I was considering the fact that I have not talked much about the French islands in the Caribbean, when a colleague mentioned that he was visiting his daughter in Guadeloupe who was there to have a baby. I wondered how I had never really thought about travelling only twenty minutes away to catch up on my European experience rather than travelling 8 hours to London.

I went to Guadeloupe a few years ago and was amazed at how developed it was; dual carriageways, shopping malls, an international airport and major hotel resorts. There is a wonderful mix of Caribbean weather and scenery, along with the French culture. We went to a traditional French restaurant overlooking a popular beach and had red wine and I can’t remember much else after that!

The nation, sometimes known as the butterfly island due to the shape of its major island group, was annexed to the kingdom of France in 1674 and was seized several times by the British, was the location of slave rebellions and revolutions, was held by the Swedes for a short period, until finally returning to French rule in 1815. It is one of the French governed nations or overseas departments of France in the Caribbean. The country comprises five islands, Basse-Terre Island, Grande-Terre, La Desirade, Les Saintes and Marie-Galante.

With a land size of 629 sq miles and population of over 450,000, the culture is a mix of the French influence, African, Indian and Lebanese/Syrian which has influenced its food, music, dance and language, with French patois spoken widely. Guadeloupe has a reputation for producing great literary works from writers, poets, novelists, as well as a strong history of famous painters and sculptors. It is also well known for its zouk music which incorporates the French, African and Indian influences and the country hosts quite a few international Creole music festivals.

There are many interesting attractions including a National Park described as being the most beautiful and best preserved tropical forest in the Caribbean; and the Aquarium which is considered to be the largest in the Caribbean.

Following the demise of the traditional sugar and banana industries, tourism has taken centre stage in the economy, with the majority of visitors coming from France. There are direct flights from Paris and some US cities on Air France and from Montreal on Air Canada. There are numerous connections from within the Caribbean on American Airlines, Air Caraibes, LIAT and Air Antilles.

I have to brush up on my French because if I remember right there were not too many people on the island speaking English. Definitely worth a visit if you want the best of both worlds. Let me know of your experiences on the French Caribbean islands.

I have been seeing quite a few TV advertisements portraying Grenada while watching Oprah and Dr. Phil on a major US channel. Known as the Spice Island of the Caribbean, Grenada is a hidden gem that is bursting to get some media attention. 

The island has a little bit of everything – fine white sand beaches, a wide range of resorts, mountains and hillsides good for hiking, sailing regattas, diving, snorkelling, waterfalls, stunning flora and fauna, Test Match cricket, spices, chocolate making, carnival, beautiful off shore islands, and a capital described as the most picturesque in the Caribbean.

With a recent injection of funds and creativity from the renowned Peter De Savary who opened the Mount Cinnamon resort (a twenty one room luxurious well equipped property) and commenced in 2006 the Port Louis Grenada development (a proposed EC$1.5 billion maritime village and marina inclusive of a 5 star hotel, residential lots and restoration of the lagoon, including the reclamation and renovation of the seafront, proposed revitalization and augmentation of Pandy Beach), there has definitely been a flurry of journalist visits and media reports.

The rise to fame of UK born Lewis Hamilton, the youngest ever Formula One World Champion racing driver, whose father’s family is from Grenada, has been a tremendous boost to the island’s profile. Hamilton has reportedly invested US$35 million to purchase beachfront land in Grand Anse to develop the Grenada Grand Beach Resort (though the deal may now have fallen through), and has been seen courting one of the Pussycat Dolls (only the under 25s will know what I am talking about) in the land of his paternal heritage. Grenada is now hot news in the Caribbean.

According to the Grenada Board of Tourism, Grenada is one of the most beautiful and unspoilt islands in the Caribbean. The island is well served by air, with direct flights from the UK (on Virgin and British Airways), the US (on American Airlines/Eagle and Air Jamaica), Germany (by Condor) and Canada (by Air Canada). There are many places of special interest including the historic capital, St. George's, ancient plantations houses and estates, spice factories, distilleries and horticultural gardens. Families will enjoy river-tubing through the rain-forests, snorkelling over the unique, internationally recognised underwater sculpture park or sailing to the nearby islands in the Grenadines. Around the island, visitors can enjoy stunning scenery; tropical rainforests, mountain peaks, spectacular waterfalls and much of the island and surrounding reefs, almost one fifth, are a designated National Park.

