Why Just Cruise to Jamaica?

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Sea Monkey

A cruise to Jamaica is becoming more popular!  New numbers show that Jamaica is one of the top 10 fastest growing cruise destinations in the world.

That’s not surprising, considering the February 2011 opening of the brand new multi-million dollar cruise facilities in the city of Falmouth.   Add that to existing port facilities in Ocho Rios, Montego Bay and Port Antonio, and there are lots of places for the world’s best cruise ships to visit this lush and lovely island.

In its first five months of operation, nearly 200,000 people stepped through Jamaica’s newest port, generating more than $15 billion US for Jamaica’s economy.

What’s the appeal?  That’s easy!  It’s not even necessary to book a cruise to experience it for yourself.   Jamaica has a ton of incredible activities (or “shore excursions”, in cruise ship terms!).   Why not skip the ship and book a Caribbean vacation rental in Jamaica and explore the entire island at your leisure?   A stay at your own Jamaica villa can let give you time to spend a week, or two, climbing the beautiful Dunn’s River Falls, or sunning yourself on James Bond Beach.   You can explore the haunted history of Jamaica’s Great Houses at Rose Hall, or see how a plantation works at the Prospect Plantation.   Visit the Green Grotto Caves, take in an up-and-coming musical act following in the footsteps of Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, dine on delicious jerk chicken and the freshest fruit and vegetables; Jamaica has everything you need for the perfect vacation.

The best thing about Caribbean vacation villas is that you can experience all of this, and you don’t have to get up early to save a good lounge chair by the pool!   That beautiful private pool at the Jamaica rental is there just for you, and your friends and family.

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Tortola’s Historic Fort Recovery

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Coral Carib

One of the best parts of renting a luxury villa in the Caribbean is being able to spend time discovering one of the most sought-after beachfront only vacation rentals in one of the most fascinating parts of the world.   Every island has a rich and unique history, shaped by different cultures that passed through or made their homes here, waging epic battles and leaving their mark on the countries that make up the Caribbean today.

The British Virgin Islands were discovered by Christopher Columbus, and were then settled by the Spanish and the Dutch.  The most colorful chapter of its history was when “pirates sailed the ocean blue”.  Many of the most famous pirate captains, including Captain Kidd and Blackbeard, made their base in Tortola, protecting their ships in the many pretty hidden coves on the island. It was for good reason that the British Navy once called Tortola “A Pirate’s Nest”.

When you’re on a Tortola vacation, one of the best places to explore the island’s fascinating past is Fort Recovery.  The fort is hundreds of years old, and is now part of a resort complex in the west end of Tortola.  You can still visit the site even if you have your own villa rental on the island.

Its location is a little unusual.  The fort was built on low ground, close to the sea, which is strange for a fort, because it wasn’t built on the more strategically high ground of the hills around it.  It’s believed that the fort was originally built here to protect a freshwater pond that was once in the area, which is possible because fresh water was an important resource on this island with no rivers.

Fort Recovery was built back in the 1640s.  It is the oldest landmark in Tortola, and it is the oldest fort still standing in all of the Caribbean.   It’s believed that it was built on the site of an old earthen fort, originally built by the Dutch explorer Joost van Dyk, who was one of the very first European settlers in the British Virgin Islands (and quite possibly a pirate).   The fort may have once served as a hospital for soldiers wounded in battles between the Dutch and the Spanish, which is where it got the name Fort Recovery.  It’s also said that the famous pirate Jean Lafitte once landed here.

When the British took control of this part of the Virgin Islands, the fort was abandoned and it fell into disrepair.   It was rebuilt during the American Revolutionary War, and that is when the British added the tower called the Martello Tower. The fort is made up of several towers, and locals often refer to the area as “The Towers”.  Fort Recovery was abandoned again in the early 19th century.

When the area was being turned into a resort in the 1960s, the property’s owners found old cannonballs and other artifacts, including pottery and furnishings. Today,  Fort Recovery is just one of the fascinating places you can explore while enjoying the perfect Tortola villa rental.

