Insel Air to begin Miami-Curacao flights
The Curacao Tourism Corp. said Curacao’s national carrier, Insel Air, will launch flights between Miami and Curacao on Friday.
Until the end of November, Insel Air will fly the route three times per week on Thursday, Friday and Sunday. In December, the flight frequency will increase to four times per week — Monday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.
The flights are operated with McDonnell Douglas MD 83 aircraft.
As an incentive to travelers, the Curacao Tourist Board is offering U.S. residents who book a flight on Insel Air a $100 air credit rebate. Travelers must stay a minimum of four nights in paid accommodations to receive the rebate. The incentive runs until Jan 15. The Airfare Rebate Form and instructions for redemption are available for download on Fly-InselAir.com
source: The Miami Herald
Plastic bag ban in Curacao
The ban on plastic shopping bags because of the damage they inflict on the environment has taken effect in Curaçao. Through good cooperation between the association of local supermarkets and the Island Government, among others, an information campaign was held and re-usable bags supplied. The question is when St. Maarten will follow suit. That plastic bags also constitute a big problem here was once again confirmed during the recent cleanup of five local beaches, when they greatly outnumbered the pieces of paper removed. Preliminary results of an online survey conducted by Sundial School students in any case indicated that the vast majority of the 90 respondents support a ban on plastic shopping bags. A total of 67 per cent favours charging for plastic shopping bags to encourage the use of “green” bags, while 87 per cent fancies a reward for reusing shopping bags and 77 per cent supports an outright ban on free plastic bags. In Curaçao the new, durable shopping bags are sold at cost price for one guilder, considered the consumer’s contribution to safeguarding the environment. Of course, people can also bring their own non-plastic bags. The complaints there have been minimal so far. One rule is that people coming with their own bags most fold them to make clear they are empty, so there is no confusion between what was already inside and what was purchased inside the supermarket. It’s also important to have enough durable bags available, although empty carton boxes at the supermarkets and bags people bring from home can make quite a difference. The Executive Council of St. Maarten has been talking for some time about a possible plastic ban here too, but so far there is no indication as to when this can be achieved. It appears the cooperation between the food stores and government that was essential in preparing and introducing the ban in Curaçao has not really gotten off the ground here, at least not yet. There is no time to lose, however. The longer it is delayed, the greater the damage to nature and as a result the scenery that helps to make the island such a favoured destination. Surely, while preparation time is no doubt needed, the parties involved should be able to learn from Curaçao’s experience and use that to introduce a plastic bag ban here in the very short term.
Source: The Daily Herald
In Latin America, leftist leaders evict US drug warriors
Mexico City – Bolivia has given US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officers three months to leave the country – claiming that agents were stirring up political strife in the deeply divided nation.
This fall, Ecuadorians voted yes to a new Constitution that calls for the closure by next year of one of the most important US operations in its war against drugs.
And for the fourth year in a row, Venezuela was singled out by President Bush – as was Bolivia for the first time – for having “failed demonstrably” in antidrug cooperation.
The US has long had a presence in Latin America to stem the northward drug flow; Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia are the world’s largest cocaine producers. The US still boasts strong partnerships with many countries, such as Colombia and Mexico. But in others, particularly those led by leftists who have risen in collective condemnation of Washington, leaders are increasingly severing ties.
Their push for more self-determination could represent an opportunity to improve a strategy seen by many as a failure, says Kathryn Ledebur, director of the Andean Information Network in Bolivia.
But Roger Noriega, a former assistant secretary of State for western hemisphere affairs, takes a dimmer view. Moves like Bolivia’s expulsion of DEA agents could have an impact on US intelligence-gathering capabilities, he says, but they also appear to weaken some countries’ commitment to fighting drug production. “Drug cartels and all the illicit behavior – even the damage done to the environment by drug production – is a transnational challenge that requires international cooperation,” he says.
Early this month, Bolivian President Evo Morales, the nation’s first indigenous leader who rose to power as head of the coca grower’s federation, expelled the DEA, claiming that agents were stoking divisions in a country already violently divided over a new Constitution that seeks more state control over energy resources and more recognition for the indigenous.
“There were DEA agents who worked to conduct political espionage and to fund criminal groups so they could launch attacks on the lives of authorities, if not the president,” Mr. Morales said last week
The DEA calls the claims baseless. “We go after drug traffickers.… We don’t get involved in things outside our lane,” says Garrison Courtney, spokesperson for the DEA. “These are really silly accusations.”
