James Meets Gary Thulander, General Manager of Cap Juluca

Q.'What was your first experience of the Caribbean?'

Gary Thulander
‘Little Dix Bay in the British Virgin Islands. It was wonderful. At the age of 20 I was the Food and Beverage Manager. When our children got to school age we decided to go back to the States, but we always knew that we would return to the Caribbean and so once they were in college we did. In 2007 we went to St Lucia and I opened The Landings for RockResorts. I spent four months hiring staff and we opened at the end of that year.’

Q.‘And what brought you to Cap Juluca?’

Gary Thulander
‘I got a rather strange message. ‘This is Adam Aron. Please give me a call.’ We had known one another since I worked for him in Vail. When we spoke, he said ‘I’ve just bought Cap Juluca. Would you like to run it?’ I knew Anguilla a bit – we had once visited Coccoloba for an anniversary from the BVI - so we flew up for the weekend. And as soon as I drove up to the property I knew. It took me five minutes to decide. The confirmation came when we were at Blanchards. Hans Meissen rang in the middle of dinner. ’

Q.‘You started with a renovation programme…’

Gary Thulander
‘I arrived in July 2008 and watched the hotel operate for a few weeks. But then, yes, we closed for a US$29 million renovation programme for the 2009 season. We completely reconfigured the main house. Then, when we were about to open Hurricane Omar arrived, which added to the excitement… There was a lot of re-planting to be done anyway. We delayed opening to December 15 but when we opened we were sold out.’

Q.‘What were your first impressions of the hotel?’

Gary Thulander
‘Cap Juluca is one of a kind. It has wonderful location on Maunday’s Bay and the architecture is very special. Once you are there though, it is all about the beach and the people of Anguilla. As a guest you have a relationship with the staff that you don’t have in other hotels. They look after ‘their’ guests and look out for them on the arrival schedule. The Anguillians have a deceptively casual way about them, but they know what people need and look after them. All in all it’s an exceptional place. Even if it did go down a bit during its difficulties, many people stayed loyal and it has a wonderful following.’

Q.'How do you find living in Anguilla?'

Gary Thulander
‘I grew up in town of 900 people in New Hampshire - and my wife Mary is from a small town too - so it’s not a lot different. Everyone knows everything about you. Some people do find it hard to come to terms with, living on a small island, but I appreciate the simple life there.’

Q.'And the Anguillians themselves?’

Gary Thulander
‘They’re wonderful people. Working with the West Indians is all about respect. It’s critical to the relationship. If you show them decency then they will respond in kind. I learned this when I was in Virgin Gorda. It’s also important to be patient, to listen to their feedback. Sometimes it’s hard to introduce change – some members of staff have worked at Cap Juluca for so long - but if you explain your vision to people then they will respond. That way you get consistency, with all the departments working together, delivering the same standard on every shift, every day.’

Q.'It’s been a tough time with the economy recently. What of the future?’

Gary Thulander
‘There is a concern about the future, but I think it will be fine. There is a new environment out there now – the office is stressful and people are sometimes slightly uncomfortable about taking a vacation – so we need to be clear about what the market wants. It’s about price point and the package and also about value added. The booking window is even shorter than normal, but we have been creative and it has worked.’

Q.'And for Anguilla itself?’

Gary Thulander
‘Well, capital has dried up for the moment, so the building is on hold, but that will sort itself out eventually. However, the restaurants on the island have stayed open and the golf course has reopened so the product is there. The government has done well in protecting the image of the island. It has incredibly beautiful beaches and it’s a real getaway. That’s why it’s worth the extra leg on your journey to get there. Anguilla is still the island you dream about’


At that moment a troop of Household Cavalry, returning from duty at Buckingham Palace, rode past the window in all their finery, hooves clattering on the tarmac. The interview came naturally to an end.

If you would like to hear more detals about the renovations and amenities at Cap Juluca then please see our DCTV Interview with Gary Thulander. For more information on the hotel please see our Definitive Caribbean Review of Cap Juluca.

