Tabla de contenidos para July - August 2015 en Islands

1. BUY COFFEE, JAMAICA BUY COFFEE, JAMAICA the coffee harvested in the blue mountains of Jamaica is a serious rival for the epic joe from Kona, Hawaii, and locals love it as much as visitors do. In tourist areas and duty-free shops in Montego Bay or Negril, a pound of the tasty roast goes for $40 and up, so you’ll need to get closer to the source in Port Antonio, just 30 miles from the Blue Mountains. HOW TO DO IT The local Ramtulla grocery store in Portie, as locals call it, sells the real-deal certified Blue Mountain coffee for $5 to $10 cheaper per pound than other retailers. From Frenchman’s Cove Resort, head east on the main road for nine minutes until you hit Folly Road, and you’ve found…

STURDY STRAW IF YOU’RE CURIOUS Lake Titicaca forms a natural border between Peru and Bolivia and is home to the ancient Uros people. Floating reeds called totora sustain life — they’re used to make floating islands, houses, medicine and tea. The white part of the reed even cures hangovers. 12,000 FEET BETWEEN LAKE TITICACA AND SEA LEVEL IF YOU’RE SERIOUS The floating Uros islands draw more tourists than ever, but getting here is still a schlep. The easiest way is to fly to Lima and then take a 1½-hour flight on LAN to Juliaca. Don’t linger here. Grab a taxi or a bus for the hour’s drive to the lake, at Puno. HEADACHES CAN STRIKE VISITORS BECAUSE OF THE HIGH ALTITUDE. DRINK COCA TEA BEFORE VENTURING UP.…

WHERE: DOMINICA THE FIND: HOMEMADE RUM I’m in between hikes on the island of Dominica and need to fuel up before trekking to another waterfall. On the day’s first trail, a local man told me about a little restaurant and bar that looks down on the village of Castle Bruce and a valley of banana and palm trees colored with the reds and yellows of crotons. Islet View Restaurant clings to the cliff and provides, as the name implies, a view of the islands off the headland. There’s also a wonderful selection of dishes, including what I’ll eventually settle down for: smoked chicken dressed in callaloo. But the main draw is the 50-plus homemade rums standing in rows behind the bar. The bottles resemble a small sample from a shaman’s…

MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE BOTTOM OF THE GLOBE, WHERE THE AIR, THE WATER, THE LAND AND THE FOOD OF TASMANIA PROVE THAT TRACES OF NOTHING MEAN ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING. IN HINDSIGHT, THE NAME “CAPE GRIM” was probably a poor choice from a future real estate perspective. This northwest corner of Tasmania (across from Australia’s southern tip) has always been one of the world’s most remote places, which is why the cape has housed the Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station since 1976. All 4,000 residents of the only town in these parts are enormously proud that they breathe in the air by which all other air is judged. It seems appropriate that in a place with virtually no industry or much of anything, I heard my guide, Scotty Wallace of…

WHERE: BETWEEN U.S. AND CANADA THE DISCOVERY: PUFFINS AND PRIDE I’m a traitor. I realize this as Day’s Catch, a 45-foot lobster boat, muscles through choppy waters some 10 miles off Maine’s craggy coast. Fifteen of us are traveling from New Brunswick on this Canadianflagged vessel to a tiny, uninhabited rock that’s the only disputed territory between the United States and Canada. At the same time, an American-flagged boat is powering to the same spot from Maine with its own 15 passengers. I’m American. I should be on the American boat. Instead I’m here on the Canadian boat, surrounded by Canucks. “Americans can come to the island and do all sorts of posturing,” New Brunswicker Jim Wilson asserts. “But clearly, we own the island.” Machias Seal Island, that is. Both…

GUY HARVEY AGE 60 OCCUPATION Marine wildlife artist, conservationist, biologist We are an old Jamaican family. My mother’s side has been in Jamaica since 1664. But the advantages of living there were overtaken by the disadvantages. We moved to Cayman because the nature here is quite an inspiration for my business. The schools are good. That was a big consideration because our two kids were 9 and 7 when we left. It’s been a great place to bring kids up because it’s safe. If you’ve never seen a blue iguana, go to the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park. They are so blue, it’s comical. Depending on their mood, if they get fed a grape or banana, they can turn an even brighter blue. They’re very personable, if you can personify…

