Barbuda in My Heart

There are special places in the Caribbean I pine to be. One is Barbuda (not to be confused with Bermuda or Barbados!)

Barbuda Sunset

I recently returned to this tiny island just off Antigua in the Eastern Caribbean, population 1,500 living mostly in Codrington. It’s a place where you relax, slow down and make your own way. Donkeys crossing the road is your only stoplight.

Several years ago I had the pleasure of staying at the exquisite Beach House, where I fondly recall walking out onto the pink sand beach on Palmetto Point, not a soul in site, with frigate birds circling overhead to protect their eggs. Tears welled in my eyes as I knew this was the Caribbean the way it used to be. No development, no people around, just me and nature.

Frigate Birds

Barbuda is home to the Frigate Bird Sanctuary located in the Codrington Lagoon.

Barbuda is rich in Caribbean history where the Ciboney were its first inhabitants in 2400 BC, and when Christopher Columbus landed on his second voyage in 1493, Arawak and Carib Indians soon followed. There were early settlements by the French and Spanish later succeed by the English colonies in 1666. Many present-day people of Barbuda are descendants of African slaves. 

The Beach House is no longer open, and a new luxury secret has arrived: Lighthouse Bay Resort. With only nine exclusive suites, it was hard to believe this was rustic Barbuda.

Lighthouse Bay Resort

This intimate resort offers five star amenities, fabulous gourmet cuisine of sweet Barbuda lobster by Beach House’s former Chef Lennox and every modern convenience imaginable. Mo, Terrance and the staff embrace you like family.

It’s so private, it’s the perfect high-profile guest hideaway…

Pink Sand Beach

There are a few things to do in sleepy Barbuda:  snorkeling, fishing, horseback riding, buying local handicrafts or exploring the caves. But for me, it was just a time to slow down.

I pray that Barbuda will never change. The miles of pink sand beaches are mine to EXPLORE, DREAM, THINK & BE.

Barbuda, you have made a permanent stamp on my heart.

Lighthouse Bay Resort, Barbuda provides a one-way helicopter transfer from Antigua to the resort and includes all meals and beverages. http://www.lighthousebayresort.com

Luxury Camping under the “Five Stars”…

One thing you should know about me…I’m not a camper.  

However, seeing the breathtaking photos of the Clayoquot Wilderness Resort in British Columbia, Canada, complete with fully furnished luxury tents, on-site spa, daily yoga, guided activities and gourmet cuisine, it was definitely time for me to reconsider.

Clayoquot Wilderness Resort

Clayoquot (pronounced “Cla-kwhat”) is an enclave of 20 great safari-style canvas tents, spa and dining tents, lounge tents and a timber wood cook house where Executive Chef Tim May whips up “modern natural cuisine” all day long. The whole experience is highly personalized with each day’s activities designed around each guests’ interests.

Resort Transfers

Flying 20 miles by seaplane from Tofino, Vancouver Island landing in the mouth of the Bedwell River, in the Clayoquot Biosphere Reserve, guests are greeted by resort managers John (a former music industry exec) & his lovely wife, Adele by horse drawn wagon. It was the most welcoming and fun “airport transfer” I have ever experienced!

I was quickly settled into my own luxury zip-up tent complete with an Adirondack-style bed and plush down duvet, thermostat controlled propane wood stove, antique dresser, rugs and oil lamps– no phone or TV.

Inside my luxury tent

Did I say I wasn’t a camper? I definitely take it all back!

The resort is a discreet campground for the rich and famous, with repeat guests including heads of movie studios (nearby Vancouver is considered Hollywood North), inconspicuous wealthy types, celebrities and musicians all looking to get back to nature while being pampered in the meantime.

I was privately told an A-list actress had just reserved the entire resort a few days before, but it was all very hush-hush, and no names were revealed (later People magazine confirmed it was Scarlett Johansson’s wedding to Ryan Reynolds.)

I spy my first black bear!

My fabulous stay was filled with all sorts of fun including horseback riding on “Red” through the Canadian wilderness spotting my first black bear, river kayaking, relaxing yoga, and endless gourmet cuisine.  

Endless Gourmet Treats

Other guided activities guests can enjoy include archery, whale and bear watching, lake fishing, clay shooting, mountain biking and cooking classes.

Clayoquot Wilderness Resort is open May 20-September 30, 2010; there are three, four and seven day all-inclusive packages from $4,750.00 CAD per person. http://www.wildretreat.com

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The Egg Roll Lady on Martha’s Vineyard

There’s nothing like Martha’s Vineyard in the Fall. Crowds have since dispersed after Labor Day, and the crisp fall air makes for a perfect day to visit the Saturday West Tisbury Farmer’s Market. It’s a wonderfully colorful scene of fresh flowers, tangy-sweet Limeade coolers, seasonal fruits and vegetables, homemade jams and breads. There is even an Alpaca stall where you can buy the softest scarves, hats and mittens. For a pretty penny, you can even buy an entire alpaca (or 3 for that matter as they do come in herds).