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Trinidad Carnival – A Photo Essay

Carnivals are vibrant, colourful and incredibly energetic, one of the liveliest expressions of the Caribbean’s uniquely exuberant spirit. Participants dance through the streets for days, driven by island music and not a little bit of rum. There are carnivals in almost all Caribbean islands, but the largest of them all is in Trinidad. There, the first rumblings begin just after New Year, with rounds of ‘fetes’ (parties) and competitions, and culminate just before Lent, when revelers spill out onto the streets for two days of costumed dancing on Lundi and Mardi Gras. All images in this photo essay are thanks to the Tourism Development Company of Trinidad and Tobago.

Please see Trinidad Carnival – The Greatest Party on Earth.

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Hiking the Soufrière trail on St Vincent by Will Orr

'Hiking' and 'active volcano' are not words that spring readily to mind when planning a trip to the Caribbean, particularly not when placed together, but the Caribbean has unexpected variety and so on a recent visit to St Vincent I jumped at the chance of a hike up the Soufrière. At 4048ft above sea level, the volcano dominates the north of the island. It is still distinctly active and recently it created a 1.6km wide summit crater. And it promised great views, if we made it alive....

Our tour was organised by HazECO, a small Vicentian company owned by Clint and Millie Hazell who run a variety of eco-tours on the island. We were picked up promptly in a minibus, a small group consisting of our guide, a friendly American couple who had been island-hopping down the Caribbean and the two of us. We were told that the Atlantic route was the easier of the two volcano hikes. The alternative Western route starts at the Wallilabou Dry River and takes in stunning views, but at the expense of a much steeper climb. Our approach was up the Atlantic coast, passing through sleepy towns and banana plantations along the way. Plenty of time to get nervous then – this was the first time my hiking partner and I had ever climbed anything as high as 4000ft. Our guide tried to assure us - we would be taking it easy and enjoying the surroundings...

At the start of the trail he talked us through the route. First we would head through thickets of bamboo, then there was the rainforest and finally we would come to the lip of the volcano, where we would have lunch. It was sounding yet more daunting. But it was certainly beautiful. The trail led into the rainforest, passing through lush tropical vegetation, across a river and occasionally opening out onto incredibly dramatic scenery. The calls of birds came from every direction around us. You could smell the moisture and fertility in the air.

Halfway up we came up behind a fellow British hiker on his own, completely out of breath and clearly flagging. Incentives were being yelled in a thick West Indian drawl by his guide, who was somewhere ahead out of sight. It was certainly tough going, but we seemed to be trekking at a decent pace – perhaps we weren’t doing too badly after all… We wished him good luck and continued up. But our American pals were in full flow, two pairs of muscular legs steaming ahead up the trail, pausing occasionally to wait for us. “You guys OK?” they asked briefly, before bounding on ahead, leaving us to catch our breath. Not wanting to seem like a pair of English sissies we did everything we could to keep up.

The higher we climbed the wetter it got and soon visibility dropped to only a few metres. There was a noticeable change in the vegetation around us. The trees became stunted and their branches were covered in moss and wispy trails of old man’s beard. We emerged from the forest to find the old lava path, which had removed a large slice of the hillside. A sheltered trail led up to the crater. The Soufrière had last erupted in 1979, causing massive destruction in the north of the island and sending huge clouds of ash into the air. The effects are still etched into the landscape today, where hardened lava can be seen meandering down the slopes.

The last part of the climb was the trickiest - we had to be careful with our footing - but the thought of our lunch and the view from the top drove us onwards. And eventually we reached the summit. Preparing ourselves for the rewards of our endeavours we threw ourselves to the ground and peered over the crater - only to face a thick grey cloud of nothingness. The bottom was completely obscured in cloud.

We sat in makeshift seats of rock. Unwrapping my chicken roti, and gradually re-gathering my breath, I asked our fellow hikers how many of these tours had they done before. It was at this point they mentioned they were both semi-professional athletes whose aim was to hike at every opportunity. Subtly they implied that this was a mere walk in the park compared to previous ventures.

