Destinations
to consider...
By
Rick VanSickle
We
had our little piece of paradise many
years ago on the half-Dutch, half-French
island of St. Maarten. It was our go-to
tropical retreat year after year for all
the obvious reasons: renowned sandy beaches,
a fabulous golf course, exquisite food,
tax-free shopping, the most inexpensive
Cuban cigars outside of Cuba and, incredibly,
wine shops that stocked the world's finest
vino anywhere in the Caribbean at prices
that were shockingly cheap. St. Maarten
had it all.
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Then,
within hours on Sept. 5, 1995, Hurricane
Luis slammed into the island, leveling
the only golf course and taking
the landmark Mullet Bay Resort,
where my wife and I had stayed for
three winter vacations in a row,
with it. Much of the French side
of the island, including the picturesque
Marina Port La Royale in Marigot,
was destroyed by the ferocious storm,
while on the Dutch side, where Mullet
Bay and the major shopping venues
were housed, it also took a massive
hit and is still struggling to return
to its former glory.
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The
beaches of St. Maarten
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The
Mullet Bay Resort has never been rebuilt
and the rundown buildings, crumbling from
years of neglect, ring the once beautiful
Mullet Bay Golf Course. The 18-hole course
was reopened but, according to reports,
it's over-priced for what you get, not
well maintained and winds its way through
a resort that was virtually wiped out
16 years ago.
So,
sadly, we scratched St. Maarten from our
list of winter getaways.
But
finding a Caribbean destination with all
the right ingredients — good beaches,
decent golf courses, passable food and
drinkable wine — is seemingly harder
than it should be.
Most
Caribbean hot spots have some combination
of the above, but being picky travellers
(and on a budget!) we have made it a life-long
ambition to find the perfect island with
all the right amenities.
Of
course, if money was no object, it does
not matter where you go. Snap your fingers
and the world will come to you. I asked
a good friend, Toronto sommelier Zoltan
Szabo, where he thought the perfect Caribbean
spot for wine, beaches, food and sun was
and he didn't hesitate.
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Historice
Graycliff Hotel, Restaurant and
Cigar Factory in Nassau, Bahamas,
is an exquisite jewel of an inn,
nestled in the heart of Old Nassau,
surrounded by a lush tropical gardens
with the Caribbean Ocean just beyond.
World-class accommodations, five-star
dining, exceptional amenities and
an atmosphere rich with romance
and history make Graycliff a truly
unique destination.
What
makes Graycliff such a jewel is
the rustic basement cellar of 300,000
bottles of wine, insured at $12
million, said Szabo.
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Along
with one of the best wine lists anywhere,
it also boasts the world's best list of
Cognacs, Armagnacs and single malt Scotches
that Szabo has ever seen. And that's saying
a lot!
All
that and thousands of boxes of rare cigars,
some vintage dated, ready to be enjoyed,
if you have the money (rooms start at
$500 a night).
But,
alas, our hopes and desires for the perfect
island are somewhat more modest than those
swanky digs in the Bahamas. So, here are
some of our "affordable" favourite
winter destinations and what to expect:
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CUBA:
This
Communist country island has some
definite good points.
First
of all, it's one of the most affordable
resort destinations in the world
and it comes with glorious, white
sand beaches and almost guaranteed
perfect weather.
The
Varadero strip, home of most of
the "luxury" resorts in
Cuba, is all one needs in a Caribbean
vacation — sun, beach, sand
all in a relatively safe environment.
Accommodations will be advertised
as five-star but think one star
less than what they suggest.
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Sol
Melia Las Americas Suites
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The
food in Cuba can be mediocre at best but
you can "buy-up" to fancier
restaurants at the resorts if you want
to the extra prices.
There
is only one golf course in Varadero, at
the Sol Melia Las Americas Suites and
Golf Resort, and it'll do in a pinch with
a nice location along the ocean with great
views.
