coconut
12-03-2007, 12:44 AM
Here is an article in Sunday's San Diego Union Tribune Travel Section and at
http://www.signonsandiego.com/
Your place in the sun
Sweet deals are still available along the soft sands of the wind-kissed Caribbean islands
By David Swanson
December 2, 2007
DAVID SWANSON
Tobago (top) is known for its secluded beaches, which also offer plentiful watersports and bird-watching (below) for nature enthusiasts.
DAVID SWANSON
Is your wallet more blue than flush with green these days? It seems many of us don't feel so affluent anymore. Whether it's from credit-card debt, an escalating mortgage or a long-overdue raise, finances are tight. And one of the first things to get axed from the budget is often a vacation.
Should that be? A spate away from home provides us perspective, rest, renewal and family (or spousal) bonding-essential tools in the game of life. But with the dollar shrinking in value against many world currencies, the cost of a foreign vacation has spiraled.
One solution: the Caribbean. Although we're headed toward the region's high season (mid-December through mid-April), most islands have maintained value against the U.S. dollar because their currencies are tied to the greenback. So, the Barbados dollar is worth U.S. $2.02 today, the same parity that existed a decade ago. The same applies to the Netherlands Antilles florin (used for St. Maarten, Curacao and their siblings), the Bahamas dollar and the Cayman dollar. Currencies indirectly linked to the U.S. dollar ? including those of the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago ? are so dependent on us that they've also kept roughly the same exchange rate. And of course, the tender for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands is the U.S. dollar.
The big exception is the euro, the operative currency for the French West Indies (Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Barth and ? to a degree ? St. Martin). As the euro has risen against the U.S. dollar, so have costs for these destinations.
Still, some islands provide better value than others. Here are five that offer bang for your buck, even this winter.
NATURE OPTION: TOBAGO
Trinidad and Tobago is a nation of contrasts. While oil-rich Trinidad is famed for its wild Carnival in February, Tobago is the slumbery sibling ? the place where Trinis go to unwind. Tobago is less cosmopolitan, but offers abundant bucolic escape.
Although the English are frequent visitors, most Americans overlook Tobago, in part thanks to inferior air links (you fly to Trinidad, then transfer to a 20-minute flight). But Delta starts nonstop service from Atlanta on Dec. 15. The island's ecological assets include the oldest forest reserve in the Western Hemisphere and dazzling bird-watching, with more than 200 species such as the blue-crowned motmot and collared trogan. Hire Newton George for a six-to seven-hour bird-watching tour from $50 per person (868-660-5463; ngeorge@tstt.net.tt), or it's $19 to visit Little Tobago Island for bird-watching and snorkeling with Frank's Glass Bottom Boat Tours (868-639-8778).
Tobago's beaches are charmers, tucked into indolent little coves with brightly painted pirogues posing for added color. Watersports are plentiful, and include excellent diving at clandestine bays.
For wallet-conscious travelers, Tobago is one of the Caribbean's best buys, with plentiful budget accommodations and restaurants. A huge fish or chicken lunch with sides at Jemma's Treehouse (868-660-4066) runs just $11, and the wonderful homemade pasta dishes at La Tartaruga (868-639-0940) are all less than $14.
Sensible hotel: Although the Crown Point location is busy, Kariwak Holistic Haven is a 24-room oasis with a thatch-roof pavilion for yoga and tai chi sessions. Rooms occupy either half a rondaval next to the pool, or a more private one-story wing stretching through lush gardens; all are air-conditioned (and despite the proximity of the airport, aircraft noise is not a problem). The excellent restaurant specializes in whole foods, with herbs and some of the produce grown on property. The beach is a five-minute walk. Doubles are $125 plus 20 percent tax/service ($90 in low season); reservations (868) 639-8442; kariwak.com.
Splurge hotel: Tucked into a tranquil cove near Speyside, Blue Waters Inn overlooks excellent diving and snorkeling ? turtles, rays and 70 species of coral await your inspection. The 38 standard rooms are found in two-story buildings that hug the bay; they aren't fancy ? no TVs, no phones ? but all were renovated this past year and now have air conditioning. There are also one-and two-bedroom apartments with kitchens. Non-divers won't be adrift ? the strawberry blond beach is narrow but appealing while kayaking, windsurfing and glass-bottom boat tours round out the slate of activities. Standard rooms run $175-$203, including tax and service charges ($107-$115 in summer); reservations (868) 660-4341; bluewatersinn.com.
