An Ice Bar in St. Thomas?

I've seen ice bars before and always wondered what the appeal was as they usually are found in places with freezing temps. If it is ice cold outside, why would you want to spend your night on the town shivering? So, while it may seem odd that St. Thomas, in the US Virgin Islands now has an ice bar of its very own, it does make sense.

With average temps in the upper 80s, scorching hot beaches and bath water warm seas, any Caribbean Island could use an ice bay for the ultimate chill out. Read more about Magic Ice in St. Thomas.

Check out the ice bar on your next vacation to St. Thomas! 


Ready to book your trip? Contact us for great rates on airfare + hotel. Read up on airline reviews and decide which flights work best for you! 

Enjoy! 

Barbados Food, Wine, & Rum Festival

Mark your calenders! The 2011 Barbados Food, Wine, & Rum Festival is set for November 18to 21, 2011. This is one of the Caribbean's best parties and certainly the most palate pleasing. 

Check out more photos from the 2010 festival here.

Visit the Barbados Tourist Board's website for more details.

Our Caribbean Travel Agents are standing by... waiting to help you plan your trip to the Barbados Food, Wine, & Rum Festival! Call us - 866-236-1924 to get started today! 

A few fun facts about BARBADOS!

Last night I went to dinner with the Barbados Tourist Board. As with any Caribbean sponsored event, the night was lively & colorful but it was the following facts that I found most interesting...

Did you know 7 of South Carolina's first 21 governors were from Barbados?

Or that Barbados' own Mount Gay Rum is the oldest in the world? Maybe that's why it is called "the rum that invented rum".

What about this... Barbados was the only country George Washington visited outside the US and the house he lived in has been restored and is waiting for you to explore.

Not only is Barbados the first Caribbean island to be Zagat rated, but there are more restaurants per square mile than any other Caribbean island. 

Who knew that Barbados is home to Bathsheba, one of the top surfing destinations in the world.

And rounding out the coolness factor report, she's from Barbados too...

Stay tuned for more tidbits on this little gem of an island...

Enjoy,

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday Island Lovers!

I'll be spending my weekend packing for another adventure I'm embarking on next week... one where hopefully my views will be similar to the photo above and not full of the clouds and dark skies calling the tropics home this week. Did you hear about the flooding in Jamaica? 

I'm hoping I have time to fix my camera lens before my trip so I can take more photos to share.

I'll be testing out my favorite travel apps.

Fall is in the air around here so I'll make one of the Caribbean's most wonderful contributions to the culinary world - Pumpkin Soup.

Maybe we'll try this new cocktail recipe made with Bacardi Burnt Cherry Rum.

Why didn't I think of this?

Hurry! Only a few more days to enter our FREE HONEYMOON GIVEAWAY! Visit our travel homepage and enter to win.

How about you? Any fun plans for the weekend?

Cheers,

Barbados Food & Wine & Rum Festival

I have failed miserably at my own job. Somehow, I completely overlooking this sure-to-be amazing festival sponsored by Food & Wine Magazine and sadly, I have conflicting travel plans the very same week. My inner foodie is not happy at the missed opportunity to see such  fine culinary talent as Tom Colicchio, Marcus Samuelsson, Ming Tsai, Tim Love, and Fergus Henderson, in action.

For those of you who are looking for a great excuse to visit Barbados and are free to travel the week of November 19th, I highly recommend this event! I've attended other Food & Wine sponsored events and each delectable bite is worth the trip. 

Being Barbados, this is not simply a Food & Wine affair... expect large volumes of rum with a heaping side of arts & culture.

For more on the festival click here. To book your trip to Barbados, click here.

Send me a postcard!

Ahoy Friends! Meet the Pyrat....

During my trip to Anguilla, I was happy to try all of the local specialities I could get my hands on and that included Pyrat Rum. While not currently bottled on the island, it has Anguillian roots. The XO Reserve is served straight up, in a brandy snifter. Pyrat Rum is sweet and smooth, this coming from a girl who usually avoids drinking anything without a little tonic stirred in.

If you don't have plans to visit Anguilla soon, then visit Pyrat Rum's website - very cool.

On the subject of Rum, check out RumShopRyan's interview on Uncommon Caribbean!

Latin Caribbean Food Guide

The About.com network is a great resource for just about anything. They have hired experts in almost every field and given them their own platform to share knowledge, attracting a loyal following. I cruise About.com from time to time, checking for news from the Caribbean. Tonight I stumbled upon Hector Rodriquez's About.com Latin Caribbean Food Guide... on an empty stomach, so of course I am smitten!

I love plantains any which way you serve them to me, so I am sure the Jibarito would hit the spot right about now:

Sangria is a staple in our house during the hot summer months, but I've never considered using tropical ingredients such as rum & mango like this 'Sangria Criolla'... delicious!

Photos from here & here. I'll let you know how we enjoy the Sangria in a few weeks!

The Rums of Martinique

Some of the best rums in the world are created on the tiny island of Martinique, giving visitors yet another great reason to visit this French territory in the Caribbean. The rums from the island have been bestowed with the appellation d’origine contrôlée award, which certainly sounds very prestigious. Rum distilleries throughout the island welcome visitors to tour the facilities and sample the product.  Article & photo from here... Enjoy!