More on the Caribbean Sensible traveler Destinations Where they went Travel gear Student travelTo find other rhythms
By Diane Daniel, Globe Correspondent, 04/28/02
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More on the Caribbean Sensible traveler Destinations Where they went Travel gear Student travel |
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"We try to always go to a different place," said White, 39, a financial services marketing manager. Panella, 36, also works in financial services, as a technical project manager. Married now for four years, they live in Newton.
"We love several aspects of the Caribbean," he said. "It's laid-back and friendly and unassuming. We like to go to the beach and get away and all that. But we also like it from a cultural standpoint. We love the music. Whenever we decide where to go, we always consider the night life and the music."
The couple likes reggae, but are especially fond of soca, a fast-paced blend of calypso and soul. At home, they often listen to a Caribbean music show on WERS (88.9 FM) and go to Rhythm & Spice in Cambridge to see live acts. "It really takes us back there," White says.
Panella is the organizer, mostly using the Internet to plan their trips. For this one she used general sites, including www.antiguanice.com. Their lodgings, at Galley Bay Cottages, she found online and cost about $110 a night. Their cottage was about 100 yards from the beach, on the northwest coast of the island, set into a jungle-like hillside.
"It was Caribbean on the outside, and colonial on the inside - very `Out of Africa,' " White said.
The weather in mid-
February was wonderful, in the 70s and 80s, and the beaches - "The sand is like flour," Panella said. "White, white sand, and blue-green water. Antigua has 365 beaches, one for each day of the year."
One musical night was spent at a "jump-up," an afternoon and evening of music and food. It is held every Sunday at Shirley Heights, an old English fortress and mountainous part of the island that overlooks the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The party begins around 4 p.m. with a steel drum band and a barbecue. A few hours later the reggae and soca start.
"It's a really good mix of locals and visitors, and really fun," White says. "It's where you can hear really good music, tons of it. Some people say it's touristy, but it's not. It's just really fun and very spirited."
Panella and White spent a lot of time in the water, swimming and snorkeling, and drove around to see many of those beaches.
"You must get used to driving not only on the other side of the road, but the other side of the car," White wrote in a post-vacation e-mail to friends. "The real thrill of driving in Antigua lies in the fact that the roads are narrow and people pass you at will - on hills, curves, on the shoulder. There are lots of dogs, cows, goats, and sheep to dodge, too. We even had to stop because a dog was nursing her puppy in the middle of the road."
One day they drove to Harmony Hall, in a remote area on the east side of the island. On the site of an old sugar mill plantation, it includes a B & B, a gallery of local art, a restaurant, and bar, all of which overlook the sea.
They bought four watercolors, brightly colored village and waterfront scenes. Back home, they've hung two pieces in their bedroom and two in the living room, evoking memories of the island life.
Send suggestions to ddaniel@globe.com.