Sounds too good to be true, but it really is. I have been to Grenada three times and have enjoyed it tremendously. One of the greatest pleasures for a seafood lover like me, is the great food. Conch is a national favourite and it is prepared so well, never tough or chewy. It is on every menu, from local casual restaurants to international hotels, but often called by its local name, “lambi”, which is not local dialect for lamb – duly note – but originates from French Creole. There is also a fabulous Fish Friday festival, held weekly in the small fishing village of Gouyave. Fish, lambi, flying fish, crab, shrimp and lobster  - stewed, battered, fried, grilled, rotied, curried, every which way. Other dishes of Grenada include “oildown”, the national dish, consisting of stew made with salted meat, breadfruit, onion, celery, carrot, dasheen (a root vegetable grown locally) and dumplings all slowly steamed in coconut milk until the liquid is absorbed, and “callaloo soup” (a spinach-like soup sometimes with a bit of crab or other meat).

Grenada, which is only 133 square miles with a population of just over 100,000, is one of the largest producers of nutmeg in the world, providing 20-30% of the world’s supply, in addition to producing cinnamon, cloves, mace, allspice, ginger and many other herbs and spices. There is a general pungent aroma on the island – it could be the imagination, but you can literally taste the nutmeg and cinnamon in the air. Perhaps because it is in almost everything you touch – nutmeg ice-cream, nutmeg soap, nutmeg in your rum punch, nutmeg in your curry, nutmeg pie, nutmeg barbeque sauce – nutmeg, nutmeg, nutmeg. There are supposedly more spices in Grenada per square mile than anywhere else on the planet. A visit to the nutmeg factory is fascinating and usually culminates with a purchase of fresh nutmeg (along with locally made cinnamon, cloves, saffron and curry powder) well packaged in a locally woven basket with a small grater for you to continue the nutmeg infusion at home. And of course, my favourite restaurant, so far, is The Nutmeg, in the heart of St. George’s, situated in the Carenage with a stunning view of the horse shoe shaped harbour, especially on a moonlit night.

The market is a must see, with a cornucopia of fresh fruit and vegetables due to the rich fertile soil and plentiful rainfall on the island. It was there that we sampled a local brew of “Bois Bande”, a traditional remedy to enhance fertility, for humans, not fruit and vegetables!

The island is mountainous volcanic terrain, reaching heights of over 2,756 feet atop Mount St. Catherine. The Board of Tourism states that this topography provides Grenada with one of the loveliest and most varied environments in the Caribbean, including crater lakes as well as a variety of plant and animal life. The island definitely has a luscious feel of rainforests in the higher altitudes juxtaposed with white sand beaches and coastal mangroves. The fertile volcanic soil has also spawned a new export for Grenada. The island has assembled a team of horticulturalists who have participated annually in the renowned Chelsea Flower Show in London over the last two decades, and have won numerous awards, including gold awards at least five times. The private show gardens in Grenada have become a great attraction for world horticulturalists who come to see unique giant heliconia species, rare forms of hibiscus the size of saucers, water lilies, exotic bamboo, eucalyptus and beautiful orchids.

Grenada was a colony of the British, although first discovered by the Spanish and subsequently controlled by the French for over one hundred years from 1650 to 1793 when it was ceded to the British. The French named the island La Grenade which became Grenada under the British, finally becoming an independent nation in 1974.  French Creole is still spoken in Grenada and there are many French place names and French architecture remaining. The nation of Grenada comprises Grenada, Carriacou, Petit Martinique, Ronde Island, Caille Island, Diamond Island, Large Island, Saline Island and Frigate Island.

The most popular of these Grenada Grenadine islands (as opposed to the Vincentian Grenadine islands) are Carriacou and Petit Martinique. Carriacou is the largest of the Grenadine islands, falling between St. Vincent and Grenada, yet is only 8 miles by 3 miles while Petit Martinique is 1 mile in diameter. Both islands together have a population of approximately 6,000 and survive through fishing, boat building and other sea related activities. There are a few small apartments, villas and cottages but tourism is not ubiquitous.

The popularity of Grenada is likely to increase over the years if for no other reason than the over 6,000 students from the US attending the St. George’s University School of Medicine (an offshore US medical school) returning to an island where their medical careers began. The University has grown to include many other faculties and now has a US$25m state of the art campus.

Grenada also has an increasingly popular Carnival, starting in July and culminating on the second Monday and Tuesday in August, it features calypso competitions, queen’s competitions and a two day parade. My cousin from London travels from Antigua’s carnival on to Grenada’s carnival with a group of friends, meeting up with other friends who travel from Cropover in Barbados. They have been going for the last three years and say it gets better and better each year.

Have you been to Grenada? Let me know what your best experience was.

I was talking with an acquaintance today about their recent trip to Canouan Island. They said it was wonderful and they enjoyed their stay at the Tamarind Beach Hotel and Yacht Club, one of only two resorts on the island.

