Delta 2014 - (Page 18)

CAYMAN ISLANDS BONAIRE Bonaire Although typecast as a diver's paradise, Bonaire isn't just about diving. The entry-level snorkeling is superb, too, and there's world-class windsurﬁng and tennis, kayaking and kiteboarding, hiking and biking, and good ﬁshing. Like Aruba, this Dutch island's position south of the hurricane belt yields seemingly endless stretches of sunny days. Unlike Aruba, it's quieter and FACTS less built up; you visit Bonaire for its coral, not its casinos. BEST TIME TO GO: BEST PLACE TO STAY Year-round; like Aruba, Bonaire is south of Harbour Village Beach Club, a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, has one the hurricane belt of Bonaire's best beaches, replete with hammocks and little boats. Rooms, suites, and villas FUN FACT: have restful tan-and-white furnishings, the tennis center has four Laykold courts, and the spa, One of the most eco-conscious Caribbean ﬁtness center, and Kids Great Adventures facilities are tops. islands, Bonaire aims to be the ﬁrst carbon- BEST NATURE EXPERIENCE neutral island in the region Novice divers and even snorkelers can enjoy shallow Bari Reef, home to 400 species of ﬁsh GETTING THERE: (the most ﬁsh diversity in the Caribbean). Especially unique: the undulating seabed "grasses" Delta ﬂies from Atlanta to Bonaire that are, in fact, shy garden eels. ENTRY DOCUMENTS: BEST CULTURAL EXPERIENCE Valid passport Washington Slagbaai National Park reveals Bonaire's history, as do its exhibits on the CURRENCY: original Indian residents. Other displays explore Bonaire's geology (it's really an above-water U.S. Dollar reef), ﬂora and fauna. MUST-TRY NATIVE FOOD: BEST SPORTING LIFE Almost anything at eateries whose signs say, In November, Bonaire became the ﬁrst Caribbean island to offer "divecaching"-underwater "Aki ta Bende Kuminda Krioyo"-Creole food geocaching. The Diving for Bonaire Treasure Challenge offers prizes (e.g. hotel stays and airsold here line tickets) for ﬁnding hidden dive caches. The contest ends in May, after which divecaching BEST BUYS: may very well become a permanent ﬁxture in Bonaire. Made-in-Bonaire Onima Aloe products BEST KEPT SECRET INFORMATION PLEASE: Ingridients [SIC], the new restaurant at Buddy Dive Resort, offers Mediterranean cuisine, Tourism Corporation Bonaire- but it also serves local recipes using local ingredients. Prices are reasonable, and the Botourismbonaire.com nairean salt-crusted ﬁsh is a keeper. Grand Cayman European sailors ate all the caimans in the Caymans, but the most prosperous of this three-island British Overseas Territory still has enough ﬁsh to delight any diver, immense turtles, and Stingray City's world-famous stingrays. World-class resorts line Grand Cayman Island's Seven Mile Beach, and their guests, the second homeowners, and their offshore banking industry support a number of excellent restaurants. BEST PLACE TO STAY The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, on Seven Mile Beach, has rooms and suites featuring balconies and pastel furnishings; menus designed by chef Eric Ripert; a golf course by Greg Norman; a tennis program by Nick Bollettieri; and ecotours by Jean-Michel Cousteau-well, you get the picture. Moreover, the ﬁtness and watersports facilities, children's programs and spa are top-drawer. BEST NATURE EXPERIENCE Beyond the Cayman Islands' stingrays and dive sites, these isles are also home to myriad butterﬂies, orchids, dragonﬂies, parrots and other birds, as well as endemic plants. BEST CULTURAL EXPERIENCE How does a population of 55,000 produce so many ﬁne artists? No idea, but what is clear is that the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands offers both beauty and insight into local life. BEST SPORTING LIFE Not only does the Waverunner Snorkel Safari supply each participant with snorkeling gear, but also with a waverunner. Tours start with a quick introduction to jet-skiing (rocketing across the water isn't rocket science), then it's off to visit great snorkeling sites like the wreck of the Cali and Cheeseburger Reef. BEST KEPT SECRET The diving and snorkeling are more famous, but the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, with its 60 acres of landscaped and natural ﬂora, is a must-visit. It includes an early Cayman settler's home and garden, a traditional sand garden, a Floral Colour Garden, water plants and birds, a woodland trail, and butterﬂies. FACTS BEST TIME TO GO: November through May FUN FACT: Visitors can go to Hell-i.e. a natural grouping of black rock formations GETTING THERE: Delta ﬂies from Atlanta, Detroit, and Minneapolis to Grand Cayman ENTRY DOCUMENTS: Valid passport CURRENCY: Cayman Islands Dollar MUST-TRY NATIVE FOOD: Conch soups, conch fritters, conch stews, conch salads, conch... BEST BUYS: Obviously, T-shirts that say, "I went to Hell." INFORMATION PLEASE: Cayman Islands Department of Tourism- caymanislands.ky 18 D12-D19.indd 18 12/20/13 9:16 AM SAN 30 http://www.tourismbonaire.com http://www.caymanislands.ky

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Delta 2014

Editor's Notes
Hotel Desk: Aloft Hotels
Tour Talk: Swain Destinations
Uniworld's Queen Isabel
Disney Magic
Delta Air Lines Travel Guide 2014
Macau
Egypt Update
Scandinavia Exposed
B Hotels & Resorts
What's New in Las Vegas

Delta 2014