Insight Guides Caribbean - The Lesser Antilles

Insight Guides

• Publisher: Insight
• ISBN:
  9781786715593
• Edition: 7
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Travel

The Caribbean's Lesser Antilles are a chain of stunning paradise islands stretching from the British Virgin Islands, east of Puerto Rico, to Trinidad and Aruba, just north of mainland South America, all rich in white sand beaches, volcanic topography and unique cultures. Be inspired to visit by the new edition of Insight Guide Caribbean: The Lesser Antilles, a comprehensive full-colour guide to this tropical island arc.

Inside Insight Guide Caribbean Cruises:
A fully-overhauled edition by knowledgable writers.
Colourful photography brings this tropical region and its people to life.
Lively features explore the Caribbean's history, from colonial times to modern tourism, and distinctive culture including Carnival, Creole cuisine and local architecture.
Highlights of the region's top attractions, including the spectacular Pitons in St Lucia, turtle-watching in Dominica and Trinidad, and Brimstone Hill Fortress in St Kitts.
Descriptive place-by-place accounts cover the whole of the Lesser Antilles, from the most famous islands such as Barbados and Antigua to lesser-known gems including Martinique and Curacao.
Detailed, high-quality maps throughout will help you get around and travel tips give you all the essential information for planning a memorable trip.

Insight Guide Caribbean: The Lesser Antilles now includes the Walking Eye app, free to download to smartphones and tablets on purchase of the book. The Caribbean app includes our independent selection of the best hotels and restaurants, plus activity, event and shopping listings.
About Insight Guides: Insight Guides has over 40 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps as well as picture-packed eBooks to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture together create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.

'Insight Guides has spawned many imitators but is still the best of its type.' - Wanderlust Magazine

A-Z: A Handy Summary of Practical Information

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Accommodations

The range of accommodations in the Caribbean is as varied as the islands themselves, going from basic guesthouses and bed and breakfasts to luxurious five-star hotels. Some islands, such as Anguilla and St-Barths, deliberately aim for the upper end of the market, and it can be hard to find somewhere cheap and cheerful, while those islands with good scuba diving, hiking, birdwatching, and remote forests usually have several low-budget dive resorts, hostels, and rustic places to stay.

Islands receiving direct transatlantic flights, and therefore mass tourism, are more likely to have plenty of mid-range accommodations, with apartments and villas complementing the hotel sector. Antigua, Barbados, and St Lucia all offer a varied choice. While several small islands are given over to a single hotel, such as Peter Island in the BVI, or Petit St Vincent in the Grenadines, there are no really enormous resorts in the Lesser Antilles, unless you include the floating hotels – mega cruise ships which offload thousands of people a day onto the streets of a harbor town.

All-inclusive resort hotels are a popular option; the appeal of not having to reach for your wallet every time you want a drink or a snack is strong, especially when you have children in tow. But there are two main disadvantages: you miss out on all the local food, drink, and color beyond the resort, and you do not put money back into the local community; most resort hotels are foreign-owned.

Self-catering apartments and villas are good value if you are traveling in a group or as a family; often you share the amenities such as a pool and restaurant with other visitors in the “village.” A local cook can usually be arranged if you want a treat, although you may have to take her shopping for the ingredients first.

High season is mid-December to the end of April nearly everywhere, with rates peaking over Christmas and New Year, during Carnival, and at Easter. Prices can be considerably lower off-season (from May to mid-December), when it’s worth negotiating for an upgrade or a price reduction. Bear in mind, however, that this is also hurricane season, so check the likelihood of your favored destination being affected. Most major resort chains and some holiday packages offer hurricane protection; check before you book.

The internet is a useful tool for accommodation-hunting; try www.caribbeantravel.com. Alternatively, try the tourist offices in your home country or their websites.

Age Restrictions

The legal drinking age throughout the Caribbean is 18. Some car-rental agencies only rent cars to drivers over 25, although more usually you have to be 21 or over. As for scuba diving, children as young as 8 may participate at some resorts.

The Arts

The Caribbean Islands are better known for their musical heritage than the visual arts, but nonetheless there are numerous small art galleries that exhibit and sell work by local artists.

The Gallery of Caribbean Art (www.artgallerycaribbean.com) on Barbados exhibits regional art and photography at the Northern Business Center in Speightstown and the Hilton Hotel on Needham’s Point.

The Reichhold Center for the Arts (www.reichholdcenter.org) is an amphitheater in Brewer’s Bay on St Thomas, which hosts performances of every kind, including music and drama. The center, part of the University of the Virgin Islands, attracts local artists and visiting international performers. For further information about what’s on and when, tel: [phone], or the box office on 340-693 1559. On the eastern side of the island, the Tillett Gardens Center for the Arts (www.tillettgardens.com) hosts classical and contemporary concerts, as well as the tri-annual Arts Alive Festival.

On the island of Anguilla, the renowned Mayoumba Folkloric Theater perform at Anacaona Hotel in Meads Bay (www.anacaonahotel.com) on Thursday evenings. The group keep Anguillan traditions alive through music, dance, and the spoken word.

Two annual film festivals showcase Caribbean cinema – the Travelling Caribbean Film Showcase (www.artscayman.org/tcfs) on Barbados, and the St...