But why are we really here? My amazing friend Tonya swears they sell the best Egg Rolls!

The “Egg Roll Lady” is Thi Khen Tran, a Vietnamese immigrant who started selling lettuce and even smoked bluefish mousse in her early days at the market. Her kids loved her egg rolls so much they convinced her to start selling them. Now people return year after year just to buy her famous egg rolls, at $5 each for either hot vegetarian or Vietnamese.

I would have never believed that a fresh farmer’s market would have to-die-for egg rolls, but after one bite, I was a believer.

Now I’m thinking it would taste good with the homemade jalapeño jelly I bought there too!

West Tisbury Farmer’s Market: Saturdays, 1067 State Rd., West Tisbury, Martha’s Vineyard

Parrot Cay…No Photographs, Please!

 

Oh boy, was I in for a treat! I was returning to Parrot Cay Resort & Shambhala Retreat for the first time since my Honeymoon which was oh-so-rudely interrupted by Hurricane Francis back in 2004– but that’s another story for another time.

I threw my suitcase together with a few dresses, oversized sunglasses and bitsy bikinis and I was off! Celeb hideaway…here I come! 

Parrot Cay (pronounced parrot “key”) was originally named Pirate Cay back in the day, but tourism started booming and pirates didn’t exactly draw tourists as well as the idea of plume-filled parrots. With 1,000 acres of unspoiled land and miles of white powdery sand, just for the record, there are NO parrots on Parrot Cay.

It’s a 20 minute boat ride from Providenciales on the turquoise waters to this white sand oasis, part of the chain of 40 islands that make up Turks and Caicos (535 miles SW of Miami,) where I was to do a site inspection of the locale where Donna Karan, Bruce Willis, Christie Brinkley and the modern day pirate himself, Keith Richards, all have second (or 3rd or 4th homes.)   

Jeff, the Resort Manager, greeted me at the dock, telling me to be prepared for the ultimate VIP Parrot Cay experience. Ooh! Lucky me!

Taken by golf cart to my 3-bedroom villa with 25-ft pool right on the beach, I started to wave goodbye to my driver ”Sumantra” before he quickly informed me that he was not going anywhere and that he was going to be my Personal Butler for the next 24-hours.

Panic set in. I don’t know him! I start to feel bad. I can do things for myself…no really, you don’t need to unpack my things…no, I can find my way to the beach…no, really I’m not that hungry just yet.

(Flash forward: after 24 hours, I began to fully understand why celebrities become completely dysfunctional.)

Sumantra, by the way, happens to be Donna Karan’s private butler. He flies in from Malaysia when ”Donna” is going to be on island. Ooh la la. I’m feeling pretty special already.

I tell Sumantra that I’d like to go to the main infinity pool (after all, half the fun of Parrot Cay is the people watching.) Would I see Bill Gates, Cindy Crawford, maybe Britney?… all of whom are frequent guests of the resort.

By this time, I’m starting to draw stares all around me from my fellow “lookie-loo” guests. “Who is she? Is she an actress? Do we know her….?” The Butler is stirring their curiosity.

I’m having fun playing this all out in my head while eating a gourmet grilled fish salad pretending not to notice.  With my big Prada sunglasses (and butler in tow) my privacy is guaranteed to be respected.  No photographs, please!

(That’s me and the Parrot Cay GM at the World Travel Awards, the “Oscars” of the travel industry. A little Hollywood for the night!)

After a little sun, Sumantra has me on a pretty tight schedule. I’m headed to the uber-zen COMO Shambhala Retreat, specializing in Asian and holistic inspired therapies, to have a skin test done for the Dr. Perricone facial that I’m having at 4 PM.

I’m then whisked off to my yoga class where my fellow classmates are inside staring back at me watching Sumantra take my shoes from me and telling me he’ll be back to pick me up in an hour. I laugh to myself. This is all too much. I’m a bit apologetic as I enter the studio.

Having found my inner peace with some “remarkably taut-faced guests” Sumantra takes me back down to my villa where I find he has completely unpacked my things with borderline Obsessive Compulsive Disorder skill. 

I’m mortified! Are those really my fuzzy flannel PJ’s hanging perfectly in the closet? Why didn’t I throw in some La Perla or some Cosabella! All my makeup brushes were perfectly lined up, too!

Sumantra, can I take you home with me? I’m sure my husband won’t mind! He replies, “At your service,” with a bow.

Heaven help me…I’m becoming totally dysfunctional!

The Spa at Parrot Cay is amazing. It includes a 540 sq. ft. infinity-edge pool on the leeward side of the island, a yoga room and Pilates studio (both with specialist equipment), treatment rooms, steam, sauna and outdoor Jacuzzi garden. The smell of ginger and eucalyptus is everywhere, a distinct scent found only at COMO Resorts and Parrot Cay.

The Dr. Perricone facial is simply sublime.

