ur last island trip took us to Antigua, where local politics are rife with rumors of sex, drugs and videotape, a young teenaged girl, and Prime Minister Lester Bird. The Bird family – a dynasty that has controlled the island's politics since 1976 – has a reputation for unseemly scandals of arms smuggling, money laundering and drug shipping, but this new controversy just might take the government down. The Miami Herald reports that Bird has launched a libel suit to deny a 14-year-old's videotaped claim that she had sex with the Prime Minister and his brother, and that she served as an intermediary for a cocaine shipment arriving in Antigua from Columbia. The incidents were reported in The Observer, the island's only independent news outlet, and now the video is in hot circulation around the island. The Observer has been all but put out of business while it defends the libel charges. Since we're primarily devoted to scoops of visitor information, if you want the low, low-down you can find it at: www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/americas/3478280.htm

On this visit we stayed at The Inn at English Harbour. In the past we've liked the 40-year-old inn for its slightly stuffy yet moderately priced air of British formality, but in 1999 the Addari family from Italy acquired the property. An upgrade was initiated that resulted in the beachfront cottages being torn down and replaced with a trio of Colonial style buildings set well back from the beach. The rooms are sprawling and bright, with jalousie windows, four-poster beds draped in mosquito netting, and balconies that overlook a broad lawn and infinity-lipped pool, and we had a satisfying dinner (still served on the hill overlooking the harbour). But we couldn't help but feel this place is sorely lacking in a guiding hand – son Mario Addari is well-meaning but has yet to locate a hands-on GM that this inn so desperately needs. Doubles from $224; reservations: 268-460-1014.

Harmony Hall is the beloved restaurant and art gallery run by Riccardo and Marilisa Parisi of Naples, Italy. (Italians seem to have taken a liking to this island.) Few know they have five beautifully appointed rooms for rent. Set below the 1843-era sugar mill on Antigua's east coast, each unit is adorned with original art, mosquito netting and mosaic shower; there is a pool for guests, or you can ask for a boat shuttle to nearby Green Island where vacant sands and fine snorkeling await. Before booking, keep in mind that Harmony Hall is a remote hideaway – a rough, 40-minute drive from either St. John's or English Harbour – and the only nearby restaurant is its own, which isn't cheap (but most usually faboo). Doubles are $150 including tax and breakfast, and they're open mid-November through mid-May only; reservations: 268-460-4120.

On this visit we were disappointed to encounter the sloppy ruckus taking place at Lashings Inn, formerly Sandhaven, a spot we previously recommended for its cheap beachfront rooms. The place is now owned by cricket legend Richie Richardson and Englishman David Folb, and they've put a lot more energy into creating a loud party bar than into running a hotel. The place is a mess, the rooms unkempt, and with the music playing well into the wee hours, don't count on getting much shut-eye (before dawn, that is). Perhaps this establishment's name is a not-so-subtle warning of what's ahead for guests? If you're in the market for a budget hangout on pricey Antigua, may we instead recommend the family-run Catamaran Hotel. Situated on Falmouth Harbour (next door to English Harbour), the 14-room inn faces a marina and small beach. Standard rooms are small apartments with kitchens, most of which have a water view from the shared balcony. Rooms don't have phones, but cell phones are rented for $10/day; basic watersports are offered on the sand, and good restaurants are within a 20-minute walk. Manager/owner Fiona Bailey is attentive and goes out of her way to share the best of Antigua with her guests. Doubles from $80; reservations: 268-460-1036.

t's no surprise that the Caribbean was walloped by post 9-11 travel jitters. For the 12 months ending December 2001, almost all destinations reported an overall downturn in tourist arrivals – the exceptions were Anguilla (which had scene-stealer Cap Juluca back open following a year-long hurricane rebuilding), Curaçao (which had several new hotels to promote) and Puerto Rico. But bookings grew after Christmas 2001, and a few islands actually managed to score a better winter season than the previous year. The winners: St. Vincent and the Grenadines which had 14 percent more overnight arrivals (January-April 2002) than the year before, followed by Montserrat (up 12 percent), Curaçao (up 10 percent), and Grenada (up 2 percent). Most islands showed a reduction in visitors, however, led by St. Maarten, whose numbers were down 16 percent from 2001 arrivals, followed by Cayman Islands (down 15 percent), Cuba (down 14 percent), and Jamaica (down 13 percent). Cruise arrivals were also reduced for most islands, with several big ships relocating to a newly built cruise docking facility in Belize City.

t. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands experienced a one-two-three-four punch from the cruise industry this year. St. Thomas has long been popular among the cruise ship set (perhaps the biggest reason we don't get excited about a visit to this island), but in 1996 St. Croix built a cruise ship pier in Frederiksted, gradually luring several port calls a week in winter months. But this past spring, Carnival Cruise Lines canceled 52 scheduled visits, followed by NCL's Norwegian Sky pulling out. In June, Holland America announced its new Zuiderdam would not be making its planned 36 port calls this season, and shortly thereafter Windstar announced it was withdrawing from St. Croix. Various reasons for the pull-out by the four cruise lines have been cited, with concerns about passenger safety and lack of demand for the destination heading the list. Industry pub Travel Weekly reports that the government has responded by allocating $250,000 for increased security measures including beefed-up police presence and surveillance cameras, and budgeted an extra $2 million to market St. Croix's tourism product. Of course, all it takes is one big hurricane to wipe out the facilities at one or two neighboring cruise ship ports before itineraries are reconsidered and St. Croix lands back on the map. Just how welcome will those passengers be? Until then, expect your welcome at local hotels to be more warm than usual.

