Paradise for food and wine lovers!

 Calling all foodies and wine lovers - especially those who also love the beach! There are still tickets left for the 27th Annual Taste of Cayman food and wine festival, held on Grand Cayman on February 7, 2015. Heat up your winter with some Caribbean spice on this gorgeous island!

 

Offering stunning beaches and water, luxurious accommodations, fantastic food, world-famous dive and snorkel sites, and a myriad of other sea- and land-based activities, Grand Cayman is a perfect destination for couples, families, and singles alike. Want to get a bit more off the beaten path? Follow up your Grand Cayman stay with some extra time on Little Cayman or Cayman Brac. Can't get away for more than a few nights? Less than a 4 hour non-stop flight from more than a dozen US cities, the Caymans are also perfect for a quick getaway! 

Love food and the Caribbean, but can't make it in February? Between the Cayman Restaurant Month, Cocktail Week, , Cayman Cookout event, as well as food tours year-round, you can have an extraordinary culinary experience on the island any day of the year!

4-night packages with airfare, luxury accommodations, airport transfers, and tickets to the Taste of Cayman are currently available starting at $3500 per couple. Book before December 23rd and also receive a $50 food and beverage credit at the resort of your choice! For more details and to customize your Cayman Islands vacation, contact me at Caroline@easyescapestravel.com

Photographs courtesy of CaymanIslands.ky

6 things to love about Bermuda

 Sunset at Elbow Beach resort

I just returned yesterday from my first visit to this stunning island with a unique location in the Atlantic Ocean (I was lucky enough to stay at the fabulous Elbow Beach resort), and am already planning my next visit! Here are just a few of the reasons why:

1. The flights

Total time from takeoff at New York's JFK airport to arrival at LF Wade international airport on Bermuda? 1 hour and 35 minutes! My only complaint? Such a short flight meant that I did not get to see the last 5 minutes of the movie I was watching on the seat-back screen. Ah, I suppose there are worse problems...

Coming back, I flew from Bermuda into Atlanta. Even with headwinds and about 50% more distance to cover, I was still in the air for under 2.5 hours.

For travelers in the Midwest, and especially on the west coast, getting to Caribbean islands can be tedious and time-consuming, often requiring overnight flights or long layovers due to most flights leaving in the morning from the East Coast. But thanks to a couple of evening flights from Boston and New York, travelers coming from further west can easily get to Bermuda the same day with just one simple connection!

2. The Bermudians

From the moment you go through customs and immigration in Bermuda (where the booths sit next to a paneled English fireplace topped with a portrait of Queen Elizabeth, natch), you notice the huge smiles and genuine friendliness of the Bermudian people. Rightfully proud of their island, they are welcoming and gracious hosts, full of wonderful stories and information, and from what I could tell, love to share a hearty laugh! And they love their cocktails - making them definitely my kind of people! Which brings us to...

3. The national cocktails

Pick your poison - rum swizzle or dark n' stormy? The former is my personal favorite, but that did not stop me from sampling (for research purposes only, of course) quite a few of the latter as well. Islanders and visitors alike may disagree on where to find the best, and it seems like most locals will say no one makes them like mama, but rest assured that it's hard to find a bad rum swizzle or dark n' stormy anywhere on-island! For my money, dapper, charming Danny at Elbow Beach (see photo above) wins the award for the most delectable rum swizzles (and best stories - he's been at the resort since 1959)!

 

4. The beaches

I was blown away by the (approximately 63) stunning beaches here! Unfortunately I only got to visit a tiny fraction during my short stay, but that's a great excuse to go back! Warwick/Long Bay was my favorite on the island. With a long stretch of pink sand backed by dramatic rock and lush greenery and lapped by crystal clear turquoise and royal blue water, enough wave action to keep things fun without risking your neck, and portions where I did not see a single soul, what's there not to like? If you climb up over the rocks at one end (there's a little trail as well), you can also reach a tiny grotto in the rocks that acts as a natural swimming pool. A tiny concession rents umbrellas $15+$10 deposit) and sells some simple food items (hot dogs, fries, chicken fingers) and water/soda, but if you prefer your beach day to include beer or rum, be sure to bring your own!

 

 

 

 

5. The food

As an island nation, of course seafood tops the list of things to eat in Bermuda. And they do a fantastic job with it - everything from locally caught tuna made into delectable tartare to pecan crusted swordfish, enormous shrimp, and the (elusive but apparently incredibly lobster-like) hogfish. But the restaurant scene in Bermuda offers so much more as well - whether you're in the mood for Italian, French, Asian, English pub grub, or just about anything else, you can find it here! Be sure to check out the Ocean Club at Fairmont Southampton (and request a table next to the railing for incredible views), Lido at Elbow Beach (go early enough to enjoy the sunset from the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows), Sul Verde at Rosewood Tucker's Point (the antipasti buffet and mozzarella bar alone are worth the trip), and Swizzle Inn (a Bermuda institution, now with 2 locations and an especially delicious pizza -  aptly named "The Favorite").

 View from Ocean Club (with rainbow)

 

6. The customs & immigration process

Generally, coming back from an international destination means having to wait in interminable lines for C&I once you arrive back in the US. Not so when leaving Bermuda! Here, you go through C&I before you get on the flight. It's an extraordinarily simple, quick, and civilized process that perfects caps off your vacation and makes the trip home so much more pleasant, knowing that all you have to do at the other end is grab your luggage (or not, if you're a light packer and didn't check a bag), and go!

There's a whole lot more to love about Bermuda, but you should really go and find out for yourself! To get more information and plan your Bermuda vacation, contact me at caroline@easyescapestravel.com!