Adventure holidays in Colombia

Colombia event at National Geographic Store in London

Thank you Colombia for a colourful evening of entertainment held at the National Geographic Store in London.

Colombia – vibrant & exciting
(Image copyright Active Caribbean)

If this is an example of how vibrant and exciting Colombia can be… I can’t wait to discover more.

For more information on adventure vacations in Colombia click here>>

Discover the alternative Caribbean

Active Caribbean – an online guide to the adventure and action side of the Caribbean

Did you know I am developing a website on the ‘alternative’ Caribbean? It’s coming along nicely, thank you… lots of interest being shown.

A walk on the wild side! (Image copyright Linda Jackson)

Editorial content is being prepared and uploaded on a daily basis so bear with me while this is happening!

Fun in the sun (Image copyright Linda Jackson)

There’s so much more to the Caribbean than sun, sea, sand, rum punches and sun loungers. Why not explore it by taking an adventure vacation in the hidden Caribbean?

Time has little importance in the Exumas (Image copyright Linda Jackson)

Forget the beaches, it’s time to check out the alternative adventure side of the Caribbean – so get active now with Active Caribbean >>

Caribbean rib boat tours & adventure in Grenada

Diving with the she-devil is not an activity anyone would expect to take on during a visit to an exotic island in the Caribbean. But what the hell, sometimes you have no alternative but to go with the flow – in this case underwater.

Twin-engine rib boat rides in the Caribbean

Getting to the sculpture park diving site and speeding through the water like a bat out of hell in a powerful twin-engine rib boat adds to the thrill as passengers clutch tightly to the handlebars of their jockey seat. It’s hellishly fast.

What a surreal experience it is when the Devil Woman’s face, hidden beneath the wide brim of a hat, is a skeleton that can only be observed by literally getting up-front-and-personal.

Grenada sculpture park diving/snorkelling site

Exploring the Underwater Sculpture Park in Grenada, home to 65 sculptures in all, is mesmerising. Either diving or snorkelling the sculpture park is totally surreal: it was created by sculptor Jason Taylor from England whose ocean floor works of art depict the island’s colourful history and folklore.

A line of heads sit on the coral here, a large circle of life-sized people holding hands there. A man sits at a desk typing and, of course, there’s that cloven-hoofed she-devil who is despised by women but enchanting to men. According to Grenada folklore that is.

Caribbean adventure vacations & activity holidays

Diving and snorkelling in the sculpture park is just one adventure vacation option in Grenada, there are plenty more adventure travel options if you’re planning to take an active holiday on the Caribbean island of Grenada.

Find out more about adventure holidays in Grenada and read the full article on adventure holidays in Grenada here >> 

For more information about active Caribbean adventure travel and activity holidays go to this Active Caribbean website >>

Fisher Pond Great House: the best Bajan Sunday lunch in Barbados

Having a holiday in Barbados? Then you’ve just got to book Sunday lunch at Fisher Pond Great House - a 350-year-old plantation house in the centre of the island (St John) which has been lovingly restored by former hotelier John Chandler.   

Fisher Pond Great House, Barbados

Make sure you book the Sunday Bajan lunch well in advance, it’s very popular with Barbadians and visitors.

The house is elegantly furnished – tables are set up indoors, in different rooms, and outdoors in the beautiful Barbados tropical gardens.

The Sunday Planter’s Buffet Lunch that John and his wife Rain put on is truly fantastic – a Bajan banquet – catering up to 80 people at exquisitely dressed tables.   

Even Michael Winner raved about the Sunday lunch at Fisher Pond Great House (read Michael Winner’s restaurant review at Times Online) so that’s saying something!  

John, the owner and a real character, has loads of interesting and amusing tales to tell too if you can get him to spill the beans!  

Barbados wedding venue – exotic location for weddings

Full of old world charm Fisher Pond Great House also makes a beautiful and romantic venue for wedding ceremonies which are held either in the colourful tropical gardens or in the antique setting of the plantation house.  

Elegant dining in Barbados

The wedding floral displays, petal-strewn aisle in the garden, and gorgeous settings that John and Rain organise for wedding couples on their special day is extraordinary. The colours of the tropical flowers are AMAZING.  

Fisher Pond Great House just has to be one of the most beautiful and romantic places to get married in Barbados, and definitely one of the best places to eat in Barbados.  

