Vacation like a Survivor in Nicaragua

During my 6 month tour of Central America, I fell for Nicaragua's raw charm and ended up staying a month. This was 1997 and there wasn't a decent resort to be found. That's all changed in the past 12 years and there are a handful of great eco-friendly resorts. 

Nicaragua hosted the most recent season of Surviver and to commemorate the event, many of the hotels are offering "Surviver Packages". 

AQUA Nicaragua is pleased to offer the following SURVIVOR PACKAGE which includes:

A 3-night stay in an Eco-Luxury TreeTop Suite with:

• Daily breakfasts
• A daily one-hour massage
• A daily Yoga class
• One excursion - kayaking, paddle board, surfing lesson or horse back riding
• Your round-trip transportation to and from the Managua, Nicaragua International Airport (We'll make it easy and comfortable for you to get here and back)

Cost: $675 per person, based on double-occupancy, excluding 15% tax & gratuities.
This special offer is valid from December 1, 2010 to January 7, 2011.

Rooms at Aqua Nicaragua:

We'd be happy to book a Surviver Package for you! info @ caribbeanjourney.com or 866-236-1924

Enjoy?

El Dorado's Green-O-Meter

I'm super excited to visit the El Dorado & Azul Resorts when I am in Cancun in October. (I booked a cheap flight on American Airlines!) I  plan on scheduling time to explore their Greenhouse and certainly dine on its bounty! It sounds pretty impressive:

"Our 70,000 square foot Greenhouse, located at El Dorado Royale, produces vegetables and herbs that service all El Dorado Spa Resorts & Hotels and Azul Hotels, by Karisma. By growing vegetables on-property, El Dorado Royale reduces emissions created during the transportation of products from their harvest locations to the resort. The greenhouse is the latest addition to our extensive “Pasión por el Medio Ambiente” (Passion for the Environment) program, which sets the environmental standard in Riviera Maya and includes solar heated water, tree plantings and major recycling efforts. In addition, our guests’ experiences are further enhanced with educational tours of the greenhouse complete with interactive planting activities and cooking seminars. During these seminars, guests learn about the organic and hydroponic processes of the greenhouse, its environmental impact, and they have an opportunity to taste fresh vegetables right off the vine!"

Karisma Hotels also keep tabs on exactly how much plastic, glass, paper, & aluminum they are keeping out of the landfills... job well done! Keep up the good work!

The Karisma portfolio includes the adults only luxury all-inclusive El Dorado Resorts and the family friendly all-inclusive Azul Resorts. For great rates to these resorts, please get in touch! 866-236-1924 or info @ caribbeanjourney.com

See you soon,

CaribbeanJourney.com joins ASTA's Green Program

The first reason I like ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents) is because of their extreme support for the travel agent community. They have an informative consumer website - Travel Sense - where you can find all sorts of destination info and learn about what individual travel specialists have to offer. 

ASTA also does a good job of explaining to the consumer why it is important to use a travel agent.

We recently joined one of ASTA's newest programs as a GREEN MEMBER. This new program requires that our office practices "greener" internal operations - and we are. We've gone paperless on almost every transaction, replaced our old computers with more energy friendly products from Apple, and last year's office renovation included only non-toxic paint... just to name a few. You can read more about other Caribbean companies we support for their green efforts right here on our Green Travel page.

ASTA keeps their GREEN MEMBERS up to date on environmentally minded efforts by the travel industry as a whole through updated versions of their Green Report as well as monthly newsletters.

Best,

My Trip to Sandals Grande Antigua

I just returned from four splendid days on the island of Antigua. It was a lovely trip, albeit very last minute and I arrived much like a hurricane. Sandals Grande Antigua was the host hotel for my stay. It was my first time to the property since they completed the Mediterranean Village. Aside from the first two days of rain, I have only good things to say.

This is what you see when you first arrive. The hand painted ceiling of the lobby on your left and the picture perfect Caribbean Sea straight ahead:

I took time to wander the entire property. While I enjoyed my suite accommodations on the Mediterranean Village, I loved the lush look of the original Caribbean Grove section. If you are booked in the Caribbean Grove in a concierge room, this is where you would check-in:

While you walk to your charming West Indian cottage style accommodation, you will pass a few hidden pools... Sandals Grande Antigua has a total of 9 pools, not counting the private ones found in the villa accommodations:

Pure West Indian bliss:

If you do book a unit with a private pool, it will look something like this:

Before we move over to the new Mediterranean Side, I need to tell you that my favorite restaurant Kimonos, is located in the Caribbean Grove - seriously good Japanese fare:

This was the view from my room. Every day, all day beautiful seabirds would fly past my balcony and seemingly float in the air before then gracefully swooped on past and through the gardens below:

This is the main building in the Mediterranean Village. I stayed in a Mediterranean Honeymoon Penthouse 1 Bedroom Suite with Ocean View & Private Butler. It was amazing. I broke my wide angle lens so my photos are not that great - you can check out all the rooms online here.