The DEA presence in Venezuela has also been dramatically reduced in the past 18 months, according to State Department officials who characterize the reduction as evidence of Venezuela’s weak support for international antinarcotics effort.
And Ecuador announced it will not renew the 10-year lease at the Manta airbase, one of the US’s most significant operation zones in the region since 1999. President Rafael Correa, who promised in his campaign to close the base, calls it a matter of reciprocity. During a visit to Italy last year, he joked that if the US wanted its base, it would have to allow an Ecuadorian base in Miami.
The closure of Manta “will leave a serious gap in our abilities to monitor antinarcotics operations in the eastern Pacific,” says one administration official who declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak on the record.
Today, an average of 150 US military and civilians are stationed in Manta, and in 2007, some 1,100 counternarcotics missions were launched, says Jose Ruiz, a spokesperson at US Southern Command (Southcom) in Miami. The Manta base missions are responsible for 60 percent of interdictions in the eastern Pacific.
Mr. Ruiz says Southcom will continue to operate out of El Salvador and Aruba and Curaçao – and partner with the US Navy and US Coast Guard.
While the closure may be a blow, the US still has a good working relationship with Ecuador, says Ruiz. US officials say cooperation in the rest of the region is also strong, and in some cases, such as Mexico and Central America, stronger than in the past. But relations with Venezuela and Bolivia have deteriorated to new lows.
During civil strife in Bolivia early this fall, Bolivia expelled US Ambassador Philip Goldberg, claiming he supported opposition leaders. Mr. Chavez followed suit by expelling Patrick Duddy, the US ambassador to Venezuela. Both countries were then singled out by President Bush for failure to cooperate in international antinarcotics efforts, and the US announced it would revoke trade benefits for Bolivia under the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA).
“Relations between Bolivia and the US have been severed in more ways than people understand,” says Eduardo Gamarra, a professor at Florida International University.
Some see an effort in Latin America to reassert national sovereignty. “[The] region as a whole has greater suspicion of US unilateralism,” says John Lindsay-Poland, codirector of the Fellowship of Reconciliation Task Force on Latin America and the Caribbean. “It’s a blow to the [old US] approach, and I do think it’s an opportunity to take a different tack.”
Whether geopolitically that can hold is another question, he notes. “The cost for asserting self-determination can be really high,” Mr. Lindsay-Poland says, pointing to the rescinding of Bolivia’s ATPDEA benefits, which could impact thousands of jobs.
Ms. Ledebur agrees there is an opening for fresh thinking. “The way the war on drugs has been structured in the Andean region hasn’t worked for anyone,” she says.
She condemns the conditions placed on US aid, saying it doesn’t address the poverty, for example, that often drives coca production.
Others say the US is too focused on supply, and needs to target demand in the US.
But Mr. Gamarra is dubious. “Any approach that we’ve used has not worked,” he says. “You can make the argument that … if only we had well-funded addiction-treatment programs in the US … [but] even that doesn’t work. Recidivism among addicts is very high, treatment is very expensive. We’ve gone around and around on this debate.”
On Thursday, Morales said that Bolivia can take over antidrug operations on its own. He recently announced that Bolivia had met its goal of eradicating 12,300 acres of illegal coca this year – the amount required under law. A UN report from June shows that coca crop cultivation in Bolivia increased by 5 percent in 2007 – compared with 27 percent in Colombia, which is among the US’s most loyal allies.
The impact of expelling the DEA will be more heavily felt in transit countries, such as Brazil and Argentina, as well as Europe, where the majority of cocaine from Bolivia heads. Less than 2 percent makes it to the US market, according to a State Department official familiar with counternarcotic programs in the region.
“It takes away our eyes and ears in country itself,” says Mr. Courtney. But he says through partnerships with other law enforcement agencies in the region, they will find their way around it. “The same thing happened in Venezuela; we work around it,” he noted.
By Sara Miller Llana, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
Van Lanschot Bankiers Acquires ING Private Banking Curacao
AMSTERDAM -(Dow Jones)- Van Lanschot Bankiers (30263.AE) Friday announced it has reached an agreement with ING Group’s (ING) ING Bank N.V. on the acquisition by Van Lanschot Bankiers (Curacao) N.V. of the private banking activities of ING Bank N.V. in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles.