KEY Starting Over Ditch the car. Walk to the beach. Stay for sunset. 1. Isla Holbox, Mexico Just a two-hour drive and a ferry ride from hectic Cancun lies an island that feels like the other side of the planet, with a few hammocks (invented by the Maya here in the Yucatan — de nada) and 20 miles of white beach, a handful of low buildings comprising “downtown” and clear water for miles. Peaceful but impressive whale sharks visit offshore in some seasons. Tourists also visit the island, but mostly for the same reasons people live here: warmth and peace. Starting Over Ditch the car. Walk to the beach. Stay for sunset. 2. Madeira This Portuguese island off the coast of Morocco has warm summers and mild winters, a climate…

The last leg of Tiff any and Bruce’s 10-year circumnavigation was a 41-day sail from Costa Rica to Hawaii. I caught up with them after a good night’s sleep in Hilo on the Big Island, where their 34-foot boat, Vixen, rested at anchor. — as told to Patrick Holian BRUCE: We’ve visited hundreds of islands since we left home in September 2004. TIFFANY: Moorea is probably the most beautiful we’ve seen. It’s a quintessential tropical paradise with high cliff s and fringing reefs. BRUCE: When you have your own boat, you get to go to islands that are inaccessible to most. We sailed to Chesterfield Reef in the middle of the Pacific, a thousand miles from anywhere. It’s an uninhabited sandbar rich with turtles and sea birds. It was magical.…

The captain is ordering us to leave the ship. We are refusing. This might be mutiny. And we’ve been here only an hour. To understand why we won’t leave, just look at our accommodations. Alexa is a 90-foot Indonesian sailing ship, modified to indulge just two passengers. White sails. White decks. White sheets and white pillows. Since the births of our two boys, my wife and I haven’t seen escapism like this in years. And we’re not about to give it up. Then the captain shows up with his map, telling us we should start planning some excursions to the surrounding islands. We don’t even look at the map. As Alexa glides out of the quaint dive harbor of Labuan Bajo, the dusky beauty of the island of Flores feels…

BEST FOR: SIMPLICITY SEEKERS WHO WON’T MISS HOME DEPOT When I lived in Hawaii, people would tell me how fantastic it was in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, before it became so expensive to live on a singlefamily salary. On Koro Island, in Fiji, I found the way I imagined South Pacific island life to be — the way Hawaii might have been during my parents’ time. In Fiji, it’s straightforward: Acres sell for $30,000 to $50,000, with no property taxes. Plus it’s an English-speaking country and still pretty cheap. Another driving force is the people. I’ve never found people so genuinely open and happy to welcome you into a community that, in reality, isn’t yours. DAILY SNAPSHOT The highlight of my day is also the simplest part. It’s looking…

CARIBBEAN & BAHAMAS 1. Blue Residences - Spectacular ocean views, featuring fully equipped apartment suites and a great variety of resort amenities and services. PAGE 10 2. Cayman Islands Department of Tourism - Experience Caymankind, everything and everyone that makes a Cayman Islands vacation so unique. PAGE 4-5 3. Elite Island Resorts - St. Jame’s Club Resort & Villas and The Verandah Resort & Spa - Two Stunning allinclusive beachfront resorts in Antigua, perfect for destination weddings and honeymoons, family vacations, or spa getaways. PAGE 14-15 4. Royal West Indies – Turks & Caicos – A luxurious beachfront hotel resort nestled on the shores of world famous Grace Bay Beach in the Turks and Caicos Islands. PAGE 29 HAWAII 5. Aston Hotels & Resorts -26 hotels and resorts on 4…

