Caribbean Travel + Life October Map

Grand Bahama

Tales From the Crypt

Great Abaco

Bimini

1

’Tis the season for haunting, and Barbados has a doozy of a tale. When plantation owner Thomas Chase died in 1812, he was laid to rest in the family vault near the village of Oistins. He had been predeceased by his two young daughters, and when pallbearers unsealed the tomb to place his coffin inside, the children’s caskets had been violently upended, though there was no evidence of a break-in. Every time the concrete-sealed tomb was reopened for subsequent interments, the coffins — weighing upwards of 700 pounds apiece — were found scattered around the room with nary a footprint on its sandy floor. After the vault was opened in 1820 to the same chaotic scene, it was finally abandoned and its restless occupants entombed elsewhere.

Nassau/ Paradise Island Andros

Great Exuma Long Island

Cuba

Cancún

Cozumel Riviera Maya

MEXICO

Cayman Islands

Costa Maya

Jamaica

Ambergris Caye

Belize Roatan Utila

Guanaja

Making Music

Guatemala Honduras

el salvador

Providencia Nicaragua

San Andrés

Hindu Shindig 2 October 17 marks Diwali on Trinidad, where 40 percent of the population is of Indian descent. A major event on the Hindu calendar and a national holiday in India, celebrations include the Diwali Nagar or “village of the festival of lights,” an exposition featuring performances of East Indian music and dance. Pick up saris and bangles, nosh on some samosas, and learn the ins and outs of the myriad Hindu gods. gotrinidadandtobago.com

3 Take your pick from two big music festivals this month: the Aruba Music Festival (aruba .com), October 9 and 10, where this year’s headliners include Earth, Wind & Fire and Mexican pop star Paulina Rubio; and the justly famous Dominica World Creole Music Festival, October 30 to November 1 (dominica.dm). If it’s Dominica that excites your ears, turn to page 62 and take your pick of a host of lodges and activities that make the Caribbean’s emerald isle so unique.

Costa Rica

Panama

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Caribbean Travel + Life

With the launch of Caribbean Travel + Life’s Affordable Caribbean on the Travel Channel, and a new website dedicated to the show (caribbeantravelmag.com/affordablecaribbean), it’s been a busy season. Flip to page 85 for the scoop on the hit show, then log on to caribbeantravelmag.com for articles about your favorite destinations and new contests that just might get you there for free. 

o ct o b e r

2009

ourcaribbean [ A geographical almanac of noteworthy happenings ]

Eleuthera Cat Island

Swim For It

San Salvador

5

Bermuda

On St. Croix, Elizabeth Armstrong, granddaughter of the founders of the venerable Buccaneer Resort, is the driving force behind the St. Croix Coral Reef Swim, now in its 14th year. Set for October 18, the five-mile race begins on Buck Island and ends at the Buccaneer. There’s a two-mile race as well. Your $95 entry fee goes to the Nature Conservancy’s program to protect the Virgin Islands’ coral reefs. Turn to page 52 for one writer’s thoughts on going native in St. Croix. swimrace.com.

Turks + Caicos

Great Inagua

not to scale

St. Thomas St. John

Culebra

British Virgin Islands

Vieques Haiti

Anguilla

Dominican Republic

St. Martin

Puerto Rico

St. Barts

5

Barbuda

St. Croix Saba St. Eustatius St. Kitts Nevis

In the Mix 4 Curaçao is a one-of-a-kind mash-up of Dutch, Spanish, African, West Indian, South American and Arawak influences. Dip into the melting pot at the Curaçao Culture, Cuisine & Heritage Fest 2009, through November 15 at island-wide venues. The festival offers walking tours, musical performances, restaurant and art-gallery discounts, and a “living history” show that brings 18th-century Curaçao to life. The Curaçao Now promotion, which runs through December 15, offers visitors a load of perks and discounts, along with airline, hotel and dining credits. For more info, check out curacao.com/now.

Guadeloupe

Montserrat

3

Dominica

Martinique St. Lucia barbados

Aruba

3

Antigua

1

St. Vincent + the Grenadines

Curaçao

4

Grenada

Bonaire

Tobago

Trinidad

2 Colombia

destinations

Aruba Belize

in this issue

C ARIBBEAN T RAVE L MA G . c o m

30 46

Curaçao 18



map by Lon tweeten

Venezuela

Dominica 62 Dominican Republic 44

Grenada Jamaica

Grand Cayman

Negril 50 Puerto Rico 48

22

26 36

St. Kitts USVI St. Croix

24 52

Caribbean Travel + Life

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