A Helicopter Tour Around Volcanic Montserrat

Out of the flying pan into the fire!

When I was offered the chance to go on a nice relaxing helicopter trip around Antigua I was delighted. I didn’t have any fear of flying ... until I learnt I would be flying towards an active volcano that had blown up just a few weeks before!

Being a seasoned flyer I have to confess I don’t pay much attention to flight safety demonstrations. However with the prospect of flying at a volcano I can assure you I was glued to the 15 minute safety DVD at Caribbean Helicopters. They explained that the helicopter we were to travel in was statistically the safest single engine aircraft in the world .... and what better way of tempting fate that flying straight at an active volcano I thought. We were handed our yellow life jackets (I would have preferred asbestos underpants) and headed to the helicopter.

We departed from Caribbean Helicopter’s helipad near Fort James. You can see the take off video above. We started by buzzing the cruise liners moored at Heritage Quay and then flew out to sea over the crystal clear seas which surround Antigua. We were at around 2,000 feet but the water and sky was so clear we could see the reef and even sea turtles below. From February until April you can be lucky enough to see whales.

The flight takes about 15 minutes but you see Montserrat as soon as you leave Antigua. It’s hard to miss an island with a 10,000 foot high column of steam and ash spewing out of it!

The volcano had been dormant for millions of years and then a couple of thousand years ago it woke up…. with a bad case of indigestion. We arrived and swept around the volcano trying not to become its next meal.

As we arrived it was almost too much for my senses to take in. There was the size of the volcano to absorb and the brilliant contrast between its light, brown dusty appearance and the lush green mountains that surround it. It’s ironic that the ash that has caused so much destruction over the years actually gives life to the rest of the island as a super fertiliser. It wasn’t just the sights that assaulted the sense as all the time we had that distinctive sulphur smell fill our nostrils. It was incredible.

On the other side of the island I saw a sight that I had never seen before and will probably never again.

It was the former capital of Plymouth which had been destroyed by an eruption in 1997. We flew low over houses that had been overcome by mud, lava and ash. It was as if mother nature had decided to put a facial mud pack on the whole town!

We spent around 20 minutes touring the island, all the time we were being updated with interesting facts about the island’s history including the options to leave that the British had given the residents after the last major eruption. Half decided to leave and the other half decided to gamble and stay!

We had an amazing trip and as a postscript, a few days after we visited the volcano it erupted again. This time engulfing the former airport! I can only imagine the departure board “Sorry – flight delayed by volcano!”

If you are lucky enough to visit Antigua while Montserrat is still active then this trip has to be on your list of things to do. It is simply stunning. Just remember to pack those flame proof pants!


Charles Duncombe is an Antigua Holidays expert at UK travel company, Holidaysplease. He flew with Caribbean Helicopters.

The Lounge by FBO 2000, Antigua Airport

You could begin to feel a bit like James Bond doing this. After arriving at the mysterious Gate 10 somewhere at the rear of Antigua airport, we speed across the runway in the middle of the night, hazard lights flashing. We draw up next to a large private jet.

‘Will you go straight on board, sir?’

‘Er, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, given that it’s not our jet.’ I ponder where we might end up. Wichita? …El Salvador? …Afghanistan?

Instead we are taken into a white creole building to the side. It is the Lounge by FBO 2000. The company generally offers airport services (clearing private jets in and out, meet and greet for the smarter hotels etc), but as Antigua airport is due for a fair bit more renovation over the next few years, they have also decided to offer a lounge as a more comfortable alternative to the main departure hall.

It was a little empty when we were there, with just one other family, who, curiously lived just a few miles from us (fly 4000 miles to meet the neighbours…), but then you probably wouldn’t want it to be crowded. So we settled in (actually turned in, in the case of my two children, who spread themselves across two benches), ordered a drink and enjoyed the wait.

