Tent Bay
By admin | March 19, 2008
On the east coast of Barbados just south of Bathsheba and Cattlewash is Tent Bay.
Tent bayThis picturesque bay is home to a small fish market and local fishing boats can be seen making their way in and out of the bay in the morning and evening. Like the other stretches of beach along this coast, there are strong currents at Tent Bay and swimming in open water is not recommended.
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Ragged Point
By admin | March 19, 2008
The East Point Lighthouse, located at Ragged Point (the most easterly point of the island), offers a spectacular view of the rugged coastal scenery along almost the entire East Coast of Barbados. In fact, on a clear day you can see all the way up the coastline to the northern points of the island such as Cove Bay and Pico Tenerife.
Off the coast lies Culpepper Island, a tiny island that can be easily reached at low tide.
This is one of four lighthouses on the island, the others being located at South Point, Needhams Point and Harrison Point.
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Bath Beach
By admin | March 19, 2008
Bath is the safest and one of the most popular beaches on the East Coast of the island. This is the perfect place for a refreshing sea bath followed by a picnic lunch under the shade of casuarina trees.
A stroll to the north reveals a small waterfall and the remains of the old train line that once ran from Bridgetown to Bathsheba.
The facilities at Bath include a large car park, picnicking areas and changing/washrooms.
There are a few holiday homes in Bath, but most locals prefer to holiday in nearby Consett Bay or at Bathsheba/Cattlewash.
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Cattlewash
By admin | March 19, 2008
Located on the East Coast of Barbados, Cattlewash offers a splendid landscape. With its salubrious climate and fresh breezes, it is an area well known as one of the best health resort areas in Barbados and indeed the Caribbean.
Cattlewash is said to have derived its name from the cattle wading into the sea there!
The area is a very popular get-away spot for Barbadians, especially during the summer months. Although it is a very scenic and relaxing area, there are strong currents in the area and swimming in open water is not recommended. There are however many pools, surrounded by rocks where one can bathe safely.
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Bathsheba
By admin | March 19, 2008
Legend has it that Bathsheba, wife of King David, bathed in milk to keep her skin beautiful and soft. Legend has it that the surf covered white waters of Bathsheba, rich in minerals and life is said to resemble Bathsheba’s bath in both appearance health giving value.
This is the rugged east coast of Barbados, where visitors come to breath the air, soak in the invigorating Bathsheba Pools and feel alive.
It is breathtakingly beautiful; wide white sand beaches stretch along a dramatic coastline of striking rock formations against which the Atlantic rollers break in cascades of foam. What at first glance are huge boulders washed up on the beach, are actually rock formations broken away from ancient coral reef!
Pictured here is the fishing village of Bathsheba in the cool light of the early day. The village is home to a small community of fishing folk and their families. Along the coast are guest houses, local rum shops and restaurants. It is a hideaway for discerning tourists and for Bajans who frequently weekend here in their seaside cottages along the shore.
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English Harbour
By admin | March 10, 2008
English Harbour, Antigua’s graceful and evocative historic district, is focused on the fifteen square miles of Nelson’s Dockyard National Park. Developed as a base for the British Navy in the great age of sail, the harbour served as the headquarters of the fleet of the Leeward Islands during the turbulent years of the late 18th century. Although the dockyard was greatly expanded at that time by Horatio Nelson, it was gradually abandoned in the nineteenth century and was closed in 1889. Today Nelson’s Dockyard has been completely restored, and it is now the only Georgian dockyard in the world.
Almost all of the park’s other sites of interest overlook the harbour. The closest of these is Clarence House, a residence built for the future King William IV (1765-1837) when he served under Nelson as captain of the H.M.S. Pegasus. Further above the harbour, at Shirley Heights, are the partially-restored fortifications of the harbour’s colonial observation post; the view from Shirley Heights extends out over the harbour and far across the Caribbean to Montserrat and Guadaloupe. On Sundays the vista is enhanced by barbeque and live music at the bar there (Steel Band music from 3-6 pm & reggae from 6-9). Shirley Heights can be reached via Lookout Trail, a nature walk that rises from the harbour through a forest of trees–descending the trail is not advisable after dark or barbecue revelry.
Along Lookout Trail and near Shirley Heights is Dow’s Hill Interpretation Center, at which visitors can watch an impressive multimedia presentation of Antigua’s history, from its initial settlement to independence. Observation decks at Dow’s Hill provide another fine view of the harbour, as do the ruined fortifications of Fort Berkeley, located on the far side of the bay and reached by a walk around its perimeter. All of these points, as well as the park’s convenient beaches, become especially popular spectator positions during Sailing Week.
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The Island of Barbuda
By admin | March 10, 2008
Barbuda is one of those very few islands in the Caribbean that remains–and probably will remain for some time–so undeveloped as to seem positively deserted at times. With the exception of the guests of the island’s small number of accommodations, the population seems largely to consist of the graceful Fregata magnificens, or frigate bird. As the birds possess a marked preference for the northwest lagoon, Barbuda’s seemingly endless white and pink sand beaches are left to the peaceful wanderings of those lucky enough to sojourn here.
