Trinidad’s two dominant cultures—West African and Indian—are evident in the array of street food, from spicy doubles (curried chickpeas and chutney between two fluffy fried flatbreads) and roti (soft flatbreads wrapped around various curries—goat and crab are favorites)—to pelau, a distinctly African dish where meat is fried in oil and sugar, then combined with pigeon peas and rice. For a more elegant dining experience, visit Veni Mange (“come and eat”) for the best lunch on the island, a quintessentially Trinidadian feast that might start with traditional callaloo-pumpkin soup (which, according to legend, when well prepared can make a man propose marriage) and end with homemade soursop ice cream or coconut mousse.
Hotels sell out well in advance for Carnival, but try for Coblentz Inn, which is charming and close to the action—with 16 rooms whimsically decorated along a cultural theme: “the Rum Shop,” “Cocoa House,” “Cricket”—and a popular restaurant whose name, Battimamzelle, means dragonfly.
Though Carnival officially ends Tuesday at midnight, everyone heads to Maracas Beach an hour north of the city for a cool-down party on Wednesday, “limin’” (hanging out) on this long idyllic stretch of sand beneath towering mountains.
Trinidad’s mas (for masquerade) is the largest Carnival in the Caribbean.
VISITOR INFO: www.gotrinidadandtobago.com. NATIONAL CARNIVAL COMMISSION: Tel 868-627-1357; www.ncctt.org. Cost: grandstand tickets from $20 and way up. When: week before Lent, usually Feb or Mar. VENI MANGE: Tel 868-624-4597; www.venimange.com. Cost: lunch $30. COBLENTZ INN: Tel 868-621-0541; www.coblentzinn.com. Cost: from $145 (off-peak), from $300 during Carnival; dinner $45.
Drift Diving and Bird-Watching on Robinson Crusoe’s Island
TOBAGO
Trinidad and Tobago, Lesser Antilles
Mostly hilly and of volcanic origin, Tobago is a breathtaking rural treasure trove of stunning beaches, verdant rain forest, and a wealth of marine life and unspoiled coral reefs. Believed to be the island on which Robinson Crusoe was marooned in the classic 1719 novel by Daniel Defoe, Tobago is the beneficiary of the outflow of Venezuela’s mighty Orinoco River. This nutrient-rich current is swept through the 20-mile channel between Trinidad and Tobago, creating astonishingly rich reefs with at least 44 species of hard and soft coral (including the world’s largest brain coral) and the best drift diving in the Caribbean.
Though considerably more inhabited than it was the year the fictional Crusoe washed ashore (1649), Tobago is still Trinidad’s sleepy country cousin, with just 4 percent of the population, no heavy industry, and no buildings taller than a palm tree.
At the island’s southwestern tip, powdery white-sand Pigeon Point Beach is a popular strip and the jumping-off point for cruises to Buccoo (pronounced boo-COO) Reef, a splendid natural aquarium with easy access for novice divers, snorkelers, and the glass-bottom boat crowd. Don’t miss Buccoo’s “Sunday School,” a massive nondenominational block party on Sunday evenings, providing street-food stalls and soca and calypso echoing well into the night.
You can even stay where Crusoe is said to have first landed (and where Swiss Family Robinson was filmed): the dark-sand Bacolet Beach, on the island’s southern shore. Blue Haven Hotel is an updated 1940s-era property surrounded by water on three sides. Rooms have mahogany floors, four-poster beds, and the same great ocean views that Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr enjoyed when they stayed here during the filming of Fire Down Below and Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison.
Your best chance of seeing Tobago’s famous giant manta rays, though they have dwindled in number, is in the waters off Speyside, in the island’s remote northeastern reaches. The family-run Manta Lodge offers comfortable accommodations and the on-site Tobago Dive Experience, a year-round school specializing in drift dives past the giant rays as well as southern stingrays, nurse sharks, and turtles. Staying at Manta Lodge also means proximity to Jemma’s Seaview Kitchen, where you can dine practically in the arms of a 200-year-old almond tree. The Creole-style food is rivaled by an unbelievable view from the lucky tables that overlook the ocean.
Tobago is also a world-class birding destination: Some 200 varieties have been recorded here. The avian-rich Tobago Forest Reserve, in the mountainous interior, was established in 1776, and is the oldest protected rain forest in the Western Hemisphere. It promises lots of sightings as well as the splendid Argyll Waterfall. Or head a mile offshore from Speyside to Little Tobago Island, one of the most important seabird sanctuaries in the Caribbean.