PRIVATE EYE IF YOU’RE CURIOUS On Gozo island, one of three in Malta, house keys are left in front doors in the villages of Ghasri and Fontana. The island is simple and sleepy, save for the Azure Window (pictured), a limestone arch that’s inspired countless illegal cliff jumps and YouTube videos. 92 FEET HEIGHT OF THE AZURE WINDOW IF YOU’RE SERIOUS Many airlines, including Air Malta and Air France, offer flights into Malta International Airport. On arrival, head by bus or rental car to the ferry station in Cirkewwa, where the ferry departs every 1½ to two hours. You’ll dock in Mgarr, Gozo’s harbor, and be snorkeling the Azure Window in less than the length of a TV drama. THE TOP OF THE AZURE WINDOW’S ARCH IS STARTING TO FALL,…

WHERE: BUSTLING ST. THOMAS CONFESSION: IT WAS ACTUALLY COOL. At first glance, it seems to be another tourist attraction on St. Thomas, maybe a cool way, pun intended, to lure sightseers along Charlotte Amalie’s busy waterfront. “Magic Ice” it’s called. A bar and a gallery made mostly of, yes, ice. Gimmick or not, on a 91-degree day spent mostly in storefront alleyways and walking the 99 Steps of the capital city, anything called Magic Ice seems like a really good idea. A heavy door opens to a refreshing respite like no other in the Caribbean. There are ice-sculpted mermaids, an ice-block walk-in “chapel,” a life-size frozen figurine of Bob Marley, and a giant ice-sculpted bottle of rum. A bulky overcoat available by the door helps my overheated body acclimate to…

Roosters are still crowing when the police show up, rounding the bend of the coastal road in their armored van. Santi, the leader of today’s operation, mutters something in Rapanui to his cousins and waves toward the approaching truck, as if swatting a pest. He tells me to turn on my video camera and I oblige, but I hope the footage won’t be interesting. I’ve seen recordings of how these encounters have sometimes ended: with rocks thrown, shotguns fired, and smoke rising as women scream and men bleed. The clash over land on Easter Island is not a new one. Chile colonized the island 100-plus years ago and claimed the land as state property. Ever since, the Rapanui — the descendants of Easter Island’s lost civilization — have been clamoring…

IT’S 11 A.M. WHEN I WALK PAST A pack of Asian photographers and into the world’s biggest casino. More than 80,000 people will ante up here today, on a man-made island that few Westerners knew existed five years ago. “Blackjack in back,” says the vest-donned pit boss at the Venetian on Macau, a waterframed region of southeast China that’s an hour from Hong Kong by ferry. Breakfast is still being served, yet it takes awhile to zigzag through the maze of baccarat tables, hordes of anxious gamblers and the incessant jangling of slot machines — 3,000 of ’em. The Venetian is Asia’s largest building at more than 10 million square feet. It’s the epicenter of a string of gaudy resorts and high-end shopping centers that occupy a plot of reclaimed…

Want a secret way to beat back the hefty prices on St. Barts, one of the most exclusive and expensive islands in the Caribbean? On an island where a simple tomato salad with a cold Carib might run you north of $40 and a night at a luxury resort creeps into quadruple digits, one of the smartest budget options also means doing what the Hollywood celebs do — not staying on the island at all, but settling in on your own private yacht. TradeWinds, an international sailing club with fleets from the Seychelles to Greece, offers one-week voyages from the gateway island of St. Maarten (where flights to St. Barts also originate) and rents out individual cabins aboard its luxury five-cabin catamarans. The itinerary wraps around both St. Barts and…

ALL ABOUT YOU Not only can you book a personalized Tahitian spa treatment at the Helene Spa (the first spa ever in French Polynesia), you can book your own session with one of the three resident dolphins that enjoy a natural habitat here at the resort. Swim, play, kiss. DOCTOR ON CALL THE RESORT’S LAGOON IS HOME TO A TURTLE CARE CLINIC. WOUNDǩ ED GREEN AND HAWKSBILL TURTLES ARE REHABBED, THEN RELEASED. WHERE’S THE WATER? At first glance, these aren’t the overwater bungalows you dreamed of (those are on Bora Bora). Then you realize these might be better. Nestled among trees, each overwater hut boasts privacy unmatched anywhere in Tahiti. From $450, inter continental.com/moorea…