MSN has a fine item posted on ten of the best Caribbean islands for folks who want to get away from the crowds. I’ve visited six of them: Bequia, Iles des Saintes, Dominica, Eleuthera, Anguilla, and Nevis. They’re all outstanding destinations for travellers looking to get away from it all.
BEQUIA: This is a delightful island south of St. Vincent that’s easily reached by ferry. Part of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the main town of Port Elizabeth has a super casual feel and is decorated with wildly colourful Bougainvillea and other flowering plants. Stroll along the Princess Margaret waterfront trail to Princess Margaret Beach, a fine stretch of sand that’s anchored by Jack’s Beach Bar. The Bequia Beach Hotel is a fabulous spot to stay.
ILES DES SAINTES: Part of the island nation of Guadeloupe, this pretty island group is home to Terre-de-Haut, which has beautiful bays and tall hills that offer remarkable ocean views. Take a hike to Fort Napoleon for terrific vistas, and stroll the town to find everything from baguettes to French perfume. It’s a short walk to a nice, palm-tree lined beach called Plage du Pompierre.
Les Iles de Saintes are a gorgeous set of islands that are part of Guadeloupe. This is Terre de Haut. Jim Byers Photo
DOMINICA: One of my fave islands on the planet, this is a natural paradise laced with tumbling waterfalls, deep green forests and natural hot springs. Take a short walk up the hill at Scotts Head for gobsmackingly beautiful views of mountains, a deep, quiet bay and the Caribbean Sea. Jungle Bay Resort is an exceptional place to stay, with excellent food and lovely, relaxing villas in a lush, tropical setting.
ELEUTHERA: I haven’t had the chance to spend the night, but I had an excellent day tour a few years ago. It’s a super chill spot that’s only a short ferry ride from bustling Nassau. Glass Window Bridge is a great spot to see the power of nature; with furious Atlantic waves on one side of a narrow peninsula and glassy, smooth Caribbean waters on the other. There’s a nice beach at Unique Village Resort, a casual but colourful and nice-looking spot on the Atlantic side of the island. Oh, rock star Lenny Kravitz hails from Eleuthera.
ANGUILLA: They say the beaches here are the best in the Caribbean. It’s hard to argue the point, as they are both stunning and plentiful. One of my faves is Meads Bay. Elodia’s Beach Bar is a great, casual spot on Shoal Bay Beach. Don’t miss a spiny lobster lunch at Scilly Cay, reachable from the mainland via a very short boat ride. Zemi Beach House and the Four Seasons are two of the top resorts.
Meads Bay Beach on the north shore of Anguilla. Jim Byers Photo
NEVIS: Another super quiet, tranquil spot with friendly locals. Most visitors arrive via a short ferry ride from nearby St. Kitts. The Four Seasons resort is a splendid property with a great beach and fabulous sunsets. Next door is a lively, casual bar called Sunshine’s, which is home to curious monkeys who love sipping your drink. The fave cocktail here is a potent rum drink called the Killer Bee. The Four Seasons also is home to a crazy beautiful golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. Hiking Ben Nevis mountain is a great way to burn off calories.
FIFTY WORLD WONDERS YOU MUST SEE: THE CN TOWER BUT NO BANFF?
As much as they did a nice job with their lesser-known Caribbean islands item, the MSN travel story on the world’s 50 most wondrous locations isn’t as good. There are some great choices, including the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Niagara Falls, Easter Island, the Grand Canyon, the Na Pali Coast on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, the Sydney Opera House, and the Pyramids of Giza.
The CN Tower in Toronto. Jim Byers Photo
But there are several baffling selections. I live in Toronto, and I have to tell you the CN Tower is not a top 50 world wonder. It’s a nice place to visit, and there are terrific views. But you can’t possibly rank it ahead of Banff, which is one of the world’s 10 most beautiful places but didn’t make the list. You also can’t rank the CN Tower ahead of Peggy’s Cove in Nova Scotia, or the city of St. John’s, Newfoundland, or the polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba.
Mount Rushmore in South Dakota is cool, but it’s not a top 50 world wonder. Ditto for the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. The Statue of Liberty is far more meaningful, and historic. Not to mention poignant given the current US president’s attitude toward immigrants.
Not only are there a couple of silly inclusions, but this list failed to include the incredible Swiss Alps, the Greek island of Santorini, or the wondrous museums of St. Petersburg, Russia. It’s all subjective, of course, but I think this list misses the mark in too many places.
THANK YOU TO AIR CANADA
Our daughter-in-law was on an Air Canada flight from Vancouver to Nanaimo this week with our son and their three young children and misplaced her cell phone. That’s a huge problem these days. Our son wasn’t sure what to do but called Air Canada and they suggested he file a claim online. He wasn’t convinced it would work, but within a few hours he got a note to say they had found the phone and that he could pick it up at the Vancouver airport. Given they have 12 days on Vancouver Island, he instead opted to have them ship the phone via FedEx. The system worked perfectly, and our daughter-in-law should have her phone back shortly. Thank you!