“45 mins. Not bad.” stated American hiker 1.

“How long does it normally take?” I asked the guide, attempting to hide my breathlessness.

“Around 2 hours.”

“!?”

“We go at the pace of the slowest walker”, said our guide defensively.

I grimaced at my hiking pal, who was looking flushed and slightly cross-eyed after all the effort. I even felt a little envious of the wheezing Brit we had passed on the way up.

Once everyone had had their fill of roti we continued our quest to find a view and traversed around the lip of the volcano. We looked down into the grey gloom of the crater. On a clear day, we were told, it was possible to get a rope and venture down the centre of the crater - certainly worth it if you are given the option I imagine, though not for the faint of heart. After a while it became clear it was not to be our day, so we started our descent. It took us even less time to get down, leaping over the huge steps carved into the pathway, passing the hardened lava, the wheezing Brit, flashing through the rainforest, over the river and back through the bamboo. Eventually we re-emerged at the minibus.

The crowning moment of the hike perhaps came at the very end. When resting our tender but satisfied bodies on a bench with a chocolate bar and a plastic cup of rum punch, we caught a flash of colour swooping from the trees above our heads before and passing quickly out of view behind a clump of bamboo. Our guide reliably informed us it was a St Vincent Parrot, an endangered bird which we were fortunate to have caught sight of.

For other hikes and tours around the islands please see our Definitive Caribbean Guide to St Vincent and the Grenadines. And for information about tours by HazECO, see their website at www.hazecotours.com. For hiking you should take trainers and a waterproof coat (it can also get cold at the summit). You might also want to check the weather forecast.


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Besides the beach, all seventeen miles of it, the major attraction in Barbuda is the Frigate Bird Sanctuary, home to a colony of magnificent frigatebirds. You see these black, arrow-shaped creatures riding the thermals and winds all over the Caribbean, but between October and February as many as 3500 of them nest in the mangroves of the Codrington Lagoon on the island. It is the largest colony in the region.

We were guided on our visit by Pat, fisherman, island power-station operator and amateur ornithologist. As we approached the nesting site, the sky was filled with interlocking swirls of the birds, rising to black flecks thousands of feet in the air. Pat switched off the outboard and the boat cruised to a halt among the mangroves, which stood in extended family bushes up to eight or ten feet high. Around us the hot air was filled with the gutteral clacking of displaying males. There were scores of them, beaks forced vertically back into the air by their huge inflated red gullets, swollen as large as footballs.

Frigatebirds are magnificent fliers. They swoop and dive, snatching a stick for a nest or a small fish from the water. And, as the other name they go by occasionally - the Man O’War bird - suggests, they are formidable. Often they attack other birds on the wing, roaring from behind and pecking with their huge beaks. Then, when the other bird regurgitates its meal in panic, the frigate bird twists and plummets, grabbing its prize before it even hits the water.

For all their ruthlessness – and they will happily steal sticks from other frigatebird nests – they also show surprising co-operation at other moments. With an eight foot wingspan and a body just 12 inches high, a magnificent frigatebird has little hope of getting airborne if it is marooned on water or on flat land (this is why they nest in mangroves). Instead of trying it simply lies there, wings outstretched. Eventually two other frigatebirds will swoop down in concert, lifting it into the air.

This is an extract of an article first published in the Financial Times.

For more information on nature on Antigua please see our Definitive Caribbean Guide to Antigua.

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Several hotels around the islands used the off-season at the end of last year to make additions and upgrades for this winter season. Below we look at a handful and the changes they have put in place.