Activities on Barbuda are appropriately relaxed, including beachcombing (on the northeastern Atlantic coast), fishing and hunting and, at the island’s resorts, golf, tennis, snorkeling, diving, or simply soaking up the sun and the calm. Points of interest include the Frigate Bird Sanctuary, the truly noteworthy pink and white sand beaches, and an abundance of shipwrecks and beautiful reefs. Barbuda can be reached easily from Antigua, either by air (a 20-minute flight, twice daily) or by boat (in three hours). The island is home to the luxurious K-Club, Coco Point Lodge and Hotel Palmetto resorts, as well as to a number of other hotels and comfortable guest houses.
Barbuda’s history has been intimately tied to that of Antigua for centuries. The first early attempts to settle Barbuda (by both the British and French) were failures, and it wasn’t until 1666 that the British established a colony strong enough to survive the ravages of both nature and the Caribs. In 1680, four years before he began cultivating sugar on Antigua, Christopher Codrington was granted (with his brother John) a lease to land in Barbuda. With subsequent leases that granted them additional rights to the substantial wreckage along Barbuda’s reefs, they became the island’s preeminent family. For much of the eighteenth century the Codrington land on Barbuda was used to produce food and to supply additional slave labour for the Codrington sugar plantations on Antigua, and so the Barbuda’s fortunes rose and fell with those of its larger neighbour. Testament to the influence of the Codringtons remains today, both in the island’s place names and in its architectural remains. On Barbuda’s highest point (124 feet) are the ruins of the Codrington estate, Highland House, and on the island’s south coast still sits the 56-foot high Martello castle and tower, a fortress that was used both for defense and as a vantage from which to spot valuable shipwrecks on the outlying reefs
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Foxwoods To Redevelop A Resort In The Bahamas
By admin | February 22, 2008
Owners of Foxwoods Resort Casino are joining forces with an Irish property development company to redevelop a resort on Grand Bahama Island.
Foxwoods Development Co. announced today that it reached an agreement with Harcourt Developments to renovate and reopen the Royal Oasis Resort, which has been shuttered since 2004 because of severe damage from hurricanes Frances and Jeanne.
A press release distributed by Foxwoods, which is owned by the Mashantucket Pequot tribe of southeastern Connecticut, said Harcourt is working with the tribal development company “to develop and manage” the resort. Further details of the structure of the partnership weren’t available.
A tribal spokesman said Foxwoods Development liked the Bahamas project because of the quality of the Royal Oasis property and Harcourt’s strong track record.
The reopened Royal Oasis would include 650 hotel rooms, a casino, shopping and restaurants and two golf courses. Harcourt currently owns properties in the Bahamas as well as England, Ireland and the United States.
“We’re delighted to have partnered with such world class operators as Foxwoods who have a wealth of experience and expertise in the leisure industry,” said Pat Power, director of Harcourt Developments in a statement.
The partnership in the Grand Bahama is Foxwoods’ second project in the Caribbean. The development company announced in 2005 plans for a resort and casino in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The proposal is currently going through the regulatory approval process.
The tribe is pursuing projects in the United States in Philadelphia and California and has a partnership with MGM Mirage, a Las Vegas-based gambling giant, to develop properties in Connecticut and elsewhere. The first is the MGM Grand at Foxwoods, a new resort casino next to the tribe’s existing casino in southeastern Connecticut set to open in mid-May.
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Antigua plans airport expansion
By admin | February 22, 2008
The Caribbean island of Antigua is planning substantial expansions to its air travel infrastructure, a government minister said.
In an interview with TravelMole, Antigua and Barbuda’s minister of tourism and civil aviation, Harold Lovell, said that the island’s existing airport is simply too small to cater for demand.
He said that a new carousel and four more check-in stations have been added and there are now 800 seats in the airport, rather than 300.
However, Mr Lovell said that such developments can only go so far and revealed that the government hopes to have construction of a brand new terminal building underway next year.
Commenting on the island’s aviation strategies, the government minister added: ‘We are now stepping up the South American market and there will shortly be daily flights from Miami.
‘We will aim at the Spanish and Portuguese language countries, eg Brazil. There is tremendous potential there. This will all add to the pressure on the airport and thus the need for refurbishment and expansion.’
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Crocus Bay
By admin | February 22, 2008
Just a short drive from The Valley, Crocus Bay with it’s magnificent cliffs and view of Anguilla’s off-shore cays is also the gateway to Little Bay. Often overlooked, this beach is great for swimming and snorkeling. Get in the water at Crocus Bay and swim all the way to Little Bay. The swim is easy, the water is shallow and is full of reef fish and coral. There is a small beach only accessable by water between Crocus and Little Bay. Here’s a thought…go in the morning, snorkel to Little Bay, arrange with Calvin’s Little Bay Boat Service to pick you up and carry you back.
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