Van Lanschot has had a presence in Curacao since 1976, offering private banking, asset management and trust services. The acquisition will enhance Van Lanschot Curacao’s client base and increase its assets under management.
Van Lanschot Bankiers and ING plan to effectively transfer the activities as early as this year. The acquisition will go ahead subject to the approval of the regulator, i.e. the Central Bank of the Netherlands Antilles.
Company web site: http://www.vanlanschot.org
39 reasons to go to the Caribbean this winter
This has not been a great year so far for the Caribbean tourism industry.
Seven named hurricanes have hit the region this fall, with Gustav and Omar wreaking the most damage. An earthquake registering 6.1 rocked parts of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.
And, of course, the global financial meltdown has made some North Americans increasingly skittish about taking a vacation this winter. What’s next — locusts?
Well, things haven’t gotten that bad, and in fact, with new hotels continuing to open, high-end resorts raising the bar on amenities, family-oriented getaways expanding their offerings and talented chefs starting restaurants that are transforming the region’s culinary scene, there are plenty of reasons for vacationers to seek some solace in the sand and surf of the Caribbean this winter.
Thirty-nine of them, in fact.
ANGUILLA
1 This home of famed upscale resorts like Cap Juluca and Cuisinart gets yet another big-name player in April when the Kor Group, whose Viceroy brand has planted its flag in places like Palm Springs, South Beach and the Riviera Maya, officially opens the Viceroy Anguilla, (1-800-357-1930; www.viceroyanguilla.com). Accommodations include a 486-square-foot room with an ocean view and a private pool. Rooms start at $550 a night. (Unless otherwise noted, all prices quoted are for double occupancy and for low season.)
ELVIS BEACH BAR
2 Does the Viceroy sound too posh for you? Then, for a bit of old-school-style Anguilla flavour, check out the new Elvis Beach Bar (264-476-0101; www.elvisbeachbar.net), a Class C racing sailboat that in 2007 was converted into a bar and restaurant, and features live music every weekend.
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
3 These neighbouring islands have been in the midst of a tourism boom. Among the additions to the local scene are a major expansion of Sandals Antigua Caribbean Village and the opening of the Lighthouse Bay Resort (1-888-836-5427; www.lighthousebayresort.com), on the pink sands of Barbuda’s Palm Beach, a narrow sandbar off the mainland in Lower Bay, right in the Caribbean. Rooms start at $679, with all meals included.
SCUBA TIME
4 On the southeast coast of Antigua, St. James’ Club and Villas opened its Mamora Bay Divers scuba centre (1-800-345-0356; www.scuba-antigua.com) last spring, giving guests of the secluded, 100-acre resort a chance to explore the marine life teeming around the reefs and shipwrecks off the coast. Dive packages start at $75.
BUFFALO SOLDIER
5 The Bob Marley legend may have been born in Jamaica, but it lives on in the Bahamas at the Marley Resort and Spa (242-702-2800; www.marley- resort.com), which was opened on Nassau Island in July by members of the Marley family. It has 16 luxury villas, an organic produce restaurant and an extensive spa. Rooms start at $450.
LOST CITY OF ATLANTIS
6 On Paradise Island, the Atlantis resort (1-888-877-7525; www.atlantis.com) unveiled a 497-room tower, Reef Atlantis, last December. It continues to burnish its eco-friendly reputation with the expansion of its Blue Tourism project: a collaborative effort aimed at studying and conserving natural reef habitats. Rooms at the tower start at $340 a night, with $10 from each booking going toward the conservation program. Of note: The Jonas Brothers — heartthrobs of the tween set — will appear at the resort Dec. 13.
DIVI-NE
7 Bigger is better seems to be the philosophy of the Divi Aruba Phoenix Beach Resort (1-800-367-3484; diviarubaphoenix.com), in the Palm Beach area of Aruba, which is more than doubling the size of its resort. It is adding a new complex of accommodations, restaurants, pools and landscaped grounds, giving it the largest room count on the island. Rooms in the new complex start at $350.
DINING
8 Visitors to Aruba also have a few new dining options. The 325-seat beachfront restaurant La Vista, at the Aruba Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino (297-586-9000; www.arubaplayground.com), features contemporary Italian fusion cuisine; and at the Old Man and the Sea (297-735-0840), in Savaneta, you can enjoy the catch of the day right on the beach or at the end of the pier.
