The main islands of the Bahamas, Nassau and Paradise Island, have experienced a real renaissance. I have seen this three times in the last year, while on one trip I received a Cacique Award as The Travel Agent of the Year for the Bahamas. No one knows more about the islands than we do!

ATLANTIS RESORT on Paradise Island has completed a new, very deluxe modern hotel tower called The Cove. In The Cove are Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill and a deluxe buffet restaurant called Cascades. Also completed at Atlantis is The Reef condo building, and a fantastic water experience called Acquaventure, featuring a mile long river pool with a strong current that you ride through on a tube. It is great fun for adults and children and is open to all Atlantis and COMFORT SUITES guests.

Further down the beautiful Paradise Island beach is the other deluxe option, THE ONE AND ONLY OCEAN CLUB, a low-rise resort of only 106 rooms. A new beachside building here contains the best beachfront rooms and a chic restaurant called Dune.

There are also elaborate renovation plans underway on Cable Beach. The old Radisson Resort has already been tastefully redecorated and upgraded into the Sheraton Cable Beach Resort. Plans also include new St. Regis, W and Westin Resorts, and redirection of the main road through the area.

Other resort options on Paradise Island are the pleasant all-inclusive RIU PARADISE ISLAND, COMFORT SUITES, whose guests have full rights at Atlantis, and HARBORSIDE RESORT at Atlantis, 392 condo units from one to three bedrooms. Also there are the PARDISE ISLAND BEACH CLUB with 44 two bedroom units, the affiliated PARADISE HARBOR CLUB & MARINA, BEST WESTERN BAYVIEW SUITES, and the very modest all-inclusive PARADISE ISLAND HARBOR RESORT.

In downtown Nassau, close to restaurants and shopping, are the famous BRITISH COLONIAL HILTON, with a private beach, the historic (1740) GRAYCLIFF HOTEL, and the modest NASSAU PALM RESORT, across the street from the public Junkanoo Beach and walking distance from town.

On Cable Beach, where major improvements are coming, there are two all-inclusive resorts, SANDALS ROYAL BAHAMIAN, with a very nice private island, and BREEZES BAHAMAS, centrally located on beautiful Cable Beach. Breezes is a particularly good value all-inclusive. NASSAU BEACH HOTEL appearing to be closed,and WYNDHAM CRYSTAL PALACE are slated for changes in coming years.

Further out of town on the beach are COMPASS POINT, a chic collection of colorful island cottages, and ORANGE HILL BEACH INN, 32 casual rooms favored by divers and budget travelers. The SOUTH OCEAN BEACH RESORT, the only one on Nassau’s south coast, maybe open now after being closed for awhile.

Nassau and Paradise Island offer world class beautiful beaches and crystal clear blue water, creating perfect spring/summer/fall vacations for everyone. Call us for help with your Bahamas vacation!.... May 2008.

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ST. THOMAS and ST. JOHN

St. Thomas is a U.S. Virgin Island where English is spoken and familiar fast food restaurants abound, but driving is on the left. The island is mountainous, with beautiful views of the Caribbean Sea and other islands from many scenic points.

There are only about 25 hotels and condominiums for vacationers, ranging from simple guesthouses to luxury resorts. The best places to stay are the typically luxurious Ritz-Carlton Resort in the Red Hook area and Marriott's Morningstar Beach Resort, next door to the large, very nice Frenchman's Reef Resort and fairly close to Charlotte Amalie, the capital city.

Also in or near town is the Holiday Inn Windward Passage, terrific if you want to walk to restaurants and shopping and don't need a beach. Emerald Beach Resort, Island Beachcomber, and Carib Beach Resort are moderate properties on the beach close to the airport..

The Red Hook area on the eastern end of the island used to be known only for the National Park dock housing the public ferry to St. John. Now there are numerous restaurants and shops in new and growing developments there. The new Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort is a very pleasant Superior First Class, large hotel for families, couples and singles. Sapphire Beach Resort offers Junior Suites with kitchens and a great stretch of beach with snorkeling. Many of the units, however, have not been touched in many years and you must request a renovated room when you book.

