WELCOME to our first edition of Rum & Reggae's Caribbean monthly newsletter. We've been diving into the many press announcements that land on our desk every day, and combining it with our latest in-person island research to bring you an overview of the important developments that are taking place in the Caribbean.

While the goal here is to bring you several up-to-the minute reports from the Caribbean, this month we focus on Hurricane Lenny, which roughed up more than two dozen islands between November 17-19. Yes mon, you read correctly - two dozen! This storm was unusual for two reasons. First, its west-to-east course that took it from south of Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic) to the Virgin Islands, and then down toward St. Martin/St. Maarten and Antigua before unraveling in the Atlantic (most tropical storms typically form off the west coast of Africa and head into the Caribbean on a northwest track). The second was its appearance so late in the annual summer/fall hurricane season - a strong mid-November storm is peculiar and makes infrastructure and beach recovery before the winter tourism season difficult for hard-hit islands.

Lenny was a solid Category 4, and it was broad. Islands as far south as the ABCs (Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao) and the lower Windwards (south of St. Lucia) - which are located outside the typical hurricane belt and haven't experienced a major storm in decades - were reporting coastal damage from storm surge in Lenny's aftermath. This is due to rough seas on the usually placid leeward or western facing coasts. Most hurricanes come from the east and stir up the windward or Atlantic coasts. Here are some examples of Lenny's far-reaching impact. Captain Don's Habitat on Bonaire lost its boat dock, while Grenada's government claimed $260 million in damage (or perhaps they're angling for a bit of the relief fund pie?). But as big a problem as the storm itself has been some of the media coverage. Misinformation in national reports has under-reported the damage on a few islands, while overstating the difficulties faced by others. Here's what Caribbean vacationers should look for this winter.

Most of the islands impacted by Lenny will recover in a matter of days or, at most, weeks. This includes places like Puerto Rico, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, St. Kitts-Nevis, Antigua-Barbuda and islands to the south. For the next month or so, vegetation will appear scruffy (it grows back quickly), and many beaches will be smaller while Mother Nature replenishes sand that was sucked away by the storm (actually, some are larger for the moment). There are a few specific problems on some of these islands (see below), but otherwise you can safely plan a Christmas trip to these destinations.

The islands most severely impacted by Lenny were Anguilla, St. Barts, Saba and St. Martin/St. Maarten. The latter particularly suffered when the storm slowed to a crawl and hovered for hours. Although details are still sketchy for these three destinations, some of the resorts that were pummeled include: on Anguilla - Cap Juluca, the Sonesta, CoveCastles, Mariners, and the about-to-debut CuisinArt; on St. Martin/St. Maarten - La Samanna, Great Bay, Maho Bay and the Divi Little Bay. Each of these will be closed until after the first of the year. On Saba, Scout's Place lost its roof and will be closed until about February, when a new management team will take over. Other hotels on Saba will be operational before Christmas except for the Captain's Quarters, which still remains closed due to damage from 1998's Hurricane Georges. At this time, none of the major hotels on St. Barts are reporting structural damage and all expect to be open before Christmas. On Anguilla and St. Martin/St. Maarten, there is considerable beach erosion, though sand will reappear naturally over a period of months. Saba's deep dives are fine, though there is minor damage to shallow sites. Saba's Mt. Scenery trail is open. To any of the above destinations this winter, we suggest contacting your travel agent for more specific information.

Beyond these three, there is selective damage worth noting. St. Croix was grazed by Lenny and saw damage to its cruise ship pier and to the new casino that was under construction. But the island's worst hit came from media reports which fed misinformation to the masses and then seemed to lose interest in the storm when it headed east into non-U.S. waters. A massive clean-up of debris and vegetation is underway and St. Croix should be ready for visitors by early December. St. Thomas and St. John are reporting only cosmetic damage - the initial U.S. Virgin Island damage estimate is $31.5 million (compared to $2 billion following 1995's Hurricane Marilyn). On Nevis, the elegant Four Seasons Resort suffered extensive water damage and beach erosion. The resort has canceled bookings through February 29. St. Kitts lost its new cruise ship pier but hopes to be able to tender guests in at the old port.

Fortunately, Lenny isn't the thing worth reporting on this month. As the annual high season kicks into gear in December, there are quite a few new resorts to note. Jamaica has grown a second "adults only" all-inclusive for lascivious types, Hedonism III, located at Runaway Bay. One of the three swimming pools is au naturel, as is one of the two beaches (the see-through, four-story water slide that weaves through a disco will surely be a naughty point of convergence). For more about the appeal of this spot, look up Hedonism II in the Jamaica chapter of R&R. Reservations: (800) GO-SUPER.

Laid back Marie-Galante got its first resort this year when the 100-room La Cohoba opened on Folle Anse ("crazy bay" in French). Cohoba is not a luxury property, but promises a decent array of amenities, including kitchenettes in all rooms, tennis courts, good restaurant and a beautiful beach. We can't wait to use the moderate-priced Cohoba as our base for exploring this little known (by Americans) isle. Reservations: (800) 322-2223.

On St. Croix, the 146-room Divi Carina Bay opened on the island's relatively undeveloped east end last month - it's at the site of the Divi resort that was closed by Hurricane Hugo ten years ago. Of particular note is that this resort is scheduled to be home of the USVI's first casino - the same one that was blown away by Lenny (it should open in February, we're told). Reservations: (888) 464-3484.

The Pigeon Island isthmus on St. Lucia has sprouted a resort, the Hyatt Regency. The one-acre free-form swimming pool will be a terrific complement to the pretty beach, and features lush greenery, Jacuzzis, waterfalls and grottos. There are 300 rooms here in a variety of categories - we're aiming to stay at the ones with a private swim-up verandah. The hotel opens mid-January, and steep discounts are available well into the spring. Reservations: (800) 55-HYATT. Incidentally, Rosewood Resorts - the tasteful folks that manage Caneel Bay and Little Dix Bay in the Virgins - are constructing another hotel to open at Pigeon Island in late 2000.

A number of other hotels were supposed to be open for the season but their debuts have been postponed past January. Among them, the CuisinArt Resort and Spa in Anguilla, the Hilton Tobago, the Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall in Jamaica, Sandy Lane in Barbados, and Martineau Bay in Vieques. We'll bring you up-to-speed when there's more news to report.

Getting a flight into the Caribbean should be much easier. Airline access to the islands has increased and diversified at the end of 1999 (for the last few years American Airlines has handled more than 70 percent of the region's traffic). We hope the increased competition means airfares will be more reasonable this winter. Delta and TWA started daily service to St. Maarten from Atlanta and New York (Kennedy), respectively. St. Thomas is now served by United with weekend flights from Chicago and Washington (Dulles), while Continental provides nonstops to St. Thomas from Newark daily. Air Jamaica has instituted weekly flights to Bonaire from its Montego Bay hub and twice weekly flights to Grenada from both New York (Kennedy) and Montego Bay. American Eagle has started service from San Juan to Port au Prince, Haiti, and will begin flights into Vieques this spring. Finally, three cheers to TWA! The airline continues to loosen American's stranglehold on the tropics with a stepped up presence in San Juan, with new flights from Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Boston; and increased New York service, including flights to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic (the first scheduled jet service from the States to the D.R.'s best beaches). Stay tuned for additional TWA service to the islands.