BARBADOS
9 Long a playground for the rich and famous, Barbados continues to build upon and enhance its luxury offerings. The legendary Sandy Lane (866-444-4080; www.sandylane.com), a resort known for its celebrity clientele and for rates that start at $1,000 a night, has upgraded (if that’s possible) in the off-season, with the renovation of the Bajan Blue restaurant — with a different theme every evening — and of its spa.
NO NEED TO BE RICH AND FAMOUS
10 But what if you aren’t Mick Jagger? Or even K-Fed? Try the Settlers’ Beach Hotel (1-246-422-3052; www.settlersbeachhotel-.com), which just opened a beachside Italian restaurant and bar in February, Spago. Rooms at the hotel start at slightly less than those at Sandy Lane, at $134 a night.
ECO-FRIENDLY
11 On Barbados, the 267-room Almond Casuarina Beach Resort (246-620-3600; www.almondresorts.com), an eco-friendly resort that uses solar power, opened in May on Maxwell Beach after having been bought and rebuilt by Almond Resorts. There are 100 new rooms, new restaurants and new pools. Rooms start at $450 a night, with specials available through December.
PLACES FOR HIGH ROLLERS
12 Wall Streeters who still have a job in 2009 might want to celebrate in Virgin Gorda, at the new Aquamare Villas (787-61-2638; www.villaaquamare. com), a tiny, three-villa cluster on Mahone Bay. Each beachfront villa is 8,000 square feet, with three master bedrooms. As one might expect, such opulence doesn’t come cheap. “Discounted” introductory rates are available until Dec. 15: $12,500 a week. They jump to $25,000 a week during the holidays.
DOMINICA
13 Known above all for its rus- ticity, Dominica’s newest developments are characteristically nature-oriented and eco-minded. On the luxury end, opening in late January is Rosalie Bay — A Nature Resort (767-440-4439; www.rosaliebay.com). The 28-room boutique property is on a 22-acre plot along a black-sand beach that is a “prime nesting area” for endangered turtles, the hotel says. Introductory rates start at $200 a room until June 1, when turtle nesting season begins, and go up to $250.
COTTAGE COUNTRY
14 On Dominica, Sea Cliff Cottages (767-445-7008; www.dominica-cottages.com) has opened the fifth of its quaint, seriously affordable cottages perched on a cliff overlooking the beaches of Hodges Bay. Off-peak rates for a studio cottage start at $70 a night and increase to a whopping $90 a night during the winter season.
RESORT WITHIN A RESORT
15 Change has been coming to the Dominican Republic in recent years. First, five-star resorts transformed this longtime budget getaway; now, it is the “resort within a resort” concept, giving guests a sense of seclusion — often with private pools and restaurants while still offering all the resources of a bigger resort. Tiara, at the Club Med Punta Cana (1-809-686-5500; www.club-med.us) on the easternmost tip of the island is among them, a development geared toward families, offering a cluster of 32 spacious oceanfront suites and a private infinity pool and bar. Opened in May, it is part of a $34 million makeover that also includes a full service spa; an upgraded, more healthful menu; and a new mini-water park and upgraded skate park. Suites at the Tiara start at $3,010 for a seven-night stay, and including dining, drinks and activities.
SHOOT FOR THE MOON
16 Also in Punta Cana, look for the Moon Palace Casino, Golf and Spa Resort (1-800-635-1836; www.palaceresorts.com), opening in two phases in 2009, the first in January. When completed, it looks to be the largest resort in Punta Cana, with 2,103 rooms, with rates from $466 a night.
GO GREEN
17 Eco-tourists may want to check out the Cayman Diving Lodge (1-800-852-3483; www.divelodge.com), on the east end of Grand Cayman Island, which is set to open in March, and which management is claiming will be the first totally green building in the Grand Caymans. Built of recycled materials and powered by solar panels and a wind turbine, the lodge’s dive facilities are complemented by 12 rooms and 12 condos. Prices are not yet set.
LIGHTHOUSE POINT
18 Also coming to Grand Cayman, on West Bay, is Lighthouse Point (345-946-5658; www.lighthouse-point-cayman.com), another environmentally friendly resort that hopes to generate 17,000 watts of its own power daily. Condos and rentals are scheduled to open in March, starting at $2,800 a week.