Also at Sapphire Beach are the modest condos Crystal Cove and Sapphire Village. Point Pleasant condo units overlook the now closed former Renaissance Grand Resort and beach. Pavilions and Pools offers totally private First Class One Bedroom units with kitchens and large private pools.

Close to the Ritz-Carlton Resort are several moderate condo developments including Elysian, Anchorage and Cowpet Bay condos, good for families and walking distance to three local restaurants.

Heading back to Charlotte Amalie from Red Hook on the southern road, you pass Secret Harbour, a quiet upscale condo/hotel on a good beach, with handicapped facilites including snorkeling and diving. Further along toward the capital city is Bolongo Beach Resort, neighboring Watergate Villas and Bluebeard's Beach Club, a nice time share development sometimes available for short term rentals. Bolongo is a moderate First Class resort whose long beach allows rock-free access at only one point just in front of the swimming pool. Watersports are included and the staff is friendly, but the rooms need renovations.

Magens Point Resort is a St. Barths-like, somewhat chic, small hotel with a well regarded restaurant and views of Magens Bay on the North coast.. The beach at Magens Bay is public and the prettiest on St. Thomas.

ST. JOHN is reachable only by ferry from St. Thomas, and the two main resorts on the island have private, comfortable ferries directly to their docks. Other hotel guests take the public ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay, the main town on St. John. About 2/3 of the island is non-developed national park land.

The Westin St. John makes for a great vacation for everyone. Rooms are perfect, with "heavenly beds" and flat screen TVs. Watersports are included, even two trampolines in the water! And the villa units across the street go from studios with shared pools to fabulous three bedroom villas with private pools.

Caneel Bay Resort is the other deluxe rated property on St. John. The grounds here are spectacular, with four world class beautiful beaches. But Rosewood Hotels has been slow in improving the rooms. They are now air-conditioned, but poorly furnished and unattractive. The staff says they want people to do things outdoors.

Rounding out the accomodations on St. John, Gallows Point is a pleasant seaside condo walking distance to Cruz Bay, and Maho Bay Camp offers wood-floored tents leading down a hill to a good beach. There are also several guest houses in town.....October 2005

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CAYMAN BRAC

Cayman Brac is the larger of the two sister islands of the Caymans, the other being Little Cayman. And Cayman Brac is only twelve miles long by, at most, two miles wide. Scuba divers love "the Brac" because of the easy access to numerous interesting dive sites. Naturalists and bird watchers can see up to 200 species of birds, including many migrants.

Cayman Brac is characterized by a 140-foot high bluff running in the center of the island to the far eastern tip, where there is a lighthouse and tremendous ocean views. There are many good beaches, primarily on the south coast, but only at one public beach does the clean sand continue out under the water.

There are only two full service resorts on the Brac, the 71-room DIVI TIARA BEACH RESORT and the 40-room BRAC REEF BEACH RESORT. Both are ideal for divers and others seeking a low key vacation. BRAC REEF offers a more pleasant, slightly deluxe ambiance, while DIVI TIARA has an exceptional dive operation.

For families or couples traveling together, there are two very nice condo resorts right next door to each other and a short way from the two resorts, all of which are on the south coast, close to the airport. CARIB SANDS is 34 beachfront one, two and three bedroom units. BRAC CARIBBEAN BEACH RESORT is sixteen ocean view two bedroom units managed by the same group. There are several food stores and restaurants on the island.

And for those wanting simpler accommodations, there are a large number of guesthouses, bed and breakfasts and cottages starting at about $60/night.

Getting to Cayman Brac usually involves a flight on Island Air from Grand Cayman, but now there is a nonstop Cayman Air flight from Miami....April 2005

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BARBADOS

The entire history of Barbados since 1627 has been British, which may explain the island's prosperity and stability. For vacationers, Barbados offers miles of good beaches, a wide range of places to stay, and a good selection of restaurants and night spots. Watersports are excellent, with calm, clear water on the fashionable west coast, wavy water on the hip south coast, and rough waves on the beautiful Atlantic Ocean east coast.

SANDY LANE HOTEL has attained Super Deluxe status as one of the best full service resorts in the Caribbean. Also Deluxe and on the west coast are THE HOUSE, a modern resort for clients seeking privacy; CORAL REEF CLUB, which just completed a redesign of half its rooms, making even the minimum "Garden Rooms" quite fabulous; GLITTER BAY and ROYAL PAVILION, two adjacent deluxe resorts; and the ROYAL WESTMORELAND development, inland around a golf course.