If
it's wine you need to make your stay more
enjoyable, you won't find anything drinkable
in Cuba. Wine is only served in tourist
restaurants and at a very high price,
as it is imported from overseas, mainly
from Spain. In Cuba, wine is barely cultivated,
the local wines are sour and as the Cubans
like to point out: "Our wine may
be sour, but it is our wine!" So
best to stuff a few bottles in your luggage
for a special night or two and enjoy the
island's great rum drinks.
On
the plus side? Cuban cigars at prices
you can afford fresh from the factory.
SCORE:
Beach, weather, ocean: 10 out of 10
Wine availability: 0 out 10
Food: 7 out of 10
Golf: 6 out of 10
Accommodations: 7 out of 10
Overall: 8 out of 10
JAMAICA:
We've
been to Jamaica a few times and really
enjoy it best when staying put at an all-inclusive
resort. The sun is very hot in Jamaica
and the beaches are fairly nice (not quite
as good as Cuba) so there's really no
need to go in search of other destinations
once you're there.
The
food is far better in Jamaica, especially
at the all-inclusive resorts, and the
accommodations are generally nice to luxurious,
if you want to spend the money. There
is far greater choice in Jamaica.
You
can also find most European and U.S. wines
if you want to pay the high mark ups but
since you'll be dining on the hot and
fiery cuisine of the Caribbean, you're
better off to stick to local beers and
rum based fruit drinks.
Caribbean
cuisine has been influenced by a fusion
of flavors among the many different cultures.
Jerk chicken is the most well known dish
from the area and is a combination of
allspice, hot peppers and cinnamon, nutmeg,
cloves, thyme and garlic.
If
you must have wine with your jerk, look
for refreshing dry-sweet or lightly sweet
wines that are light, but not overly sweet.
German
riesling, gewurztraminer, pinot gris and
sauvignon blancs are safe bets.
As
for golf in Jamaica? Lots of great courses
to choose from at all price points.
SCORE:
Beach, weather, ocean: 8 out of 10
Wine availability: 6 out 10
Food: 8 out of 10
Golf: 8 out of 10
Accommodations: 7 out of 10
Overall: 8 out of 10
DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC:
This
island boasts value vacations at mostly
all-inclusive resorts. We have been a
couple of times and found it to be decent
but not exactly at the upper end of luxury.
It's more like a great place to go on
a moment's notice.
You
can usually find a golf course to play
nearby at whatever resort you're staying
at and, while there are some nice tracks,
most are just average.
A
decent glass of wine is very hard to find
and, since most of your drinking is included
in the deal, don't expect anything of
interest. Best to stick with bar shots
mixed with fruit juices or local beers.
The
beaches, surf and weather are all pretty
good in the Dominican, the food is average
but you are likely better off not venturing
off your resort.
SCORE:
Beach, weather, ocean: 7 out of 10
Wine availability: 1 out 10
Food: 6 out of 10
Golf: 7 out of 10
Accommodations: 6 out of 10
Overall: 7 out of 10
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CARIBBEAN
CRUISES:
If
you don't mind moving about from
island to island on a luxury cruise
liner, this is a great option for
the wine-loving, golf-loving, food-loving
traveller.
The
one cruise we went on was an endless
(OK, six nights) journey of eating,
drinking, gambling, sunning, swimming,
island hopping that can also include
golf and sightseeing if you have
the energy.
Cruise
ships have all the best wines in
the world available for an added
price and, even at the low end,
is quite enjoyable.
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One
of the most popular cruise lines is the
Royal Caribbean which offers a series
of wine packages for travellers. You can
check out some of the packages at www.royalcaribbean.com.
On
the downside, you are confined to the
ship for most of the voyage. There aren't
a lot of opportunities to get in a full
round of golf and sitting around one of
the many pools isn't quite as nice as
a secluded beach with the surf crashing
into the sand.
But,
heck, the food, wine and nightlife on
board the ship more than makes up for
that.
SCORE:
Beach, weather, ocean (hard to rate because
it's mostly on deck activity):
Wine availability: 9 out of 10
Food: 8 out of 10
Golf: 2 out of 10
Accommodations: 8 out of 10
Overall: 8 out of 10
Enjoy!
rickwine@hotmail.com
01/10
