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Great Green Vacations
By : Bob Morris
With its sultry rainforests, soaring volcanic peaks, desolate beaches and magnificent coral reefs, the Caribbean provides a treasure trove of destinations for travelers who prefer to spend their holiday up close and personal with nature. From The Bahamas to Trinidad & Tobago and points in between, these popular eco-resorts offer varying levels of luxury and a chance to see the islands the way they were meant to be.
Tiamo Resort
Andros, Bahamas
Taken from the Italian for "I love you," Tiamo is an 11-bungalow retreat that offers a romantic idyll in a palm-shrouded paradise where the only access is by boat or seaplane.
True to the vision of owners Mike and Petagay Hartman, Tiamo is an "earth-friendly" resort. Its site clearing was done only by hand tools and the Hartmans installed the largest solar electric generating system of any privately owned lodgings in the Caribbean. But don't get the idea that this is a rustic, backwoods kind of place.
"The idea was not to sacrifice comfort to the environmental vision," says Mike Hartman. "We don't call ourselves an eco-lodge because that is a term that is thrown about far too loosely these days."
The well-appointed bungalows sit on stilts behind sea grape hedges with screened porches and island-inspired furnishings. The main lodge's dining room offers such dishes as sautéed hog snapper with lemon-caper sauce or grilled dolphin fish with roasted tomato salsa served with an extensive choice of wines on white linen tablecloths. No, this is definitely not roughing it.
tiamoresorts.com
Maho Bay Camps
St. John, USVI
Founded in 1976, long before the word "eco-resort" was even a part of the lexicon, the original Maho Bay Camp proved so popular that it has expanded to three other locations in and around the U.S. Virgin Islands National Park.
On the southern side of the island, with a magnificent view of Salt Pond Bay and the imposing promontory known as Ram Head, Concordia Eco-Tents is a collection of 18 tent cottages that are a big step up from camping. Equipped with private (earth-friendly) toilets, showers and small kitchens, they are capable of accommodating as many as five or six guests. Nearby Estate Concordia is a further step up, with each cottage boasting a large living area, deck and its own small freshwater plunge pool.
The original Maho Bay Camp, which started with just 18 tent cottages on wooden platforms built into the hillside on the northern coast, has grown into a veritable mega eco-resort with 114 units. The resort restaurant serves three meals daily, and there's a wide range of activities, including yoga, sailing, windsurfing and kayaking. Cleverly nestled in the foliage so that they are barely noticed by unsuspecting passersby, the cottages are connected by an intriguing network of wooden stairs and boardwalks that give the sense of walking through the trees. Each cottage has its own private deck and is equipped with electric lights and outlets. A bit less rustic are the nearby Harmony Studios, a dozen cottages that offer more spacious accommodations and kitchens.
tiamoresorts.com
Three Rivers Eco Lodge
Dominica
Built by two brothers from England on a six-acre site near the confluence of the Cacao, Stuart and Rosalie rivers, this charming little resort sits at the edge of the Morne Trois Pitons National Park, one of the island's primary attractions. Guests can choose lodging in one of the three bungalows, a bamboo tree house, or a Carib "jungle cabin," modeled after dwellings used by Dominica's original Amerindian inhabitants.
In addition to providing an excellent outpost for exploring Dominica's wild side, the resort urges guests to make the most of a number of gentle pools in the nearby rivers. And for those who want to take a dip in the sea, it's just a short walk to a gorgeous volcanic beach where, during season, migrating whales can often be spotted just offshore.
3riversdominica.com
Asa Wright Center and Lodge
Trinidad
Trinidad's wildly diverse fauna—617 species of butterflies, more than 400 different kinds of birds and some 55 species of reptiles—makes it a must-see destination for naturalists and eco-travelers. And most all of them eventually pay a visit to the Asa Wright Center and Lodge in the mountains of Trinidad's Northern Range.
Situated in a lush setting some 1,200 feet above sea level, the center occupies a former coffee-cocoa plantation that gained fame for its breeding colony of oilbirds, a nocturnal species that lives in Dunston Cave. Asa Wright, a native of Iceland who owned the property with her husband, became an innkeeper to an international array of birdwatchers who wanted to add the oilbirds to their life lists. After Wright's death in 1971, a conservation trust took over the estate, which has since become one of the Caribbean's most popular eco-destinations. Accommodations are in the original estate house and several cottages scattered throughout the 1,000-acre property surrounded by tropical rainforest. When not out trekking through the countryside, guests can sit back on their porches to enjoy regular visitations by such native inhabitants as the squirrel cuckoo, tufted coquettes and a variety of toucans.
asawright.org
Footprints Eco-Resort
Tobago
Perched on a hillside above Tobago's precious Culloden Bay, Footprints Eco-Resort took particular care in building its collection of cottages and villas. Each was constructed from local hardwoods or recycled teak, with the thatched roofs made from the native timit palm. The villas also come with their own small saltwater plunge pool.
The reef at nearby Culloden Bay offers some of the best snorkeling and diving in Tobago. In addition to a variety of hikes and excursions, Footprints also arranges day trips to Little Tobago with legendary island naturalist David Rooks.
Guests at the 62-acre resort are urged to adopt a native tree and plant it during their visit, with the resort providing updates on its growth and well-being.
footprintseco-resort.com
Book your trip today! Visit www.aa.com, call American/American Eagle reservations at 1-800-433-7300, or call your travel agent for more information.
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