GRENADA
19 British developer Peter de Savary is calling Grenada the new St. Tropez — in no small part because of the millions he is pouring into developing several properties on that famously rustic island. Among them is Mount Cinnamon, (1-866-720-2616; www.mountcinnamon-grenada.com), which opened last March on Grand Anse Beach. The resort climbs a quiet hillside that overlooks the sea and features an extensive spa, steeped in traditional West Indian remedies. Rooms start at $500.
LA SOURCE
20 Also on Grenada, an old favourite is back. LaSource (1-888-527-0044; www.theamazingholiday.com) has reopened this year after years of reconstruction following the wreckage caused by hurricane Ivan in 2004. Set on Pink Gin Beach on the island’s southwestern tip, the resort offers a relaxing atmosphere (no children under 16 are admitted most of the year), with room rates starting at $315 per person, including daily spa treatments and a host of outdoor activities.
VILLA ST. PIERRE
21 The intimate, nine-room Villa St. Pierre (596-596-786-845, www.hotel-villastpierre.com) is a recent addition to Martinique’s hotel scene, having opened just last month in the heart of historic St.-Pierre, which in 1902 was destroyed by the eruption of nearby Mount Pelee. Also coming to Martinique: Cap Macabou (596-742-424; www.capmacabou.com), a so-called “hotel de charge,” with 44 rooms, set to open this month.
RENOVATIONS
22 Although Guadeloupe won’t see much in the way of new accommodations this year, several established locations have undergone renovations for the coming season, as the island continues to modernize. Notable examples include the Blue Season Hotel Fleur D’Epee (590-5-904-000; www.hotel-fleur-depee.com), which recently renovated all its rooms and reconstructed its diving centre.
JAMAICA
23 Jamaica is experiencing staggering growth, with a bevy of new developments, particularly at the higher end, bringing hundreds of new rooms to the island. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any more extravagant, it did. On a lagoon near Port Antonio, Kanopi House (www.kanopihouse.com), sister property to the posh Kamalame in the Bahamas, opens Dec. 12, with 10-person-maximum suites running $5,000 a night.
IBEROSTAR
21 Also on Jamaica, Iberostar Hotels and Resorts (1-876-680-0000; www.iberostar.com), a Spanish resort chain, opened the first phase of its Rose Hall complex in Montego Bay in 2007, recently completed Phase 2 and expects to complete Phase 3 this month, bringing the total number of its rooms to 978. Rates start at $110 a person a night.
GRAND PALLADIUM
25 On the north shore of Jamaica, about 40 kilometres from Montego Bay near Lucea, two Grand Palladium resorts (1-876-620-0000; www.fiestahotel-group.com) — both claiming five stars, but relatively affordable — opened in July: the Grand Palladium Jamaica Resort and Spa, and the Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton Resort and Spa. Rooms for each start at around $200 a night.
CORAL
26 With just six rooms (each of which can accommodate four guests), the no-frills, beachside Coral Paradise Resort (1-877-267-2572; www.coralparadise.com) on Bonaire, is surely an antidote to the big-resort trend sweeping the rest of the Caribbean. But the resort, which opened in April, doesn’t stint on service, offering 24-hour shore-dive access, daily boat dives and next-door proximity to the popular Captain Don’s Habitat diving centre. At $160 a night for two guests (and $35 for each extra person in a room) in peak season, it’s also eminently affordable.
CURACAO
27 On Curacao, the largest of the Netherlands Antilles, the Renaissance Curacao Resort and Casino (599-9-435-5000; www.renaissancecuracao.com) is set to open Dec. 1 in Willemstad, making it one of the first full-service resorts to appear on Curacao since the early 1990s. The Renaissance sits on the waterfront at the 19th-century Rif Fort, which is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. Rooms start at $267.
WATER PARK
28 Families thinking about a vacation in Puerto Rico this winter might want to check out the new Coqui Water Park at El Conquistador Resort and Golden Door Spa (1-866-317-8932; www.elconresort.com), part of a $110 million renovation that was completed last February.
LA CONCHA
29 Just east of Old San Juan, in the beachside community of Condado, Puerto Rica, La Concha, a Renaissance Resort (787-721-7500; www.laconcharesort.com), reopened late last year after years of restoration and $220 million in reinvestment. The hotel, which first opened in 1958, has retained its trademark seashell-shaped restaurant, designed by Mario Salvatori.