Montpelier Plantation, Nevis
Montpelier Plantation has been undergoing a steady metamorphosis over the past few years – gradually shifting its traditional atmosphere of tropical country houseparty into a sharper incarnation, with a crisper, more contemporary air. The most recent changes include new abstract murals around the swimming pool, where some sections of the walls have also been removed completely, opening up lovely views to the surrounding hills. Also, their new tapas restaurant Indigo is now in full swing. Small plates such as sesame tempura shrimp and chocolate semifreddo, accompanied by wines by the glass, are available to guests and visitors alike, all in a poolside setting that reflects the new style at the hotel.


Le Toiny, St Barths
Chef Stéphane Mazières of Hôtel Le Toiny in St Barths was awarded the distinction of Grand Chef at Relais & Châteux’s annual conference in Biarritz recently. Only 160 of the 475 worldwide Relais & Châteaux members have this distinction and it is the first to be awarded to a hotel in the Caribbean. Their restaurant, Le Gaïac, also received an award - the Grand Chef Taittinger. A recent addition to the hotel is a number of greenhouses. They are used to grow vegetables, herbs and fruits, enabling Chef Mazières to provide even fresher fare for his diners and to reduce the carbon imprint from shipping at the same time.


Rendezvous, St Lucia
Having closed for three months over the summer, Rendezvous unveiled its new look as it reopened for this winter season. US$15 million has been spent on updating all the public areas, sprucing them up with a rich blue colour scheme and a more sophisticated air. The changes enhance Rendezvous’ reputation as one of the finest couple only resorts in the Caribbean.




Cooper Island, BVI
The 12-room beach club, which is secluded on its own island but firmly on the sailing circuit of the BVI, has undertaken the first part of a transformation that will take place over two summers. In late 2009 works concentrated on the public areas – the bar and the dining space have been expanded and the kitchen has been upgraded along with other back of house aspects (water, solar power). The style has changed too. This remains Caribbean, but now it is sleeker and more refined. The old pink awning has been turned into a hipped Caribbean roof and the indoor lounge has hardwood furniture and old Admiralty prints on the walls. The rooms will be upgraded during the summer of 2010



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Definitive Caribbean is now five years old. None of us could ever have predicted how far the site would have come since it was born in September 2004. Definitive Caribbean has grown and grown – one could say with the momentum of a whirlwind – sucking in information about the best of the Caribbean and spinning it across the ether to be found by the search engines and distributed around the web.

At its core, Definitive Caribbean remains the same. It has kept its best-of rationale, with selective island guides and reviews of chosen accommodation and other businesses. But in its five years, Definitive Caribbean has also evolved enormously with the internet, continually developing new avenues through which to publish Caribbean travel information ever more effectively.

This months’ edition of the Standpipe is the third New Year publication of our newsletter. We started by sending it out to a few hundred readers but now it goes out every quarter to almost 20,000 subscribers. You’ll recognise our regular columns - James Meets, interviews with prominent personalities from around the region, Caribbean Events, which highlights Caribbean festivals and cultural events and Rum ‘n Recipes, in which we have serialised some delicious Caribbean recipes, initially from our own Deana Bellamy and more recently from our selected hotels. In What’s New and Island Chat we share the latest trends at the hotels and activities and events in the islands. We cover practical information of course - new spas, makeovers and changes of chefs - but also other topics of interest. We even introduced our readers to dog sledding in Jamaica.

If you’d like to wish The Standpipe a Happy 2nd Birthday, feel free to email us with your thoughts and comments.

Over the years, other new avenues have become available and we’ve enjoyed exploring these too… Definitive Caribbean’s maps, with their interactive information about the best beaches, spas, transport and accommodation, have become one of the most used parts of the site. And there are more developments here to come. Elsewhere the Definitive Caribbean Blog shows a lighter side to the site. We have digressed on topics as varied as Caribbean slang, the topography of Jamaica and the scariest Caribbean airport landings. But it all helps to increase the traffic to our main site and therefore to our guides and reviews. If you’re part of the blog fraternity then do come and join us.