My second favorite restaurant is Barefoot by the Sea... the amazingly fresh beer battered Mahi Mahi and the Grilled Swordfish Salad were my top choices:

More lush gardens on the Mediterranean side:

And then the beach - perfect white sand & turquoise water:

Facing West, each night ended with an amazing sunset:

A huge THANK YOU to the General Manager, Mr. Gerald Christ, for hosting our amazing stay!

Ready to go? I'd be happy to help you plan & book your trip! Drop me a line: Laura@CaribbeanJourney.com

To see more photos of my trip, go here.

Enjoy,

Follow me today on Twitter for Sandals Updates!

I'm attending a Sandals & Beaches Resorts conference today and tweeting live! Many fabulous updates! Follow me here: www.Twitter.com/caribbeantrips

See you there!

Interview with an Eco-Pro, Herbert Samuel

It seems every hotel I work with, is marketing some sort of eco advancement as everyone jumps on the eco-travel bandwagon. Thus, it is more important than ever to be aware that any hotel can announce their own "greenness" and market facts about their energy saving efforts. Only a Certified or Green Globe Certified hotel is in full compliance with internationally recognized standards.

Green Globe has been certifying hotels since 1993. The Caribbean is home to 63 Green Globe Certified Hotels & Tour Companies. Read about their high standards here.

During my research, I found Mr. Herbert Samuel. Herbert has recently been accredited as a Green Globe Certifications auditor for the Caribbean region. He is a graduate of the University of the West Indies with a background in energy planning and project management. Herbert is founder and president of Green Island Inc, a Caribbean energy sustainability consulting firm. Being always curious about "green" efforts in the Caribbean and those behind them, I had a few questions:

Laura: Your company, Green Island, Inc. is very exciting! Would you explain for my readers what it is Green Island, Inc. does in a nutshell?

Herbert: Green Island Inc is a consulting firm, specializing in renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy sustainability in the Caribbean. Right now we are working with several clients, mostly regional & international agencies, on projects ranging from project management (of renewable energy projects) to energy policy and planning studies. In addition to this, we’re doing Green Globe Certification audits this week in Barbados, next week in the Grenadines and in St Lucia soon after.

Laura: On a personal note, where is your favorite place to do some serious relaxing?

Herbert: Actually, at home! I have everything I need there; a view of the Grenadines from the side lawn, my music, my wife. We’re recently married and we both love to cook, so we’ve created our own little resort at home where we spend most of our spare time.

Laura: How fantastic that you live in the region! (I glance at my virtual beach with jealousy) Are you a native of St. Vincent & the Grenadines?

Herbert: Yes, I was born in Kingstown, St Vincent (1960) and have lived here for most of my life. I am also a citizen of St Lucia, having lived and worked there for 10 years from 1993 – 2003.

Photo is the view from Mr. Samuel's house... swoon...!

Meet Kanopi House...

Kanopi House. Jamaica's newest eco-friendly hotel located on my favorite corner of the island, Port Antonio. Equal parts rustic & charm...

Give a bundle of local wood to Jamaica's talented local artists and this is what you will get...

Kanopi House has just enough jungle to remind you of exactly how precious every little living thing is... Follow me...But its not all jungle... oh no, fear not. This little wonderland is only a stone's throw from the Blue Lagoon... a 250+ foot abyss of blended salt and spring water. I could stare all day at this lagoon and never tire... entertained by the constantly changing colors.
Need a closer look?

After long days of rum shop tours, river rafting, fishing, birding, or mountain biking... Kanopi House waits to welcome you... with plenty of fine cuisine crafted from fresh local ingredients, paired with the perfect vintage from the owner's cellar... and plenty of luxe lounging...

If this is starting to sound a little too civilized for what you're looking for... pause for a moment and remember... Kanopi House is comprised of tree houses... far, far away from the ordinary.

And if you dig deep into this little blog, you will come to learn that Port Antonio is one of my favorite places on earth. I've swam at midnight in the Blue Lagoon... watched from a distance a famous wife tend her mares... I've read the books and sang the songs... all about this, this perfect PARADISE. And once you visit... you too will want to find a cozy chair, put pen to paper, and draft your memories for fear there might come a day when your own experiences in Port Antonio fail to conjure up a soul warming smile...

The End.

New Green Globe Digi-Brochure

The Green Globe Organization, one I have long supported for their stringent certification process of Green Hotels, has a new digital brochure and their website has a brand new look! Check out all the Caribbean hotels that made the cut!