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The Enduring Appeal of the Jamaican Flag

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Sea Monkey
Flag of Jamaica

Flag of Jamaica

Every country in the world has a flag, but some of those flags are just more memorable than others.  The U.S. has it Stars and Stripes; Canada has its maple leaf.  Some flags have become iconic; symbols of the country themselves.   That’s why you see the Jamaican flag everywhere you go in the world.

Part of the reason the Jamaican black, yellow and green can be seen everywhere in the world is because of the Jamaican expatriate community.  Nearly a million Jamaicans live in other places around the world, in places such as New York, London and Boston.  However, they keep their home island close to their hearts, and their flags on display.

Another reason for the iconic status of the Jamaican flag is the worldwide love of reggae music.   The music of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Jimmy Cliff has inspired generations of people and musicians, and the colors of the flag have been turned into hats and t-shirts, so people can proudly wear their Jamaican pride.

However, did you know what the colors of the Jamaican flag mean?   The flag was created in 1962, after a national competition.  The color black is symbolic of the creativity and strength of the island’s people.  The color gold is for the shining Caribbean sun, and the color green represents the lush beauty of the island of Jamaica itself.

With all that in mind, it’s not surprising that the Jamaican people and the millions of people who have visited the island hold this flag, and this country, dear.   With sun, sand, forest and a thriving culture, there’s a lot to fall in love with here.  Why not consider a visit to this gorgeous island and see for yourself.  Check out the Jamaica villa offered by TIR for the perfect family vacation to a beautiful and memorable island in the sun.

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Jump Up for Christmas in Jamaica

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Sea Monkey

Christmas in Jamaica is truly a special time.  The global classics of friends, family, carols and Santa Claus blend together here with a uniquely Caribbean sense of joy and rhythm.

A big part of Jamaican Christmas celebrations is the Jonkanoo parade, where people dress up as colorful characters and parade down the streets to music.  The festival is common all around the Caribbean, and has its roots in the African traditions brought over during the slave trade.

You can also expect to find lots of Christmas markets, alive with music and dancing.  These local markets spring up all over the island, and become daily events in the week leading up to Christmas.  Local craftsmen and vendors sell handmade toys and Christmas sweets.  On Christmas Eve, the markets are still open, all decorated with lights and streamers.

For Christmas dinner, Jamaicans typically enjoy curried goat, roast ham and gungo peas.  The Jamaican specialty is rum-soaked Christmas cake flavored with fruit and fresh cinnamon.  The Christmas drink on the island is sorrel, made from the plant by the same name, spices and rum, served over ice.

For a truly unique and musical twist to your family Christmas vacation, why not consider a Jamaica villa?  Explore the markets, revel in the warmth of the Caribbean, dance in the Jonkanoo, and fill yourself up with delicious Jamaican cuisine.  Look into booking your own private villa at the Tryall Villas Jamaica, and put some real Ho, Ho, Ho to your holidays!

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Christmas in Montserrat: Festival Time!

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Sea Monkey

Christmas may be a wonderful family holiday, but you don’t need to celebrate with cold and snow!  Consider a beautiful villa Montserrat in the British West Indies for your  Christmas vacation.

Christmas in Monserrat is a special time, as it marks the annual Christmas Festival on the Emerald Isle of the Caribbean.  There are a whole host of fun activities and events for the entire month of December, all geared to marking this festive time of year.

There are family fun days early in the month, as well as shows at the Montserrat Cultural Centre.  However, the big weekend kicks off on December 17th with the opening of Festival 2011 Street Jam at Festival City.  From this day through to New Year’s Eve is called “Christmas Week” and is packed with concerts, and pan band shows,  and calypso competitions. There are also masquerade and costume competitions for the titles of Miss Festival Queen and Calypso King.

On Christmas Day itself, you can take part in a celebration of carol singing and a calypso show.  Boxing Day, there is another great calypso show and a street jam in the town of Salem.

Of course, New Year’s Eve is a huge party and then you have one day to recover before the Festival officially ends with a parade on January 2nd.

