Apparently, the fountain of youth has been located, and it resides on the island of Dominica. Elizabeth Israel, a lifelong resident of Dominica, celebrated her 125th birthday on January 27 - the Guinness Book of World Records is investigating her recently uncovered baptismal records to confirm if she is the oldest person on the planet. As is the case with many Caribbean residents, Ms. Israel's world is as big as her island - only twice has she made the one-hour journey by car to Dominica's capital, Roseau. Once, when she was 50, to marry, and 75 years later, for the inauguration of the island's new prime minister last February, after she had emerged as a newfound local celebrity.
Speaking of elected officials, politics has been a dominant issue in the Caribbean for the last few months. In the Commonwealth of Dominica, voters tossed out Edison James and put into office Labor Party leader Rosie Douglas, a former Marxist who may shake up the island's increasingly tourism-dependent economy. St. Kitts-Nevis re-elected Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas, despite proposals for a Nevis secession and controversy over a drug lord that the twin-island nation had allowed to stick around (until just prior to the elections, when he was ceremoniously deported to the United States). Anguilla's year-old coalition government crumbled in a stand-off between Chief Minister Hubert Hughes and Finance Minister Victor Banks - the March election saw Hughes losing his majority and a political deadlock coming to an end. The Dominican Republic, Trinidad & Tobago, Surinam and Guyana are also facing elections in the near future.
But the most frustrating to observe has been the situation in Haiti, where scheduled elections were supposed to take place in November, then March, and (at this writing) have been postponed indefinitely by President René Préval. After he dissolved parliament in January 1999, the country has been at an impasse with Préval ruling by decree - Haiti's last election in 1997 was annulled due to fraud. It smells a bit as though Haiti has grown yet another dictator, though surely the obstacles involved in the electoral process are staggering - there are four million voters, at least 30 percent of whom have been unable to register (according to the Organization of American States). Meanwhile, interest-free World Bank loans and International Development Bank funds are frozen until elections occur, creating greater economic distress than usual. The value of the Haitian gourde has skidded to 21.5 to one U.S. dollar as the local market becomes increasingly apprehensive about the country's future. With protests percolating, travel to Haiti is probably unwise until after elections take place and a modicum of stability appears on the horizon.
Following two years of relative quiet, Montserrat's volcanic English Crater began growing a new lava dome last November. On March 20, the dome - which had grown several feet a day for four months - collapsed and sent pyroclastic flows of super-heated rock, ash and gas exploding down the slopes. While the violent eruption (the second biggest during the last five years of activity) posed no threat to Montserrat's residents - who live in the northern third of the island - it once again raises concerns about the future of this British colony. For more on the history of this situation, check R&R's Montserrat chapter - but, in short, the island is trying to build a tourism infrastructure based around volcano sightseeing. The recent activity makes life difficult for residents (ash clean-up is a bitch), and investors leery. We hope islanders cope with this latest set-back - because eventually, if the government plays its cards right, Montserrat will have a tourism "product" that is unlike any other in the region. Check out the Montserrat Volcano Observatory's web site with extensive background on and photos of the eruption: www.mvomrat.com.
By contrast, we visited Aruba recently. It's an island that tries hard to be the quintessential Caribbean destination, but has less personality than vanilla ice cream. In its favor is that everything runs smoothly and the visitor infrastructure is polished - it's a safe island (and we mean that in more ways than one). We like the fact that service is consistent and the local bus system serves tourists as well as locals, minimizing the need for a pricey rental car. But with little local culture in evidence, visitors are left with: a) a couple of great beaches lined with high-rise resorts, b) a thoroughly Americanized veneer that runs the gamut from Outback to Hooters to Hard Rock, and c) miserable sightseeing excursions in - your choice - big tour buses or in caravans of jeeps, that tour the featureless countryside in search of a view. Aruba is a good spot for travel neophytes who are leery of their first trip abroad, and for families, who want easy access to babysitting services and a variety of activities suitable for children.