Charlotteville has a Crusoe-quiet beach called Man-O-War with one convenience he didn’t have—a beach stall with ultrafresh fish and chips. Englishman’s Bay is Tobago’s jewel, an empty mile-long stretch of white sand and palm trees on the island’s northern shore, at its most magical when magnificent leatherback turtles come to nest here.
VISITOR INFO: www.gotrinidadandtobago.com. BLUE HAVEN HOTEL: Tel 868-660-7400; www.bluehavenhotel.com. Cost: from $185 (off-peak), from $238 (peak). MANTA LODGE: Tel 866-486-2246 or 868-639-7034; www.mantalodge.com. Cost: from $110 (off-peak), from $135 (peak). TOBAGO DIVE EXPERIENCE: Tel 868-660-4888; www.tobagodiveexperience.com. JEMMA’S SEAVIEW KITCHEN: Tel 868-660-4066. Cost: dinner $60. BEST TIMES: Nov–Apr for nicest weather; Feb or Mar for Carnival; Nov for Diwaali (Festival of Lights).
Twelve Uninterrupted Miles of Pristine Beach
GRACE BAY
Turks and Caicos
The jewel in the crown of Turks and Caicos—an archipelago of 40 islands—Grace Bay boasts a staggering 12-mile arc of powdery white sand lapped by turquoise waters that teem with marine life. It’s considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Located on the northern shore of the main island of Providenciales (“Provo” to locals), it is protected by a coral reef just 1,650 feet off the coast, creating diving, snorkeling, and swimming conditions that are second to none.
A slew of new, stylish hotels and condo-style resorts have opened near the world-famous strand. But Grace Bay Club still reigns supreme in the luxury market, in part because it was early to the game and nabbed 11 choice acres, making it the lowest-density resort on the island. The original Mediterranean-style hotel has 21 suites for adults only, while families tend to stay in villas. All enjoy a host of amenities, including the breezy Anacaona restaurant by the beach.
Island life at its basic best awaits those who make the trek to Da Conch Shack, an open-air landmark restaurant where the conch is harvested right in front of you and served every way imaginable—as salad, chowder, fritters, stir-fried, or as ceviche.
Or consider total isolation, via the 35-minute boat ride to Parrot Cay, a 1,000-acre private island with just one uberexclusive resort. It has a pared-down aesthetic and swish villas (owned by A-list celebrities) that can be rented. Guests staying in either the hotel or villas can book at what is arguably the best spa in the Caribbean, the COMO Shambhala Retreat (“shambhala” is related to the Sanskrit word for “center of peace and harmony”), a veritable temple of the soothing arts that brings in top therapists from around the globe.
One of the best places to experience the excellent snorkeling and diving is the appealingly undeveloped and sparingly populated Salt Cay. The dives here take you to forests of elkhorn coral, past a British frigate that wrecked back in 1790. In winter there’s a good chance of spotting—and swimming among—migrating humpback whales.
Beach lovers revel in Grace Bay’s miles of immaculate shoreline.
VISITOR INFO: Tel 800-241-0824 or 649-946-4970; www.turksandcaicostourism.com. GRACE BAY CLUB: Tel 800-946-5757 or 649-946-5050; www.gracebayclub.com. Cost: from $570 (off-peak), from $980 (peak); dinner $75. DA CONCH SHACK: Tel 649-946-8877; www.conchshack.tc. Cost: $40. PARROT CAY: Tel 877-754-0726 or 649-946-7788; www.parrotcay.como.bz. Cost: from $450 (off-peak), from $775 (peak). BEST TIMES: Nov–Apr for nicest weather; Jan–Mar for whale-watching; late Nov for Conch Festival.
An Unrivaled Underwater Nature Trail
BUCK ISLAND
St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Lesser Antilles
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At this uninhabited satellite island off St. Croix, a national monument where only 176 of the park’s 19,000 acres are above ground, the snorkeling is legendary. The elkhorn coral reef that surrounds two-thirds of the island has extraordinary formations and deep grottoes in crystal-clear waters (think 100-foot visibility) at an average depth of 13 feet.
Off Buck’s northeast end, a meandering snorkeler’s trail is marked with explanatory plaques. The park supports all sorts of wildlife, including hawksbill turtles, brown pelicans, and more than 250 species of fish.
When the Kennedy family visited Buck Island in the 1950s, John F. Kennedy was so enchanted that in 1961, as president, he helped make it into one of the few fully protected underwater U.S. National Monuments; it was greatly expanded by President Bill Clinton in 2001. While Buck Island is considered one of the most important snorkeling sites in the Caribbean, St. Croix is also known for wall diving, satisfying to divers of varied ability. At Salt River Canyon and Cane Bay, lush coral gardens at 30 feet lead to “The Wall,” 2,000 feet deep.
