1991 Caribbean Islands Handbook (Footprint Handbooks Series)

632 Pages·1990·33.737 MB·English

by  Ben Box, Sarah Cameron (editor)

O OZ z OC ON
WY Lu
Cr
La Robe Creole
in the
NATURE ISLAND OF
THE CARIBBEAN
La Robe Creole Restaurant
FOR THE GOOD TASTE OF DOMINICA
“A top class restaurant.”
Daily Telegraph
“One reason to visit Dominica.”
Fodors
“Is one of the best restaurants
in the country.” Washington Post
“A place to recommend without
reservation.”
Sunday Times Supplement
P 3VICTORIA STREET, ROSEAU,
a DOMINICA, W.1. Tel: [phone]
La Robe Creole Tours & Travel
ROSEAU Box 270, Cr. Castle St & Turkey Lane, Roseau.
TELEX 8607 HOTELS DO. FAX/CABLE: Fax: [phone].
PHONE [phone]. MANAGER Bernadete Francis.
RESERVATIONS Direct. REPRESENTATIVES DESCRIPTION
Tour Operators, Excursions, Transfers, Receptive Tour Operator
for leading International tour operators. Car rentals, Airport
transfers, welcomes, local safari tours. Hotel reservations for
Dominica. ROOMS, DINING FACILITIES, MEETINGS,
RATES—SUMMER On request. RATES— WINTER On request.
OTHER PLANS TAX, AGENTS DISCOUNT, SERVICE
CHARGES. CREDIT CARDS None. COMMISSION Paid.
PAY/CANCEL POLICY.