This is a wonderful time to plan a visit to this gorgeous and non-touristy Caribbean island.  You get the chance to participate in a lively local festival, and enjoy all the benefits of a  Montserrat villa for the perfect getaway in the sun.

Reserve your luxury vacation rental in Montserrat BWI for the holidays now!

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The Winter Olympics Come to the British Virgin Islands?

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Sea Monkey

When you think of the bright blue skies, brilliant sunshine and sparkling turquoise waters of the Caribbean, the sports that leap to mind are most likely sailing, snorkeling and scuba diving.

However, the pretty British Virgin Islands are now setting their sights on a distinctly chillier sport.   When the world’s athletes march in the Parade of Nations in Sochi, Russia for the 2014 Winter Olympics, the British Virgin Islands are planning to have representation in that parade, waving their flag high and proud.

Eighteen-year-old BVI citizen Adam Crook placed in the top three in a number of half pipe ski competitions over the past season.   Now that half pipe skiing has been added to the 2014 roster of Olympic sports, Crook feels he has a good chance at becoming a Caribbean Olympian.

It wouldn’t be the first time the Virgin Islands produced a winter Olympian.  In the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics, Errol Fraser competed in several speed skating events, finishing 40th and 42nd in his races.  He made history as the first black speed skater to compete in the Winter Olympic Games.

Crook was born and raised in the British Virgin Islands, but he has called Wisconsin home since 2001, and has trained extensively in Colorado.

He has maintained his BVI citizenship, and with Sochi in mind, he has been working with the BVI Olympic Committee to form the BVI Ski Association.

Crook has the full support of BVI’s sporting community, and with a few more years of hard-core training far away from the sun, sand and surf, he could very well be making these islands very proud on the snow in 2014.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on all the joys of a Caribbean winter.  Come to the British Virgin Islands for the swimming, sailing, surf and sun, and you can support BVI’s own Adam Crook, at least in spirit.

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Montserrat: Caribbean Island Hopping Just Got Easier!

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Sea Monkey

Great news!  If you’ve ever dreamed of being able to island hop around the Caribbean, a new announcement has just made that a little easier.

The L’Express Des Iles ferry service has announced that starting in October 2011; the Jeans Ferry Service will operate all year around, making regular connections between Montserrat, St. Lucia, Guadeloupe, and Antigua that run all the time.

Right now, there is a less frequent service available, but ferry passengers have been increasing in recent years, so more ferry runs have been added.   As of October 20th of this year, the ferry will run frequently between St. Lucia, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Dominica.   There will also be regular weekend ferry service connecting Montserrat, Antigua, St. Martin, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and St. Kitts and Nevis.

Each ferry ride can carry up to 140 people at a time, and tourist boards across the Caribbean are welcoming this news, saying it will help bring more visitors to each island.

So why not book a great Montserrat villa for your next Caribbean family vacation?  You can spend time exploring all there is to offer on the beautiful island of Montserrat, and then scoot over to Guadeloupe or Antigua to do a little exploring on a different island.    Book a few weeks at Montserrat vacation rental and you can take a ferry for an few nights on an island as far as St. Kitts or Dominica.   Or why not start your vacation with a week at a tropical retreat in Montserrat, and then island hop on the new ferry service down to St. Lucia, to explore an entirely different volcanic island?

There is so much to explore here in this beautiful corner of the world, and now, thanks to L’Express Des Iles, exploring far and wide just got a little easier, and a lot more fun and affordable.

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Spotlight on Tennis in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Sea Monkey

Golfers travel all over the world to play the sport they love on different courses in different countries, so why not tennis players?

At the recent U.S. Open in New York, the U.S. Virgin Islands lead the way in a new international push to develop tennis tourism.   Tennis is one of the world’s fastest growing sports, and with year-round sunshine and warm weather, the Caribbean is the ideal place to play.