Also on the west coast are a number of low-rise, smaller, very attractive resorts, including COBBLERS COVE, COLONY CLUB, CRYSTAL COVE, LITTLE GOOD HARBOUR, SANDPIPER, SETTLERS BEACH, TAMARIND COVE and TREASURE BEACH HOTEL. The ALMOND BEACH VILLAGE is a large, moderate all-inclusive for families, singles and couples located in Speightstown, the northernmost town on the west coast.

From Bridgetown, the capital, to the airport, are numerous hotels and apartments on the south coast. Here, hotels are closer to one another and generally walking distance to the many restaurants and night spots, especially in the St Lawrence Gap area.

The new Deluxe HILTON RESORT, the pleasant SAVANNAH HOTEL, and the moderate GRAND BARBADOS HOTEL are all a short distance from Bridgetown. Further along, the best hotels are the all-inclusive TURTLE BEACH RESORT, the all-suite BOUGANVILLEA RESORT, ACCRA BEACH, CASUARINAS, and the SANDY BEACH RESORT. More modest, but recommended, properties on the south coast include DIVI SOUTHWINDS, SOUTHERN PALMS, ALLAMANDA BEACH suites, AMARYLLIS BEACH RESORT (formerly Asta Apartments), and TIME OUT AT THE GAP, across the street from the beach.

Barbados is characterized by gentle, rolling green hills and beautiful scenery on the rough Atlantic Ocean coast. People who enjoy rough surf (like Jones Beach in New York) will love THE CRANE RESORT, the only currently open resort on the east coast. New deluxe condo units are available for rent and purchase.

Fine dining, world class golf at SANDY LANE and ROYAL WESTMORELAND, and a good choice of deluxe resorts support the upscale reputation that Barbados enjoys......November 2004

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ARUBA

Aruba is a happy island. One theory says it is happy because slavery never existed on the island. Others think it's because Aruba possesses many things that make a vacation there perfect - - beautiful beaches, perfect weather with no hurricanes, numerous very good restaurants and nightspots, a good range of very clean hotels and condos, and very friendly people.

It is fairly easy to pick a hotel that is right for you. The three deluxe hotels - HYATT, MARRIOTT and RADISSON - are all on Palm Beach and are all different from each other. The HYATT has been the best hotel on the island for a long time because it is intimate and beautifuly landscaped with a water slide. The MARRIOTT is modern deluxe with an increasing number of affiliated condo units in the OCEAN CLUB and the SURF CLUB buildings. The RADISSON RESORT spent millions of dollars and created a lush, interesting resort with attractive restaurants and a long stretch of beach.

BUCUTI BEACH RESORT and the ARUBA GRAND RESORT are smaller properties that are right for couples who appreciate dining on the sand (at BUCUTI), few children, and less crowded beaches. The RENAISSANCE RESORT (formerly Sonesta) is a chic Superior First Class highrise hotel on the edge of town, walking distance to numerous restaurants and nightspots and a short boat ride to their private beach island.

All of the other First Class and Tourist Class hotels are clean and attractive in one way or another. The HOLIDAY INN is the best value on the island. The WYNDHAM ARUBA has a huge swimming pool, eight restaurants and a free kids program. And the ALLEGRO RESORT is a moderate all-inclusive with a different terrific dinner show six nights per week included. The DIVI properties are mostly low rise and low key on Eagle Beach. DIVI ARUBA and TAMARIJN are all-inclusive, and DIVI VILLAGE, DIVI PHOENIX and DIVI DUTCH VILLAGE are condo resorts surrounding a new 9-hole golf course.

The other 18-hole golf course is on the north shore of the island around the lighthouse. TIERRA DEL SOL is at this golf course and is a number of beautiful villas and townhouse accommodations with a club house and a pool. LA CABANA, COSTA LINDA, and PLAYA LINDA are other condo resorts perfect for families.

Even the budget properties, AMSTERDAM MANOR, THE MILL RESORT, MANCHEBO BEACH, and BRICKELL BAY are clean and acceptable places to stay, on or across the street from the beach.