The Lounge has sitting areas, a snooze room, wireless coverage, internet access and magazines to keep you distracted, finger food, drinks on request and a couple of shower rooms. There is an outside deck surrounded by bananas if you wish to catch the evening warmth on your last day in the islands. There is even what they call a VVIP room if you want additional privacy, with a recliner and your own television.

It is certainly more comfortable than the regular terminal, which although it has improved a bit recently is still mayhem. And the Lounge would be particularly good if you had to transit in Antigua from one of the other islands, and therefore have five or six hours to kill before your trans-Atlantic flight home.

Our flight was delayed a little and so it was the dead of night by the time we were called to the plane. Our passports were returned and we were taken to the small departure area with its x-ray machine. And again, we loaded up into a 4x4 and, hazards on, we sped across the airfield.

Squawk. ‘Permission to cross Runway 7… Granted.’ We scooted off. The acid lights of the main terminal came into view and we drew up beneath the BA flight bound for London.

The Lounge by FBO 2000 costs US$95 per person (13 and up, children under 12 free). The Lounge is currently restricted to passengers flying on British Airways. Contact +1268 562 7056, thelounge@FBO2000.com.

For more information about the island itself, please see The Definitive Caribbean Guide to Antigua.

Jacala, A New Boy on Meads Bay, Anguilla

Meads Bay, the fantastic beach near the west end of Anguilla, has a new restaurant, one to add to the list of ‘must visits’ when on the island. Jacala. You’ll find it at the eastern end of the beach (not far from Blanchards and Malliouhana), set in an open-sided dining room giving right onto the sand.

The restaurant may be new (it opened in mid January), but the two men behind it - Jacques Borderon and Alain Laurent - have extreme ‘form’ on Anguilla. You may recognize their names from Malliouhana, where they worked for 25 years. The name of the restaurant comes from their working partnership, too. Jacala is a melding of Jacques and Alain.

They call their cuisine ‘intuitive’, an intellectual mouthful that might seem to have too much French philosophy behind it. But, put simply, they will work with the ingredients – a good slab of local fish or lobster or beef - do the work, rather than smothering them with rich sauces. Intentionally simple then, but also French at base of course, so you know that what you get will be extremely well put together.

Jacala, which is decorated almost entirely white, with just a few splashes of colour in some cushions, is less formal than you will have come to expect of Jacques and Alain to date. Jacques now wears an open-necked collarless shirt and an easy manner, though he still runs a tight ship of course. They have quite a short menu (relatively), which they will test run over the coming months - and a short wine list (mostly French, but with some concessions to the States. It has already been getting a good rap. Their clientele is as much residents as it is visitors (a good sign as people living in Anguilla really are spoilt for choice).



Also new for the season at Blanchards is a prix-fixe menu, a three course meal with three or more choices at each course, for US$45, which has helped a few regulars through the recession. And they have also brought in some less expensive wines for this winter. Otherwise all still going strong on Meads Bay.


Have a look at our Definitive Caribbean Guide to Anguilla for more information about bars, restaurants and, well anything really...

Ten Ten Ten - Netherlands Antilles Has The X-Factor?

It might be a score on the X Factor… er no, actually Simon Cowell would surely never give ten. As it turns out 10 October 2010 is a key date in the Dutch Caribbean calendar, as it is the moment when political changes will take place in several of the Netherlands Antilles.

Two of the islands – Curacao and St Maarten - will be following the lead of Aruba and will take ‘Status Aparte’. While they will remain within the Kingdom of the Netherlands they will have more autonomy and become responsible for their own internal affairs. The three remaining islands, Bonaire and the tiny islands of Saba and St Eustatius, or BES as they are currently known, will actually go the other way, and will become more integrated into the Dutch system. Well, that’s if Bonaire actually goes through with it – having agreed to, they were looking for a referendum on the subject recently.

So, what does it all mean? It means that the BES states will become members of the European Union (this is already the case with Martinique and Guadeloupe, so it is not actually that extraordinary, despite their 4000 or so miles from Europe). The Netherlands Antilles Florin will probably cease to exist – St Maarten is undecided, but Saba will be taking the US Dollar as its currency. And last and most importantly, Mt Scenery on Saba, which has historically been the highest point in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, will now actually be the highest point in Holland.