RADISSON
30 Originally scheduled to open last summer, the Radisson St. Martin Resort (1-888-201-1718; www.radisson.com/ stmartin) is now set to open on Dec. 8 on the secluded beach cove of Anse Marcel, on the French side of the island. With 63 suites and 189 rooms, the resort will feature a beachfront restaurant, a tapas bar in the lobby and a 150-slip marina. Rooms start at limited introductory rates from 309 euros, about $393 at $1.30 to the euro.
LUXURY DINING
31 On St. Kitts, the Beach House Restaurant (869-469-5299; www.stkittsbeach-house.com) ramps up the luxury quotient on the local dining scene, offering panoramic views of Nevis, and a kitchen headed by George Reid, of Cap Juluca fame.
ST. JOHN WATERFRONT BISTRO
32 On St. John, stop in for a bite at the new St. John Waterfront Bistro (340-777-7755; www.thewaterfrontbistro.com), on Cruz Bay beach. Opened last February, this French-Caribbean hybrid offers items like poached Caribbean lobster tail with tomato-fennel broth, roasted sweet corn, leeks, crispy garlic and creamy white corn polenta.
ST. LUCIA
33 St. Lucia continues to attract developers looking to expand on the high-end of the market. The latest arrival: Cap Maison, (44-208-812-4734; www.capmaison.com), offering 50 luxury rooms and 22 private residences atop a seaside cliff in Cap Estate, overlooking a secluded beach. Rooms start at around $405 a night.
COVE AND SPA
34 Also on St. Lucia, Calabash Cove Resort and Spa (758-456-3500; www. calabashcove.com) opens its doors next month, offering oceanside accommodations at Mason Point overlooking Bonaire Bay. Rooms start at $295.
TURKS AND CAICOS
35 Usually a safe bet during hurricane season, parts of the Turks and Caicos were hit hard by hurricane Ike this summer. But the vast majority of the country’s resorts and most popular beaches received just a few bumps and bruises, and the damage was cleaned up quickly. Not only are the resorts on track, there are several new offerings this year — unsurprising, given the island’s meteoric rise as a hot vacation spot. Among them: the Grace Bay Club, which in February is opening the Estate (649-946-8323; www.estateatgracebay-club.com), a group of 22 residences, as part of its $250 million expansion and renovation; the 22-acre Seven Stars Resort (1-866-570-7777; www.sevenstarsresort.com) on Grace Bay beach, which opened in July; and the Nikki Beach Resort (649-941-3747; www.nikkibeachhotels.com/turks), a 432-acre gated resort that opened in April and that now includes the Turks and Caicos Yacht Club Marina, able to accommodate megayachts, with 110 slips.
ITALIAN VILLAGE
36 Due to open in January at the Beaches Turks and Caicos (649-946-8000; www.beaches.com) is the $125 million Italian Village. It features 162 luxury family suites and a renovated 45,000-square-foot waterpark.
ST. BARTS
37 Well-heeled travellers have long considered St. Barts their winter playground, with a popular getaway being the 14-room Carl Gustaf Hotel (590-297-900; www.hotelcarlgustaf.com), where a seven-room villa can go for as much as 48,000 euros a night. This December, this swank hotel is opening a new restaurant, Victoria’s, headed up by Emmanuel Motte, who plans to infuse his traditional French cuisine with Caribbean and lighter Asian fare. The hotel has also completely refurbished its popular Carl Gustaf Lounge and added a new Boutique Spa by Carita, created by the sisters behind the deluxe Carita spa in Paris.
TOBAGO
38On Tobago, the Bacolet Beach Club (1-868-639-2357; www.bacoletbeachclub.com), which opened in June, is being billed as an exclusive boutique with an Asian-Cuban restaurant. Rooms start at $190. Just a few minutes away, a multimillion-dollar expansion of Scarborough Jetty was completed last December, and it can now accommodate Voyager-class ships (which hold up to 3,114 passengers), and should raise Tobago’s profile as a vacation destination.
WATER ISLAND
39 Despite the name, the Virgin Islands Campground (1-877-502-7225; www.virginislandscampground.com) on Water Island, just off Charlotte Amalie, is actually an affordable collection of eco-friendly, wood-frame-and-canvas cottages overlooking the sea. It is adding two cottages, for a total of seven, by Dec. 1, and plans to have 12 a year later. They use wind-generated electricity and have a solar-heated hot tub. Rates start at $75 a night.
Austin Considine
The New York Times