Tours for Buck Island leave from Christiansted, the historic Danish town on St. Croix’s northern coast just 5 miles away. It’s a 5-minute drive east to the Buccaneer, a pink palazzo beach resort that was once a sugar plantation and the boyhood home of Alexander Hamilton. It opened as an 11-room inn in 1947, and the same family still runs what is now a family-friendly 138-room resort spread over 340 acres with all the classic amenities.
Though St. Croix is the largest of the U.S. Virgin islands, it’s still just 84 square miles, and much of it is still rural and dotted with the ruins of old sugar mills. It’s worth a drive over to Frederiksted, at the western end of the island, to Blue Moon, a colorful waterfront bistro known for its Cajun-inflected food, fine wine, and live jazz on Wednesday, Friday, and at Sunday brunch. Order a Cruzan Confusion, made with local Cruzan rum, considered one of the world’s best and still distilled on St. Croix.
VISITOR INFO: www.nps.gov/buis. HOW: Big Beard’s Adventure Tours offers full-day tours to Buck Island in a glass-bottomed boat, as well as half-day snorkeling trips, departing from Christiansted. Tel 866-773-4482 or 340-773-4482; www.bigbeards.com. Cost: half day $68. THE BUCCANEER: Tel 800-255-3881 or 340-712-2100; www.thebuccaneer.com. Cost: from $325 (off-peak), from $360 (peak). BLUE MOON: Tel 340-772-2222; www.bluemoonstcroix.com. Cost: dinner $50, Sunday brunch $15. BEST TIMES: Nov–Apr for nice weather; Dec 5–Jan 2 for Crucian Christmas Festival (St. Croix’s Carnival).
Trailblazers of Ecotourism in the American Caribbean
VIRGIN ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK
St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, Lesser Antilles
With more than half the island a national park, St. John puts the “virgin” back in Virgin Islands. More than 18,000 acres of coral seascapes are protected when you include the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument. With 20 hiking trails wending through 7,000 tropical acres, and blissfully free of casinos or cabana boys, the 19-square-mile island is reachable only by ferry, appealing to travelers who care more about a star-studded night sky than five-star hotels.
This pristine landscape exists thanks to the foresight of wealthy conservationist Laurance Rockefeller, who bought up much of the island and then gave it away. While sailing in 1952, he spotted Caneel Bay, a 170-acre peninsula with seven stunning beaches, snapped it up, and built an estate. To protect the island he loved he added it to his holdings and in 1956 deeded 5,000 acres of sugary white coves, teal blue bays, and shady mountains to the federal government.
Trunk Bay is the showstopper of this extraordinary tropical estate, a picture-perfect, quarter-mile-long beach considered one of the world’s most beautiful. It is famous for a 670-foot snorkeling trail with labeled underwater features, the perfect snorkeling debut for kids and other novices. Snorkeling snobs get their kicks at Haulover Bay and Leinster Bay, dramatic sites that are inaccessible from shore.
Above ground, the Reef Bay Trail is one of the park’s most popular (and frequented). It’s all downhill, beginning at 800 feet above sea level and winding past spectacular views, ancient petroglyphs, and the ruins of 18th-century Danish plantation houses before ending about 3 hours later on the southern shore.
Rockefeller’s estate became the “it” resort with the wealthy in the ’60s, and Caneel Bay is still the island’s most luxurious place to stay. Today the Rosewood resort has expanded to 166 airy, spacious rooms and claims the island’s most romantic dining at the Equator, which sits atop 18th-century sugar-mill ruins. The Self Centre’s focus is on wellness, with offerings that include sound healing and guided stargazing.
The work of ecotourism pioneer Stanley Selengut, Maho Bay Camps and sister property Estate Concordia Preserve are set in the midst of St. John’s verdant national parkland, providing easy access to both the beach and hiking trails. Maho Bay Camps’ hand-constructed tent-cottages are linked by wooden walkways so as not to disturb the natural environment. They lack some amenities (private bathrooms) but the 114 tents tucked among the foliage all have their own decks, screened windows, electricity, and cooking facilities. Just up the hill are 12 Harmony Studios, which combine sustainability with creature comforts. Experiencing Maho Bay Camps’ pristine parkland and its white-beached cove, guests may feel like privileged interlopers in paradise. Half an hour away at Estate Concordia Preserve, the 25 “eco-tents” are bigger, more substantial, and have bathrooms, while 13 spacious studios are built around a freshwater pool.
