ur most recent travels took us to St. Croix, to wrap up research for the Rum & Reggae’s Virgin Islands guidebook (hot off the press and available at a bookstore near you in late summer). An air of pessimism pervades as the island is still reeling from the cruise ship pull-out that occurred last year. Our sources tell us the four cruise lines that stopped calling on the island did so as a way of standing up to the USVI government, which was waffling on an agreement to build a new cruise facility on St. Thomas. Since St. Thomas is one of the region’s more sought-after cruise ship stops, the cruise lines made their point by taking St. Croix off the itineraries. About half the shops, restaurants, and tour operators have shut down in quaint little Frederiksted (where the cruise ship pier is located) since our last visit.

But life bustles with a gentle hum in Christiansted, where most of St. Croix’s businesses are located, and we still find the pace of this island to be enjoyable and relaxed. We enjoyed touring the Cormorant Beach Club, the newest of St. Croix’s three gay-friendly accommodations. It’s located on a good stretch of sand, two miles west of Christiansted, and 34 rooms in two- and three-story blocks line the beach. There’s a pretty pool, a bar, and the restaurant is surprisingly good. The ambience is friendly and we think this is probably the best gay operation in the islands. For reservations, call 800-548-4460; or visit www.cormorant-stcroix.com.

n this trip, we also took time to swing by Vieques, where the U.S. Navy had indeed lived up to its promise to vacate the island on May 1, 2003. As you may recall, almost two-thirds of the island was used for training purposes by the Navy, including the use of live ordnance (meaning real bombs). A few years ago, one civilian was killed and four injured in an accident that helped foment the local resistance movement. Much of the former military base is open to the public today, and gorgeous beaches await. Some of these haven’t seen civilian feet for decades, and today Vieques, located seven miles east of Puerto Rico, is buzzing with activity. The bioluminescent bay - possibly the world’s finest - is a magical experience, and there’s a surprisingly active restaurant scene. Local fingers are crossed that American Eagle will be making the short hop from San Juan starting this fall. If you are interested in Caribbean real estate with a U.S. pedigree, you’d better hurry. Time is running out for good deals on Vieques.

But the most notable news has to do with the long-awaited Martineau Bay Resort, a 156-room development just east of the airport that is finally open for business, under the Wyndham name. It’s the island’s first real resort, and by far its biggest operation. You might remember how the hotel was supposed to debut in 2000, but a fallout between the developer and the Rosewood Hotel company meant the nearly completed resort sat idle for three years while the players fought it out in court. The legal snafus were conquered late last year, and Wyndham moved quickly to get the resort open. Our report: The hotel sits on a pair of good, if small beaches, and the property is nicely self-contained. Rooms are huge – larger than a junior suite – and exquisitely appointed in the custom furnishings Rosewood had designed especially for the property; the bathtub open to the bedroom is a sexy touch. The spa should be open by the time you read this, and a casino is slated to debut later in the year. However, Wyndham has lots of kinks to work out: the staff is still deep in training, there is a good portion of rooms not ready to open, and the pricey food at the restaurant (which we did not try) gets universal pans from everyone on the island. Still, for the time being you can still get rooms for under $125 a night - an amazing bargain, considering this is an $80 million resort - while Wyndham irons out the problems and builds name recognition for the property. We expect that by this winter, Martineau Bay will be ready for prime time, but until then, proceed with caution.

nother hot spot to be (literally) is Kick ‘em Jenny, in the Grenadines. In March, a remote-control submarine made an unusual journey to the sea floor between Grenada and sister island Carriacou. The goal: to map the crater of the undersea volcano located five miles north of Grenada that has erupted on-and-off for centuries. Most of the historical activity of Kick ‘em Jenny has been recorded by acoustic and seismograph signals, but two events - in 1939 and 1965 - produced tsunamis that reached Barbados, a hundred miles away. On our last visit to Grenada, we discovered a monitoring station had been set up on the island’s north shore, in hope of providing an early warning of a tsunami or other destructive event. And the volcano is indeed growing - in 1962 its summit was estimated at lying 771 feet below sea level; 20 years later the elevation had grown to within 525 feet of the surface. Perhaps within our lifetimes Kick ‘em Jenny will be a hot new Caribbean destination?

n Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands, Rosewood has opened a new 5,200-square-foot spa at Little Dix Bay, which we toured while it was still under construction last fall. The facility is located at the west end of the property, on a 100-foot-high bluff with views that encompass a panoply of deserted islands on the horizon - the open design reminds us of Rosewood’s other significant spa resort, Las Ventanas al Paraiso in Los Cabos, minus the Mexican influences. With walls of hand-set pebbles, coral stone pathways and a reception desk made of driftwood, the atmosphere emphasizes the island’s natural environment, building on Laurance Rockefeller’s original design concept: to bring the outside in. The focal point is a two-tier plunge pool, accented by boulders and an infinity edge - a stone path leads from the pool down to a tiny, “untouched” beach. In addition to nine treatment cottages, there’s a spa day suite, for private treatments for one or two. It has an open wall for unimpeded sea views, and contains its own plunge pool, dining area and bathroom with outdoor shower - the spa suite can be rented for up to eight hours. Fifteen different massages are featured at Little Dix Bay, plus eight Caribbean-accented treatments like the Neem Leaf Facial, the Bay Rum Body Revitalizer and the Goat Milk and Honey Wrap. Reservations: 800-928-3000.

