Caribbean Living Winter 2017/2018

Hello My friends, What a year this has been. Ten years of Caribbean living and we are starting 2018 with a ton of enthusiasm! Our 10th year was filled with the highs and lows of our friends throughout the Caribbean. We rode the waves of joy and those of pain and loss. We know that this year will be one of moving forward and rebuilding. We held off our anniversary celebration considering all that has happened this year. Look out for the anniversary party in 2018 though. This issue brings some new and noteworthy goings on in Jamaica and Trinidad. Ava’s Dates Not to Miss are a concise roundup of what’s on in the islands the next three months. Get your agendas out and start planning. There are a few…

ANDREW INNERARITY Director of Photography It’s all about triggering emotion via imagery. When I convey the very essence of a situation with a single photograph, then I am complete, because the viewer understands more than the moment, they know the situation. Danielle Krause Contributor Exploring the fascinating variety of this exquisitely beautiful blue planet nourishes and fulfills my spirit. Being able to delight and inspire you, by sharing some of these travel gems is an even greater gift. Enjoy!' ROBIN SUBAR Contributor I'm a photojournalist in the Chicago area and a regular contributor to many luxury lifestyle magazines. I've lived in Madrid and Sydney and traveled extensively throughout Europe, Central America, Mexico, Caribbean, Middle East, Australia, New Zealand and Southeast and Northeast Asia. I live my life by a Susan…

The Caribbean remains strong and resilient this winter. Whether recovering from the summer’s storms or focusing on moving upward and onward, with Caribbean living, there are ten things we can count on: 1. Islanders are there for each other 2. Sunny smiles 3. Balmy breezes 4. Observance of holy holidays 5. Scrumptious seafood 6. Cool coconut water 7. Activities at sea 8. Activities on shore 9. Beauty reigns 10. Carnival is here! JANUARY Curaçao heads up the month with one of the longest and largest carnival celebrations at the grand opening of Curaçao Carnival Village, January 6. St. Lucia offers up its fishermen’s fresh catch each Friday, with melodic Caribbean melodies in the background. Fresh shrimp, octopus, squid, and lobster are just a few of the savory fare available on…

Jamaica Couples cozy up this winter at an all-inclusive that elevates the term inclusive. Couples Tower Isle launches Oasis Spa Villas and sets the standard with a new first for the Caribbean– unlimited, all-inclusive spa treatments. That’s right – travel just got a whole lot more spa-licious! With unlimited massages, facials and mani-pedis, the array of relaxation and rejuvenation techniques are abundant and fully accessible. Luxuriate in the tranquility of the spa or opt to have treatments en suite or even beachside on the pristine white sands. The combinations and possibilities are endless. So, escape with that special someone and rest assured that the mood during your next island stay will be perfectly pampered and sensually soothing, with a reservation in the Oasis Spa Villas at Couples Tower Isle –…

The year was 2017…the year that a storm came to the shores and mountains and valleys of this rich port and impacted its people, but did not define them. The year that definition started to take shape was 1493, when Christopher Columbus came ashore. This is when the island’s natural beauty and richness began to beckon others to its coasts and verdant lands. The typography of this Caribbean paradise made it so desirable and its new, stronger and more resilient bloodline, of Spanish, African, and indigenous Taíno and Carib Indian races that shared the island made it such an attractive part of the New World that over the years numerous unsuccessful attempts were made by the French, Dutch, and English to conquer the island. October 2017 proved to be another…

We get invited to a bevy of spas throughout the year, and those invitations are not taken for granted. Some spas are smaller than others, some offer treatments using local techniques and ingredients, others go for the sensory experience and even others touch on the spiritual aspects of massage and wellness. They all have warm places in our hearts. What seems to leave us a bit cold on some versus that warm fuzzy feeling we get with others is comfort. Stay with me here. I don’t mean the plush robes, rubbery slippers and dim lighting. I mean the level of comfort felt once checked-in to the spa, disrobed, re-robed and are free to the amenities to treatment. Has anyone else felt that almost paralytic feeling of having multiple thermal pools,…