Looking for a fresh island, off the beaten track for most American tourists? Curaçao has been engaged in a modest comeback, and may be just your cup of tea. Always one of the region's more cosmopolitan destinations, the island experienced emerging tourism back in the 1960s, but political and social unrest in 1969 slowed Curaçao's growth as a tourist destination. Since the island's massive oil refinery and other industries provided plenty of revenue and jobs, Curaçao was able to keep tourism on the economic back burner. In the 1990s, the government devoted renewed energy and focus to the tourism sector, and the island's luminous underwater scene has been a featured player. Compared against the other "ABC" islands, we think Curaçao is a good choice for travelers who seek Bonaire's superb diving but also want a shopping/nightlife/gambling scene without resorting to Aruba's Vegas-style infrastructure (more on Aruba next month after our upcoming visit).
Two major American hotel companies landed on Curaçao last December and are sure to increase the island's visibility through marketing and advertising. The biggest transformation is found at the Sheraton Curaçao Resort (formerly the Curaçao Casino Resort), a 197-room, beachfront hotel in a five-story complex. It overlooks a small beach tucked into the island's scenic rock cliffs. In preparation for the Sheraton affiliation, the resort's owners undertook a desperately needed $8 million renovation which redesigned the lobby and guest rooms, added 300 palm trees, a 6,000-square-foot "infinity" pool, a fitness center and new PADI five-star dive shop. Rates are VERY PRICEY (reservations: 800-325-3535). The other major gringo effort is the Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort (formerly the Sonesta Beach Resort), located just north of the island's power and desalination plant. Sonesta did a good job with this property for many years; the Marriott folks tell us they will do even better, targeting an upscale vacation crowd and a share of the island's business travelers. Rates are VERY PRICEY (reservations: 800-223-6388). We toured both of these properties just prior to their reopening and feel they are both worth a stay.
We like to use this newsletter for new hotels, especially those of the budget category that rely on word-of-mouth to establish a presence. One such find we made recently is on Tobago. The Cuffie River Nature Retreat is a ten-room inn built at the junction of the Cuffie and Prarie rivers, on a former cocoa estate located high in the mountains. Standard rooms have clay tile floors and simple, but appealing furnishings; there are also two "executive" rooms, which are large corner units. There is no air conditioning, but the breeze wafts through quite adequately. There's a decent restaurant serving indigenous fare and lots of forest to explore on foot. However, the nearest beach is a 20-minute drive. Rates are CHEAP (reservations: 868-660-0505).
Last month we promised some scoop about Air Jamaica's island-hopping plans. Curiously, the new service does not build on the airline's existing hub in Montego Bay, Jamaica, but creates a second hub on the island of Barbados, where a pair of 37-seat, Dash-8 aircraft (just like LIAT's), will stand at the ready starting April 11. Eastern Caribbean Express - a subsidiary of Air Jamaica Express - will offer flights from Barbados to four islands: Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent. The viability of this service will depend on where you live and which island is your destination. Since Air Jamaica has daily flights from JFK to Barbados, New York residents will probably benefit the most; the EC Express flights will shave at least an hour of travel time off typical itineraries on American (via San Juan). Residents of Los Angeles will also probably find trips to these four islands easier, using Air Jamaica to Kingston and on to Barbados (versus arduous routings on American through Miami and San Juan). As for other cities, have your travel agent compare fares and itineraries to see which airline and routing works best for you. Looking ahead a few months, in July, Air Jamaica Express, the Dash 8 service based out of Montego Bay, is scheduled to begin flights to Providenciales (Turks & Caicos), Port au Prince (Haiti), Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) and Havana (Cuba).
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Speaking of the city of angels, Air Jamaica is stepping up its presence with increased service out of LAX to Montego Bay and Kingston - to five flights weekly in April and six flights a week in June. Phoenix will see the debut of two Air Jamaica flights weekly starting June 15 - this gives Arizonans a way to gently cool off in the sunny Caribbean. Los Angeles and Phoenix residents will generally find Air Jamaica's service via Montego Bay to the islands mentioned above (plus Bonaire and the Caymans), more expedient than American Airlines' routings through Miami and/or San Juan. Air Jamaica (plus AJ Express and EC Express) reservations: 800-523-5585.
We are sad to report of the demise of American Eagle service to Martinique. Our understanding is that the airline has long used the ground staff of its parent company (American Airlines) at the Fort de France airport, but that last fall, American turned over the ground operations to American Eagle. In the process, American fired its staff and, as Martinique is a part of France, the result was - you guessed it - a strike. Subsequently, American Eagle has not been able to put into place a new staff since December.
We suspect American Eagle will start flying to Martinique again eventually, but since the year 2000 high season is all but lost, renewed service might not begin until just before winter. Until then, North American residents have several options, easiest of which is the daily flight on Air France from Miami to Martinique. We used this 737 jet service on our last trip to Martinique and found it preferable to a routing through San Juan on American, but ticket prices can be expensive. Alternatively, Air Guadeloupe flies almost daily from San Juan to Martinique, Air Martinique flies daily from St. Maarten, and LIAT flies daily from Antigua, St. Maarten and St. Lucia.
If you've read R&R's Barbados chapter, you already know we love the windsurfing facilities on offer at Club Mistral, but the affiliated hotel is much improved following a recent makeover. Fortunately, the Windsurf Beach Hotel, is still a great buy (rooms are just $50 a night in summer), but the owners also bought the down-on-its-heels inn next door and polished it. Now the Butterfly Beach Hotel is the nicer of the two side-by-side facilities which cater to windsurfers from around the world. The two hotels sit on a good beach; there is also a pool and basic restaurant. Rooms are CHEAP (reservations for both establishments: 246-428-9095. Club Mistral (246-428-7277) still offers windsurf rentals by the hour or day, and private or group lessons. U.K. Sailing Academy students are frequent guests.
This just in...Anguilla's posh Cap Juluca resort just told us that their previously announced reopening date - following the destruction from Hurricane Lenny - was overly optimistic. The hotel is now scheduled to be closed for an entire year, reopening November 1, 2000. Extensive flooding and building damage were compounded by serious beach erosion -- a recurring problem at this location -- and major efforts are underway to reclaim the sand on a more permanent basis. The storm's other big casualty, the Four Seasons Nevis, has not yet announced its official reopening date, but they are now taking reservations for November 1 as well. As with Cap Juluca, the elegant Four Seasons had extensive beach problems. Since big resorts like these operate with considerably reduced profits in the low season, it may also be true that insurance settlements may be more economical than trying to reopen in the summer or fall when it's hard to fill rooms. |
