February 2, 2024
With Fiji on our doorstep, you may ask what’s the point of travelling to the Caribbean for a nice beach. But don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Kiwis are quick to shun the Caribbean and we’re seriously missing out, writes Julia Hammond
Have you ever thought about visiting the Caribbean and dismissed it?
After all, it’s a long way to travel just to sit on a beach when there are plenty of great examples much closer to home.
But here’s the thing: the Caribbean’s remarkable coastline isn’t its only draw, spectacular though it undoubtedly is.
The region’s a riot of colour, its signature architectural style characterised by bold hues and lacy fretwork. Diverse, culturally-rich and above all, extraordinarily beautiful – there’s a surprising number of things to do and see that don’t involve sun, sand, or surf.
With plenty of sunshine and abundant rainfall throughout much of the region, bold blooms and lush vegetation are the norm in many islands.
Nature takes centre stage on Dominica, where serious hikers will want to conquer the arduous Boiling Lake Trail. The island’s signature hike leads to the eponymously named lake, the second largest of its kind in the world after New Zealand’s own Frying Pan Lake.
To reach it, you’ll need to navigate dense forest, tackle steep climbs and skirt the fumaroles, mud pools and warm-water rivers of the aptly named Valley of Desolation – but what a reward for your efforts awaits.
Accessing fabulous flora is even easier in Barbados, where it’s worth heading inland to visit Hunte’s Gardens. A talented team of landscapers and horticulturalists have transformed a gully into an enchanting series of distinct garden rooms.
Strategically placed seating enables visitors to pause as they absorb the impact of its bromeliads, flowering ginger, anthuriums, orchids and towering palms.
Take a tip from me and head up to the terrace afterwards, where you’ll be offered a restorative glass of fresh lemonade while you appreciate the exotic foliage from above.
Verdant St Lucia is another gorgeous island.
It’s worth booking a quad biking tour if you’re keen to venture inland. Alternatively, hire a car for a couple of days to loop the island and get a closer look at the famous Pitons, twin forested peaks that are its most iconic landform.
St Lucia has another surprise: it’s home to the world’s only drive-in volcano.
Strictly speaking, you’ll park up within the collapsed crater and head off on foot to explore the geothermal area. At Sulphur Springs, there’s a strong whiff of hydrogen sulphide in the air.
Nevertheless, seize the opportunity to wallow in the area’s famous mud pools that make this the island’s most popular visitor attraction.
Another part of the Caribbean that lends itself to a road trip is Puerto Rico.
Drive the Ruta Panoramica along the mountain ridge that forms the island’s backbone. There are myriad reasons to pull over.
Drink in the views of the coast and El Yunque rainforest from the top of the yellow Yokahu Observation Tower or as you dangle from a thrilling zipline.
Hike through the Toro Negro forest, leaving behind the giant stands of bamboo that create shady arches over the winding road for the promise of pretty waterfalls.
Hacienda San Pedro is the ideal place for a pitstop, serving rich, velvety coffee that’s been grown here for four generations – probably the smoothest I’ve ever tasted. All this and you can still be back in historic San Juan in time for dinner.
The region’s colonial history began with Christopher Columbus, who landed on Hispaniola in 1492. His brother founded Santo Domingo, now the capital of the Dominican Republic, where you’ll discover the oldest cathedral in the Americas and a grid pattern of streets that was replicated time and time again across the New World.
However, neighbouring Cuba steals the limelight, offering up a snapshot of bygone times. The mansions of Havana exude a faded grandeur as their peeling paint and rusted wrought iron balconies testify.
Yet it’s a remarkable place to explore on foot, or from the back of one of the vintage American convertibles whose brightly coloured paintwork and gleaming chrome trim still turn heads. They hark back to an era of debauchery and excess, as you’ll find out if you book a Mob Tour to immerse yourself in the landmarks that defined Meyer Lansky’s seedy city of the late 1950s.
Fellow foodies, if like me you’re big into your grub, the Caribbean delivers.
Feast on goat curry, pepperpot stew, rice and peas, cou-cou (cornmeal and okra) fried plantain and breadfruit.
In Jamaica, you’ll want to try ackee and saltfish, the national dish. Meanwhile, they call Grenada the Spice Isle as it’s a big producer of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and more. There, you’re likely to be offered oil down, a delicious one-pot stew combining meat, coconut milk, callaloo (a leafy green vegetable) lifted by that all-important spice.
Time your visit to Puerto Rico for a Sunday when half the island descends on the village of Guavate to feast on juicy suckling pig served with heaps of crackling. You’ll find this communal tradition of coming together to eat and socialise replicated across the Caribbean.
In Barbados, for example, locals and visitors alike throng the Friday night Oistins Fish Fry. Meanwhile, on Sundays watch the sun set over Antigua’s historic Nelson’s Dockyard from lofty Shirley Heights. As its legendary weekly party gets underway, jerk chicken sizzles on the barbecue, the lilting sounds of reggae rise from steel pans and the beer flows freely.
Of course, carnival is the biggest party of all. Trinidad and Tobago hosts the biggest in the region, a riot of colour where scantily clad dancers in sequined and feathered costumes shimmy through the streets.
Only the most intrepid travellers – the security situation can be volatile – will find themselves in Haiti but Jacmel’s February Kanaval teases a jaw-dropping parade. This usually sleepy town wakes up each February as noisy rara bands and flamboyant revellers, many sporting papier mache masks, pass in front of an enthusiastic crowd.
Spot Lanset Kod figures covered from head to toe in charcoal and cane syrup; listen out for the approach of men beating cowhides known as yawe and the clacking sound of the Mathurin bat-devils’ wooden wings. It’s loud and chaotic, but take it from me, it’s the kind of experience you’ll never forget.
Checklist
The Caribbean
Getting there
From Auckland, the most logical route to take is either via a European city such as London or transiting the United States. Note that if you plan to visit Cuba, you’ll no longer be eligible for an ESTA for future visits to the US and instead would require a full tourist visa.
Getting around
Island-hopping isn’t as straightforward in the Caribbean as you might imagine, as ferry connections and inter-island flights are relatively limited. Opting for a cruise is often the easiest way to combine multiple islands in one trip, though you’ll sacrifice the deep dive that you get if you plump for one base.