e recently told you about Grand Cayman’s plans for Shipwreck City, and now tiny St. Eustatius is stepping up to the plate with plans to sink a 300-foot-long ship and create an artificial reef and tourist attraction. Of course, Statia (as it’s best known) already has a collection of quietly disintegrating wrecks. We’re told that there are more than 200, left over from the days when the island was the region’s major hub for slave trading. These wooden-hulled vessels are mostly gone, but many of the trinkets provide an archeological thrill for divers. More info can be found at www.statiapark.org/artreef/charlesbrown.html.

ne of our favorite lunch hangouts is Harmony Hall, on the remote east coast of Antigua. The site is a much-beloved restaurant and Caribbean-focused art gallery. Every corner of the sunny terrace is full on Sundays - at least November through May, when Harmony Hall is open for business. Alas, we hear the owners, despite the success of their venture, have decided to put the property on the market. The similarly named (and owned) restaurant in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, remains open for business.

peaking of Jamaica, Half Moon Resort just embarked on a five-month renovation project, scheduled to be complete by the end of November. The original rooms - now 50 years old - are being leveled and replaced with new units, while the beach bar that was closed a few years back will get a facelift, and the golf course will also see a refurbishing. Many of the resort’s rooms are open during the construction; for reservations, call 800-626-0592. Other resort updates: Hyatt Hotels has scheduled a July 15 close for the Hyatt Regency Cerromar Resort in Puerto Rico. The company says the “general business climate and proliferation of newer and more modern competitors” caused the decision, and the company is looking at turning the property - built in 1972 by Laurance Rockefeller - into a timeshare property. This is very unfortunate, as Cerromar is a great spot for families and golfers. Island insiders, however, say that Hyatt’s move is a way of booting out costly union labor. Hyatt’s Dorado Beach is not affected by the move.

ne of the region’s most welcoming managers has been Antigua-born Hamish Watson, who has overseen the operation at Cobbler’s Cove on Barbados for 15 years. It is with a dash of sadness that we report he has decided to move on, but with no small amount of glee that we mention he will now be at the helm of the island’s Crane Beach Hotel, which has been dramatically rebuilt on the cliff overlooking the splendid beach. Taking over at Cobbler’s Cove this summer is Ross Stevenson, formerly of the Royal St. Lucian Resort & Spa.

vents on the horizon include the Seventh Annual World Salsa Congress, to be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico on July 25 through August 3. Salsa enthusiasts will find a bevy of dance competitions held at the Hotel Caribe Hilton; for more information call 787-274-1601, or see www.salsacongress.com or www.salsaopen.com. The Grenada Carnival celebrations are set for August 11-12 and will feature island-wide partying – for more info see www.spicemas.com. Tobago is one of the few islands in the region that doesn’t celebrate Carnival (the one on sister island Trinidad is a bit hard to top), but does the island does have its Tobago Heritage Festival, set this year for July 13-August 1. Music lovers should put Aruba on their list: on August 19 the Florida-based Symphony of the Americas performs a concert of Vivaldi, Rossini and Mozart at the island’s newly renovated cultural center. Fans of 60s and 70s music can check out the Second Aruba Music Festival, scheduled for October 10-11 and featuring such beloved rock dinosaurs as Chicago and Crosby, Stills and Nash; tickets for both events are on sale through DePalm Tours at www.aruba.com.

n the spring we told you Cuba was on a roll. In just a few short months, the tides have shifted and the island has fallen out of favor for many, including your friends at Rum & Reggae. With the hyperpower to the north distracted with its war in Iraq, President Fidel Castro initiated a crackdown in March on so-called “traitors” - independent journalists, human rights activists and political dissidents. In April, one-day trials were used to sentence 75 of them to prison terms ranging from six to 28 years, and now a Castro-sanctioned book titled The Dissidents outlines how these individuals supposedly were American-trained mercenaries (we buy the occasional conspiracy theory, but this one’s a bit much). Ironically, the regime’s crackdown came at a point when U.S. politicians were increasingly in favor of easing trade and travel restrictions that have been in place since 1962. Today, the European Union, international human rights organizations and newspaper editorial boards across the country are expressing increasing concern over Castro’s repressive actions. And although we’ve long disagreed with America’s moldy policy toward the island - particularly considering some of the less-than-democratic banana republics the U.S. supported -we can’t help but express our deep disappointment at the recent events in Cuba. It’s time to move on, Fidel.

Of course America’s brand of justice is already on display in Cuba, at Guantanamo Bay, where the Pentagon is preparing to build a courtroom and, chillingly, an execution chamber. This is pending an the order from the imperial Bush White House to try terror suspects on the island, away from the prying eyes of the press. Currently, 680 “detainees” from 42 countries are imprisoned as unlawful combatants, and the American government refuses to allow them access to attorneys, or to even formally charge them with crimes. The events of 9/11 were heinous, and Americans deserve justice against the perpetrators, but how about classifying these men as the prisoners of war that they are, instead of treating democracy and human rights like a light-switch to be turned on and off when it’s convenient? Are we following Fidel’s example, and on Cuban-territory no less? What kind of democratic example is that for Cubans, and the rest of the world?

peaking of crackdowns, we’d like to end on a lighter note. In June, American rapper DMX was arrested during St. Kitts’ annual music festival, during which he used profanity while on stage. Festival organizers state that DMX signed a contract that stipulated that he could not use obscenities on stage, but DMX says he is unaware about such a clause and would not have signed the contract knowing he would have to censor his act. Bail was set at $376.

n our next newsletter, we’ll report on our visit to Martinique and Guadeloupe, where we are researching Rum & Reggae’s French Caribbean, scheduled for publication later this year.