Then I got my regular e-newsletter this evening from LIAT informing readers of their newest destination. Yes you guessed right, Canouan Island. So where is this stunning island raved about by my friends and recognised by LIAT management as the newest flavour of the month, worthy of shifting their tight schedule to accommodate?

Canouan Island is part of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The nation state comprises over 30 islands including Bequia, Mustique, Young Island, Union, Palm Island, The Tobago Cays, Petit St. Vincent and Mayreau, all of which sound exclusive and luxurious. Known as the Turtle Island (Canouan means turtle in Carib patois), the island was discovered by the Arawaks, taken over by the Caribs, fought over by the French and the English, and finally in 1979 it became part of the independent state of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, surviving as an isolated fishing village.

An almost deserted island in the early 1960s with only 200 residents and no infrastructure, having experienced a devastating hurricane in the 1920s which affected the island for decades, the island was transformed through the vision of Antonio Saladino, a Sicilian born international businessman and owner of a Swiss bank. Saladino attracted the likes of Donald Trump, American Airlines, Moorings Yacht Club; the Singapore based Raffles Resort and Amrita Spa and built a luxurious destination on 1200 acres of the 1694 acre island recently heralded in Vantage Magazine.

Canouan, a tiny island of only 5 square miles and now with a population of 1,100, is home to the luxurious Raffles Resort which is well known for its Jim Fazio designed championship Trump International Golf Course (named as the Best Golf Course - Robb Report 2005) -  where Tiger Woods and Tony Blair are said to frequent. The first nine holes are reportedly in an old volcanic crater and the last nine on the top of a mountain. Within the confines of the resort is a 17th century church shipped from England and re-assembled in the 19th century, generally recognised as a perfect location for weddings or vow-renewal ceremonies.

The Raffles Resort is also home to the Trump Club Privée casino and the Amrita Spa. According to a recent article in Best Health Magazine, spa treatments take place on the hillsides in thatched-roof palapas with ocean view decks and Asian daybeds, as well as in two sea palapas, accessible only by boat, with glass floors providing you with a unique perspective of the indigenous marine life while being massaged.

The island is a nature lover’s paradise with the Canouan Island National Coral Reef Park, home to one of the world’s largest coral reefs (great for scuba diving), and the Tobago Cays National Marine Park, a protected area teeming with a wide variety of neon and rainbow-coloured fish.

I can see myself owning a 2 story, 3 bedrooms, 3 and a half bathroom villa with private pool and use of the Raffles Resort facilities at the Grenadines Estate. Perhaps the first step is to take a romantic vacation. May even consider getting married just to have a honeymoon on Canouan Island. Excuse me while I get registered on match.com.

There is a bit of controversy brewing in the Caribbean. Not about MPs expenses or honorary doctorates for Presidents, but heated debate about who should perform at the St. Kitts Music Festival scheduled for June 25-27. There is growing concern about the lyrical content of the music to be performed by a certain artiste who was invited to appear at this ever popular annual event.

I like a good controversy. It seems to add more spice and hype to an event. I had not really heard about the artiste in question before, but now I am intrigued.

The St. Kitts Music Festival, in its 13th year and now being held in the transformed and well appointed Warner Park Stadium, is a great mix of Caribbean music, R&B, pop and gospel. With the most well rounded of music styles of the music festivals in the Caribbean and usually large appreciative audiences, the three night festival has hosted top Caribbean artists including Nu Vybes, Small Axe, Krosfyah, Burning Flames, Arrow, Square One, David Rudder, Machel Montano, Kassav, Sparrow, Rupee,  Shadow, Shurwayne Winchester and Destra;  Reggae artistes including  the late Dennis Brown, Maxi Priest, Beenie Man, Beres Hammond, Burning Spear, Sean Paul, Freddie McGregor, Morgan Heritage, Shaggy, Buju Banton, Bounty Killer, Barrington Levy, John Holt, Shaggy, Tessanne Chin and Richie Stephens; R&B artistes including Freddie Jackson, Chaka Khan, Earl Klugh, Peabo Bryson, Kool and the Gang, Chante Moore, James Ingram, K Ci and JoJo, Sister Sledge, Isley Brothers, Eve, Jeffrey Osborne, Percy Sledge, Busta Rhymes, Brian McKnight, Ludacris, Boys II Men, Wyclef Jean, Air Supply, Chris Brown, Akon, Dionne Warwick, Michael Bolton, Ne-Yo, Billy Ocean, Brenda Russell, Ja Rule, John Legend and Mario; and Gospel artistes including Cece Winans, Shirley Caesar, Kenny Rogers, Carlene Davis and Yolanda Adams.