Over the past few months you may also have found us on Digg, Delicious or StumbleUpon - Definitive Caribbean has integrated itself fully with the social networks. It means that good information gets out there even faster than before. Finally you may have noticed our YouTube Channel coming to fruition… We have loaded all the best Caribbean footage we can find, from tourist boards like Saba and Jamaica to individual hotel videos from Cap Maison and the Royal St Lucia. Over the coming year we will be developing this further too. .

There is certainly plenty to be getting on with… Even in our five years the landscape of the internet has changed enormously and in the coming years we will continue to adapt with the times. But to take stock for just a moment - we’d like to thank all those people who have supported us in our endeavours. Many if you have been there since the beginning, when we presented you with nothing more than thoughts and intentions. Now Definitive Caribbean is huge, the internet’s leading Caribbean travel guide and an unrivalled Caribbean website.


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We’re delighted to introduce three very different hotels that have joined us on Definitive Caribbean over the last few months. See below for a short introduction and a link through to their review page, where you will find more information and images.

Hermitage Bay, Antigua
Luxury in a forgotten inlet. Hermitage Bay has been running only since 2006 but has already established itself as a source of extreme privacy and first class service. With plentiful use of tropical wood - including planters’ chairs, purpleheart and greenheart flooring (see this issue’s Quirky Caribbean) and shingle roofs - Hermitage Bay has a distinctly contemporary tropical style, on view in the 25 cottage suites, spa facilities and open-air, waterfront fine dining room.

For more information, see our Review of Hermitage Bay.

The Atlantis, Barbados
This lovely old hotel, set on the rugged east coast, has been most famous in recent years for its traditional Sunday buffet lunch, to which locals and visitors alike come with their families to lime their Sundays away. Andrew Warden, owner of Little Good Harbour (itself a delightful small hotel on the West Coast near Speightstown), has completely revamped The Atlantis, turning it into a 10 room, all suite hotel with a fine dining room similar to his popular, low-key restaurant The Fish Pot.

For rates and some more images, see our Review of The Atlantis.

Almost Paradise, Grenada
Nestled into a hillside outside Sauteurs, Almost Paradise offers the independent traveller an escape from the hustle and bustle of the South of Grenada. There are eight rooms in three wooden cottages, with no TVs but a fabulous restaurant and knowledgeable owners. It is ideally located if you want to explore the hills and trails of the North and the island’s rich history up the west and east coasts.

For more information, see our Review of Almost Paradise.

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The Hermitage Signature Dish Recipes

Nevis Roast Suckling Pig and Baked Stuffed Pumpkin

Staying at The Hermitage is always a relaxed experience and it is an excellent choice for anyone who wants to enjoy Nevis’s lovely plantation style - and with it a traditional hospitality that is now mostly forgotten around the Caribbean. Life here is centred on the main house, which is one of the oldest buildings in this area of the Caribbean (some of the original beams are reckoned to date from the late 17th Century). The rooms are set in gingerbread cottages scattered around the sloping grounds. The Hermitage is family owned and operated by the entertaining and very sociable Lupinaccis, who run it as if it were an extended home.

In the early evening guests gravitate to the drawing room and bar in the main house, before dining out on the terrace. More often than not, the cocktail of choice is their very well crafted Rum Punch, which is made in the traditional way (see below). Dinner at The Hermitage, served on the sound of a gong, is an institution. The inn has always had an excellent reputation for its food and the cooks produce hearty and delightful fare with a strong emphasis on the best of the Caribbean. Of course they use the best local produce, including fruit and herbs from their kitchen garden and fresh pork from their own piggery. Their Wednesday West Indian Buffet is testament to this and its star attraction, Nevis Roast Suckling Pig, is the featured recipe this issue, along with stuffed whole baked pumpkin as a side dish.

Here owner, Richard Lupinacci, tells the story behind their Nevis Roast Suckling Pig -

“We first came to St Kitts and Nevis over 40 years ago, before the days of television and modern styles of entertaining. The art of conversation was very much alive and no one ever thought of going to a restaurant to share a meal with friends. Instead one invited everyone around for a garden party on the weekend or holiday and prepared big meals for a crowd, many times still using the old coalpots and stone baking ovens.

