Otherworldly natural beauty. It’s the kind of thing most people expect when visiting the Caribbean. Barbados largely exceeds such expectations, particularly along her western shores. Calm, gin-clear seas here bear an electric aqua blue hue that is positively mesmerizing; intoxicating. Got a soul that needs soothing? Fix your gaze on these waters for any spate of time. The sight may bring you to your knees, but don’t worry… You’ll be better than fine. Wish you were here in Barbados..? The post Brought to Your Knees in Barbados appeared first on Uncommon Caribbean ..read more

My preferred rental car choices while traveling in the Caribbean are anything but flashy. Ideally, they’re rugged, go-anywhere vehicles. Think Jeep Wranglers. Even when they’re not, though, my ideal rental is always a little beat-up. I’m talking vehicles bearing scratches, stains, and dents born of adventure and questionable choices. In short, I like island cars. Cars that blend in with the local scene. For the Mini Moke, though, I’d make an exception. You don’t see them darting around many of our islands these days. During 1960s and 70s, though, Mini Mokes were a top rental car option across ..read more

Despite its horrors, the COVID-19 pandemic yielded silver linings for many of us. We adopted new habits, traditions, and pursuits to get through the tough times. Often, these changes centered on self-improvement. More consistent exercise, healthier diet choices, less screen time, etc. The biggest such sea change for me was all about yoga, a fact that has me jonesing to check out the St Croix yoga retreats at The Feather Leaf Inn. While not completely new to me, yoga was definitely not a primary element of my normal pre-pandemic workout regime. You wouldn’t even call my practice sporadic as I ..read more

Just about every inch of Maracas Bay Beach in northern Trinidad is sweet. (It’s a point we’ve made a time or two before.) The section approaching the bay’s far eastern shoreline, though, is especially soothing. As the tide retreats here, waves dial down to a ripple. To sit in the soft sand here is to enjoy a uniquely holistic healing experience.  The steady shallow current works as natural massage, putting muscles, mind, and soul at ease. It’s an ideal sort if intertidal timeout. One that has me always checking in the tide charts whenever a Maracas Bay Beach lime is on my Trinidad travel ..read more

It doesn’t look like much of anything, right? Just a humble stone shed nestled amid some lush greenery in the peaceful surrounds of northern Barbados. This basic shed, though, is anything but ordinary. In fact, you can argue that it is the most important of all the edifices found at the famed Mount Gay Distillery. (Maybe.) This shed, you see, houses the Mount Gay Water Well. It’s no Zamzam Well in terms of age or sacred significance, though, the Mount Gay Well is plenty old. (At least by Caribbean standards.) Hand-dug way back in 1703, the 300-foot artesian well cuts through centuries-old lay ..read more

My love for the sweetly soft and tranquil start to each day in Frederiksted has been firmly established before. The “Second City” on my home island of St Croix is #1 for those of us who like to ease into the day. For me, F’sted’s tropically urban surrounds and distinctly Afro-Caribbean vibe make doing so particularly easy, satisfying. I’d always thought the experience was best enjoyed liming along the town’s peaceful waterfront park. A very special Frederiksted villa, though, changed my mind. This is the view that I enjoyed each morning of a recent weekend stay at the elegant Villa Regina Bel ..read more

Bewaring the ides of March (or any other day of the third month) is as instructive to me as it should’ve been to Julius Caesar. I, you see, suffer from spring allergies. Each year, around now, you’ll find me perpetually sneezing, snotting, and altogether feeling miserable. That is, you’ll find me enduring allergy agonies if I’m anywhere but the Caribbean. Somehow, all that blooms in the spring doesn’t affect me when I’m back home in the islands. At least not in a negative way. Naturally, I always try to squeeze a Caribbean getaway (or two) into my March. When I can’t, though, our Moment of Ze ..read more

Sometimes along our Caribbean journeys, we come across things that make us scratch our heads. Not in the usual wild sense of wonder kind of way that fascinates us. Oh no. The kind of head scratchers I’m referring to this time make us ask why. As in, “Why does this exist?” Such were my thoughts upon encountering Carib BLUE. What Is Carib BLUE? Launched in 2021, Carib BLUE is one of the newest products on offer from Trinidad-based Carib Brewery, Ltd. True to its name, each 275 milliliter bottle of the new lager is overwhelmingly blue. Glass, label, and beer cap are all blue with gold accents an ..read more

How much do you love coffee? Do you simply enjoy a casual  cuppa or two on the regular, or does your love go deeper? Do you obsess about the beans, maybe even going so far as to roast your own? Have you dabbled in different brewing techniques? Most importantly, have you engaged in coffee travel? That is, travel centered expressly on visiting a specific place renowned for crafting great java? If so, then Hacienda Lealtad is for you! That is to say, it gives off every indication that it is. I haven’t actually visited Hacienda Lealtad just yet. As a coffee fan myself, though, this place is ..read more

Toes in sand, drink in hand generally applies most everywhere we roam. Toes in the sea, bum on a boat, though, is altogether more appealing when visiting Islamorada. Like the rest of the Florida Keys, Islamorada is no beach paradise. I mean, you can (and should) check out the scant few stretches of sand that dot the island’s 6.699 square miles. The beach at Library Bench Park (MM 81.5), in particular, is nice. Still, it doesn’t hold a candle to our favorite Caribbean beaches. If you’re able to get out on a boat to an amazing Islamorada attraction like Alligator Reef, though, the Keys’ sand-be ..read more