This year the line up is just as impressive and includes Beres Hammond, Regina Belle, KC and the Sunshine Band, Edwin Yearwood, Mavado, T-Pain and Ziggy Marley.

I went to the Festival in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2006 and thoroughly enjoyed it each time.  As enjoyable as the Festival itself, are the surrounding fringe activities including lunchtime concerts featuring local musicians and other cultural performers, Caribbean beach parties, boat rides, Slam Dunk contests and official “After Parties”.

One of the oldest and wealthiest of the former British colonies in the Caribbean, St. Kitts has a rich history which can be explored through visits to Brimstone Hill, a restored fort over looking the sea, and the stately plantation houses dotted around the island, as well as by taking a ride on the scenic railway tour following the tracks laid down for the former sugar trade industry around the island.

With a range of large hotels along with local guest houses, there is something for everyone and if you can’t find what you like in St. Kitts then simply take a 45 minute ferry ride, a lovely experience on a sunny day, to its sister island Nevis and commute daily. A smaller island of 36 sq miles compared to the larger 69 square miles of St. Kitts, Nevis is also rich with nature and history.

Between these two islands you can enjoy a range of beaches, golf, bird watching and beautiful botanical gardens as well as revel at one of the few Caribbean carnivals held during the Xmas and New Year Season.

A few of my friends are planning on taking in the Festival (I am heading back to Barbados that weekend – see last week’s blog post!) so I will update you when I get the trip report.

It is official. By 2020, I will be living in Barbados. This will come as a surprise to some but I have been simmering towards a decision for the last two years as I have been travelling here for study, for business, for cricket world cup and more. I am sitting at the magnificently refurbished and exceptionally functional airport finally recognising and admitting that this country is awesome! 

With roads and highways of better quality than London (I kid you not), education at the forefront of the social agenda with a vibrant University second to none, a good level of safety and security, and just a general sense of organisation, order, efficiency, planning and vision, there is a great foundation for the many fun things to do and why over half a million people fly to and a further half a million cruise to Barbados every year. 

The tourism infrastructure is solid with magnificent hotels, from the luxurious five-star Sandy Lane where Tiger Woods got married, to some wonderful modest yet clean and welcoming guesthouses and apartments. The restaurants are amazing, ranging from the locally born Caribbean style fast food franchise Chefette to internationally renowned Zagat rated restaurants. The beaches are top rated and you can never get bored with so many things to do. 

There is the original Caribbean Friday night fish fry, Oistins, where you get fish of every persuasion including my favourite, flying fish, the national dish of Barbados, with the event evolving into an open air party as the night progresses. 

The annual Barbados Jazz Festival which is growing in international stature is usually held in the second week of January for six days, hosting some of the top names in jazz and R&B music. Other events include film festivals, fishing tournaments, art exhibitions, polo tournaments, and in recent years Barbados has hosted PGA Golf tournaments, including the World Golf Championships in 2006. 

Barbados is a mecca for music and entertainment arguably producing some of the best Caribbean bands in the region including Square One and Krosfyah, with artists internationally known such as Rupee and the world renowned Rihanna. Many bands can be seen at the various nightclubs and bars at the infamous St. Lawrence Gap, one of the best places to hang out in the Caribbean, with live music ranging from reggae and rock, to soca and salsa. Most nightclubs and bars in the “Gap” have been going for years and are almost national institutions (The Boatyard, After Dark, Harbour Lights, Reggae Lounge, and Ship Inn). Barbados was the birthplace of the Jolly Roger party cruise pirate ship and the Harbour Master Cruise which provides a realm of activities including sightseeing and sunbathing during the day, to romantic dinners and calypso parties in the night. 

Barbados also has plenty to explore including museums, traditional lighthouses, Baobab trees (with the widest tree trunks in the Caribbean), 17th Century Jacobean mansions, historic sugar mills, forts and cannons, marine parks, rum distilleries, and Harrison’s Cave, a crystalised limestone cavern said to be one of the wonders of the world. 

And of course no Caribbean country is complete without a Carnival, which is known as Crop Over in Barbados. Crop Over has its origins in celebrating the end of the sugar harvesting season and starts with the Ceremonial Delivery of the Last Canes and the crowning of the most productive cane cutters of the season, the King and Queen of the Festival. The five week festival ends on the first Monday in August - Grand Kadooment. With great bands, good shows and serious parties, this festival is catching up with the Trinidad Carnival. I haven’t been yet as the festival is held at the same time as Antigua’s carnival, but plans are afoot. 

You can see why I have to move, no way can I cover all this while vacationing; it will take me at least two years! See you in Barbados.