Frommer's? Caribbean 2009 (Frommer's Complete Guides)

America's #1 bestselling travel series Written by more than 175 outspoken travelers around the globe, Frommer’s Complete Guides help travelers experience places the way locals do. • More annually updated guides than any other series • 16-page color section and foldout map in all annual guides • Outspoken opinions, exact prices, and suggested itineraries • Dozens of detailed maps in an easy-to-read, two-color design Completely updated every year (unlike most of the competition), Frommer's Caribbean features gorgeous color photos of the stunning beaches, crystal-clear waters, and colorful coral gardens that await you. There are dozens of islands and hundreds of accommodations to choose from, so our guide compares all the options, helping you find the tropical getaway that's right for you. We've included web addresses for every hotel, so you can check out pictures as you make your decision. Inside you'll find in-depth, honest reviews of lavish honeymoon resorts, intimate inns, family-friendly motels and condo complexes, and more, with selections in every price category. We'll point you to the loveliest secluded beaches, and send you to the best places for snorkeling, diving, golf, sailing, tennis, deep-sea fishing, and more. You'll also get a complete shopper's guide, and up-to-date coverage of the hottest nightlife in the region, from glittering casinos and sizzling reggae clubs to funky beach bars. You'll even find an up-to-date cruise planner, tips on finding the best package deals, and an online directory that makes trip-planning a snap. Frommer's Caribbean 2009 4 Contents 6 List of Maps 12 What’s New in the Caribbean 16 Chapter 1: The Best of the Caribbean 19 1 The Best Beaches 19 2 The Best Snorkeling 23 3 The Best Diving 24 4 The Best Sailing 25 5 The Best Golf Courses 26 6 The Best Tennis Facilities 27 7 The Best Places to Honeymoon 28 8 The Best Places to Get Away from It All 30 9 The Best Family Vacations 31 10 The Best Inns 32 11 The Best Eco-Friendly Resorts 33 12 The Best Dining 34 13 The Best Destinations for Serious Shoppers 35 14 The Best Nightlife 37 Chapter 2: Planning Your Trip to the Caribbean 39 1 The Islands in Brief 39 2 Visitor Information 46 3 Entry Requirements 46 4 When to Go 48 5 Getting There 50 6 Money & Costs 52 7 Travel Insurance 54 8 Health 55 9 Specialized Travel Resources 56 10 Sustainable Tourism/Eco-Tourism 59 11 Packages for the Independent Traveler 61 12 Special-Interest Trips Websites for Divers 62 13 Staying Connected Online Traveler’s Toolbox 63 14 Tips on Accommodations 64 15 Getting Married in the Caribbean 68 16 Chartering Your Own Boat 71 Chapter 3: Anguilla 72 1 Essentials 73 2 Accommodations 76 3 Dining 80 4 Beaches 83 5 Sports & Other Outdoor Pursuits 85 6 Exploring Anguilla 86 7 Shopping 86 8 Anguilla After Dark 87 Chapter 4: Antigua & Barbuda 88 1 Essentials 89 2 Accommodations 93 3 Dining 99 4 Beaches 102 5 Sports & Other Outdoor Pursuits 103 6 Exploring the Island 105 7 Shopping 107 8 Antigua After Dark 108 9 Barbuda 110 10 Montserrat 111 Chapter 5: Aruba 118 1 Essentials 119 2 Accommodations 122 3 Dining 129 4 Beaches 134 5 Sports & Other Outdoor Pursuits 135 6 Seeing the Sights 137 7 Shopping 139 8 Aruba After Dark 139 Chapter 6: Barbados 142 1 Essentials 143 2 Accommodations 149 3 Dining 156 4 Beaches 161 5 Sports & Other Outdoor Pursuits 162 6 Seeing the Sights 165 7 Shopping 171 8 Barbados After Dark 173 Chapter 7: Bonaire 176 1 Essentials 177 2 Accommodations 180 3 Dining 183 4 Beaches 185 5 Diving & Snorkeling 186 6 Sports & Other Outdoor Pursuits 188 7 Exploring the Island 190 8 Shopping 192 9 Bonaire After Dark 192 Chapter 8: The British Virgin Islands 194 1 Essentials 195 2 Tortola 198 3 Virgin Gorda 207 4 Jost Van Dyke 215 5 Anegada 217 6 Peter Island 218 7 Guana Island 219 Chapter 9: The Cayman Islands 221 1 Essentials 221 2 Grand Cayman 224 3 Cayman Brac 244 4 Little Cayman 247 Chapter 10: Curaçao 251 1 Essentials 252 2 Accommodations 255 3 Dining 259 4 Beaches 262 5 Sports & Other Outdoor Pursuits 264 6 Exploring the Island 265 7 Shopping 270 8 Curaçao After Dark 271 Chapter 11: Dominica 273 1 Essentials 274 2 Accommodations 278 3 Dining 282 4 Sports & Other Outdoor Pursuits 284 5 Exploring the Island 287 6 Shopping 289 7 Dominica After Dark 289 Chapter 12: The Dominican Republic 290 1 Essentials 291 2 La Romana & Altos de Chavón 295 3 Punta Cana 300 4 Puerto Plata 304 5 Sosúa 312 6 Cabarete 314 7 Santo Domingo 317 Chapter 13: Grenada 328 1 Essentials 328 2 Accommodations 332 3 Dining 336 4 Beaches 340 5 Sports & Other Outdoor Pursuits 340 6 Exploring the Island 342 7 Shopping 344 8 Grenada After Dark 345 Chapter 14: Guadeloupe 346 1 Essentials 347 2 Pointe-à-Pitre 351 3 Le Bas du Fort 354 4 Gosier 355 5 Ste-Anne 356 6 St-François 357 7 Pointe des Châteaux 359 8 The North Coast of Grande-Terre 360 9 Around Basse-Terre 361 10 Beaches 368 11 Sports & Other Outdoor Pursuits 370 12 Guadeloupe After Dark 372 13 Side Trips from Guadeloupe 373 Chapter 15: Jamaica 379 1 Essentials 380 2 Montego Bay 386 3 Negril 402 4 Ocho Rios 412 5 Runaway Bay 423 6 Port Antonio 427 7 Kingston & Vicinity 431 8 The Blue Mountains 437 Chapter 16: Martinique 439 1 Essentials 440 2 Fort-de-France 445 3 Pointe du Bout & Les Trois-Ilets 450 4 The South Loop 455 5 The North Loop 459 Chapter 17: Puerto Rico 467 1 Essentials 468 2 San Juan 473 3 Rincón 504 4 Mayagüez 505 5 San Germán 507 6 Ponce 509 7 Las Croabas 513 Chapter 18: Saba 516 1 Essentials 516 2 Accommodations 519 3 Dining 522 4 Sports & Other Outdoor Pursuits 523 5 Exploring the Island 525 6 Saba After Dark 526 Chapter 19: St. Barthélemy 527 1 Essentials 528 2 Accommodations 532 3 Dining 537 4 Beaches 541 5 Sports & Other Outdoor Pursuits 541 6 Shopping 542 7 St. Barts After Dark 543 Chapter 20: St. Eustatius 544 1 Essentials 545 2 Accommodations 546 3 Dining 548 4 Beaches 549 5 Sports & Other Outdoor Pursuits 550 6 Exploring the Island 550 7 Shopping 552 8 St. Eustatius After Dark 552 Chapter 21: St. Kitts & Nevis 553 1 Essentials 554 2 St. Kitts 555 3 Nevis 568 Chapter 22: St. Lucia 584 1 Essentials 585 2 Accommodations 589 3 Dining 598 4 Beaches 603 5 Sports & Other Outdoor Pursuits 604 6 Exploring the Island 606 7 Shopping 609 8 St. Lucia After Dark 610 Chapter 23: St. Maarten/St. Martin 612 1 Essentials 613 2 Accommodations 620 3 Dining 629 4 Beaches 635 5 Sports & Other Outdoor Activities 638 6 Shopping 640 7 St. Maarten/St. Martin After Dark 641 Chapter 24: St. Vincent & the Grenadines 643 1 Essentials 644 2 St. Vincent Accommodations 646 3 St. Vincent Dining 650 4 Exploring St. Vincent 651 5 The Grenadines 655 Chapter 25: Trinidad & Tobago 666 1 Essentials 667 2 Trinidad 668 3 Tobago 683 Chapter 26: Turks & Caicos 695 1 Essentials 696 2 Providenciales (Provo) 698 3 Grand Turk 713 Chapter 27: The U.S. Virgin Islands 718 1 Essentials 719 2 St. Thomas 722 3 St. John 750 4 St. Croix 764 Index 784