Aruba is great for singles, couples and families. Probably the best miniature golf courses in the world are in Aruba.....October 2003

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NORTH SOUND, VIRGIN GORDA, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

The British Virgin Islands lie just east of St. Thomas and Puerto Rico, and consist of Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, Jost Van Dyke, and about 35 other smaller islands. The BVI's are less developed than the U.S. Virgin Islands and are characterized by many shades of blue water for sailing, windsurfing, snorkeling and scuba diving, and a good range of places to stay.

Over the years, we have stayed at PETER ISLAND RESORT, BITTER END YACHT CLUB, LONG BAY BEACH RESORT, and DRAKE'S ANCHORAGE. This trip, we are back to the North Sound area of Virgin Gorda.

There is no better resort in the entire Caribbean than the BITTER END YACHT CLUB for sailing, windsurfing and snorkeling. From beginning sailing lessons to every size sailboat at your disposal; from two guided snorkeling trips each day to very healthy reefs surrounding the North Sound to your own Boston Whaler for beach and snorkel excursions (with an included box lunch); and from state of the art windsurfing equipment and competitions to a steady strong wind, BITTER END is the best for families, couples and singles.

Next door to Bitter End, and also reachable only by boat, is BIRAS CREEK, a deluxe resort, not very well known, but very special. From the cocktail terrace outside the restaurant you can watch the sun set over several islands. Food is gourmet here, and each cottage room is a suite, garden or ocean view. You have two bicycles assigned to your cottage to ride to the calm cove beach, and you have use of a motorboat to explore the North Sound.

LEVERICK BAY RESORT is a less expensive alternative in the North Sound area, and is reachable by road. From here you can rent a boat to snorkel the same beautiful reefs and you can pay to participate in Bitter End's excursions. LEVERICK BAY offers hotel rooms, condos and villas. DRAKE'S ANCHORAGE is a Robinson Crusoe island resort with motel-like accommodations, but it is currently closed.

Transport to the North Sound area involves connecting in Puerto Rico to Tortola and then taking a 45-minute fast ferry to the dock at your hotel.....5/27/02

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OCHO RIOS, JAMAICA

Ocho Rios is one of the five resort areas in Jamaica, the others being Montego Bay, Negril, Port Antonio and Runaway Bay. Ocho Rios is a two hour drive, or a 30 minute flight, from the Montego Bay airport, and is characterized by lush, mountainous cove beaches. This trip I visited five such coves in a row, occupied by GRAND LIDO SANS SOUCI, SHAW PARK BEACH HOTEL, JAMAICA INN, BEACHES ROYAL PLANTATION, SANDALS OCHO RIOS and BEACHES GRANDE SPORT Beach Club.

Sans Souci, Jamaica Inn and Royal Plantation are deluxe. Jamaica Inn, owned by a Connecticut family since 1947, has a perfect beach - long, soft sand all the way out in the water, and plenty of shade. All 45 rooms are oceanview or better, with well-furnished balconies, and Breakfast, Dinner and a Planters Punch daily are included. This is a traditional upscale resort with live music accompanying cocktails on the terrace before dinner.

Beaches Royal Plantation is the newest and most deluxe of the Sandals/Beaches chain and is truly all-inclusive. Special features here are only 84 beautifully furnished junior suites or better, gourmet food and top shelf liquors 24 hours a day with room service, a modern indoor spa, two short beaches, and exchange privileges at Sandals other properties.

Sans Souci is formally one of the Grand Lido Resorts owned by the Super Clubs chain. Like the other deluxe resorts, it occupies its own cove. Highlights at this all-inclusive resort are included spa treatments delivered in open air rooms with ocean views and sounds, a mineral-rich swimming pool with nearby sauna, a private clothing optional beach, gourmet cuisine, and jacuzzis in most of the 146 suites..

There are three Sandals resorts within walking distance of each other - Royal Plantation, Sandals Ocho Rios, and Beaches Grande Sport. Guests have exchange privileges (except to Royal Plantation), giving people choices of up to 14 different restaurants for dinner (including Sandals Dunns River about 20 minutes away). Sandals Ocho Rios is known as the lush one, with elaborate plantings throughout the grounds. The resort is older, First Class in rating, and only accepts couples. Grande Sport is a Beaches Resort , which means all adults are welcome This hotel is located up a steep hill from the beach in a plantation-like setting, with a Main House and numerous multi-unit villas scattered around the grounds. Sports are the thing here, including a climbing wall. The private beach club offers shuttle service, a pool and restaurant, and a short beach.