For more information on weddings contact Rain at Chandelier Weddings

Click here for more information on Fisher Pond Great House Sunday Bajan lunch

Secluded, exclusive & romantic honeymoon hotspot in the Bahamas

Paradise Found

Do you believe in all this ‘paradise’ stuff? I’ve written about numerous romantic honeymoon hotels and destinations, often referring to a ‘honeymoon paradise’. Did I really believe there was such a place as Paradise? Not really. Not until recently that is. 

Then I found it. 

Paradise – MY very own paradise… where the water is so turquoise that photographs of it look as though they have been tinkered with. 

A splash of Exuma colour

Best lobster ever at Santana's Grill Pit

Lisa-Ann, a butler and a half in Fowl Cay

Discover THE EXUMAS in the ‘Out Islands’ of the Bahamas - one of the most picturesque regions in the Bahamas. 

In this beautiful archipelago are some beautiful people. Let me introduce you to just a few of the many oh-so-friendly characters I met while I was working on an editorial project for Sandals Resorts International in the Bahamas. Great people, great place. Go visit.   

Tucker - Owner of Compass Cay

Dan and pigs on Thunderball trip

Wayde Nixon, Exumas fishing expert

The Exumas are made up of 365 islands and cays that stretch across more than 120 miles of iridescent green-blue water where the white sand of deserted beaches contrasts dramatically with deep turquoise and dark blue waters. 

AND… have I found some fabulous secluded and exclusive villas in the Bahamas for you!  Follow this link to discover my Paradise – an idyllic private island just made for a romantic honeymoon in the Caribbean, offering luxury get-away-from-it-all exclusive villa accommodation in the Bahamas.  

Check out more special places to stay on my website – www.linda-jackson.co.uk

Caribbean all inclusive family holiday

If you’ve got children, read on… I just have to share this oh-so-family-friendly Caribbean resort with you. It’s an action-packed family resort – a little heaven made for children.  

Meet lots of fun visitors at Beaches Turks & Caicos...

... and enjoy lots of fun in the water at Beaches Turks & Caicos

Clear turquoise waters that rank among the world’s top diving destinations, endless fun for kids and teens, an option of exclusive butler-service suites, and a twelve mile stretch of powder white sand beach is a dream all-inclusive family vacation waiting for families in the Caribbean at the Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa.  

Lazy River in the Waterpark at Beaches Turks & Caicos

Water, water everywhere at Beaches Resort Turks & Caicos

Trust me, this all-inclusive family resort in the Caribbean will make your children’s holiday dreams come true.  

Carnival parade at Beaches, Turks & Caicos, Caribbean

Beaches Turks & Caicos has the best beach ever... 12 miles of soft sand

Once your tots and teens discover the wide range of fun activities available to them at Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort (all included in the price) I guarantee you’ll be returning year-after-year. If you don’t, your kids will go without you! Read more »

How to cook flying fish, Barbados style

Recipe for flying fish

Cooking flying fish Barbados ‘local’ style:

• mix together a grated onion, a chopped green pepper, a blade or two of chopped chives, seasoning (thyme, parsley, salt, pepper) and a few drops of lime juice
• spread this mix over the meaty side of the fish
• Let rest for one hour
• Dip fish into beaten egg, then breadcrumbs, and fry gently in a little oil for around 10 minutes
• Serve with wedges of lime

Flying fish: the national fish & dish of Barbados

Unfortunately for the Barbados national fish, it is also a component of the island’s national dish – flying fish with cou-cou. It’s a blend of corn meal and okra, or breadfruit and green bananas.

Flying fish melts at the Waterfront Café in Barbados

Appetising alternatives to flying fish with cou-cou are flying fish melts – delicate roe, crisped in oil, with horseradish aioli – from the Waterfront Café on the bustling Careenage in Bridgetown. It’s a casual venue with a steel pan band on Tuesday nights.

Waterfront Cafe, a picturesque place to have lunch in Barbados

Eat flying fish for lunch at the Waterfront Cafe, Barbados

Lunch at the Country Club at Sandy Lane, Barbados

Try the scrumptious grilled fish sandwiches served at the chic and tranquil Clubhouse Restaurant at The Country Club at Sandy Lane. Sandwiches come with cucumber salad, tartar sauce and stunning panoramic views over the wonderful Barbados golf course to the sea.

Flying Fish Restaurant in St Lawrence Gap, St Michael, Barbados

Looking for a restaurant in Barbados where you can eat flying fish? Then pop into the Flying Fish Restaurant on the south coast of Barbados – in lively St Lawrence Gap, St Michael – to eat flying fish prepared in three different yummy ways… Parmesan crusted, Banks Beer battered, or coconut pan fried – go on Wednesdays or Saturdays for the steel pan man option.

