Warm Up with Cayman's Hottest Deal

All of you notherners are going to hate me for saying this, but I just returned to Florida from five days in sunny San Juan and I'm already freezing! Yes, it's in the 60s here today, but still...I'm covered head-to-toe in my warmest winter garb, already longing for those balmy Caribbean tradewinds. Okay, and the cold mojitos.

Anyway, in the spirit of staying warm this winter, I thought I'd share the latest promotion from the Cayman Islands. For travel now through May 15, 2010 you can leave those winter coats at home and escape to the islands with the Get Warm package, offering a fifth night free on four-night-minimum stays at a range of accommodations, plus a complimentary trip for two to Stingray City, and a special two-tank dive offer at select dive shops around the islands.

To sweeten the deal, the Cayman Islands has also put together a new Get Warm contest that just might get you there for free. To enter, just surf over to http://getwarm.ky and enter your favorite frosty photo that shows why you need an island escape this winter; Ten finalists will be put to a vote to determine who will win a trip for four.

For now, check out this new promotional video from the Cayman Islands to get in the spirit...

Then surf over to http://getwarm.ky for more info on the Get Warm promotion (you'll need to book by March 31, 2010 to take advantage). Don't forget to share your trip photos on our Facebook page when you return!

Send Us a Postcard

From our wallpaper gallery to our social media travel albums, CT+L is stocked with gorgeous Caribbean photos – but we're sure we aren't alone. Want to share your travel snapshots with the world? Post them to our Facebook page to get feedback from fellow island-hoppers, or email us your favorite island shot featuring our magazine and you may be chosen as our monthly postcard, like Hans and Lauren were in October, or baby Sara was this month.

Caribbean Travel + Life Photo Contest Winners

I just posted the Caribbean Travel + Life Photo Contest winner gallery to Scribd. Check out the feature below to see who took home the prize in the categories of Beaches, Scenic, Nature, People and Anything Goes – then surf over to our online gallery to see the Top 100 finalist photos. Your own photo entry could be among them!
 

Caribbean Travel + Life Photo Contest Gallery Can't wait till the spring to enter the photo contest again? Check out the new social media contest we're holding on our Facebook and Twitter page this month...just send us your favorite Caribbean vacation photo and you may win a 4-night all-inclusive stay at the Coconut Bay Beach Resort on St. Lucia! Just surf over to the contest page to learn more and to enter.

Coming to a Screensaver Near You

Our intrepid staff photographer Zach just returned from an 8-day jaunt between Puerto Rico's sister islands of Vieques and Culebra, and as usual he's gone out of his way to rub it in by flaunting his gorgeous photos around the office all week. He swears it's all work and no play out there on his shoots, but let's be honest...there isn't a cubicle or conference table to be seen for miles in this photo of Vieques' pristine Playa La Chiva. I'm not buying it, Zach.

But on the bright side, we have a ton of great new desktop wallpapers and photo galleries coming your way now – all thanks to the blood, sweat and tears of one man and his trusty camera. Stay tuned to the home page as we post all of these photos and more over the next few days. And don't forget to share your own Caribbean travel photos in our Facebook Fan Gallery.

Relive Your Nevis Vacation - Free

The lovely Nisbet Plantation on Nevis is offering a cool new way to capture your vacation memories: Guests of the luxury resort will now receive a complimentary Flip Mino mini-camcorder to use throughout their vacation. The uberportable cameras are easy to tote along from beach to excursion, and can record up to 60 minutes of video, so you can produce your own mini-movie just like this couple who recently stayed at Nisbet...



What to do with all that footage? When check-out rolls around, just transfer the video to your laptop via USB port, or hand it off to the guest services staff who will burn a keepsake DVD of your entire romantic stay for you. But, um...be careful what you record on that romantic getaway, ok? These are shared cameras.

Picture This

If a picture really is worth a thousand words, then we've started a pretty solid novel on our new Facebook page, with albums just posted from our recent trips to Antigua, Aruba, Belize and Montserrat. But there's definitely more to come, so for all of the photo fans out there, keep checking the page!

Our Photo Gallery

CT+L Photo Contest 2009

If the measure of a good photographer is having a decent point-and-shoot camera and an iPhoto album stuffed with candid snapshots that are only occasionally blurry, then I consider myself a regular Annie Liebowitz. Of course our photo editor, Zach, is usually quick to remind me that I'm not. But maybe you really are a great photographer. There's only one way to find out...

Send us your best Caribbean photos for the CT+L Photo Contest 2009, and you just might win the Grand Prize: a 6-night/7-day stay at the Verandah Resort & Spa on Antigua. We're also giving away round-trip tickets on Air Jamaica like it's Christmas, so you don't want to sit this contest out.





Click Here To Download
This year's categories include:

- Beaches
- Scenics
- People
- Nature
- Anything Goes (keep it clean and Caribbean-themed, people)

Just tear out the official entry card from the April issue, or right-click on the picture to download the PDF here...

Then cruise over to the 2008 contest page to see last year's winners.

PS: the deadline for entry is August 4, 2009 - so schedule that next vacation...I mean, um, photo shoot...right away.