Best General Caribbean Travel Guides

VanDam's best-selling Havana StreetSmart maps all of the capital's cultural attractions, neighborhoods, beaches, hotels, resorts and more at an immensely legible scale. Using his signature StreetSmart series design for printed maps (Internet connections are still scant in Cuba), Mr. VanDam points out Havana s restaurants, hotels, resorts and the home-based restaurants known as paladares and offers five self-guided tours that wind through the city s many plazas to contemporary galleries, music venues and gardens, along the Malecón coastal road and as far as the beaches of Playas de Este. "In Cuba, Maps Make a Comeback" by Steve Heller Old-fashioned navigation is enjoying a renaissance on the island, where Internet access is still scant. When Stephan Van Dam began designing two detailed tourist maps of Cuba in 2014, he couldn t have known that one year later, the prospect of renewed relations between the country and the U.S. could effectively create a whole new market for them. Walking Havana from one end to the other gave Van Dam a sense of the urban fabric, which is, by his description, frozen in time and brimming with period-specific architectural jewels buildings that reflect Plateresque, Cuban baroque, Neoclassical, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Streamline Moderne, Mid-century modern, and Soviet Brutalist architectures. With the prospect of sanctions being lifted in the near future, Van Dam is already planning more Cuba projects across new media, starting with a website mapping the influence of the clave, an instrument that figures widely in Cuban music, around the world. With Internet coverage at a scant 5 percent across the country and download speeds reminiscent of the pre-dial-up era, Cuba doesn t yet have the digital infrastructure to support cell phone cartography. Which leaves room for a handy paper copy renaissance: This is a fleeting moment, Van Damm notes, when the trusty laminated map trumps Google views.

Explore Cuba, the famous Caribbean island, and stop by Old Havana, visit museums, and eat authentic moros y cristianos. Whether you're looking for unique and interesting shops and markets, or seeking the best venues for music and nightlife, we have entertainment and hotel recommendations for every budget covered in our Eyewitness Travel Guide. With hundreds of full-color photographs, hand-drawn illustrations, and custom maps that illuminate every page, DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Cuba truly shows you the country as no one else can. About DK Eyewitness Travel Guides : For more than two decades, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides have helped travelers experience the world through the history, art, architecture, and culture of their destinations.

VanDam's newest Cuba StreetSmart maps all of Cuba's cultural and natural riches at an immensely legible scale. Using his signature StreetSmart series design for printed maps (Internet connections are still scant in Cuba), Mr. VanDam points out Havana s restaurants, hotels, resorts and the home-based restaurants known as paladares and offers five self-guided tours that wind through the city s many plazas to contemporary galleries, music venues and gardens, along the Malecón coastal road and as far as the beaches of Playas de Este. The Havana map is $8.95, the Cuba map $9.95 --The New York Times, Travel. When Stephan Van Dam began designing two detailed tourist maps of Cuba in 2014, he couldn t have known that one year later, the prospect of renewed relations between the country and the U.S. could effectively create a whole new market for them. At the time Van Dam, the founder of VanDam s StreetSmart maps, was catering to a smaller audience: the Americans who could only visit the country if they were Cuban-American or embarking on a people-to-people tour run by a licensed guide, and the 1.1 million Canadians and hundreds of thousands of European travelers who visited last year. To develop the maps, Van Dam and his team visited Cuba in 2013 under a U.S. self-certification program administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control that permits U.S. citizens to travel to Cuba independently to conduct research. VanDam's StreetSmart The paper map may be old-fashioned, but when it comes to Cuba, Van Dam is ahead of the curve.

Follow in the footsteps of conquistadors in Santo Domingo, claim a spot in the sand at Playa Rincon, or dance merengue till the wee hours at a Santiago bar; all with your trusted travel companion. Color maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - including cuisine, history, art, architecture, music, dance, sport, politics, landscapes, wildlife Over 28 maps Covers Santo Domingo, Playa Rincon, La Vega, Damajagua, Cabarete, Punta Cana, the Peninsula de Samana, Lago Enriquillo, Pico Duarte and more.

Brand new for 2015-2016, with more Virgin Island photography and full color detailed anchorage charts, these guides have been indispensable companions for sailors and visitors to these islands since 1982. Brand new completely redesigned and updated style, with more Virgin Island photography and full color detailed anchorage charts, these guides have been indispensable companions for sailors and visitors to these islands since 1982. Covers the Virgin Islands including all the U.S. and British Virgin Islands!

