As you unwind in the magnificent warmth of the sun, your curiosity will be stirred by the inimitable surroundings. The secret of the island calls out to you,so contact WIIT and book a car, you're on your way to discover the secrets Barbados holds.

Cherry Tree Hill

It is believed that the name "Cherry Tree Hill" originated from the large number of cherry trees which once existed at this location.

Today the road is lined with mahogany trees, which were introduced into Barbados after the Treaty of Paris in 1763.

Hackleton's Cliff

According to legend, the cliff is named after a man who committed suicide by riding his horse off the cliff.

Naturally, this cliff offers one of the best views of Barbados east coast,  Bring along your camera!

Culpepper Island

This is a small island located off the coast of Barbados, Culpepper Island can be reached by swimmers (especially at low tide), but he seas and currents in this area are very strong.

Mount Hillaby

Mount Hillaby, situated in St.Andrew, is the highest point of the island - at 1,115 ft. or 343 metres above sea level, follow the road through the village and you will be treated to captivating views of the East, West and North coasts of the island.

Best Golf Courses in the Islands

Barbados

The most impressive of these is the Green Monkey Golf Course Barbados and is considered to be one of the best Caribbean golf courses.  This is an 18 hole, par 72, 7343-yard championship style golf course designed by golf architect Tom Fazio.  

It is on this magnificent course that pro golfer Tiger Woods and Swedish model Elin Nordegren exchanged vows. Since this is an exclusive, luxury Barbados golf course access is restricted to hotel guests of the resort.  The other Sandy Lane golf courses in Barbados, The Country Club and The Old Nine, are accessible to all visitors to the island.

St Lucia

The landscape of La Toc's at Sandals Resort in St. Lucia is a challenging golf course inspires performance at all levels. The course is short but sweet, this 3,141-yard course challenges you to have a keen club-selection skill, and several soles demand laser-like precision to chart their tunnel-tight layout. On the 8th hole's par-3 is downhill, for example, a mere fade or draw could land you in a jungle of white cedars, almond trees and bamboo.

Antigua

The Cedar Valley Golf course was designed by Ralph Aldridge in 1970 with only 9 holes, the reconstructed 18 hole course was then opened in 1977, it is the only 18 championship course in Antigua.  The beautiful pa 70, 6, 157yds golf course, the golf club accommodates players of all levels; all with an exhilarating scenery.

Tobago

A quality 18-hole course with a magnificent view of the Caribbean Sea which was established in 1968, the Par 72 course is 6,793 yards (6181.6 m) from the back tees and features five Par 5 holes (466-535 yds), eight Par 4 holes and five Par 3’s.

Argyle Waterfalls: Located near Roxborough, the Argyle Waterfalls are Tobago's highest waterfalls, tumbling in a series of stepped cascades some 54m (175ft). It is a 15-20 minute nature walk from the parking area to the actual falls. You can have a swim in the deep cool pools.

Buccoo Reef: A protected marine park, Buccoo Reef is Tobago's most famous reef and is located off Pigeon Point. Glass bottom boat trips are available from various points, including Store Bay, Pigeon Point and Buccoo village, and Chris and I took one such tour, which included snorkelling on the reef (we saw several large Angel fish which were beautiful, but the reef itself has largely been destroyed by uncontrolled sightseeing over the years). We landed for lunch cooked over a BBQ and danced (not with each other!) with some of the other passengers on the trip, took a jet ski ride around the lagoon, before returning to Store Bay.

The Carriacou Museum   has Amerindian artifacts as well as exhibits tracing the early British and French occupation of the islands. It also has an African section. The museum is housed in a restored cotton gin mill.

   Lake Antoine's shallow Crater Lake is host to a wide variety of wildlife. The lake's border trail, a beautiful walk in itself, is another of Grenada's excellent attractions for birdwatchers.

  La Sagesse Nature Centre, this quiet estuary along the south coast is one of the best bird-watching locations in Grenada. In addition to the estuary, it includes three fine beaches and a very good coral reef for snorkelling.

  Fort George, the oldest structure in the country was completed in1705. It still contains old tunnels and a narrow stair case evokes a feeling of the past. It provides a stunning view of the capital.

  The Grand Etang Lake is a natural water filled crater of one of Grenada’s extinct volcanoes.  The rainforest around the lake holds a spectacularly rich diversity of flora and fauna.

Relish in discovering some of the captivating places of interest around Antigua here in our sightseeing guide.  

NELSONS DOCKYARD NATIONAL PARK

Diamond Falls is probably the main attraction of all the falls which is known as The Diamond Botanical Gardens and Waterfall property.   What makes this waterfall stand out is its waters which are laced with minerals as its stream emanated from rainwater mixed with volcanism giving the falls a rather colorful appearance that usually seems to change a lot

Anse La Raye Falls is pretty cascade and more inland than most falls, however of the handful of falls on the island this is one of the better ones to visit.

Spyke Falls is allegedly the tallest waterfall on the island at somewhere over 100m.

Sault Falls (also known as Errard Falls as well as Dennery Falls), is one of the few accessible waterfalls on the eastern side of the island It was is a quiet and relaxing spot.

Enbas Saut Falls lies deep in the Edmund Forest Reserve which is dominated by rainforest, the name of the falls means "underneath the falls" in French, and it might be appropriate because the water is said to be clean and conducive for a invigorating swim.

Ten per cent more cruise ships visits bringing almost an additional 30,000 passengers are expected to call for this winter cruise tourism season, according to officials.
Tourism representatives say 364 calls have been confirmed as bringing between 25,000 to 35,000 more than the estimated 625,000 passengers that came last winter season.
The announcement follows three weeks of talks with cruise executives at the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association and Seatrade Europe.
The Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Authority said they also presented the Stimulus Package, which was approved by Cabinet in June, and takes effect during the upcoming 2011/12 season was also discussed.
General Manager of the Antigua Pier Group, Conrad Pole said the hope is that the stimulus package will help to turnaround the tough summer season next year.
"We have made a pitch to the cruise lines for certain considerations we have put together a stimulus package which I think is quite attractive and coming out of the meetings held we have presented all the cruise lines with a new incentive package," Pole said.
"For the upcoming winter season the incentives did not have any major impact, the cruise calls that we are gaining for this upcoming winter season were definitely in the cards...with the new stimulus package it is basically designed to improve our summer business. A lot of the summer business has been diverted to Europe and that's the business we are trying to get back" Pole added.
At the end of September a delegation led by Consul General in Miami, Ian Sweeney met with the Operations Committee of the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA). This group which meets each month comprises executives of all the major cruise lines and they are tasked with devising strategies and plans for the cruise industry.

Extracted From:Antiguan Observer

Credit cards may soon be as outdated as vinyl records. (Remember those?)

And this is the year that the slow, steady march to oblivion begins.

You can already use your iPhone, Droid or BlackBerry to buy a hot dog at the ball game, buy your Starbucks latté, or give a friend a few bucks by Bumping phones. But by the end of the year you may not even think twice about reaching for your phone to pay at the register instead of fumbling for your credit card.

"Your plastic card hasn't changed since the age of the vinyl records," said Michael Abbott, CEO of Isis, a new mobile payment network.

"This is the chance to bring payments forward from the plastic age and the vinyl records age to the digital age."

While companies have been experimenting with contactless mobile payments for years, 2011 is expected to be the year the technology really takes off. That's because millions of phones capable of making contactless payments are expected to be shipped out in 2011.

As a result, this pay-by-phone market is forecast to make up US$22 billion in transactions by 2015, up from "practically none" last year, according to research firm Aite Group.

Extracted From: Nation News