghaire, and my birth certificate, and my own union with my English rose.

Because the world is out there for all of us, but for the subject that’s in it here today, for our Amazon women.

Good luck Azmery wherever you are. Keep flashing that passport of yours too.

Great memories of a Bangladeshi in Barbados and solo women.

And check out too the Solo Female Traveler’s index of the safest countries to travel for women.

Caribbean, Countries, Deals

Putting the bar back into Antigua & Barbuda

17th June 202217th June 2022 funtime65

They’re putting the bar back into Antigua & Barbuda… in truth, it’s never been away, they’re just mapping it out better for us.

Because after you’ve checked out everything else these beautiful Caribbean islands have to offer then it’s rum time.

Now I’ve trod the walk of shame around the world from Malibu to the Maldives but I’m assured this Caribbean crawl will knock my socks off.

And our friends in Antigua & Barbuda know it… setting out a 32-bar crawl map.

Beach boys and girls

If you’re daft enough to wear anything on your feet… it’s a flip-flop flipping 30+ under the palm trees, on the beaches.

Of which there are 365, one for every day of the year.

And who knows, you might bump into any one of a stellar cast of rich and famo, Amy Winehouse, Bono, Usher or Silvio Berlusconi.

With names such as Sneaky Pete’s, your starting point on the north of the island, through Jacqui O’s and Papa’s by the sea on the south…

Smiling Harry’s in the east and Mama’s Pasta in the north.

And then onto the likes of Uncle Roddy’s on Barbuda.

Irie, as they say here.

A short crawl

And so how far will we be crawling?

Well, 14 miles long and 11 miles wide which is one for every day of your fortnight’s holiday.

So the only question to ask is when can we start?

Caribtours de force

Our friends at Caribtours, naturally, are all over it.

And as The Scary One is of the English variety we’re flagging up Caribtours’ The Inn at English Harbour, No. 20 on the list.

The five-star Inn blends the perfect balance of Colonial style buildings with luxurious and contemporary comfort.

And it’s yours for seven nights from £2,125pp with flights from major cities in the UK and USA.

And with your 30 British pennies getting one Eastern Caribbean dollar you’ll have plenty of cash for your rum tour.

Now you can add that to the list of people…Putting the bar back into Antigua.

As we continue our Caribbean odyssey through Barbados and Tobago and onwards…