I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to explain to my husband JB that I must now only use $90 Dr. Perricone eye cream if I’m going to look as “taut” as those 8-carat ladies from yoga…

The sun sets, and I have a fabulous dinner with the quietly sophisticated Crawford, the General Manager and a few other repeat guests (including the lovely Ken & Barbie couple -she was 20 yrs his junior) before retreating back to my mosquito-netted four poster for a night of slumber listening to the crashing waves.

I tell Sumantra, please don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine, but he tells me he’ll be waiting for me in the morning, but if I needed anything just call.

Okay, I do admit, this still all feels very strange to me.

Come morning, I make my way to my living room in my favorite flannel PJ’s. Sumantra is busy making me a “detoxifying blueberry smoothie“ so I head back into my room to change into my bikini to have breakfast by my pool. “At your service,” says Sumantra passing me the smoothie, bowing to me again.

I ask him all about who he is and where he’s from (getting very shy answers from him) and proceed to tell him to make himself a smoothie, too, and to please not fuss over me anymore.

He says he gets great pleasure being a Butler for guests, and that he is really quite happy and loves what he does.

I feel relieved. He really does seem peaceful and sort of “zen.”

Yes, Parrot Cay is a pure & rustic paradise, especially when you have a Butler catering to your every whim, but it’s never the same without someone you love, no matter how fabulous the place.

I returned home a few short days later  to find my darling husband welcoming be back…almost mockingly, bowing down and telling me that he was “at my service.” Now that’s the kind of VIP service money can’t buy!

No photographs please!

***Thanks so much, Sumantra. Tell Donna I said “hello,” and until we meet again…!***

Check out Condé Nast Johansens recommended hotels at: http://www.johansens.com

Titles Really Don’t Count

 

I’m headed to a very exclusive, private island hideaway: highly low key, full of interesting people, discreet service, and no matching luggage required.

I find myself sitting in a beautiful bungalow at a dock on the mainland, peacefully decorated in white-washed imported teak furniture from Bali, flourishing white orchids surrounding me, and the smell of peppermint and eucalyptus on the refreshing cold towel that I am cooling off with.

I am alone until an unassuming, cool looking gentleman enters the room, fresh off a plane, designer sunglasses still on. We wait. He is handed a cold towel by “Reki”, a beautiful Balinese woman who is there to see us off. The private boat arrives.

We are guided down the teak wood dock, where we introduce ourselves. “My name is Adam” he tells me. We get on the boat, ready to sail a half hour on the sparkling turquoise water to a white sand paradise where everyone is someone and titles don’t count. We are sitting side by side as the 85 degree sun beats down, passing chains of islands that make up our Caribbean paradise.

We pass Donna Karan’s sprawling abode, then see a sliver of Keith Richard’s island hideaway, and then Bruce Willis’ residence.

“I flew in from New York,” Adam tells me in his accent. “I used to come here back in the 80’s where I’d stay at the Third Turtle Inn on the mainland. There wasn’t much else here.”

Adam informs me that he’s returning to this paradise after several years when he used to visit the island with an old girlfriend he no longer sees.  He’s come to relax, use the spa, and eat healthy before he leaves again for London. “That’s nice,” I tell him as we stare out onto the breathtaking horizon. We talk about our love of travel as the boat slows over the tranquil waters ready to pull into the resort.

“What requires you to travel so much?” I ask Adam. “I’m a musician” he tells me. That’s interesting, I think to myself. “Are you with a group I might know?” I ask him. He humbly tells me.

Over the next 24 hrs I get to know Adam over lunch, visits by the stunning infinity pool and even taking a Pilates class with him. The truth is I really know nothing about “Adam” which I think he found to be quite a refreshing change.

Over the course of my stay he tells me about his life in a very unassuming kind of way. He recounts his childhood in Kenya, followed by boarding school in London (where he acquired the British accent rather than Irish), to public school in Dublin where he eventually met his band mates (never calling them by name,) his brief stint in a Christian rock band, openly how he got sober 10 years ago and his struggle with living a fulfilled life with all the fame and indispensable income.

Today Adams lives a more content life, enjoying what he considers the “finer” things in life (like visiting an art museum, reading and even taking Pilates or a yoga class.) Gone are the days of drugs and alcohol, endless supermodels and the excesses of an extremely high-profile person.

“Adam” I came to find is a very soulful, kind, down-to-earth person who albeit has fame, fortune and all that life has to offer, still has to live one day at a time like the rest of us. It was a fortuitous meeting for both of us in many ways, much of which I will keep private (and all very good.)

We exchanged phone numbers and email addresses, and will keep in touch when he visits Boston next in September. We parted ways and he said “I’m really glad we met, good luck on your journeys and until we meet again.”

I told him, “Don’t lose sight of your dreams, Adam. You may very well become one of the most successful Christian rock stars of all times.” He laughed with me in amusement.

Adam, by the way, did tell me which band he was with back when I asked him that first day we met on the boat. “I’m with a band called U2” he told me very modestly. 

“Oh, yes, yes, of course…” I said realizing this was Adam Clayton, U2’s bass player, trying to contain my shock and amazement, all the while trying not to fall off the back of the boat.