Nevis Pirate Parrrrty

From Blackbeard and Calico Jack to Black Bart and Captain Kidd, pirates and the Caribbean go together like...well, pirates and rum.

For all their dastardly deeds, pirates were the rock stars of their time, and to commemorate the history and culture of these swashbucklers, the island of Nevis will be hosting a quirky new event twice this Fall: the Peppered Pickled Pirate Party! It's a mouthful to say, but the week-long event - slated for October 25 to 31 and again November 22 to 28 - will be packed with peppy pirate pastimes the whole family can enjoy. The celebration will unfold island-wide, including stops at some of our personal favorite hotels - Nisbet Plantation and Hermitage Plantation - and will include interactive games, beach barbecues, rum mixers (!!) and even pirate costume parties.

I don't know about you, but I'll use pretty much any excuse to dress up...throw in an eye patch and a sword and I'm definitely there. To join the festivities yourself, just log on to the official Peppered Pickled Pirate Party web site or email pppptnevis@live.com for more information.

Nevis Pirate Parrrrty

Air Jamaica Fall Sale

Jamaica on your mind? If you're ready to pull the trigger on booking your next vacation, you can take advantage of new low fares just announced on Air Jamaica this fall...just book by August 11 for travel September 6 to October 31. Sample round-trip fares to Montego Bay start at just $128 from Fort Lauderdale, $168 from Orlando or $198 from New York.

Check out the Air Jamaica web site site or call 800-523-5585 to book your trip...

Air Jamaica Fall Sale

Affordable Barbados...Take Two

Many of you missed the series premiere of our new TV show Affordable Caribbean on July 25, so we decided to replay the first episode - Affordable Barbados - this past weekend. But in case you still missed out, you can catch the webisodes here and on the official site - caribbeantravelmag.com/affordablecaribbean. Happy viewing!


The Crane Resort


Almond Resort


Sweetfield Manor


Harrison's Cave

Check out the Affordable Caribbean web site to watch even more webisodes like these...

Affordable Barbados...Take Two

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

Facebook Fan Frenzy Contest

We know you love our Caribbean contests, so I'm definitely stoked to announce the launch of our latest and greatest promotion - the Facebook Fan Frenzy sweepstakes! And this time, we've sweetened the deal by making your odds of winning stronger than ever.

Here's the deal...in addition to this web site, Caribbean Travel + Life has a Facebook page that gives us the chance to share our great Caribbean content with the social media community, and in turn it allows our readers and fans to actually interact with the editors, asking us questions and sharing travel stories, photos and advice.

The main Caribbean Travel + Life web site will always be our primary venue for sharing destination features, contests, travel news and deals, but we want to keep growing and improving our Facebook page, too! So help us get to 3,000 "fans" on Facebook and you'll be automatically entered to win a 5-day/4-night stay at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess and the Fairmont Southampton in Bermuda. That's it...as simple as logging in and clicking "be a fan."

For more information and to see the official rules, just surf over to the Facebook Fan Frenzy page, then spread the word. Even if you're already a fan of our page, you're still eligible to win! Good luck!

Facebook Fan Frenzy Contest

True Confessions of a Travel Junkie

It’s been about a month since I was last in the Caribbean (swanning along Mexico’s Riviera Maya reporting a variety of stories for upcoming issues) and I gotta say, I’m already itching to go back. My carry-on sized toiletries have been replenished, I’ve had the wonky wheel on my rollaboard suitcase replaced, and while it’s been great sleeping in my own bed for the last few weeks, jetting off to somewhere exciting and new sounds pretty good right about now.

Now the only question is, where to go?

Truth is, the decision belongs to our ed-in-chief, Dave, who gives all the editors marching orders according to our (many) individual talents and the magazine’s editorial schedule. I’m not sure where he plans to deploy me next, but on the off chance that he’s reading, here are some of the destinations at the top of my Caribbean wish list:

The British Virgin Islands
I’ve not yet been to this English territory, but I’m dying to experience the pleasure of wending my way through its 60-something isles and islets. I want to swim at The Baths on Virgin Gorda, snorkel off Cooper Island, and drop anchor for a cocktail (or two) at Foxy’s and The Soggy Dollar on Jost Van Dyke. (We’ll be featuring the BVI on an upcoming episode of our Affordable Caribbean TV show, so tune in and see for yourself what makes them so special.)