We do have a couple of hotel finds to bring you from Aruba. Best new addition is the Sunset Blvd. Studios, a smart value that sits a half-mile north of busy Palm Beach, where all the high-rise resorts are located. The eight units face a sunny garden, just behind an oceanfront home; each is bright and has a fully equipped kitchenette, air conditioning and TV. One studio is located in front and offers ocean views and fine sunsets, while another is oversized and great for families. There is a small, attractive pool, while the beach is a ten-minute walk. The owners have small children and a menagerie of pets (you have been warned!); they also run a nearby windsurfing shop. Rates are CHEAP; reservations: (011-297) 863940.
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At the other end of the spectrum is the Radisson Aruba, which is set to reopen April 26 following a two-year, $55 million renovation. For the last few years, the nice, but less-than-spectacular Hyatt-Regency and Marriott resorts have battled it out for claim of Aruba's best, but after touring the partially-open Radisson, we think this newly revitalized property will give them a run for their money. The 358-room, 14-acre resort features a lush pool area with a pair of "zero entry" swimming pools (wheelchairs can just roll in), tropical birds, waterfalls, whirlpools, and a beach bar that salutes sunset each evening with a flag lowering and cannon blast (the fries served at happy hour are scrumptious). Standard rooms are the plushest on the island featuring rich colors and lots of pillows, minibars, marble baths, balconies with ocean views, and 24-hour room service. There is an Arabian-themed casino, a 15,000-square-foot meeting/convention facility, three restaurants, and the island's first full-service spa. On the downside, a meal at the hotel's first-open restaurant, Laguna, was disappointing with its overcooked stir-fry and the like, but we are told that Sunset Grille, the steak and seafoodery opening this month will be a better drawing card. Rates are VERY PRICEY, but check for summer discounts; reservations: (800) 333-3333.
On the other side of the Caribbean is an destination that one might consider the antithesis of Aruba: Jumby Bay Resort, a 300-acre private outpost located two miles off Antigua. Jumby Bay has endured several years worth of ups and downs courtesy of management and ownership changes. We visited Jumby Bay last year, before R&R went to press - just as we were ready to write a mixed review, the management team belly-flopped and the resort spent the rest of the year in limbo. Now, with Heinz Simonitsch (of Jamaica's Half Moon Bay and other establishments) acquiring the spot at the end of 1999, Jumby Bay may finally have found an owner to make it all work.
Returning guests will not see major physical changes, though air conditioning, phones and mini-bars have been added to the 50 suites and villas, and a children's playground has been built (children are now welcome to the resort year-round). Of the three types of accommodation, the most charming are cottages that dapple a grassy hillside, with octagonal bedrooms and four-poster beds. There are also junior suites in a two-story Spanish mission-style structure overlooking the water, and elegant two- and three-bedroom villas seemingly designed for first-rate house parties (we like the showers in these, fringed by indoor gardens and topped with a vast skylight). Jumby's main beach is a quarter-mile-long sprawl of brilliant white sand, while Pasture Bay is a nesting ground for endangered hawksbill turtles. Activities include water-skiing, snorkeling trips, tennis, and walking or bicycling on the island's three-mile path (there are no cars on the island - only a fleet of golf carts). You may be able to crash a game of croquet with one of the homeowners who reside here part-time (we were taught by homeowner Robin Leach, who otherwise bragged - erroneously - about how the resort was flying in Maine lobster daily and was working with British Airways to alter the flight plan for 747 take-offs, but then that's a story for the next edition of R&R). Rates are, of course, BEYOND BELIEF (the villas are even more, natch); reservations (800) 237-3237.
While we're on the subject of rest and relaxation, upcoming festivals and parties worth checking out include Antigua's 33rd Annual Sailing Week (see R&R, page 24 for detailed description, held this year April 30-May 6); Jamaica will celebrate its Carnival April 23-30 in Kingston, Ocho Rios and Montego Bay, while St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, gears up for its raucous Carnival in April, peaking May 1-6.
Finally, in the flurry of airline news to report last month we neglected to mention that Boston residents may now reach two Caribbean destinations via non-stop service. In addition to two daily TWA flights and four daily American Airlines flights to San Juan, American also added non-stop flights (four times a week) in February to St. Thomas in the USVI. While St. Thomas isn't exactly our favorite island paradise, St. John and the British Virgins are dynamite retreats, and but a hop, skip and jump away by ferry.
Next month: the latest news from our pending, undercover excursion to Jamaica. Ya mon!
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