The U.S. Virgin Islands had a suite at the U.S. Tennis Association in New York during the Open, and the First Lady of the U.S. Virgin Islands Cecile de Jongh was in attendance, encouraging tennis lovers to visit the islands, and make use of their world class tennis facilities.

The First Lady is herself an avid tennis player, and she spoke to the world’s tennis press about the islands’ cool breezes, turquoise waters, beautiful beaches and world class tennis facilities.  Among many other international sporting events, USVI hosts the enormously successful Chrysler Cup Tennis Tournament every February.

There are plenty of tennis courts across the U.S. Virgin Islands, including on the island of St. John.  Most resorts and yacht clubs feature excellent tennis courts, and St. John house rentals also provide visitors with access to great places to play.

The best idea is to plan for a St. John vacation rental which gives you access to all kinds of activities, from hiking, swimming, and biking, to excellent places to play tennis in the U.S. Virgin Islands, under the Caribbean sun.  After all, when you think about it, a tennis racquet is a much easier thing to pack than a bunch of golf clubs!

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New Reasons to Consider a Caribbean Villa

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Sea Monkey

The global tourism market has been through some rough times over the past few years, but there is still lots of growth and plenty of new reasons to consider renting a Caribbean villa.

There are new airports, new ferry runs, new museums, and more importantly, great prices.  According to the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, this is adding up to a great winter for business in the Caribbean.

Twenty-three million people came to the Caribbean in 2010, and that number just keeps going up.

Some of the new attractions and amenities include new Jet Blue flights to the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as new resorts on St. Thomas and St. Croix.  There are new hotels and resorts also opening in Jamaica, and older resorts have been pouring money into renovating and refurbishing.  As well, Jamaica has just opened a new airport in Ocho Rios, a new cruise port in Falmouth, and a brand new convention center in Montego Bay.   Virgin Gorda has a new marina welcoming yachts in North Bay Sound.

There are lots of new tourist attractions to see, and many of them have recently seen improvements.  On St. Thomas, the Mountain Top has reopened after reconstruction, so you can once again enjoy the view from the highest point on the island.

Montserrat has a brand new museum.

While tourism is still booming in the Caribbean, research does show that the shaky economy is changing how people spend their money while they’re here.  The Caribbean Tourism Organization says that people are more interested in taking part in local island culture these days; taking the bus, going to a fish fry, enjoying a Carnival parade.

Of course, the most affordable way to experience the joys of the Caribbean is by renting your own Caribbean villa.  Tropical island rentals give you the chance to be part of life on the island, with a home of your own where you can relax in the sun.  Why not consider a Caribbean rental villa for your next affordable vacation?

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Get Your Garden on in Tortola: A Beautiful BVI Flower Show

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Sea Monkey

If you love the sights and smells of a lush tropical garden, it is time to start planning that Caribbean rental in Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.

The National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands is holding its annual BVI Flower Show on November 20th of this year at the Joseph Reynold O’Neal Botanic Gardens.  The theme is “A Floral Celebration of 50 Years of Conservation: Come and See our Islands in Colour.”

The deputy director of the NPT has asked local gardeners on Tortola to start getting their gardens ready, as there will be an island-wide competition in four categories:  Large Flower Gardens, Small Flower Gardens, Specialty Gardens (such as hibiscus or cacti), and Porch or Indoor Gardens.  Each entry will be judged on color, arrangement, health and access.

The BVI flower show began in the 80s as a way to raise money for the National Parks Trust, and is a highlight for gardeners on Tortola.

The J.R. O’Neal Botanic Garden is a highlight of any visit to Tortola. Covering four acres of land right in the heart of Road Town, the entrance is a stunning walkway of Royal Palm trees. There is a wide variety of tropical orchids and lilies here, as well as an incredible collection of cacti and Banyon trees.

If you love gardening, and want to see the very best of what Caribbean gardening has to offer, then there can be no better time to book a luxury villa on Tortola.  Come down and smell the birds of paradise and pink alamandas.  Book a stay in BVI Tortola now, at the Emerald Reef luxury villa, one of the most beautiful oceanfront vacation rentals on the island.

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