Sarah's 2009 Caribbean Highlights

The new year is just around the corner, but before it arrives I'm taking a moment to reminisce about some of my favorite Caribbean adventures in 2009.

In January, I rode the rails – and enjoyed a killer rum punch – on the Sugar Train in St Kitts.


In April, I spent four days in San Juan munching my way through the Saborea Puerto Rico food festival and getting up close and personal with giant avocados.


In May, I did a six-day Jamaican road trip that took me from Port Antonio to Ochi, Mo'Bay and Negril, where the cliff divers at Rick's Cafe demonstrated their prowess.


Come June, I discovered the bohemian pleasures of Tulum for the first time - and passed this this gargantuan furniture store display along the way.


Then in August I made my maiden voyage on crewed yacht charter through the BVIs, where we shot an episode of our TV show, CT+L's Affordable Caribbean.


I squeezed in a whistle-stop trip back to Jamaica in November, staying just long enough to enjoy a heaping plate of ackee and saltfish, the island's national dish.



My final jaunt of 2009 was to Provo in the Turks and Caicos Islands in December. Beautiful beaches, luxury resorts: what's not to love?



Where did your Caribbean travels take you in 2009?

Caribbean Escapes to Crave

I just posted the November 2009 feature "Your Heart's Desire" to our Scribd page, and man...what a way to spend a Monday afternoon: gazing at Tulum's picture perfect beaches, drooling over spa treatments at chic resorts on Anguilla and the BVI, and daydreaming of retreats à deux in the Turks & Caicos. It's amazing I can even stay focused long enough to post this blog.

To see what I mean, check out the full feature on Scribd – then let me know: when it comes to Caribbean vacations, what's your heart's desire?

 

Your Heart's Desire: 16 Caribbean Escapes to Crave

Best Fish Tacos Ever

From the second I set foot in Tulum I knew I'd be back. It's a total beach town, just the way you think a beach town should be - lazy, funky, not touristy or overbuilt, with friendly locals and an amazing beach. The kind of beach with sand like flour and so few people that you could land a plane on it. But what really completed the package was the fish tacos at Zamas (left), a rustic little hotel along the Tulum strip.

Senior Editor, Sarah Greaves Gabbadon and I heard they were good. Good doesn't cut it. They were incredible. I could've eaten them every day three times a day. Fresh local fish, perfectly spiced with authentic Mexican guacamole, and a splash of lime juice. All of it running down my arm as I shoved them in my face. Then there was the chelada (lime juice and beer) made with Mexican Sol cerveza, and, of course, an unobstructed view of the beach. I can't recall having a better lunch. Wow, I'm hungry.

My Life in Ruins

You know how sometimes you dream about going somewhere and then when you finally visit it doesn’t look half as beautiful as it did in all the photos? Tulum is definitely not one of those places.

As I found out much to my delight on my maiden journey there last week, photos you’ve seen of the seemingly endless stretches of bone-white sand and post-card perfect turquoise waters hardly do it justice. Tulum is even more enchanting in the flesh, and nowhere is this more evident than at the Mayan ruins in the off-the-grid Mexican oasis.


It was a blustery and rainy day when staff photographer Zach and I joined the throng of day-trippers traipsing the dirt road towards the centuries-old site, but when we finally reached the ruins’ famous cliffside Castillo it was every bit as stunning as it appears in photos, even in less-than-perfect weather. The ruins themselves are totally awe-inspiring (beats me how they built those complex structures entirely by hand) and as for the beach … well, put it this way: once I caught sight of it, I charged down the wooden staircase and plunged straight into the surf, even though I didn’t have a towel or change of clothes.


Despite my amateur photo-taking skills, I think you can appreciate the raw beauty of the scene. Trust me; as I sit here in the throes of yet another sticky South Florida summer, I’m seriously contemplating booking the next flight back.

In Search of the Perfect Margarita

Is it too much to ask for a good margarita... IN MEXICO?? Sure, the cocktail was supposedly invented in or near the country and is probably the most-ordered drink in these parts after good old cerveza. So why, in our journey up and down the Riviera Maya, have Sarah and I encountered so many ill-fated attempts?

We can't answer that, but we can tell you that Grand Velas' Frida restaurant (just outside Playa del Carmen) does it right. Not only did we have margaritas made to perfection (in guava, mango, cucumber, and traditional lime flavors), but they even wheeled a mini bar to our table and prepared them right in front of our watering mouths. Sarah wasn't up to the challenge of sampling all four (she can't hang), but she took a liking to the chili-salt rimmed glass that's a specialty of the house. It's a must-try.

We've moved on to Tulum, and after a long day of "information gathering," we're sorry to report we haven't yet found a margarita that can compete. We have a couple more days in Mexico, so lend us a hand. Where can we find an excelente margarita?

Sincerely,

Stumped South of the Border

Blue Tulum

Last week, I had the chance to check out the boutique Blue Tulum resort in the Riviera Maya. I'd never been to Tulum and was stoked to spend the week visiting the quiet beaches like El Paraiso, sampling the local food and of course exploring the nearby Maya ruins.

On arrival, I was excited to find that Tulum was just as I had hoped: a laid-back, ocean-front town dotted with eco- friendly inns and restaurants, and boasting just the right amount of authentic artisan shops to occasionally distract from the gorgeous beaches - where, admittedly, I spent most of my time. While easily accessible from the bustling spring break-haven of Cancún to the north, Tulum still felt like a world away. And I loved it.

But the most pleasant surprise on the trip was Blue Tulum itself. The 96-room all-inclusive resort was the largest such lodging that I came across in the area, but it somehow managed to feel quiet and personal, as if we were the only two guests there all week. (We definitely were not). The attentive staff did their part to keep that feeling going strong throughout the trip, essentially memorizing all of our favorites so we never even had to ask; By day two, I'm pretty sure every member of the staff - and probably everyone in town - knew I enjoy a champagne with brunch, a cabernet with dinner, and that yummy mint aromatherapy candle at turndown each evening. Having not one but two hot tubs in my ocean-view suite didn't hurt a bit, either.

FOR THE FAMILIES...

The resort recently added a new Kids Club program called BAAXAL PAALA (meaning "games for children"), including a range of indoor and outdoor activities like billiards, a large playground, XBOX 360 and more - plus childcare so mom and dad can go check out the town. And from what I saw while exploring the area, it will be one of the only resorts in Tulum to offer such services, so I definitely suggest checking it out for your next family vacation.

To view the resort's rates and availability, surf over to the Blue Tulum web site, then check out our Riviera Maya destination page for more information on the area.