From: paul.graveline@travel.com (Paul Graveline)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.caribbean
Subject: CARIBBEAN TRAVEL ROUNDUP4
Date: 29 Sep 92 14:27:00 GMT
Article-I.D.: travel.1316.168.uupcb
Reply-To: paul.graveline@travel.com (Paul Graveline)
Distribution: world
Organization: Travel Online / St. Louis Online - St. Louis, MO

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never  heard  gunshots. As a single woman, I did not go out after dark  
(they  had  a "Voodoo" show at the hotel one night...pretty silly) but  
otherwise  held  my  purse  close  to my body in crowded places. I did  
have  a  50  dollar  bill  stolen.  Don't  know  when. They don't take  
American  Express  or  Master  Card due to the embargo, so you need to  
pay  with  travelers checks or cash. Whoever stole it left a second 50  
dollar  bill,  the  few  20's  I  had,  and  the travellers checks and  
passport. Rather polite for a thief, don't you think?  
 
There  were  lots  of places where there should have been good diving,  
but  I  was  told  that  there  was  only  one  place.  It  was run by  
Americans,  but  they  finally gave up and went home. They (as well as  
the  rest  of  the country) were waiting for tourists that never came.  
It's  strange,  but  the  American  Airlines  Airbus,  a jumbojet, was  
filled  to  capacity  every  day  in both directions! Who (besides me)  
would be going to Haiti? 
 
The  only  problem was when I needed to check out of the hotel, and it  
cost  every cent I had! When they wanted to help with the bags (again)  
at  the  airport,  I could truthfully tell them that I didn't have any  
money!  That  was  really  the  only  uncomfortable situation I was in  
during my stay.  
 
 
III JOURNEYS AND NOTES 
---------------------- 
 
Antigua (Sandals) by Denis Kavemeier 
------------------------------------ 
My  wife  and  I  just  got back today from a nice vacation at the new  
Sandals  Resort  on  Antigua.  We'll  remember it fondly, both for the  
beautiful  tropical  island  and  the  nice  people  we  met.  Sandals  
promotes  its  resorts in Jamaica and Antigua as romantic getaways for  
couples  -- and it is. There were quite a few honeymoon couples there,  
with  even  a  few weddings on the property this past week. The people  
who  work  at  Sandals take good care of their guests - from attentive  
service  in  the  restaurants  to  nightly  turn-down amenities in the  
rooms.  
 
There  are  four restaurants at the resort. The casual Bayside was the  
place  for  breakfast and lunch, and usually serves a buffet dinner in  
the  evening.  For  white  glove,  full-course  dining,  there  is the  
Anchorage  and  Tokyo  Joe's.  The New York Deli is open into the late  
hours  for  snacks.  Sandals'  all-inclusive  price  covers all meals,  
drinks,  and  sports  facilities.  It's  really  the only way to go on  
Antigua,  where  a  hamburger  can cost $11 at other resorts. Sandals'  
bartenders  know  how  to  make  all  kinds of exotic tropical drinks,  
including  a  large  array  of  non-alcoholic concoctions. I went nuts  
over the Coconut Crush.  
 
There  are  theme nights such as Calypso Night, Toga Night, and Formal  
Night.  Every  evening there is entertainment, ranging from steel drum  
bands,  to  native dance shows, reggae bands, and guest singers. After  
the  dance band stops, the piano bar is busy until 2 a.m. There was no  
disco  that  we could find. Our favorite band was a local group called  
LA  Crew,  who  played  Caribbean-flavored  music  from  Bob Marley to  
Mozart.  
 
Sandals  has four pools on its large beachside property. The main pool  
has  a  popular  swim-up  bar and a large jacuzzi that was usually too  
hot.  Although  only  some  of the rooms were on the beach, every room  
seemed  to  be  close  to one of the pools. For those who like to keep  
fit,  Sandals  has  lighted  tennis  courts,  a well-equipped gym with  
daily  aerobics  classes, saunas, steam-rooms, jacuzzis, and even cold  
and  hot Japanese baths. As a life-long Wisconsinite, I was one of the  
few  guests  who  could endure the "cold tub." The trick is to soak in  
the  67-degree  cold  tub for a minute or two, then plunge in the 100+  
degree adjacent tub. It's very tingly and invigorating.  
 
Sandals  resort  is  located  on  a  beautiful  white  sand  beach  on  
Dickenson's  Bay.  The  resort  offers free use of Sunfish sail boats,  
sail  boards, sea kayaks, and paddle boats. There are daily snorkeling  
and  SCUBA  excursions.  Many  guests take advantage of the free SCUBA  
resort  course  offered  by Sandals' instructors. We saw lots of color  
reef  fish  on  our  shallow  wreck  dive.  The  people of Antigua are  
friendly  and good-natured. There is little crime on this church-going  
island,  and  tourists  can  feel safe walking the streets of St. John  
(using  common street sense, of course). Antigua's beaches are open to  
the  public  and  vendors.  It's  a  common  thing  to  see vendors on  
Sandals'  beaches,  selling  hand-made island jewelry and clothes. The  
vendors  are friendly, but not pushy, and a simple "no thanks" will be  
enough. 
 
On  Sunday,  we  got together with a couple from NYC and engaged a cab  
driver  for  an island tour. Our driver, Glenn, knows the island well,  
and  he  gave  us  a  good  glimpse  of  the  island's attractions and  
history.  He  pointed  out  the abandoned sugar mills along the bumpy,  
narrow  highways,  and took us to some old English forts, now in ruin.  
We  visited  Nelson's  Dockyard, now a historical maritime park. Since  
most  of  the  attractions there are closed on Sunday, it's really not  
the  best  day  to  visit  the  park.  We  drove  up the hills through  
Antigua's  rain  forest--  and  it  appropriately  rained. Just before  
sunset,  we ended up at Shirley's Lookout, which is THE place to be on  
a  late  Sunday  afternoon.  The scenic vista, an old English lookout,  
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