Nigel Tisdall Goes Dutch - A travel writer's exploration of St Maarten, Saba and Statia.

Poor Haiti? The Influence of John James Audubon

There’s been plenty in the news at the moment about Haiti - the country seems to have more bad luck than anywhere in the Caribbean. Around 150,000 people are now thought to have died as a result of the earthquake on 7th January this year, and the figure is thought to finish close to double that. So here’s a bit of inconsequential, but interesting information.

Jean-Jacques Fougère Audubon, “the artist of birds”, was born in Les Cayes, Haiti in 1785. He moved to the United States as a young man in 1803 to avoid conscription in the Napoleonic War and made his fame there recording many of North Americas species by drawing them. His name has spawned birding societies throughout the world. He is most famous of course for his collected Birds of America, published between 1827 and 1838, which includes 435 hand-coloured engravings.

Even now after 150 years they hold their own as superb examples of a craftsmen and artist at work. Charles Darwin quotes Audubon three times in Origin of the Species and many of his later works, and a copy of Birds of America in excellent condition sold at Christie’s in March, 2000 for $8,802,500!

Haiti Island Guide

Help Us Update Our Guide to Saba?!

Last week we asked you for insider tips and favourite places on St Maarten and St Martin. Thanks for the response. We will also be putting together a guide to Saba nearby. Again, we will be visiting, but it’s good to have a steer before arriving.

Here's what we have so far on our Definitive Caribbean Guide to Saba.

Our main areas of interest are bars and nightlife, hiking, places to visit, restaurants, shops and sports. So if you have a favourite activity or place then please let us know. Plus -

Do you know of any good day sails from the island?

Or spectacular gardens to visit?

Hotel or day spas?

Who are the best yoga instructors and complementary health practitioners?

And finally, because scuba diving us such an important feature of the island – which do you think is the best scuba diving operator and why?

Once again, if you have had a particularly pleasing experience in Saba – or an unpleasant one for that matter - then do please email us at Feedback@DefinitiveCaribbean.com and let us know. We look forward to hearing from you.

And thanks for all your emails with suggestions about St Maarten/St Martin….


The editorial team at Definitive Caribbean

Horizon Yacht Charters, Grenada, opens a new base in St Georges’s – in time for the Sailing festival

Horizon Yacht Charters, the yacht charter company with bases in several islands around the Caribbean (Grenada, Antigua and the BVI), is opening a second yacht services office in Grenada, at the brand new Camper and Nicholsons Port Louis Marina in the harbour at St George’s.

Horizon has been established in Grenada for 10 years, at True Blue Resort and Marina on the south coast. At their new office they will offer yacht charter as well as a full yacht brokering service, including purchase of new yachts (Horizon are agents for Bavaria Yachts and Fountaine Pajot Catamarans) and sales. In addition they will offer yacht maintenance and management services, including the installation of new
equipment, repairs and a general boat watch service. Yachts can also be hauled for bottom painting and other hull work. Please see our Review of Horizon Yacht Charters in Grenada.

The new office is opening just in time for the annual Grenada Sailing Festival, which is also based in the new Port Louis Marina. Over five days (29 Jan – 02 Feb) there will be a daily race in several classes, usually starting at 10am, an After Race Lime at 4pm in Port Louis Marina, followed by serious partying each evening. For more information about the regatta, see the Grenada Sailing Festival and for information about the island, see the Definitive Caribbean Guide to Grenada.

Help us Update our Guides to St Maarten and St Martin?!

Definitive Caribbean will soon be putting together a new guide to St Maarten/St Martin. We will be doing our research in person of course, but it would be great to hear recommendations as well, to see what our users enjoy about the island and – because we haven’t been there for a couple of years - to discover the latest hot spots.

Here is our current Guide To St Martin and St Maarten.

