Barbuda's Private Island Retreat

It's hard to deny the appeal of a private island vacation, but the pricy lodging and off-the-beaten-path transportation demands can be prohibitive for many island hoppers. This weekend, though, I hopped over to Antigua's sister island Barbuda for a 4-day escape at the serene Lighthouse Bay Resort, and I think I just may have stumbled upon a property that strikes a careful balance between private island exclusivity and affordable luxury. To be sure, the 9-room resort is not cheap (junior suites start at $1,000 per night double occupancy in low season) - but for what's included, it could be a justifiable splurge for many vacationers: The petite luxury resort occupies an uninterrupted 17-mile stretch of just about the most spectacular Caribbean beach I've ever seen, and the property is only accessible by boat or helicopter (round trip heli-transfers are complimentary for guests staying three nights or more). It doesn't get much more private than that. Also included in the rate are all meals, drinks and snacks and a smattering of beach and water sports options at your feet. Tomorrow, I'm off to check out the nearby Frigate Bird Sanctuary and then saddle up for some romantic horseback riding on the beach so I'll be sure to update more about my trip then. But for now, to read more about Lighthouse Bay and the island of Barbuda, just turn to Matt Phenix's Excursion piece from the latest issue.

Barbuda's Private Island Retreat

Best Caribbean Beach Towns

I just finished posting a feature - The Caribbean's Coolest Beach Towns - from the October issue to the site this afternoon, and it got me thinking that I've only been to two of our top picks myself: Cabarete, Dominican Republic and Negril, Jamaica. What about you...do you agree with our choices (also including Placencia, Belize and Rincón, Puerto Rico), or do you have another great Caribbean beach town in mind? Leave us a comment and let us know your favorite outposts in the Caribbean. As for me, I don't want to be left in the dark when it comes to the best beach towns, so it looks like I have some new trips to start planning...

Best Caribbean Beach Towns

Affordable Bahamas

Missed the premiere of Affordable Bahamas this weekend? Watch the webisode on the island chain's best beaches here, then surf over to the Affordable Caribbean web site to check out even more great clips from the show.

Affordable Bahamas

Name that Beach

Know how TV shows like Friends periodically run those episodes where everyone sits around on the couch and reminisces about days gone by? Like when Ross had that unfortunate incident with spray tanner? That way they can say it's a new show while they show you clips from old ones! Here I present my own gallery of "best-ofs," my own stroll down memory lane. We're going to play "guess that beach." I'll tell you the five countries pictured to the left; it's up to you to guess correctly which is which. Extra credit if you can guess exactly which beach it is that I was sinking my toes into five minutes after I snapped these shots. So, without further ado, let the guessing begin.

St. Kitts

St. Martin

Turks and Caicos

Barbados

Aruba

Name that Beach

It's Official: The Caribbean's Best Beach

Our intrepid photo editor Zach and deputy editor Matt just reported back from Barbuda with a bold declaration: After years of traveling the Caribbean and scoping out the region's top beaches, they've finally found the silkiest, dreamiest, most secluded and spectacular stretch of sand and shoreline in the Caribbean...


But don't take their word for it...hop over to Barbuda next time you're on the more popular sister island of Antigua and see for yourself. Still not convinced? Tell us your perfect Caribbean beach. If you need a little inspiration, just check out our Ultimate Beaches feature...

It's Official: The Caribbean's Best Beach

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.

My Life in Ruins

A Postcard From The Edge

Every once in a while you get back from a trip, click through the photos on your camera and think, “What the …?”


This was exactly my reaction as I sorted through my iPhoto album last night and came across this wacky snap, taken at James Bond Beach, just outside Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Zach and I were there scouting locations for the Beach Lover’s Guide to the island and went to check out JBB. There’d been a rollicking reggae show the night before that rocked until the wee hours, but from the pristine look of the place the morning after, you could hardly tell – except for this clothing vendor, who I presume needed to catch up on some shut-eye before leaving with her mannequins in tow. (I’m assuming that’s her dozing on the bench to the right, crutches at the ready.)

You expect to come back from a Caribbean jaunt with sundry shots of glowing sunsets, inviting beaches and other postcard-perfect vistas. But naked headless and armless mannequins? Not so much.

Have you captured any unexpected or quirky shots on your travels?

A Postcard From The Edge

In Search of the Perfect Beach

I’ve been around – when it comes to beaches, that is. In two years at CT+L I’ve surveyed my fair share of sands, from the brown-sugar grains of St. Lucia’s Anse Chastanet to the powdery stretch at Les Salines in St. Barts and Grenada’s tranquil Pink Gin beach.

But my favorite turns out to have been right under my nose. I lived in Jamaica for several years and spent many weekends on the beach in Negril, Montego Bay and Ocho Rios. But it wasn’t until last year, when photo editor Zach Stovall and I hit the road to report and shoot our Beach Lover’s Guide to Jamaica, that I discovered Port Antonio’s Frenchman’s Cove.

It would be hard to find a more physically perfect beach: a small but wide white-sand crescent set on lush acreage that’s lapped by calm, bathwater-warm sea. A river runs through the 48-acre property down to the surf and when the sun is at its peak, cooling off in its chilly, knee-deep waters is the ultimate refreshment. You pay $5 to get in, and the beach is rarely crowded. There are no water sports concessions or souvenir stalls, no loud music, and discreet signs advise that “horseplay” and “topless bathing etc” will not be tolerated. At lunchtime you place your order with waiters dressed in crisp black and white uniforms who set up a table spread with white linens next to your chaise and you dine right there on the sand.

If you ask me, a day at Frenchman’s is the very definition of bliss. I love that the vibe is relaxed and low-key but that you can sense a certain sophistication, too. It’s been a local favorite for years, and with improvements of the main road into Porty almost complete, it won’t be long before the rest of the world discovers this secluded gem.

So what about you? Where are your favorite places to spread a beach towel and what makes them so special?

In Search of the Perfect Beach