The centrepiece was always a whole spit roasted lamb, kid or pig. Pig being the most popular. Every country home kept pigs and yard chickens to recycle kitchen scraps. Nevis piglets often would stay suckling their mothers up to 40 pound size and roamed through the grounds never venturing too far from the tethered sows. The resulting meat is particularly sweet and tender with a natural earthiness, sometimes heavily flavoured by the fruit the pigs are eating such as during the summer mango time.

This is the recipe we use every week at The Hermitage for our Wednesday West Indian Buffet where the pig takes centre stage with whole baked pumpkin, drunken chicken, fresh fish baked in banana leaf and an array of salads, ground provisions and other dishes using fresh local produce.”


Nevis Roast Suckling Pig
Ingredients

One suckling pig, allow 1.5 pounds per person – or alternatively use a boneless loin or a leg of pork. A suckling pig weighing up to 10lbs will roast in the oven, over that it is best spit roasted. Large, professional hog roast machines are available for rental if you are looking to cook something sizeable, otherwise any heavy duty motorized rotisserie for use on a large barbecue will do the job.

Marinade of souranges (primitive citrus that flourishes around The Hermitage, also known as ugly fruit in other islands), fresh garlic, salt, onion and vegetable oil. Seville or bitter oranges can be substituted.

Richard notes “Regarding quantities for the marinade for the pig, we just eyeball everything depending on the size of the pig and the intensity of the fresh seasonings. All the seasonings are chopped and ground into a mortar and pestle - we have a big old wooden one”


Method

Blend or mix the marinade together and baste the pig, rubbing it in. Leave it to marinate overnight or at least four hours. Roast in a slow oven (say 275 degrees Fahrenheit) or on the spit for 20 minutes per pound or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thigh or shoulder shows it is properly cooked. 

Baked Stuffed Pumpkin, Hermitage Style

The Hermitage uses the green or green and white flecked pumpkins which can be seen in markets all over the West Indies. The orange pumpkins don't grow as well in Nevis. You will need two pumpkins (or winter squash) for this recipe, one to stuff and one for the stuffing.

The pumpkin is cleaned and the seeds and fiber scraped out. The lid is left off, so there is enough space to get your hands and a scoop in. The stuffing mix consists of pumpkin chunks sautéd with onions, garlic and fresh seasonings of choice (remember to salt the pumpkin chunks) for about ten minutes or until soft.  Scoop it into the whole pumpkin and bake in a medium oven for about half an hour.

According to Richard this is a delicious vegetarian dish and looks great on a buffet table. You may wish to throw in some canned black beans. Or, meat lovers can add ham, bacon or ground meat.


Notes on ingredients

Sourange – this is called different things in different islands. In Jamaica it goes by the delightful name of the Ugly Fruit. It is a member of the Tangelo family of citrus fruits, a triple hybrid mix of the tangerine, grapefruit or pomelo and orange. The Ugly fruit has a thick, greenish-yellow, somewhat unsightly gnarled skin but is juicy and flavoursome. In Jamaica they have developed their Tangelo which goes under the registered brand name of Ugli. It is a cultivated hybrid of the Seville orange, grapefruit and tangerine and it can often be found in the exotic fruit and veg section of large supermarkets.

For a Traditional Caribbean Rum Punch recipe please see under our Rum & Recipes section in the January 2008 edition of The Standpipe.


READERS’ OFFER
The Signature Dishes above are available to guests staying at The Hermitage as part of a complimentary dinner for two at their weekly West Indian Buffet. Please see this month’sReader Offer for more details.

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The Hermitage offer is available to guests that stay at The Hermitage for a minimum of seven nights and consists of a complimentary West Indian Buffet dinner for two, that includes a number of the restaurant’s most popular SIGNATURE DISHES.