Hurricanes in the Caribbean

Oh dear. My last blog was saying how trendy the air-conditioned Cane Bar at the Jalousie Plantation in St Lucia was… after Hurricane Tomas’ recent visit it might well be more air conditioned than the owners would like.

Hurricane hitting New Orleans

I remember feeling as guilty as I do now when I had a double-page travel article published on the must visit city of New Orleans. Date of publication? The day Hurricane Katrina devasted Louisiana.

I think from now on I’ll keep my mouth firmly shut and ‘pen’ locked away for the whole of the Caribbean hurricane season. Maybe I’ll add a few weeks on either end for good measure.

Latest worldwide weather website

Want to know what the weather is like in the Caribbean at this time of the year, Weather Underground is a fantastic up-to-the-minute weather website. Check it out if you’re planning a holiday, especially in the tropics.

Best bars in the Caribbean

Looking for a quirky Caribbean bar, a fashionable bar in the Caribbean, or a Caribbean village rum bar where you can drink and play dominoes with the locals?

Then have I got some goodies for you…  I reckon these are some of the Caribbean’s best bars:

Stylish air-conditioned bar in St Lucia – The Cane Bar & Late Night Bar

This chic bar – the Cane Bar – at the Jalousie Plantation in St Lucia is the bee’s knees. I love it.

Jalousie Plantation Cane Bar

Jalousie Plantation Late Bar

It is somewhere you can hide from the steamy Caribbean nights… it’s an air-conditioned bar, trendy, serves fab tapas-type snacks, has cuddle-up bar stools for two and the barman makes a mean lemon drop cocktail.

The adjoining Late Bar is an intimate super-trendy lounge with low lighting, funky seating, and great music – definitely a romantic venue for pre-dinner cocktails or a late nightcap.

Quirky bar in the ocean – The Pelican Bar, Jamaica

At the other end of the spectrum, the Pelican Bar off the Westmoreland Coast in Jamaica has quite a different WOW factor. Rickety, almost open to the elements, needing a boat ride to get there… FAB. What character this place has.

Pelican Bar, Jamaica

Interior of Pelican Bar, Jamaica

What a super-duper quirky bar and undoubtedly a ‘don’t miss’ if you’re in this part of Jamaica. It’s not far from Sandals Whitehouse European Village & Spa so if you are on honeymoon in Jamaica at this Sandals resort this quirky bar in the ocean is well worth a taxi and boat ride to experience it.

Jamaica village rum bar on stilts at Beeston Springs, Westmoreland

A more friendly bar in Jamaica will be hard to find. It’s up in the Westmoreland hills in the southwest region of Jamaica. The bar clings to the hillside and is perched on stilts. Here you’ll mingle with absolutely charming villagers who are more than willing to test your dominoes skills.

Great bar in Beeston Springs, Westmoreland, Jamaica

Smiles, dominoes and good rum at Beeston Springs village bar

Believe me, they know every domino that’s left in your hand after about five moves. If that.

What to buy & places to visit in Jamaica

Climbing the Dunns River Falls in Jamaica with a guide is a must-do activity while you’re on the island.

Hats complete with dreadlocks attached

Bob Marley lives on in Jamaica

Dunns River Falls market

Searching through the Jamaica souvenir market at Dunns River Falls afterwards is undoubtedly de rigeur… so go with the flow.

Climbing Dunns River Falls is a must-do when in Jamaica

More smiles for visitors at Dunns River Falls market

Completely conchers! Conch is a delicacy in Jamaica

Who can resist the multi-coloured knitted hats with attached dreadlocks, the highly polished conch (pronounced conk) shells and the wooden carved faces of Bob Marley?

For more information on Jamaica visit www.visitjamaica.com.

For more information on climbing Dunns River Falls visit www.dunnsriverja.com.

The nicest cookies & smiles in Jamaica

Maji – my yoga instructor, who takes yoga classes beside the sea at the all butler luxury hotel of Sandals Royal Plantation in Ocho Rios, Jamaica – has the warmest of smiles, an amazing aura about him, and is the nicest Rastafarian I have ever met. If he wasn’t married I would have asked him to marry me! He sells unique silver jewellery and travels the world in search of it.

Cafe de Paris at the Whitehouse, Jamaica

Maji - the nicest smile you'll ever find!

As for the Cafe de Paris at the Whitehouse in the district of Westmorland… it’s the best place on the southwest coast of Jamaica for an early breakfast and late afternoon tea. Coffee and cakes scrumptious.

For more information on Jamaica visit www.visitjamaica.com.