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It is hot, humid and buggy; just another typical summer day in the Carolinas! Considering fighting with traffic for a "short" 6 hour drive to get to the beach and then dealing with crowds just didn't sound nearly as fun as it was when we were single and in our 20's. So last July we decided to search for just a little bit of Heaven in the Caribbean!

We first considered Central America: Costa Rica, Belize, or the Honduras, visiting the remains of ancient Indian civilizations sounds exciting. But then we found out that those places were still hot, humid, buggy, and snakes. Not really what we were wanting. Then we discovered the Eastern Caribbean!

The Islands are small, with lots of Trade Winds blowing, crystal clear waters, and discount rates in the summer! Sitting on an air-conditioned plane for 4 hours sipping drinks certainly sounded more appealing that an over-heated car in slow traffic. With wear and tear on the car and rising gas prices, the costs just about equaled out. We decided to head to somewhere remote and found Nevis, it's in the Leeward Islands!

Why Nevis? It was small, with space for only 1000 visitors (fighting crowds was not our idea of a great vacation), and surrounded by coral reefs with a central mountain (so had snorkeling, diving and hiking). It also had some good history that we could relate to. The Hotels were rated by guests as some of the best in the world!

There was only one main road around the island and it had little traffic (though the goats, donkeys and cows were annoying), not much chance of getting lost. The people were friendly and the rooms were wonderful with hammocks on the porch and canopied beds. Only one golf course, but that one had great vistas and capering monkeys.

What about the cuisine? Fantastic! Pig Roast on Wednesday Night, Beach Barbecues on Thursday Nights, and a Romantic Night out on Friday; each was at a different place! Lunches were on the beach eating lobster, ribs and chicken, listening to Calypso music. The only problems with food is trying to decide what to get next and eating it all, we could diet at home!

Not only were the waters clear and calm, making lovely swimming, but the mountain seemed covered in rain forests. It made for great hiking up into valleys and ruins from the 1600's were for adventuring. Didn't climb to the top as that seemed a bit too much, but it was available. The breezes were as promised, keeping things cool during the day and discouraging the mosquitoes at night. This was excellent because at night, after those sumptuous meals, it was really relaxing to sit out and watch the stars glide by! The lack of street lights meant easy viewing of the heavens at night, with quite a few shooting stars.

So, for a bit of Heaven in the Caribbean, consider the Eastern Caribbean. Easy transport, no crowds, great food and deluxe service at discount summer rates while watching the stars seemed like a bit of Heaven to us!

Learn more about this author, James Johnson.
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