For years I have struggled with satisfying my client’s desires to visit another of the ABC Islands(Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao) while in the region. While these islands are relatively close together making a ferry service seem like a logical answer, there is no such service. Up until a few years ago, inter-island flights were infrequent and unreliable. This year, I have found two small airlines to service my clients. Both Insel Air and Tiara Air fly between Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao. Tiara Air recently announced that they were adding more flights and now flies between all 3 islands multiple times a day on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
For most of us, owning beachfront real estate in the Caribbean is a fantasy. We dream of running away, giving up the daily grind and calling home any form of shelter on our own private stretch of sandy bliss. We feed this urge by taking as many vacations as possible. Sometimes, life prevents those vacations from happening as frequently as needed leaving us longing even more for fresh mangos and coconuts, clear warm water, salty waves… I found the cutest desktop sandbox that makes me smile on the days I wish I were beachfront. Check it out at WishingFish.com.
2007 marks the 40
th anniversary of
Anguilla’s secession from the association of states of St.
Kitts, Nevis and
Anguilla. To mark the occasion, the island has a launched a “40 and Fabulous” campaign showcasing some of the island’s new amenities, including the brand new Greg Norman-designed course at the
Temenos Golf Club is at the island's St.
Regis hotel.Only having been open since November, the course is earning rave reviews from visiting golfers who can enjoy the sweeping vistas of neighboring St. Martin and dramatic landscaping. Why do I like Anguilla? Beach, beach, and more beach!
Anguilla has some of the prettiest beaches in the Caribbean. The island's 5 star resorts are wonderful too!
Cap Juluca is a favorite with our honeymoon clients.
Along with the surge in demand for
eco-friendly travel options, the small Health & Wellness sector is experiencing rapid growth in the Caribbean as well. This comes as a change in trend as the Caribbean has always been known as a place to indulge at any one of the hundreds of all-inclusive resorts and regional cruise lines. The spa industry long made its mark in the region but with the pampering services reigning in popularity. The Caribbean’s hotel leaders were invited to attend the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) 9th Annual Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development, otherwise called the Sustainable Tourism Conference, featuring a “Health & Wellness” Theme for 2007.
On June 30, JetBlue is set to add Saturday-only nonstop service to
Aruba from Boston with fares ranging between $149-$399 each way. JetBlue currently flies to
Puerto Rico,
Bermuda, Cancun,
Bahamas, and the
Dominican Republic.
Aruba's has seen a recent influx in the luxury market with hotels adding more higher-end categories and luxury villas, the island’s airport decided it must also adept to this growing market. In January, the Aruba airport’s new terminal for private planes opened. The stand-alone facility offers upscale travelers a variety of services including a VIP lounge, on-site customs and immigration, a duty-free shop, ample ramp and parking space, as well as concierge able to help with ground transportation, airport fees, car rental service, 24-hour security arrangements and private catering.
Alright, so we ladies have plenty of reasons to travel with just the girlfriends. Our health spa vacations that we claim necessary to help jump-start a healthy 2007 and yet really only intend on letting someone rub, scrub, knead, and wrap our bodies and dissolve any remaining holiday stress. We also have our shopping trips that we can certainly justify as necessary because we MUST hit New York before fashion week when all the designer duds are marked down to unbelievable prices or we MUST go to Paris for the perfect antique sideboard to fill the empty space in the dining room because even though there will by so much cost involved in shipping the piece home, the resale value clearly makes this trip a smart investment. Then there are the culinary trips where we insist that our repertoire of recipes is truly lacking and if our darling husbands want to remain well-fed we MUST learn new techniques and this can certainly only be done by learning from the masters themselves.
Ok – but what about the men? Don’t they deserve a special reason to travel too? Think of how they will enjoy testosterone packed excursions to fish, hunt, camp, climb or quieter activities like playing poker. Send them on a
Mancation! They will love you for it! We
aren’t sure who coined the term, but “
mancations” are becoming increasingly popular. A study conducted by the Travel Industry Association found that 37 million U.S. men took
mancations in 2005, 2 percent more than in 2000.
The Caribbean is home to many worthy destinations for a
MANCATION!
For years I have struggled with satisfying my client’s desires to visit another of the ABC Islands(Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao) while in the region. While these islands are relatively close together making a ferry service seem like a logical answer, there is no such service. Up until a few years ago, inter-island flights were infrequent and unreliable. This year, I have found two small airlines to service my clients. Both Insel Air and Tiara Air fly between Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao. Tiara Air recently announced that they were adding more flights and now flies between all 3 islands multiple times a day on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