The Grenadines
One of the first articles I edited when I joined CT+L was a Day Trip (June/July 2007) about a day sail through the Grenadines. Baz Dreisinger’s account of her idyllic voyage from Union Island through the 600-islet chain that runs between St. Vincent and Grenada was instantly captivating, and her description of the Tobago Cays’ ocean floor being tiled with starfish is an image that has stayed with me ever since. Must. Go. Soon.

The Out Islands of the Bahamas
Unlike the rest of the CT+L team, I’m based in sunny South Florida, so you’d think I’d have been to this paradise that’s less than an hour’s flight away a million times, right? Wrong. For years I’ve had a vague idea that I wanted to one day tour the tiny outposts where deserted white- and pink-sand beaches seem to go on forever, but when our online editor Reagan returned and blogged about swimming with pigs off Big Majors Cay in the Exumas, I was sold.

I don’t know if I’ll make it to any of these places anytime soon, but I’m keeping hope alive. (Nudge-nudge, wink-wink, Dave.)

What about you? Which Caribbean destinations are you eyeing for your next trip?

True Confessions of a Travel Junkie

Affordable Caribbean Update

Had trouble viewing our new Affordable Caribbean television series on the Travel Channel? So has a handful of our readers and fans in certain markets across the country, and we wanted to let you know why.

First, as with most TV networks, the Travel Channel has two feeds of their broadcast each day...one for Eastern, Central and Mountain time zones and another for Pacific. With the dual feed system, our program is scheduled to air each Saturday at 8:00 AM in Eastern and Pacific time zones, but airs at 7:00 AM Central and 6:00 AM Mountain. To help make it a little more confusing, many satellite providers have chosen to air the program even earlier at 5:00 AM. Unfortunately, this feed system is the way of the television world...but in case you don't often find yourself awake and functioning before sunrise, as long as you own a DVR or VCR, you should still be able to record the show each week and view it at your leisure.

A second source of confusion is that the program hasn't been named properly in TV viewing guides, so when you check the listings for Saturdays at 8:00 AM Eastern, it doesn't say Affordable Caribbean. We're working with the Travel Channel to correct this, but for now it may unfortunately remain unnamed in guides and listings. Just tune in (or press record) at the appropriate hour for your time zone anyway, and you should see the show!

And one last heads-up about the airings: Some cable providers around the country may choose to shift the exact start time of the program, so in some markets the 8:00 AM Eastern airing may actually start at 7:59 AM, or even 8:02 AM. I know. TV definitely finds a way to keep us all guessing...makes you love the beautiful simplicity of our glossy print issues, doesn't it?

If you still have any trouble viewing the series, please contact us at this email and let us know your zip code and cable provider...from there we'll work to resolve the issue in your market area. And in the mean time, don't forget you can still watch webisodes here on the blog as well as on the official Affordable Caribbean web site anytime. Missed last weekend's episode on Affordable Antigua? Check it out...





Verandah Resort & Spa



Galley Bay Resort & Spa



Check out the official Affordable Caribbean web site for even more webisodes like these...

Affordable Caribbean Update

Save 40% in Bermuda

To celebrate Bermuda's 400th anniversary this year, the AAA Four Diamond Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa is offering a 40-percent savings on minimum four-night stays through March 31, 2010. But to cash in on the savings you have to act fast...the booking window ends tomorrow, August 5 at midnight.

Just log on to the Cambridge Beaches web site or call 800-468-7300 to book your trip, and use booking code CB4Day to lock in the low rates starting at just $183 per night double occupancy for a garden view room including daily breakfast and afternoon tea for two - a savings of at least $122 per night.

Save 40% in Bermuda

Win a Private Island Concert with Dave Matthews Band

The Caribbean is always jammin' with live music, from reggae and jazz fests to calypso and soca performances. But music fans will love the latest promotion from the U.S.-based Dave Matthews Band, which gives you the chance to win a 4 day/3 night cruise for two to Port Paradise in the Bahamas this fall, culminating in a private beachfront concert by the group.

The Bud Light-sponsored Port Paradise cruise departs from Port Canaveral, FL on October 23, but hurry - you have to enter the contest by midnight on August 27 to be eligible.

Check out the official rules and the Dave Matthews Band Port Paradise page to enter, then surf over to our own contest page for more great ways to win a Caribbean trip!

Win a Private Island Concert with Dave Matthews Band