Azulejo, Tobago

This is one amazing villa called Azulejo. It is listed as the Grafton Ridge Estate. This is a luxurious, 6 bedroom home in an exotic setting along the coast providing breathtaking views. I think it will rent for $1000 per night. It was the setting for an MTV reality series - Gauntlet II. It is being renovated so the pictures don't show it well. Note the fun little slide from the living area into the pool - just fabulous. It sits high on a hill above the Plantation Beach villas - right next to Stonehaven villas.

There are shutters that open the entire main floor opening up to an amazing view over the sea.

It has six bedrooms and three levels - perfect for a family reunion!

Someone find lots of $$$ or a group of couples.

Hawksbill Villa, Tobago

We love going to Tobago. This past week, we did a site inspection of a place called Hawksbill next door to the Plantation Beach Villas. We found the perfect spot for our family to come visit - Hawksbill villa - right next door to the Plantation Beach Villas where we usually stay with family. Our eldest daughter's family just grew too big for the cute pink villas so now we have a plantation type house with a gorgeous pool.

Here it is!

front door


side gate


is this cute or what?


a peek at the pool (more pictures in a minute)


let's look inside

living area - pool and patio is out to the right


time out couch?


dining area looking out towards the pool


kitchen looking towards the pool


and looking towards the laundry room


let's go upstairs and see the bedrooms


right bedroom has one king bed


and a nice bathroom


and a cute balcony


with a view of the sea


left bedroom has two double beds


another nice bathroom (plus a balcony just like the other one)


let's look at the kid's room


we need one more bed (there's a kid bathroom across the hall)


OK, let's go back downstairs and look outside


nice big porch



I think I'll spend my time sitting here


are you ready for the best part???

here it is - the perfect little girl pool - can't you just see a nightly synchronized swimming performance here?




it even has a spitting lion fountain!



and one more thing - there's lots of lizards for our grand-daughters


so - how do we get to the beach?

it's not far - just go out the gate and walk down this lane

looking towards the beach


looking from the beach up the lane


if you really want to see how far it is (not far at all) here is a video of me walking from the villa gate to the beach - the road is a bit crumbly and they are trying to get it fixed up wth steps added at the side

Ladera, St. Lucia

There are two spectacular resorts in St. Lucia - Jade Mountain and Ladera. Jade Mountain features the beauty of what man can create in a breath-taking structure that is a true art form. Ladera on the other hand, blends the beauty of nature and the appeal of the incredible assortments of plants in its landscaping. Its guests feel like they are living in tree houses and are truely experiencing some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. The slides below give a feel for what the it is like to stay a couple of days in Room N.

Novatel, Cayenne, French Guiana

For the traveler desiring to experience South America and get a taste of French culture at the same time, I recommend French Guiana. We love visiting this South American treasure. Our choice of accommodation is the Novatel Hotel in Cayenne. You need to fax your reservation or have someone make it for you locally, as they do not take reservations by phone. English is limited, so make sure you have someone who speaks French make your arrangements.

Our preferred choice of rooms is any located on the top floor where the air feels less stuffy. Breakfast is included in the price of the hotel and is typical of French cuisine.

Situated on the coast, is a little known treasure, the beach to the Caribbean coastline. For several months a year, sea turtles come all the way from such far away destinations as Nova Scotia, to lay their eggs, generally during the night.



Another animal adventure we had in French Guiana was that of holding a sloth. What a fascinating animal - the sloth.