Tabla de contenidos para September - October 2016 en Islands

1 GRAND PRIZE JESACA LIN Iceland “It was a February day at noon, which is a popular hour at the geothermal spa Blue Lagoon, but you never would have known that. I crouched down low to be eye level with the figures. The thick steam made it tricky to photograph, so I had to wait. A man stood up, and the steam finally cleared enough to show his silhouette.” SHOT WITH: iPhone 6, edited with the Moldiv app PRIZE: Four-night stay for two at Nanuku Auberge Resort Fiji 2 SECOND PRIZE NICOLE TESSIERI Bora Bora “We were honeymooning at InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa and had just finished an amazing couples massage. While sitting in the outdoor Jacuzzi, the clouds parted, and it was so beautiful I had…

FIELD DAY In case you need an excuse to visit Hawaii this winter, Outstanding in the Field, the globetrotting, farm-to-table dinner, is returning in January 2017. The locavore movement might have been a lesser-known concept when founder Jim Denevan started the pop-up dinners in 1999, but the events now see sellout crowds. In an effort to promote the locale’s farmers, a signature long table is set on a farm, and the area’s renowned chefs serve up fresh, local fare. On Oahu January 10 and 11, Kualoa Ranch will host two dinners at both the ranch location and at the aquaculture farm, with chef Andrew Le of The Pig and the Lady confirmed for one night. On the Kona Coast of Hawaii Island, Abalone Farm welcomes Bonita Lao of Laulima for a…

Incorporated into the kingdom of Hawaii during the reign of King David Kalakaua in 1888, this 30,000-acre working cattle ranch holds a special place in Maui’s history. After celebrating its 125th birthday in 2013, the ranch is now assessing renewable energy as a new land use, alongside supporting local production and ecotourism (the U.S.’s first zip-line, operated by Skyline Eco-Adventures, opened here in 2002). But for Greg Friel, head of livestock operations, and his herding border collies (shown), the focus is on bringing grass-fed beef to market right from the slopes of a volcano. WHEN TO GO APR AG FEST Sample grown-on-Maui produce and meat at the annual Maui County Agricultural Festival.…

1. NIDAR LABAN SEIGMENN, NORWAY Gummy bears in Norway aren’t bears at all — instead, they’re shaped like tiny men rolled in sugar. The iconic candies come in fruity flavors, and variations include sour and licorice. There are even gummy women. 2. TUNNOCK’S CARAMEL WAFER BISCUITS, SCOTLAND This delicacy is the ultimate vertical treat: four layers of caramel between five layers of biscuits, all enrobed with milk or dark chocolate. Fittingly, St. Andrews University has a Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer Appreciation Society, founded in 1982. 3. VIRGIN COCO COCONUT CRISPY ROLLS, THAILAND The Thai phrase for these crumbly cookies is thong (gold) muan, and giving the treat as a gift conveys a wish for wealth. The goodies are sweet but not too sweet, and they’re also gluten-free. 4. SHIGEKIX, JAPAN These…

FROM A KAYAK ON LAKE NICARAGUA, I SEE turtles sunning lazily on rocks. Snowy white egrets stalk their prey. Northern jacanas hop across lily pads. I spy motmots and trogons and limpkins and barethroated tiger herons. What I don’t see: garbage. “Look at the lake,” says Eduardo Corea, a guide at Jicaro Island Ecolodge, as we ride in a skiff to visit one of the island communities the lodge supports. “There’s no plastic. Everyone knows how much it means to keep it clean.” Just a 10-minute boat ride from the colonial city of Granada, Jicaro is a one-acre private-island lodge in Lake Nicaragua, the largest lake in Central America. Here, tourism and nature coexist easily. Leaf-cutter ants crisscross the island’s stone pathways, while tiny geckos scurry over rocks. In the…

WHEN PLANNING A VISIT TO THE MARCO ISLAND MARRIOTT BEACH RESORT & SPA IN MAY, I somehow missed that the 726-room hotel — which is transitioning into the first beachfront JW in the continental U.S., debuting January 2017 — flaunts a Polynesian feel. It’s in South Florida , after all. But on arrival to research our feature, “15 Reasons to Love Florida,” the exotic ambience was plain as day, from the expansive lobby’s Balinese-inspired peaked ceiling to Korals sushi bar, with an 11-foot-tall fish tank as its centerpiece. Other South Pacific highlights include the spanking-new Kane Tiki bar, Tiki Pool with a waterfall, and nightly performance by an authentic fire dancer on the beach that left my family spellbound. It turns out Florida’s 1,350 miles of coast are full of…