Don’t leave the island without a stop at Woody’s Seafood Saloon in Cruz Bay, known for its conch fritters and Bushwackers, potent milk shakes made with Cruzan light rum, Baileys, Kahlua, amaretto, vodka, and cream of coconut, blended with ice and sprinkled with fragrant nutmeg.
Reachable only by ferry, most of St. John will never be touched by development.
VISITOR INFO: www.nps.gov/viis. CANEEL BAY: Tel 888-767-3966 or 340-776-6111; www.caneelbay.com. Cost: from $450 (off-peak), $550 (peak); dinner at the Equator $65. MAHO BAY CAMPS: Tel 800-392-9004 or 340-776-6240; www.maho.org. Cost: Harmony Studios from $130 (off-peak), from $225 (peak). Maho Bay Camps from $80 (off-peak), from $140 (peak). Estate Concordia Preserve from $120 (off-peak), from $165 (peak). WOODY’S SEAFOOD SALOON: Tel 340-779-4625; www.woodysseafood.com. BEST TIMES: Nov–Apr for pleasant weather; mid-Jun–July 4 for St. John Festival.
Virgin Sands
MAGENS BAY BEACH
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Lesser Antilles
A thick fringe of palms lines this mile-long, horseshoe-shaped strip of white sand and turquoise waters—a prime contender on any short list of the world’s most beautiful beaches. With alluring views of other islands just beyond where it opens to the sea, the beach is so shallow that you can wade out hundreds of feet without getting your shorts wet. Finding it is half the fun: Ask an island local to point you in the direction of the Magens Bay Discovery Trail.
St. Thomas, purchased from Denmark in 1917, is the most developed of the three U.S. Virgin Islands and one of the most popular stops for cruise ships: Duty-free shopping, a little Danish architecture, and a trip to Magens Bay Beach are all de rigueur. To avoid the legions, go when the ships aren’t in port or do what the locals do: Hang out on Hull Bay Beach, the island’s most popular surfing beach, just one bay to the west; it offers niceties, such as a restaurant and bar, along with your own private stretch of sand.
VISITOR INFO: www.usvitourism.vi. BEST TIMES: Nov–Apr for nicest weather; Mar for International Rolex Regatta; Apr for Virgin Islands Carnival; Jun–Oct for blue marlin angling; Aug for U.S. Virgin Islands Open/Atlantic Blue Marlin Tournament.
INDEX
NOTE: Items in SMALL CAPS refer to entry titles.
A
Aalsmeer Flower Auction, Neth., 232
Aalto, Alvar, 347, 348–349, 350
Abaco Inn, Abacos, Bahamas, 1060
ABACOS, Bahamas, 1059–61
Abanotubani, Tbilisi, Rep.Ga., 298
Abbasi Hotel, Isfahan, Iran, 557
Abbaye
de Fontenay, Montbard, Fr., 107
Abbaye de la Bussière, Montbard, Fr., 107
Abbaye de Sénanque, Fr., 130
Abbaye d’Orval, Ardennes, Belg., 92
Abbey Hotel, Cornwall, Eng., 5
Abbey of San Fruttuoso, Liguria, It., 189
Abbey of St. Benoit-du-Lac, Quebec, Can., 936
Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden, N.Y., U.S., 843
Abd el Wahab (restaurant), Beirut, Leb., 461
Abel Tasman Coastal Track, N.Z., 675
Abercrombie & Kent, 493–94
Abersoch (resort), Llŷn Peninsula, Wales, 49
Abiquiu, N.Mex., U.S., 832
Abiquiu Inn, N.Mex., U.S., 832
Abode Canterbury (hotel), Eng., 14
A-Bomb Dome, Hiroshima, Jap., 508
Aboriginal Blue Mountains Walkabout, Austral., 645
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Ill., U.S., 790
Abu Camp, Botswana, 400–401
Abu Christo (restaurant), Acre, Isr., 445
Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., 471–72
Abu Hasan (restaurant), Tel Aviv–Jaffa, Isr., 453
Abu Shukri (restaurant), Jerusalem, Isr., 449
ABU SIMBEL AND ASWAN, Egypt, 380–81
Abyssinian Baptist Church, N.Y., U.S., 845
ACADIA NATIONAL PARK, Maine, U.S., 800
ACAPULCO, Mex., 949–50
Acchiardo (restaurant), Nice, Fr., 133
Achatz, Grant, 788
Acme Oyster House, La., U.S., 799
ACRE, Isr., 445–46
THE ACROPOLIS, Athens, Gr., 156–57
Acurio, Gastón, 1040, 1044
1,000 Places to See Before You Die Page 175