t. Kitts finally becomes easier to reach this year, when US Airways adds once-weekly service to the island out of Philadelphia in December – this also makes sister island Nevis more attainable. (Hopefully, the airline's current financial woes won't effect this new service. However, we encourage any competition to American Airline's stranglehold on air traffic to the Caribbean.) Currently, despite an amply-sized runway, the most direct access to St. Kitts from North America is via San Juan on American Eagle. Air Jamaica is also considering adding jets out of its Montego Bay hub. Residents of Boston, Detroit, Chicago and Toronto should watch for charter service to St. Kitts that operates in winter (travel agents will have details).

On our last visit to St. Kitts, we noted that proposed tours aboard the wonderfully dilapidated “cane train” had great potential for the island's cruise ship passengers, particularly since the sugar cane fields are being phased out (see November 2001 Buzz). The narrow gauge railway was built in 1912 to haul harvested cane from the fields to the factory. Today's scenic tour will transport up to 280 visitors along a 30-mile circuit of the island, crossing 23 bridges and exploring the canopy of the rain forest. Although the tour is geared more for cruise ship passengers, we'll be sure to sign up on our next visit. The three-hour trip is priced $89.50 for adults, $44.75 for children, including refreshments.

hink we could get through a newsletter without at least once mentioning Cuba? Think again. The D.C.-based think tank, the Cuba Policy Foundation has released a study of how lifting the travel ban to the island would add as much as $1.9 billion to the U.S. economy. Yes, you read correctly, that's the American, not Cuban economy to which they are referring. Of course, we're still high on travel to Cuba, and recently discovered an appealing new tour operator to recommend: former CIA agent Philip Agee, who opened a travel agency in Cuba three years ago. The onetime spook, who lost his U.S. passport after the State Department's less-than-favorable evaluation of his best-selling espionage memoirs, sells guided tours to the island, and he says his bookings are up. Could it be how he emphasizes that, in the post 9-11 era, Cuba is probably a safer destination than most other places in the world, largely due to the government's anti-American stance (Cubans in general, we'd like to note, are generally quite enthusiastic to receive American visitors). Check his web site (which also offers tips on how to get around State Department entanglements) at: www.cubalinda.com

Meanwhile the battle on Capitol Hill regarding trade restrictions continues to heat up. Could we really be wending our way to Cuba legally by the time you come back for our winter newsletter? It seems difficult to imagine a truce that quickly, but as the last year has proven, things just aren't the same when it comes to travel and – especially – relations with other countries.

dds and ends: Barbados’ Coral Reef is currently undergoing another major remodeling which will tear down the last of its original rooms. When the hotel reopens this November, all of its accommodations will be top-drawer… We told you last edition how Carenage Bay on the little Grenadine island of Canouan had closed for “refurbishments” following the pull-out of Rosewood Hotels. Now comes news that the island's 42-room Italian-owned Tamarind Beach Hotel has reopened and is offering a 25 percent reduction in rates through October. Check the web site at: www.tamarindbeachhotel.com …On Nevis, Montpellier Plantation Inn was sold in the spring and reopens October 12 following a renovation. The new owners hope to retain the inn's character and charm, while backing off slightly from its upper-crusty British veneer. Also on Nevis, the long-in-the-works resurfacing of island's entire round-island road was also completed this summer… Scrubby, parched Anguilla is developing a $250 million golf course and resort near Rendezvous Bay West – the project won't be completed until 2005, so golf-phobics can still schedule a vacation without fear of being lobbed on the head with a ball for now… The Morgan Bay Resort in St. Lucia is no longer Wyndham affiliated. The 238-room hotel – never one of our faves – has been acquired by Antigua Resorts and renamed St. James's (like the chain's Antigua resort of the same name). In keeping with its increasing number of hotels spread around the region, the resort chain is changing its moniker to Elite Island Resorts, though a few of their properties (like the ghastly Royal Antiguan) seem the polar opposite of “elite”… Other airline news: US Airways is starting service to Grenada beginning December 21, and the airline has also applied for flight rights to three cities in the Dominican Republic (supplementing existing flights to Santo Domingo): Punta Cana, Puerto Plata and La Romana… Air Jamaica has re-introduced service to Antigua – from New York-JFK three times a week, along with daily flights from Montego Bay to Antigua…Delta will fly from Atlanta to Montego Bay starting November 1… The resuscitated Pan Am started serving San Juan, Puerto Rico from New York-Newark and Orlando on June 28… The new Nevis air terminal was opened in July, and Nevis Express now has a code-share agreement with US Airways via San Juan, a great arrangement for those who thought the island was a pain to reach.

Whew, that's enough for now! Stay cool – we'll be back in December, after a trip through the Virgin Islands at the height of hurricane season.

Alright!