5 Best DIVE SITES off 7-MILE BEACH 1 DOC POULSON 2 LOST TREASURE 3 ORO VERDE 4 LONE STAR 5 KITTIWAKE 365 Number of dive sites in the Cayman Islands AVERAGE WATER TEMPERATURE 80-84° in summer | 78-80° in winter 33 NUMBER OF DIVE TOUR OPERATORS CLOSEST REEF TO SHORE Preston Bay 15 feet from shore on Litt le Cayman 5 BEST SNORKEL SITES IN THE CAYMAN ISLANDS — 1 — Smith Barcadere — 2 — Devil’s Grotto — 3 — Rum Point — 4 — Wreck of the Cali — 5 — Seven Mile Beach DON’T MISS Stingray City The shallow sandbars of Stingray City, on the northwest side of Grand Cayman, are where hundreds of wild southern rays flap below the surface. Pet, feed and play with these graceful creatures, and…

DAY 1 THE SWEET SOUTH Check in to Boucan by Hotel Chocolat (1), a lush property on the southeast shore, with 14 individual villas that all sport sweeping views of Petit Piton, one of the island’s two iconic pyramid-shaped mountains. The hotel is owned by the British chocolatier, so it makes sense that the spa offers a cocoainfused massage treatment, and a tree-to-bar chocolatemaking class is on the agenda. The theme continues at the hotel’s restau rant, which serves cacao-spiked delights — cacao gazpacho, chili-cacao hummus and a cacao-pod burger. HOT, HOT, HOT! Saint Lucia boasts its own version of a drive-in — a drive-in volcano. The only attraction of its kind on the planet, the Sulphur Springs (9) volcano features a tour on foot through the steamy caldera. Park…

This 30-acre resort, fringed by Devil’s Bridge National Park, is home to one of the largest pools on Antigua. But with calm, reef-sheltered waters like these, guests are more likely to strap on a complimentary snorkel and soak in the Caribbean Sea. Villa-style Waterfront Suites constructed as side-by-side, single-story duplexes come with the best views. Take morning coffee and fresh fruit on your balcony, but don’t linger too long. Windsurfing, pedal boats, paddleboarding, Hobie Cat sailing, kayaking and water hammocks — all included — await in that aqua lagoon. From $183 per person per night, all-inclusive. WHEN TO GO MAR TO NOVEMBER During turtle-nesting season, the resort takes guests to a deserted beach by boat to watch baby sea turtles hatch.…

YOU’VE BEEN INSTAGRAM Use #islandsmag, and your photo might end up in the magazine. “HUBBY AND I RENEWED OUR VOWS LAST SUMMER WHILE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF STRONG SOGGY DOLLAR PAINKILLERS.”— Janae, via Instagram FOLLOW US See where we are in the world: instagram.com/islandsmagazine WE’VE BEEN It’s Lobster Fete Night at the Grand Cayman Marriott’s Veranda Restaurant. The dinner, available every Wednesday, features lobster in each course — lobster bisque, lobster salad, grilled lobster. I raise an eyebrow at my companion. Is it possible to have too much lobster? Live music is gently playing, and salty breezes float up from the sea. It seems wrong not to indulge. We both order it and polish off every bite. If there’s such a thing as lobster overdose, I’ve never experienced it. —…

On the Isle of Enchantment, there are more bodies of water to explore than just the balmy Caribbean Sea. Off Route 191, a well-worn trail leads to La Mina Waterfall in 28,434-acre El Yunque, the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. national forest system. Seventy miles west, Toro Verde Adventure Park offers a rush of a different sort: Its new El Monstruo (The Monster) zip-line, opened March 2016, is the longest and tallest in the world (7,590 feet long and 1,200 feet tall, if you’re curious). Adventurers welcome. WHEN TO GO OCT TO DECEMBER For optimal weather while swimming or soaring, avoid storm season, which peaks in September.…

1 RELAX FIND YOUR BEACH, FROM LIVELY SCENE TO SERENE HAPPENING Siesta Beach Part of Siesta Key, a barrier island near Sarasota, this strand (opposite) boasts silky white sand made of 99 percent quartz. The recent $21 million reno added tennis courts, an upscale Siesta Sun Deck pavilion and a concession area. Sunny Isles Beach Carve through the turquoise waters via Jet Ski, followed by lunch at Acqualina, a condo tower with a palace-like interior. Watch the sunset at Newport Fishing Pier, then hit South Beach for cocktails. Alys Beach This northwest town, off scenic Highway 30A, features a stretch of white sand with shops, restaurants and a nature preserve of cypress wetlands. HUSHED Cayo Costa Catch a ferry to this remote isle west of Fort Myers, beloved for its…

Jonah Jones moved from the U.K. to Bermuda in 1989 because of his girlfriend-nowwife’s job. Trained as a chef during his time in the Royal Marines, he cooked at the Yacht Club and began a slow career change to professional painter. He is known for his water scenes and has taken part in numerous solo and group shows. He started the Plein Air Painters of Bermuda, a group that first met in his garden and hosted a weeklong art festival in 2015. Q: How did you make the switch from chef to painter? A: Painting was always something I did for pleasure, so it was a gradual move. I rented studio space in the Royal Naval Dockyard, and I cooked in the mornings and worked as an artist in the…