2 minute read
On location: Dominica
Globe hopping 26 / On location
Dive into Dominica
Dominica in the Caribbean has plenty to offer clients that want a relaxing break with a sprinkling of adventure, says Samantha Gee, Regional Director at Red Savannah
Legend has it that when Christopher Columbus was asked to describe Dominica he was at a loss for words. And as our LIAT fl ight skims this lush, volcanic island that is riven with gorges, fl owing waterfalls and dramatic peaks, I can see why.
Having no idea what to expect, we are pleasantly surprised to see well-kept, colourful island homes as we traverse the winding mountain roads to our hotel.
Our fi rst stop is the Kempinski Cabrits Bay, with its impressive acreage of interconnected swimming pools making it an Instagrammer’s paradise.
The following day we gather for a private audience with the island’s legendary Dr Lennox Honychurch, a leading authority on Dominican history and politics, and listen with rapt attention to tales of Dominica’s turbulent past (fought over by the French and British) and the challenges to its future.
The planned new international airport will bring in much more tourism, but until then clients can visit via easy and regular connections from Antigua and Barbados.
The foundations of several new hotels (including a Marriott and a Kempinski) have already been laid and there is now a direct fl ight from Miami.
We head to Secret Bay, Dominica’s premier boutique resort, set on a cliff top overlooking Prince Rupert Bay. It’s hard to tear ourselves away from our luxurious villas, with their private plunge pools and shaded decks, but we are keen to get on the water. A lazy boat ride up Indian River is the perfect way to enjoy the scenery.
Needing a dip after lunch, a few of us decide to kayak and snorkel around Secret Bay’s headland to its ‘secret beach’ while others relax with a massage in the spa. At the end of the day a delicious, candlelit dinner is served by the new beachside pool. The food here surpasses all our expectations of dining in the Caribbean.
We drive south to where most of the adventurous activities take place. Fort Young Hotel and Dive Resort is ideally located to act as a base for all the excursions available and is undergoing a major refurbishment plan. The divers among us are delighted to fi nd an underwater world teeming with life while three of us take on the challenge of hiking to the world’s second-largest hot spring, the Boiling Lake. You need a good level of fi tness for the seven-hour round-trip hike.
As we enter the Valley of Desolation, where we see (and smell) the fi rst signs of geothermal activity, we are greeted by a sulfurous lake that is literally boiling. After just fi ve-and-a-half hours we make it back and reward ourselves with a refreshing dip in Titou Gorge, fl oating through rocky caves.
Dominica has so much to off er the adventurous traveller and can also deliver truly luxurious and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. A return trip is defi nitely in order.