Shaw Park is a lower First Class resort occupying a very long beach. Almost all of the two story rooms are beachfront.

Winter per person pricing including midweek airfare from NY for the reviewed hotels is approximately: ...12/6/01

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SOUTH COAST OF PUERTO RICO

Most people vacationing in Puerto Rico choose hotels and resorts in the San Juan area or a short distance east or west from the capital city. All of these properties are on the north coast of the island with beaches on the Atlantic Ocean.

But Puerto Rico's southern, Caribbean coast also offers several nice vacation spots, quieter and more "Puerto Rican" than the north coast. DORAL PALMAS DEL MAR, in Humacao, about 45 minutes southeast of the San Juan airport, is a large full service resort with ten restaurants, golf, horseback riding, tennis, hotel rooms and multi-bedroom condo units, all on a very long Caribbean beach. It is perfect for families and couples and runs about $1459pp double occupancy from New York in winter.

Two hours southwest from San Juan is the COPAMARINA BEACH RESORT and the town of La Parguera. COPAMARINA is a low key first class beach resort of 104 very pleasant low-rise rooms. Food in two restaurants is excellent, almost gourmet. Resort facilities include two tennis courts, two pools with a jacuzzi, a massage, manicure and body treatment room and excercise machines, a full service dive shop, and a number of interesting excursions. A weeklong trip in winter to Copamarina is about $949pp with midweek air from New York.

The best outing is a night time boat ride from La Parguera, about 20 minutes from Copamarina, to the phosphorescent bay. Here, organisms in the water light up when disturbed (by swimming, splashing or just running the motor). It is one of the few places in the world where this occurs....1/28/01

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LA ROMANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Formerly known only as the location of the world famous Casa de Campo resort, La Romana is now the home of six new resort hotels on the beach called Bayahibe. And in December 2000, a modern new airport opens midway between Casa de Campo and Bayahibe.

La Romana, on the southeastern coast, is one of four main resort areas in the Dominican Republic, the others being Puerto Plata on the north coast, Punta Cana on the east coast, and the towns around Santo Domingo on the southern, Caribbean coast. Vacations anywhere in the Dominican Republic provide the best value in the Caribbean, even better than Mexico, because the country uses Pesos. When the Pesos are converted into dollars, the values are superb.

CASA DE CAMPO is a huge resort with many unique features - three of the best golf courses in the Caribbean, one of the most elaborate tennis facilities in the world, horseback riding and polo, a shooting center, a good beach and a new marina development, and the recreated village of Altos de Chavon on the top of a deep gorge that is the Chavon River. Guests travel to these various venues by golf cart or shuttle bus. Accommodations range from nicely furnished low rise hotel rooms to 4-6 bedroom villas with pools.

You can reserve the moderately deluxe CASA DE CAMPO on the European Plan, and pay a la carte for meals, drinks and activities, or the All-Inclusive Plan, which lets you eat and drink whatever you want to. In Winter 7 nights including midweek air from New York starts at about $1372pp EP and $2154pp All-Inclusive.

Just a few years ago, the only thing on Bayahibe beach, east of Casa de Campo, was a small seafood restaurant. Today there are five new full service beach resorts, all offering all-inclusive plans. AMSHA'S CASA DEL MAR RESORT and the CORAL CANOA BEACH HOTEL & SPA are the best of the new hotels in the area. Both have more than 500 rooms and all the facilities you would expect. The other hotels at Bayahibe are CLUB VIVA DOMINICUS, with individual thatched cottages (not air-conditioned) and standard rooms with AC and TV, THE CLUB VIVA DOMINICUS PALACE, more deluxe three story buildings, and the VENTACLUB GRAN DOMINICUS, Spanish style two story 16 room villas. All Inclusive at CASA DEL MAR starts at only $1129pp in Winter including air from New York...10/23/00

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NEGRIL, JAMAICA

Negril is probably the very best informal beach town in the Caribbean! It is one of the four major resort areas in Jamaica, the others being Montego Bay, Ocho Rios and Port Antonio. Negril's seven mile long white sand beach is entirely walkable and partially lined with all forms of accommodations, restaurants and night spots. The beach ends in the small town of Negril and then several miles of cliffside hotels extend to the famous Rick's Cafe, where anyone can try cliff diving (or jumping).