Additional information: (868) 639-2125;visittobago.gov.tt.
**
http://www.signonsandiego.com/
Your place in the sun
Sweet deals are still available along the soft sands of the wind-kissed Caribbean islands
By David Swanson
December 2, 2007
DAVID SWANSON
Tobago (top) is known for its secluded beaches, which also offer plentiful watersports and bird-watching (below) for nature enthusiasts.
DAVID SWANSON
Is your wallet more blue than flush with green these days? It seems many of us don't feel so affluent anymore. Whether it's from credit-card debt, an escalating mortgage or a long-overdue raise, finances are tight. And one of the first things to get axed from the budget is often a vacation.
Should that be? A spate away from home provides us perspective, rest, renewal and family (or spousal) bonding-essential tools in the game of life. But with the dollar shrinking in value against many world currencies, the cost of a foreign vacation has spiraled.
One solution: the Caribbean. Although we're headed toward the region's high season (mid-December through mid-April), most islands have maintained value against the U.S. dollar because their currencies are tied to the greenback. So, the Barbados dollar is worth U.S. $2.02 today, the same parity that existed a decade ago. The same applies to the Netherlands Antilles florin (used for St. Maarten, Curacao and their siblings), the Bahamas dollar and the Cayman dollar. Currencies indirectly linked to the U.S. dollar ? including those of the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago ? are so dependent on us that they've also kept roughly the same exchange rate. And of course, the tender for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands is the U.S. dollar.
The big exception is the euro, the operative currency for the French West Indies (Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Barth and ? to a degree ? St. Martin). As the euro has risen against the U.S. dollar, so have costs for these destinations.
Still, some islands provide better value than others. Here are five that offer bang for your buck, even this winter.
NATURE OPTION: TOBAGO
Trinidad and Tobago is a nation of contrasts. While oil-rich Trinidad is famed for its wild Carnival in February, Tobago is the slumbery sibling ? the place where Trinis go to unwind. Tobago is less cosmopolitan, but offers abundant bucolic escape.
Although the English are frequent visitors, most Americans overlook Tobago, in part thanks to inferior air links (you fly to Trinidad, then transfer to a 20-minute flight). But Delta starts nonstop service from Atlanta on Dec. 15. The island's ecological assets include the oldest forest reserve in the Western Hemisphere and dazzling bird-watching, with more than 200 species such as the blue-crowned motmot and collared trogan. Hire Newton George for a six-to seven-hour bird-watching tour from $50 per person (868-660-5463; ngeorge@tstt.net.tt), or it's $19 to visit Little Tobago Island for bird-watching and snorkeling with Frank's Glass Bottom Boat Tours (868-639-8778).
Tobago's beaches are charmers, tucked into indolent little coves with brightly painted pirogues posing for added color. Watersports are plentiful, and include excellent diving at clandestine bays.
For wallet-conscious travelers, Tobago is one of the Caribbean's best buys, with plentiful budget accommodations and restaurants. A huge fish or chicken lunch with sides at Jemma's Treehouse (868-660-4066) runs just $11, and the wonderful homemade pasta dishes at La Tartaruga (868-639-0940) are all less than $14.
Sensible hotel: Although the Crown Point location is busy, Kariwak Holistic Haven is a 24-room oasis with a thatch-roof pavilion for yoga and tai chi sessions. Rooms occupy either half a rondaval next to the pool, or a more private one-story wing stretching through lush gardens; all are air-conditioned (and despite the proximity of the airport, aircraft noise is not a problem). The excellent restaurant specializes in whole foods, with herbs and some of the produce grown on property. The beach is a five-minute walk. Doubles are $125 plus 20 percent tax/service ($90 in low season); reservations (868) 639-8442; kariwak.com.
Splurge hotel: Tucked into a tranquil cove near Speyside, Blue Waters Inn overlooks excellent diving and snorkeling ? turtles, rays and 70 species of coral await your inspection. The 38 standard rooms are found in two-story buildings that hug the bay; they aren't fancy ? no TVs, no phones ? but all were renovated this past year and now have air conditioning. There are also one-and two-bedroom apartments with kitchens. Non-divers won't be adrift ? the strawberry blond beach is narrow but appealing while kayaking, windsurfing and glass-bottom boat tours round out the slate of activities. Standard rooms run $175-$203, including tax and service charges ($107-$115 in summer); reservations (868) 660-4341; bluewatersinn.com.
Additional information: (868) 639-2125;visittobago.gov.tt.
**