Tropical Tidbits
by Sue C Travel
Award-winning travel journalist Sue Campbell is based in Montreal but makes it her business to be on top of everything cool, hot, and new under the sun throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. World Traveler welcomes her as a new regular columnist. Follow her on twitter @suectravel.
Mango Madness in Nevis!
The tiny island of Nevis is attracting a lot of attention these days as the birthplace of founding father Alexander Hamilton since the Broadway musical has become such a hot ticket. But I was there recently for something else new: the second annual Mango Festival! This island has some 40 varieties of mangos, and this new week-long event is out to celebrate their multitude of culinary uses. At colorful outdoor events with local dance and music, I had the opportunity to try mango everything! Cheese, wine, corn bread, ice cream, popsicles, jams, rums, smoothies …you name it, and all were delicious!
I stayed at Nisbet Plantation, which has now become my home away from home on Nevis, it’s such an incredibly friendly stay, (see past article in our archives online about Nevis and Nisbet at canadianworldtraveller.com) and we enjoyed dining in the Great House again. We also enjoyed their new Pub Crawl where you get to meet the locals in their favorite watering holes.
We also had the opportunity to enjoy a luxurious private cabana at Four Seasons Nevis on their postcard perfect beach after an incredible Nevisian style massage at their spa. Heaven! Non-guests can rent the cabanas for as little as $150 per day in low season and trust me, it is so worth the splurge- food, drinks, lounges, a private butler, television, dining table, all in your own little beach house- it is really living the life! Then it was back to eating more mango inspired fare!
High-end cuisine was also on big on the menu for this fest, best local chefs and celebrity international talents like American Iron Chef Judy Joo and healthy eating maven UK chef Natasha Corrett brought their skills for gala mango inspired dinners at the upscale resorts. They also gave cooking demonstrations at the outdoor fairs. The event timing depends on when the mangos ripen- usually early July. For updated info on next year’s festival visit:
vwww.nevisisland.com
Anguilla Viceroy To Reopen As Four Seasons Resort
On the hotel front, the modern luxury Viceroy hotel on Anguilla has just been taken over by the Four Seasons and Starwood Capital Group, a private real estate investment firm. The change over will be complete by October and the property will reopen under the name Four Seasons Resort and Private Residences Anguilla offering 166 guest rooms, and whole-ownership beachfront private residences.
New Resort Brand Will Leave Millennials “Breathless”
AMResorts- the parent company of Secrets, Dreams, Zoetry, Now and Sunscape Resorts- has rolled out a new brand to add to their roster of all-inclusive offerings. They are called “Breathless” and aim to appeal to a niche crowd of socially sophisticated young adults. Hijinks and holiday fun in groups or couples is provided by themed parties and trendy events. The vibe is very high energy and their signature brand of Unlimited Luxury® caters to the crowd with non-stop food and drink and upscale amenities. The cool new escapes for the young and restless have already taken root in Punta Cana, Riviera Cancun and Cabo San Lucas, with Breathless Montego Bay slated to open this December.
www.breathlessresorts.com
Wonderful Whirlybird Adventures
If you are heading to St Maarten/St. Martin or Curacao this winter, don’t miss these awesome new aerial adventures. On French side St. Martin, the new Corail Helicopters offers sensational scenic island tours and also over the surrounding satellite islands including Anguilla. They also have a pilot for a day excursion where you can take a trial lesson.
http://corailhelico-sxm.com
On Curacao- Blue Skies Helicopters offer all kinds of thrilling adventures and scenic tours in the air including a top gun extreme stealth mission tour. They also fly to uninhabited sister island Klein Curacao where you can even camp overnight with pick up the next day! Also on the agenda for Blue Skies will be diving trips where you can jump out of the helicopter right into the sea in full gear. Surreal!
www.blueskieshelicopters.com
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