Places to stay range from modest hotels like WHITE SANDS VILLAS, which costs about $675 per person for a week in Winter including air from NY, to the all-inclusive, deluxe rated GRAND LIDO RESORT, at about $3,000 pp with air. A very comfortable, quieter alternative to the larger all-inclusive resorts is SWEPT AWAY. 137 rooms are spacious with large furnished porches and set amongst almost jungle landscaping. Unique features here are Continental Breakfast delivered to your room, three excursions that you would pay for yourself, and a terrific Veggie Bar with afternoon snacks including chips and salsa or guacamole, sushi rolls, and a variety of nice salads. BEACHES NEGRIL is one of the best all-inclusive resorts for families, singles and couples.

Negril is warm all year, the water is clear and calm, and there are good flights from everywhere to Jamaica. Negril is one and one-half hours by bus from the Montego Bay Airport or a roundtrip flight is about $120pp...9/30/00

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ST. LUCIA

St. Lucia is one of the most interesting Caribbean islands. It is characterized by its lush, mountainous terrain, a good range of places to stay, and friendly French patois-speaking people. Highlights of the island are the scenery around the two beautiful Piton Mountains (the symbol of St. Lucia), world class snorkeling and scuba diving, and a fantastic drive-in volcano where you can see the earth boiling right under your feet.

The government encouraged development of all-inclusive resorts, and today about one half of the hotel rooms on the island are all-inclusive. For families, the all-inclusive options are: the modest, simple CLUB ST. LUCIA, American style Superior First Class WYNDHAM MORGAN BAY, and the somewhat Deluxe JALOUSIE HILTON, at the base of the Pitons. SANDALS ST. LUCIA, which greatly improved the former Cunard LaToc property, SANDALS HALCYON, and now the former Hyatt St. Lucia which has become a SANDALS all have exchange privileges with each other, offering a choice of restaurants, a golf course and modern spa. The other hotel for couples only is RENDEZVOUS, which has the longest beach in St. Lucia.

Other all-inclusives for adults are LE SPORT, with a terrific modern spa and spa cuisine, and EAST WINDS INN, an upscale beachfront resort of only 26 cottages.

Two unique, non all-inclusive hotels are situated near the Piton Mountains in the south of the island. The cottages at ANSE CHASTENET lead down a hillside to a good-size dark sand beach, where the beachside units are located. Snorkeling and scuba diving right off this beach is some of the best in the Caribbean. Minerals leech from the base of the Piton Mountains under the water and produce beautifully colored coral and millions of colored fish. Dining at Anse Chastenet is a rare pleasure, sitting outdoors overlooking the peaks of the pretty Pitons.

LADERA RESORT is situated high on a ridge between the two peaks of the Pitons. The rooms feel like those on a luxury yacht, including one wall open to the extraordinary view. Many have private plunge pools. The restaurant here, Dasheen, has a gourmet reputation, but we were not impressed.

Other good hotels are the ROYAL ST. LUCIAN and its neighbor, the REX ST. LUCIAN, a newer pleasant hotel BAY GARDENS, and the simpler ORANGE GROVE HOTEL and GREEN PARROT INN, the last two being a drive to the beach. Recommended condo accommodations include HARMONY MARINA apartments and MARLIN QUAY, a newer condo complex, both of which are on the water a short walk to the beach and restaurants. WINDJAMMER LANDING is all by itself on the beach and is a development of very attractive villa units, and hotel amenities including three restaurants, a pool, shopping and a tour desk.

St. Lucia has two international airports, one of which is Vigie in the north served by American Airlines from Puerto Rico, BWIA from Barbados or Trinidad, and Liat, the Caribbean airline. The southern airport, Hewanorra, is served by Air Jamaica. Driving is on the left and car rentals are easy to arrange.....2/17/00