So, we would very much appreciate any comments or advice you can give on the following subjects -

Beaches - which are your favourite strips of sand currently, on both sides of the island? And why?

Scuba – which are the best scuba diving operators?

Sailing – and the best yacht charter companies?

Spas – which are your favourite spas - hotel spas and day spas?

Yoga, Complementary Health – which individual practitioners and companies give the best service?

Weddings - If you were to get married in St Martin, do you know a good wedding organizer?

Finally, if you’re a Caribbean regular, or you live in the islands – are there things you feel that St Maarten/St Martin is particularly good for?

So, if you have had a particularly pleasing – or unpleasant experience – in St Maarten or St Martin, either side, it doesn’t matter which, we will be covering both - then do please leave your suggestions under this posting so we can discuss your thoughts with other readers, or email us on Feedback@DefinitiveCaribbean.com..

We look forward to hearing from you.

The editorial team at Definitive Caribbean.

Two for Tapas – new restaurants in Barbados

Two new restaurants, one on the South Coast and the other in the thick of the action on the West Coast of Barbados, have opened recently and become hotspots for the season. They have gone for a ‘light’ formula. While sushi and tapas have been available over the years in Barbados, these two new restaurants have revamped the theme of small eats on the island.

Nishi is right on the corner in Holetown. Set on the site the old Olives, which sadly closed in 2009 after many years of lively service, the new restaurant offers bistro and sushi. Nishi’s owners have completely redecorated, in a new colour scheme of burnt orange and pale grey. The dining room upstairs is now enclosed and has a menu of sushi and sashimi. Downstairs is the bistro, which serves a mix of Caribbean and international dishes. Their very pretty courtyard contains the bar, where it is possible to eat outside as well.

Tapas has opened on the site of the former Aqua restaurant, which has a cracking setting overlooking the boardwalk on the South Coast. Their chosen style, as the name would suggest, is tapas, and among the general tapas there is a good range of seafood, including mussels and eel as well as the regular calamari. Tapas is owned by three Italians, including Franco Parisi, who until recently was chef at the Lone Star.

Other spots around the island where you can get sushi include Café Luna at Little Arches Hotel, Zen at Crane Beach and at Fusion in Accra. For tapas you can try Scarlet on the West Coast.

For more information about where to eat on the island, see our Definitive Guide to Barbados Restaurants.

Sentebale Polo Cup, Apes Hill, Barbados, 31 January 2010

On the last Sunday of this month Barbados will host an international polo tournament with a difference. Teams will be competing for the Sentebale Polo Cup, which has been created in order to benefit Sentebale, the charity for disadvantaged African children. The tournament is backed by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, who are patrons of the charity and who will be there in person. Prince Harry will be playing for the Sentebale team.

The charity, which was set up by the two princes in memory of their mothers, aims to help orphans and vulnerable children in Lesotho, those whose lives have been affected by poverty and particularly by HIV/Aids. The charity has managed to help over 3000 children so far and they wish to continue the good work. The Sunday 31 polo match is the first of what is hoped will be an annual fundraiser.

The aim of the Sentebale Polo Cup is not only to increase awareness of the plight of these children, but to raise vital funds so Sentebale can increase its help to those most in need and very often forgotten.

The idea is that the tournament will tour the world over the coming years. The inaugural event will be held at the Apes Hill polo ground in St James the middle of the island. Apes Hill itself is a development of villas around the polo field.

Polo itself has become increasingly popular as a spectator sport in Barbados and in the way of the island - there is always a lively, informal crowd - attending a polo match is a fun day out. The day opens at 10.30am, with special activities for children, and the sporting activity will be in the afternoon, starting at 2pm with a plate match sponsored by the Barbados Tourism Authority, after which the main event, the Sentebale cup match, will take place at 3pm.

Admission is Bds$50 (around £15), tel +1246 422 3147. Children under 5 go in for free. For more information, see the Sentebale website. For more information about sports on the island, see the Definitive Caribbean Guide to Barbados.