amaica, As You've
Dreamed It.
Our separate and
luxurious villas in a
tropical south coast setting,
each with its own pool
and private frontage on
Bluefields Bay. An intimate
cottage accommodates
romantic twosomes, three
larger villas host groups
of up to twelve.
Available through the
owners: Braxton and Price is all-inclusive of
Deborah Moncure, food, drink, and af ull staff
cn nets eee that caters to your every
treet, Alexandria, : : ee
Virginia, USA. need. Also enjoy night-lit
Phone: [phone], or _ tennis, bicycles, snorkeling,
Fax: [phone] windsurfing and fishing.
IW
CARIBBEAN
ISLANDS
HANDBOOK
SECOND EDITION
Edited by
Ben Box & Sarah Cameron
| say, “Do, do come in town Jou’vert morning;
Find youself in a band,
Watch the way how the natives moving;
Hug up tight with ah man,
Sing along with the tunes they playing,
And now and again you shouting
‘Play mas! Carnival!’
Miss tourist, that is bacchanal.”
Lord Kitchener
ri
TRADE & TRAVEL
PUBLICATIONS
TRADE & TRAVEL PUBLICATIONS LTD
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©Trade & Travel Publications Ltd., 1990
2nd annual edition, published September 1990
ISBN 0 900751 31 2
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without
the prior permission of Trade & Travel Publications Ltd.
Published in the United States of America and Canada by
Prentice Hall Press
Division of Simon & Schuster Inc.
15 Columbus Circle
New York, NY 10023
In North America, ISBN 0-13-117391-X
The Greater Flamingo
The Greater Flamingo is one of 5 species from the Phoenicopteridae
family, its habitat the lagoons and lakes of the Caribbean and Africa,
and parts of Europe. In late May, a conical-shaped nest is built by both
male and female. Two white speckled eggs are laid and incubated by
the female for 30 to 32 days.
Their long legs enable them to stand in shallow water, while
filter-feeding with the strange-shaped bill on small fish, insects, larvae,
and algae (which gives them their striking rose-pink colour). Water flows
into the bill and by movement of the large, fleshy tongue, is pushed
through hairlike lamellae which sieve out food particles before the water
is expelled again at the side of the bill.
There is a flamingo sanctuary in the old salt pans of Pekelmeer in
Bonaire, where there are said to be 15,000 flamingoes, and on Lake
Windsor in the Inagua where there is a 12-mile stretch of marshy wildlife
sanctuary, which is home to 40,000 flamingoes.
The length of the Greater Flamingo is 50 inches and the colour of the
plumage is a faded, whitish pink, shading to a deep rose pink on the
wing coverts, with the primaries and secondaries black. From a
distance, when in flight, the rich colours seem like a rose-red flame
flickering across the sky-line.
Cover illustration by Jeremy Pyke
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Clays Ltd., Bungay, Suffolk.
Preface
The response to the first edition of The Caribbean Islands Handbook has
been extremely favourable. As a result of the encouraging letters and
material sent by our readers, we have been able to expanded our text quite
considerably this year. Special attention has been paid to the Bahamas,
Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, for the benefit of our large North
American readership. The Bahamas chapter was extensively revised by Kate
Edwards and Ruth Hampson, both resident in the islands, whose assistance
and local knowledge is greatly appreciated. We have been able to broaden
our coverage of the Dominican Republic with the help of Mike Tarr, of
Jamaica with new material from John Drinkall, of St Lucia with the assistance
of Mark Eckstein of David Bellamy Associates, and of Saint-Martin/Sint
Maarten thanks to Lars Karlsson. We are also grateful to Mark Wilson for
new chapters on walking and on conservation in the Caribbean.
Numbers of tourists to the islands continue to rise, with notable increases
in arrivals from Europe. Huge resort developments are still being built to
cater for mass tourism in the 1990s. Nevertheless, as the list of organizations
in the conservation chapter shows, there is an increasing awareness in the
islands of the need to conserve the flora and fauna both on land and under
water and preserve.the historical and cultural heritage. It is to be hoped that
travellers in the region recognize the efforts being made in this direction and
show their support through whatever means at their disposal.
From the letters we have received it is clear that a great many people
travel to and within the Caribbean independently, with stops ranging from
one to the itinerary of the 1990 England cricket tour. It is also apparent that
the independent traveller should bear certain points in mind. First, it is vital
to reconfirm not only the means of travel chosen for getting from one island
to another, but also the entry requirements of the next destination. Nothing
could be more frustrating than to arrive only to be turned back at
immigration for want of the correct documents. Secondly, in contrast to air
schedules which are published and, under normal conditions, adhered to,
boat travel remains problematic. The promising Caribbean Express
catamaran service in the Windwards and Leewards has been curtailed after
less than a year, but other boats, of a far less luxurious standard, do run. It
is a question of making persistent enquiries if you want to travel the
Caribbean by sea but do not have your own boat in which to do so.
Since the first edition, the editors have visited Antigua and Montserrat
(pre-Hurricane Hugo), Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands (post-Hugo).
Those who helped us on our travels are acknowledged at the end of the
relevant chapters. We should also like to acknowledge the help of Katie Box
(aged 7) and Jennifer Box (4), with whom we have learnt all about the sandy
beaches, the insect life and sea creatures of Antigua and Montserrat. The
warm welcome extended to a family travelling with small children greatly
enhances travel in the region.
The Editors
Contents
Page Page
Anguilla 320 Margarita, Isla de 505
Antigua 292 Montserrat 326
Aruba 541 Mustique 438
Bahamas 54 Netherlands Antilles
Barbados 463 The ABC Islands 521
Barbuda 301 Netherlands Antilles
Bay Islands (Honduras) 575 The Three S's 338
Belize Cayes 584 Nevis 314
Bequia 438 New Providence 58
Bermuda 43 Outer Islands of
Bonaire 524 Guadeloupe 370
British Virgin Islands 280 Providencia 569
Caicos 170 Puerto Rico 235
Cancun 600 Saba 339
Carriacou 530 Saint-Barthélémy 381
Cayman Islands 134 St Croix 269
Corn Islands (Nicaragua) Soy St John 267
Cozumel 606 St Kitts 307
Cuba 103 St Lucia 417
Curacao 530 Saint-Martin Sil
Dominica 401 St Thomas 263
Dominican Republic 202 St Vincent 430
Family Islands 76 San Andrés 564
French Antilles 359 San Blas Islands 550
Grand Bahama 66 Sint Eustatius 344
Grenada 446 Sint Maarten 350
Grenadines 430 Tobago 493
Guadeloupe 363 Tortola 283
Haiti 182 Trinidad 480
Hispaniola 180 Turks 170
Isla Mujeres 603 Union Island 440
Jamaica 145 US Virgin Islands 258
Martinique 385 Virgin Gorda 286
Contents
Page Page
Preface 3 French Antilles 359
Regional Introduction 7 Guadeloupe 363
How to Use this Book 9 Outer Islands of
Introduction and Hints 13 Guadeloupe 370
Caribbean Festivals Saint-Martin 377
at a Glance 20 Saint-Barthélémy 381
Health Information 2? Martinique 385
Watersports and Sailing Windward Islands 401
in the Caribbean 29 Dominica 401
Walking in the Caribbean 34 St Lucia 417
Conservation in the Caribbean 37 St Vincent and the
Pre-Columbian Civilizations 39 Grenadines 430
Bermuda 43 Bequia 438
Bahamas 54 Mustique 438
New Providence 58 Union Island 440
Grand Bahama 66 Grenada 446
Family Islands 76 Carriacou 457
Cuba 103 Barbados 463
Cayman Islands 134 Trinidad and Tobago 480
Jamaica 145 Isla de Margarita and the
Turks and Caicos 170 Venezuelan Islands 505
Hispaniola 180 Netherlands Antilles
Haiti 182 The ABC Islands S|
Dominican Republic 202 Bonaire 524
Puerto Rico 235 Curacao 530
US Virgin Islands 258 Aruba 541
St Thomas 263 Islands of the Western
St John 267 Caribbean 549
St Croix 269 San Blas Islands (Panama) 550
British Virgin Islands 280 Corn Islands (Nicaragua) 557
Tortola 283 San Andrés and
Virgin Gorda 286 Providencia (Colombia) 564
Leeward Islands 292 Bay Islands (Honduras) 575
Antigua and Barbuda Do. Belize Cayes 584
St Kitts & Nevis 307 Cancun, Isla Mujeres,
Anguilla 320 Cozumel (Mexico) 599
Montserrat —! 326 Climatic Tables 617
Netherlands Antilles Economic Indicators 618
. The Three S's 338 Index 620
Saba 339 Thomas Cook
Sint Eustatius 344 Assistance Points 623
Sint Maarten 350 Regional map in colour Endpaper
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