The Caribbean
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la samanna, st. martin WHERE TO GO NEXT: THE CARIbbEAN The latest news from islands big and small, for travelers who want to escape to a peaceful paradise or party like rock stars (with great food and wine written into their riders). By M. Elizabeth Sheldon ST. MARTIN BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS PUERTO RICO La Samanna Oprah and Jackie O have Guana Island At this property on an St. Regis Bahía After kayaking stayed at this iconic Caribbean hotel, 850-acre private island, the gregarious through the adjacent 5,000-acre Espíritu where all 83 rooms have a view staff is part of the charm: A resident Santo nature reserve, guests at this French of the ocean and private white-sand scientist leads walking tours to see sprawling, palm tree–dotted golf resort Wine Cellar beach. A recent renovation has rare species like the rock iguana, can watch a Champagne-sabering added comfortable cabanas and two and the gardeners are known to ceremony or have dinner at the restaurants—one beachside-casual, recite Chinese poetry. The newest Jean-Georges Vongerichten Star Chef one high-end French. At the latter, addition is an El Bulli–trained head Restaurant restaurant Fern. The menu is chef Gil Dumoulin, of Paris’s famed chef, Xavier Arnau, whose dishes, Asian-influenced—hamachi Les Ambassadeurs, cooks Caribbean- like apple gazpacho with shrimp, sashimi, grilled tenderloin with gingery inflected dishes like foie gras with mango. incorporate local fish and fruit from shiitake mushrooms—with nods to local Guests can book the table in the candlelit the organic orchard; he also plans to flavors in dishes like octopus with ají wine cellar—at 12,000 bottles, the largest harvest winter vegetables from a new dulce, Puerto Rico’s ubiquitous sweet in the Caribbean—where sommelier greenhouse. There are 15 cottages peppers. After dinner, guests can head Christian Mirande leads wine-and-cheese and four villas to choose from, half of back out into nature, to the glowing tastings and staffers pour local rums. which were just renovated. Doubles bioluminescent bay in Fajardo. Doubles Doubles from $445; lasamanna.com. from $695; guana.com. from $830; stregisbahiabeach.com. ltd. hotels orient-express courtesy photograph: 44 november 2013 foodandwine.com ST. BARTS appear frequently on the five-course like ultra-curvy Vitra Verner Panton Isle de France At this stylish hotel, winter tasting menu, which the staff chairs and eccentric animal sculptures; French touches are everywhere: will serve right on the beach. Each the food focuses on Jamaican-Japanese The gift shop sells Parisian lace dresses, of the 21 enormous, shabby-chic suites dishes like jerk sushi rolls. Baker the 40 newly revamped rooms has a beautiful, all-white kitchen. also modernized the adjacent castle, incorporate vintage French fabrics Suites from $594; beachhousetci.com. the estate of former Trident owner and the ambitious wine list Earl Levy, with additions like Apple TV; Elaborate Wine includes Burgundies from JAMAICA guests can take over the whole property Tastings Chambertin, Puligny-Montrachet Trident Hotel and Castle or book one of its eight rooms. and Meursault. Villa guests are The Jamaican town of Port Antonio Next year, Baker will reopen the nearby greeted with a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, is constantly reinventing itself: In the Blue Lagoon restaurant, another and on Fridays, sommeliers lead 1950s it was a favorite hangout of onetime celebrity haunt. Hotel doubles Champagne tastings that include rare movie stars like Errol Flynn, and before from $600; castle doubles from $250; vintages of producers like Billecart- that it was known as the birthplace geejamcollection.com. Salmon. The menu from chef Yann of jerk cooking. Now British music Vinsot (who trained at Burgundy’s mogul Jon Baker is reviving it again. JAMAICA L’Espérance) combines French mainstays In December, Baker overhauled the The Spa Retreat Negril is known like sole meunière with Caribbean- 13-villa Trident Hotel, making it super- as a party town, but travelers come to inspired dishes like wahoo ceviche mod with the help of a young Jamaican this mellow resort to relax and unplug: with coconut milk. Doubles architect, Vidal Dowding. “In the - The 18 thatched-roof, seaside from $675; isle-de-france.com. music industry, I’ve prided myself Jerk cottages have no televisions. Chicken on developing new talent, and Cookinges Local chefs lead jerk-cooking lass TURKS & CAICOS I applied that approach to finding C tutorials; guests can also tour Beach House At the island’s newest our architect and our chef, both a rum distillery, take yoga classes boutique hotel, the chefs bake bread, around 30,” says Baker, who also runs or get fresh coconut body treatments dry-age steak and cure bacon. Local the nearby resort Geejam. Trident’s in the gardens. Doubles from $300; ingredients like conch and spiny lobster youthful vibe shows in playful touches thespajamaica.com. > trident hotel, jamaica beach house, turks � caicos Chef Yann Vinsot learned how to cook seafood brilliantly in his isle de france, st. barts (trident), hill tom kayaks), house, (beach & company widness of courtesy photographs: (isle de france) associates hammond & lou of courtesy 46 november 2013 foodandwine.com SLUGHERE NEVIS Golden Rock Inn Fed up with the fashionista crush of St. Barts, the artists Brice and Helen Marden decided six years ago to escape to Nevis and purchase this serene property 1,000 feet above the sea. “It was built in the 1800s as a sugarcane plantation, but I try not to focus on that,” Helen says. “I took down a painting of Artists’ Haven people cutting cane. It’s by a famous painter, Eva Wilkin, but I didn’t want that hanging in the resort.” Instead, she selected pieces by René Ricard and Darren Almond. The couple took over full ownership last year and, with the help of Miami landscape designer Raymond Jungles, began planting gardens. These now provide peppers and herbs for the cocktails, chutneys and sorbets served at their outdoor restaurant, overlooking spring-fed waterfalls. Chef Ricky Finch, a local, uses recipes from the couple’s daughter, Melia golden rock Marden, the chef at The Smile restaurant inn, nevis in New York City. Doubles from $180; goldenrocknevis.com. JAMAICA GoldenEye Since the late ’80s, when Island Records founder Chris Blackwell opened this boutique property (the Golden Rock Inn former home of James Bond author Ian guests can hike Fleming), he’s steadily added villas into the rainforest with quirky amenities, such as retro-style or to the summit Smeg refrigerators stocked with Red of Nevis Peak. Stripe beer and sound systems that play tracks he produced for U2 and Bob Marley. Visitors can now take day trips to insider’s tip Pantrepant, Blackwell’s private residence The staff at and sustainable farm, where they can Secret Bay gather produce like bok choy and oranges pre-stocks each (which show up at all three of Blackwell’s kitchen and Jamaica resorts) or even milk a cow. can arrange excursions to The day ends with a Jamaican feast at the the daily markets farm prepared by Blackwell’s private in nearby chef, known as Mama J. Doubles start Portsmouth or at $560; goldeneye.com. Roseau (Saturdays are best). DOMINICA Secret Bay On the lush West Indies secret bay, island of Dominica, Secret Bay’s four dominica cedar and Guyanese wood residences are built cleverly into the cliffs and trees à la Swiss Family Robinson—but Your Own with access to private chefs and Private Chef modern kitchens with well-stocked wine fridges. The property is not a traditional hotel—there’s no front desk or restaurant—but the concierge sets up experiences for each guest, arranging meals, in-villa jazz concerts and open-sea fishing excursions in a traditional wooden canoe (the fish can be prepared for dinner en suite by a local chef). Doubles from $402; secretbay.dm. • kinkead © cookie (chairs), marion brenner photographs: deck) (cooks, bay secret of courtesy (boats), 50 foodandwine.com.