The centrepiece is a mouth-watering spit roasted suckling pig, cooked over a charcoal pit in the gardens. The second dish is whole baked stuffed pumpkin, one of at least a dozen special dishes that feature in their buffet. While you stay at The Hermitage, you can meet the owners personally or even the cooks and and get insider tips on how to prepare some of their tasty West Indian fare.

To claim your complimentary meal, all you need to do is to send us an email requesting a Coded Voucher. For full terms and conditions and to read about the hotel, please see our Review of The Hermitage.
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Here’s an odd and romantic thought. As you stand in the Guyanese jungle, looking at a fully mature greenheart tree, you might be interested to think that the last person to cut down a greenheart in the same spot might have been Jack Hawkins or Captain Kidd. These trees, which were favoured by sailors in the days of exploration and wooden ships, take 300 years to grow to maturity.

Greenheart is an impressive wood. Not so much because it is a hardwood, though that it certainly is - it measures 2350 on the Janka scale (right up there with bulletwood and bubinga and only a few others). But it is extraordinary because it is so good as a marine wood. Greenheart survives well in water and ranks second only to teak in its ability to resist marine borers. Which is why it was so popular among pirate shipwrights three centuries ago.

Interestingly greenheart is quite capricious. It has been known to explode when worked – internally sections of the trunk can be under such extreme pressure that they jump apart. They have even been known to hit the sawmill roof. So when mills cut greenheart they secure the section that has been cut as well as the main trunk, which is slid very carefully into the mouth of the saw.

Still, it is very valuable wood. A few decades ago, when there was a run on greenheart at Cow Island – a saw mill and a hotel on the Essequibo River – they found they were getting short of greenheart to mill. Until some old hand remembered that during the previous glut they had stored some logs underwater. Divers were sent down to the bottom of the river, where they found 70 full size tree trunks pinned to the riverbed. All in perfect condition of course because the water had no effect on them.

Greenheart has been used as pilings in marine projects such as docks and in canals all over Europe. There are instances in Plymouth, Millwall and Essex docks. In London there are cases of greenheart being recycled and used again after a life in the docks. Once, some greenheart pilings were due for replacement on the Kiel Canal. The theory ran that they were wooden and looked a bit rotten and had apparently been there for 70 years, so they must need replacing. But when the pilings were removed, it was discovered that only the outer two inches were soggy. The rest of the three foot trunks were in perfect condition. They could probably have lasted another seventy years.

You may well come across greenheart in your travels around the Caribbean. Indoors it takes a polish well and will retain a rich brown colour, but of course it is mostly used in decks and verandas outside because of its ability to cope with the weather. When it is exposed to the sun, salt air and Caribbean rain it eventually fades to grey, which itself can look excellent.

A new partner of Definitive Caribbean, Hermitage Bay in Antigua, has made extensive use of all sorts of wood – as a part of a conscious, low-impact environmental policy. They use purpleheart on the interior floors, wallaba shingles on the roofs and some mahogany and crab wood. But the exterior pillars, joists and floors are made from greenheart.

‘We have opted to let them go grey. I find the natural grey very appealing’, says managing director Andy Thesen, ‘and it fits with our authentic approach.’

So, next time you walk out onto a Caribbean veranda, remember not only to look at the view, but also under your feet. It might be greenheart from Guyana, right there.

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If the big freeze has you yearning for warmer climes - but you know want to do more than simply sit on a Caribbean beach and drink cocktails - then Timothy Beach Resort in St Kitts might just have the answer.

         

Set on a hillside on the southern side of Frigate Bay, just above the Caribbean Sea, Timothy Beach Resort is an informal hotel right in the thick of the action in St Kitts. Frigate Bay south, with its watersports and a string of lively beach bars, is just a short stroll away. There is a snorkelling reef right below the hotel’s waterfront restaurant and bar and a family of vervet (green) monkeys living in the trees behind it. The Royal St Kitts Golf Course and two casinos are also close by and on the Atlantic beach there is wind and kite-surfing. The hotel has a choice of both regular rooms and well equipped apartments or townhouses – which cater for independently minded travellers.

