Recently in Caribbean Category

Lucy Williams is an Orlando-based writer for Starwood Vacation Ownership and thelobby.com's expert on the subject.

The Travelocity Roaming Gnome is on another adventure, and this time he has been seen at several different Starwood Vacation Ownership resorts. When you stay at one of these resorts in 2008, you can go on a Roaming Gnome scavenger hunt for a chance to win prizes. Roaming Gnomes will be hidden in secret spots around the resorts. Participants will receive a clue sheet with hints as to where they are hiding. Once you complete your clue sheet, you can redeem it for a prize at the resort. You will also be entered into a grand prize drawing to win a five-day, four-night resort stay, plus two airline tickets worth up to $750 each. The contest began on May 1 and will continue through the end of 2008. The grand prize winner will be chosen at the end of the year.

Participating Starwood Vacation Ownership resorts are: Sheraton Vistana Villages and Sheraton Vistana Resort in Orlando, Florida; The Westin St. John Resort & Villas in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands; The Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas in Maui, Hawai'i; The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas in Kaua'i, Hawai'i; The Westin Mission Hills Resort & Villas in Rancho Mirage, California; Sheraton Desert Oasis and The Westin Kierland Villas in Scottsdale, Arizona; Sheraton Mountain Vista in Avon, Colorado; Sheraton Broadway Plantation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Sheraton PGA Vacation Resort in Port St. Lucie, Florida; and Vistana's Beach Club in Jensen Beach, Florida.

Lucy Williams is an Orlando-based writer for Starwood Vacation Ownership and thelobby.com's expert on the subject.

If you're seeking new ways to beat the heat this summer, consider slipping away for a refreshing vacation on St. John, a serene island that offers an array of water sports in its sparkling Caribbean waters. For a limited time, you can experience invigorating adventures amid the wonders of the Virgin Islands with a six-day, five-night vacation package at The Westin St. John Resort & Villas. A retail value of $4,500 during peak season, you can vacation at this resort for just $1,995. To learn more about this offer or to view the complete details of participation, please call 888.294.0616 or click here.Whether you prefer relaxing strolls along powdery white sand beaches, exhilarating underwater excursions or the culinary delights of tropical cuisine, the pleasures of St. John will renew your spirit when you stay at The Westin St. John Resort & Villas.

Lucy Williams is an Orlando-based writer for Starwood Vacation Ownership and thelobby.com's expert on the subject.

If you want to elevate your physical fitness this year, consider taking a vacation in an area that features an array of outdoor activities. Rather than toiling on a treadmill or sweating on a stair machine, improve your fitness amid inspirational scenery. Those who enjoy invigorating water sports will love swimming and diving on St. John, an island paradise noted for its natural beauty. With its white sand beaches, dazzling turquoise waters and colorful coral reefs, St. John is a delightful diving destination. The Virgin Islands National Park covers approximately three-fifths of St. John and includes thousands of acres of protected submerged space. Within the park, picturesque Trunk Bay showcases a unique snorkeling trail more than 600 feet long. You can rent snorkeling gear on the beach then explore a colorful coral reef guided by informational signs mounted on the seafloor that provide basic information about the fish and coral in the reef. Created and maintained by the Virgin Islands National Park Service, the Trunk Bay snorkeling trail has become one of the more popular places on the island of St. John.

Exhilarating aquatic adventures are only the beginning when you stay at The Westin St. John Resort & Villas. Perched on a lush hilltop overlooking Great Cruz Bay, this tranquil retreat offers spacious villas, energizing amenities and spectacular surroundings that will allow you to relax and unwind after an energizing day of beach activities.

The Sheraton Cable Beach Resort in Nassau, Bahamas, is one of Starwood's newest properties — in fact, its transformation into one of Cable Beach's hottest resorts is in process! I spoke with Tim Rector, VP of Sales and Marketing for the resort, to learn a little more about the property and especially the dining options both there and nearby.

Tell me a little about Cable Beach Resort.
One thing you don't get a sense of online is the history of the resort. In the past it was the Radisson Cable Beach. Over the course of time, it fell into disrepair and it was a tired resort. The Cable Beach area didn't have a great reputation for awhile because of the age and state of the resorts in the area. We came in a year ago and completely rehabbed the property, stripped it to bare concrete and started over. The rooms are now some of the nicest Sheraton rooms anywhere in our brand. We get rave reviews on them. There are 350 rooms open now, and another 300 rooms and the meeting area are being worked on now. They will be done by the end of this year, so by the end of the year we will have 750 rooms on 1,000 feet of Cable Beach, which boasts some of the clearest water in the world.

Why is it called Cable Beach?
Cable Beach got its name from the first transatlantic cable strung from the US to Europe. The cable is connected at our beach.

What do you think draws guests to your location?
It's in the Bahamas, it's a very laid back, stress-free experience. The Bahamian people are very friendly. And we're a completely new resort; to come to our resort and have all the modern amenities — high speed internet in the room, wireless throughout lobby — in a Caribbean locale, that's very attractive to our guests. When it's finished later this year, the resort will have a total of 25,000 square feet of meeting space, inside and outside, including a 2,000-square-foot ballroom, divisible three ways. The indoor/outdoor option we expect to be very popular — the ability to have lunch outside on the patio, overlooking the beach, while the meeting goes on inside.

Laura Rohrman is the project marketing manager for Starwood's Global Web Services Division and thelobby.com's most adventurous expert. Today, she takes us off grid to Dominica on her holiday.

A few years ago, our friends Elise and George invited us to “their island of paradise” – Dominica. Located at the very edge of Caribbean, Dominica is one of the poorest and least developed islands in the Caribbean, but also one of the coolest and most majestic with its mountains and rain forests. Because it’s so underdeveloped, it remains private and very adventurous. There are no big hotels on this island, but there are some tiny resorts and funky places to stay.

We spent our time hiking to waterfalls, sitting in natural hot springs, hanging out in our beach bungalows and eating in random restaurants that seemed to open up “just for us.” Often our group was the only customer – and the fish on the menu was always freshly caught.

While there are no Starwoods in Dominica, there are multiple properties in the Caribbean and a Westin St. Lucia will be opening next fall. St. Lucia is only a catamaran away so plan ahead to experience a taste of both islands...

High on my list of fun-looking activities I desperately want to try is a zip-line excursion through the lush canopy of a rainforest. Fortunately, zip-lining, which involves strapping yourself into a harness, hooking it to a taut cable strung between two trees, and zipping away with a hearty cowabunga!, is becoming more and more accessible. MSNBC Travel clues me in to a park on the Caribbean island of St. Martin named Loterie Farm, which recently opened a zip-lining area called The Fly Zone. Multiple cables strung throughout the verdant tropical forest are interspersed with rope bridges and ladders to complete the Tarzan-esque experience. For those who prefer a more earth-bound adventure, Loterie Farm also has miles of trails, and guided hikes of various difficulty levels are available, including a daylong trek to the 1,400-foot summit of Pic Paradise, providing windswept views of the island and ocean. To top off the experience, apres-hike refreshment and sustenance is available at the farm's Hidden Forest Cafe. Intrepid guests at the brand-new, ultra-luxurious Westin St. Maarten Dawn Beach Resort & Spa, which is slated to open in January, might enjoy a brief jaunt over the the French side of the island to fly through the air with the greatest of ease.

Photo via MSNBC Travel