It sounds so romantic, getting married on a Caribbean beach, a sun set backdrop, here and there a bird singing, the waves lapping at your feet. And your honeymoon can begin just seconds after you're officially married.
But are you officially married? A British couple who recently "got married" in the Dominican Republic are now unable to prove they're legally husband and wife because a resort clerk spelled their name wrong. On top of that, the travel agent (or someone--nobody wants to own up) lost the original marriage certificate. We reckon they should get a free holiday and a second go at getting married.
He snagged a deal on a room at the Nuyorican Cafe, which has just opened a new boutique hotel: Da House (pictured above). Though from the sound of it, he didn't spend much time there:
The sun was setting, and I was just heading home when Nacho called. A friend of a friend, he'd heard I was in town and wanted to know if I was up for a night out...I can't say I remember very well what followed, but we bounced around, never spending more than $2 for a beer.
Now, that's our kind of town. Matt spent plenty of time grubbing too, with stops at a street-side stand for an empenada and a diner for a ham-and-cheese breakfast sandwich. Though he skipped Tantra--maybe the only restaurant in town with tandoori mofongo--he did finally end up at the Nuyorican Cafe after a long night and a plate of hot wings. The verdict? Sounds like they were amazing.
Nicole Kidman and husband Keith Urban recently took a break in St. Barts, where the stalking opportunities for paparazzi abound. The two were photographed strolling along the waterfront, eating at a cafe, and lounging on a private yacht. The newly rehabilitated Urban got a pole dance from Kidman, plus a bevy of gross kisses--gross when zoomed in on at the wrong moment by a camera lens, at least. The vacation started out as a solo trip for Kidman, before her husband joined her for some couple's quality time.
Urban heads for Europe next month for a tour leg that will take him through Germany and the UK. He'll then take a break before heading to his native Australia, taking another break, and then kicking off a gigantic North American tour in June. The European routing is pretty sensible, and a superfan looking to follow the whole thing could easily snap up budget air tickets or a rail pass (passes, really, because British travel always requires its own product) for transportation between the cities. Then again, the craziest of Keith Urban fans would pay anything and travel any way to see the guy, so sensible routing isn't such a concern.
As the #1 Santo Domingo hotel on TripAdvisor, Hotel Atarazana has us interested. While some photos posted by TripAdvisor members make the rooms seem a little less bright than official shots would indicate, that suspicion is offset by the top scores and rave reviews the place has been pulling in since it opened in late 2004. Santo Domingo isn't known for any sort of boutique hotel scene, but Hotel Atarazana fits the bill for travelers seeking small, personal and hip lodging in the Dominican Republic's capital.
This six-room guest house is run by dedicated hosts Susanna and Bernard--the latter a German architect who designed the place. A rooftop garden was completed over the summer and is ready for your vegetating pleasure. The chronically overheated will need to specifically request a room with air conditioning, as it's not yet installed in all the rooms. Everyone gets internet of some sort, though. If you forgo the sticky season and wait until next winter to book, there may be even more amenities to gush about. The place has clearly been built with love.
JetBlue's still got a few more surprises left, but they just announced the latest in a line of new destinations. Twice-daily service from JFK to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, will start on May 24. Introductory prices for a round trip are $337.10 all-in, but after pricing out a few sample trips, we think you're more likely to pay around $372.10 and up. JetBlue currently flies to only Santiago, Dominican Republic, which is not the home of Boca Chica beach (above). That's all Santo Domingo's glory. David Neeleman apologizes for the feet in the picture.
In times like these, when beach destinations are in high season wallet-attack mode, there aren't many places to soak up the sun for cheap. But digging up memories of a stay at Casa Iguana in Nicaragua for big sis site HotelChatter has us fantasizing about heading back. The eco-chic hotel is on the south side of Little Corn Island, probably one of the last deals in the Caribbean. (We're talking $25 hotel rooms and $10 lobster dinners, here people!)
A short flight and then boat ride from the east coast of Nicaragua, tiny Little Corn doesn't have an enormous beach full of umbrellas. But it does have a tiki hut stocked with cold beer right on the water. The Casa Iguana crew runs dive trips if you want to do more than just melt into the sand. (We usually don't.) Hanging out with the locals at the fried chicken stand is pretty fun, too.
Last Friday, it was 9 degrees in New York City. That's really, really cold. Way colder than most New Yorkers want to be. So maybe that explains why the New York Times came up big this weekend with a Choose Your Own Adventure guide to the sun, sand and surf in the Caribbean?
The basic idea of the Michelle Higgins article is that whatever you're after--adventure, sailing, passing out under a palm tree with a frou-frou drink in hand--you can find it on one of the Caribbean islands. (Ok, it's true, Terror Island didn't make it into the article.) Admittedly, it's a pretty obvious story, but it brings a couple of interesting twists. Instead of the British Virgin Islands, Michelle recommends St. Vincent and The Grenadines for sailing. Anguilla gets a nod for its cuisine, supplanting Saint Martin-Sint Maarten. And we love the shout out to St. Barts for its five-star celeb stalking scene.
Oh, and one last thing. If you're one of those types who can't be bothered with the Caribbean, the NYT comes through with something completely different. It's a cut-and-dry guide to getting to Greenland. Our advice? Might wait a few more months before choosing that adventure.
Sunny Puerto Rico is wasting no time pimping the no-passport-required angle. Besides the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam, it's one of the few places left you can hitch a plane too without a passport. It's also probably the easiest passport-free destination to reach from the United States, making it truly conducive to a hassle-free vacation. Lower-cost airlines (including JetBlue, of course) fly there, as do legacies like American.
They've also got a bit of a sense of humor over at the Puerto Rico tourism board, as evidenced by the website's list of travel tips:
5. Pack your favorite travel guidebook but don't show it off in public because you don't want to look like a tourist!
7. Bring your favorite MP3 player so you can block out your travel companion after continuous days of traveling together.
'Course, the rest are all boring and about pleasing the TSA, but that was fun while it lasted.
Our latest Puerto Rico fantasy involves a stay at Tamarindo Estates on secluded Culebra, and perhaps sharing a meal with Tony Bourdain (if you saw his Puerto Rico episode of No Reservations). But that part's kind of a whole separate story.
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by amandak