Managing Director Richard Boon, who lives on site with his wife, is a proud Kittitian and he is keen to promote all that St Kitts has to offer. He is happy to give tips on what to see and do, even to recommend other restaurants and bars in equal measure to his own – it all helps visitors to get the best of the island. Timothy Beach Resort has a high level of repeat business and most guests tend to be well travelled and active. A suntan is not their only priority. They like to get out and about too.

With this in mind, Richard Boon has put together some special packages to introduce guests to some of the delights of St Kitts. Nature lovers will enjoy their St Kitts Next Great Adventure Package. To start their 7 night stay, couples settle in with a welcome bottle of chilled Champagne. They enjoy full breakfast daily and can select a night to enjoy a three-course meal included from the restaurant’s full a la carte menu. But the adventure element of the package is the trio of excursions. The St Kitts Scenic Railway’s 3 hour trip is ideal and a unique way to see the island. The specially designed train travels along the narrow-gauge railway track originally built between 1912 and 1926 for the transportation of sugar cane. The track encircles the entire northern section of St Kitts, an extremely attractive area of the island. You view the passing countryside from air-conditioned coaches through extra large windows, or from the open-air upper deck. Each car has a service bar and restrooms. Next up is the guided Rainforest Hike, with a choice of 4 hours with either Greg Pereira of Greg’s Safaris or Hugh Rogers of Rogers Eco-Rainforest Tours – moderate fitness required and suitable shoes/attire. The tours are highly educational - Greg and Roger share stories of the history of St Kitts and its flora and fauna. Greg is especially knowledgeable in this regard and he also offers interesting information on the various uses of the plants seen on island. The final element of the package is the Catamaran Cruise over to Nevis. Depending on the boat in question, there is normally an open bar. At Shitten Bay on the Caribbean side of St Kitts' South Peninsular (which is only accessible by sea), there is a snorkelling stop to enjoy the beautiful reefs and tropical fish. Snorkelling gear is provided. From there the catamaran proceeds across the channel to Nevis and the well known Pinneys Beach for a picnic lunch with drinks. There is time to explore the beach and relax before setting sail back to St Kitts with music, dancing and an open bar. The cost for this package is US$1,999 per couple for 7 nights for stays up to 15 Apr 2010 (winter) and US$1,699 from 16 April to 20 December 2010 (summer), including tax and service charge.

                     

Other packages on offer include a 3 night St Kitts Cuisine Package, which includes a cooking class and a special dinner cuisine class followed by a candlelit dinner at Caribbean Cooks in Basseterre. The cookery demonstration programme is run by Wendy and Lorraine Lechner who originate from the USA and it features recipes from St Kitts and the Caribbean region. All food and products used are locally grown or manufactured. The package also includes a private island tour with lunch and visits to Brimstone Hill Fortress (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Caribelle Batik and Romney Manor. The 3 nights with accommodation, airport transfers, welcome drink and daily breakfast cost US$1,025 per couple in winter and US$875 in summer. A 7 night St Kitts History, Cuisine and Culture Package is also available. In addition to the inclusions for 3 nights, this includes the St Kitts Scenic Railway trip and the choice of either a Valley of the Giants Hike or a Plantation Heritage Tour. Cost for 7 nights US$1,999 per couple in winter and US$1,799 in summer. Please see here for full details.

Looking for a saving rather than a special package? Then note Timothy Beach’s Early Bird Super Sale for bookings made before 20 January this year. This offers a super 30% saving on rates when booking a minimum of 4 nights directly with the resort for stays until 20 December 2010. Plus if you stay between now and 11 April 2010, Timothy Beach Resort will include one Fall in Love with St Kitts coupon card per room with special offers for local restaurants, rental cars and shops.

To find out more about the resort, see details of their Honeymoon and Wedding Packages, or to make enquires or a reservation, please see our Review of Timothy Beach Resort.

Please see under our Special Interest section for a selection of other partner properties suitable for more activity based holidays...

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