VanDam's best-selling Havana StreetSmart maps all of the capital's cultural attractions, neighborhoods, beaches, hotels, resorts and more at an immensely legible scale. Using his signature StreetSmart series design for printed maps (Internet connections are still scant in Cuba), Mr. VanDam points out Havana s restaurants, hotels, resorts and the home-based restaurants known as paladares and offers five self-guided tours that wind through the city s many plazas to contemporary galleries, music venues and gardens, along the Malecón coastal road and as far as the beaches of Playas de Este. "In Cuba, Maps Make a Comeback" by Steve Heller Old-fashioned navigation is enjoying a renaissance on the island, where Internet access is still scant. When Stephan Van Dam began designing two detailed tourist maps of Cuba in 2014, he couldn t have known that one year later, the prospect of renewed relations between the country and the U.S. could effectively create a whole new market for them. Walking Havana from one end to the other gave Van Dam a sense of the urban fabric, which is, by his description, frozen in time and brimming with period-specific architectural jewels buildings that reflect Plateresque, Cuban baroque, Neoclassical, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Streamline Moderne, Mid-century modern, and Soviet Brutalist architectures. With the prospect of sanctions being lifted in the near future, Van Dam is already planning more Cuba projects across new media, starting with a website mapping the influence of the clave, an instrument that figures widely in Cuban music, around the world. With Internet coverage at a scant 5 percent across the country and download speeds reminiscent of the pre-dial-up era, Cuba doesn t yet have the digital infrastructure to support cell phone cartography. Which leaves room for a handy paper copy renaissance: This is a fleeting moment, Van Damm notes, when the trusty laminated map trumps Google views.

Paul Crask showcases the islands’ music festivals and cultural heritage, pinpoints ways to support local producers and craftsmen, and goes off the beaten track to reveal some of the country’s little-known sights. Petit Carenage Beach has to be one of the prettiest on Carriacou.

The Hedo myths: Only young singles go to Hedonism II. Every myth has its truth...but Hedonism II is 50% couples--and most guests are over 30, full nudity is only allowed on one beach, the hotel does not condone public sex (but it happens), and your wife--well, that's her choice. FYI: The resort Hedonism II did not authorize this book; the book includes the good, bad, and the ugly. This newest version (published May 2003) of the Hedonism II travel book continues the tradition of inspiring hilarity and amazement in readers--do enjoy!

The Antigua & Barbuda Island Guide provides insightful information that allows visitors to feel like locals while enjoying the indisputable beauty of this Caribbean nation. GAIN INSIGHT – Behind those long stretches of white sand beach and turquoise colored water is a vibrant culture all its own.

Featuring a durable vinyl binding, hundreds of brilliant, full-color photographic identification pictures arranged for quick access, and definitive text, the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Tropical Marine Fishes is an essential reference guide for any ocean lover. Covering tropical marine fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda, this field guide by C. Lavett Smith (curator emeritus, Department of Ichthyology, American Museum of Natural History in New York) sets the tropical-fish standard.

Puerto Rico is one of the Caribbean's most exciting destinations, and with many nonstop flights from major East Coast cities, it's one of the easiest islands to reach. Every year our local experts give you the inside track, showing you all the things to see and do -- from must-see sights to off-the-beaten-path adventures, from shopping to outdoor fun. Hundreds of hotel and restaurant choices in all price ranges -- from budget-friendly B&Bs to luxury hotels, from casual eateries to the hottest new restaurants, complete with thorough reviews showing what makes each place special.

This insider’s guide reveals the island’s best-kept secrets, so you can feel like a “regular”, even on your first trip, and find activities for the whole family! Learn the stories behind the sights Plan your holiday before you leave home - and make sure you pack the right stuff! Plus over 30 full-colour pictures, a short guide to local cuisine and a list of major annual cultural and sporting events. This book doesn't include every beach, rum shop or building that the Queen or George Washington ever stayed in.

Includes inset map of Lesser Antilles (1:7,000,000), ABC Islands (1:1,000,000), Beaches (1:25,000), Oranjestad (1:10,000), San Nicolas (1:20,000). Borch, a cartographic publishing company from Germany, makes tough, long-lasting maps with non-toxic, environmentally responsible lamination material.

History of the first British colony in the West Indies. Swords, Ships and Sugar (his history of Nevis) was first published in 1991 and is now in its seventh edition.

UPDATED 2018 EDITION - With Bonus Trinidad City Guide Real Havana is the #1 selling guide to experiencing the authentic Cuba. The Real Havana guide shows you how to do all that and lots more. This book is not a "tourist guide" . Full Compass Guides are aimed at travelers who want to understand local customs and culture so that they can experience destinations like a local. Unlike regular tourist guides, Full Compass guides are not a list of attractions popular with tourists, and boring restaurant and hotel reviews that are obsolete the moment they are published. With our guides, you get succinct, useful information about the culture, people and geography of your destination so you have the tools and the confidence to explore on your own, experience everything that your destination has to offer, and save money. Our guides are written by experienced travelers who have intimate knowledge of both the location and the culture of the destination. With a Full Compass guide, you will be a knowledgeable explorer, rather than just another flash-happy tourist. One of the things he find most interesting about Cuba is that it has a pervasive entrepreneurial spirit in spite of years of communism To learn more about Mario Rizzi and to follow his blog updates on Havana and Cuba, please visit the website www.BestCubaGuide.com Mario is an avid traveler and his most important goal is to familiarize himself with the culture of a country so that he can explore it like a local would, rather than as a tourist.

Interwoven with descriptions of Hokule'a's experiences in port are the voices of the master navigators and crew members, who guide the ship along the ocean's trackless path using only stars, birds, wind, and seas -- non-instrumental wayfinding techniques-- and the local pioneers -- scientists, teachers, and children touched by Hokule'a' -- who work tirelessly to weather the many environmental challenges in our modern lives. “Malama Honua: Hokule'a - A Voyage Of Hope is a luxurious and content-rich hardcover book that will inspire Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians to explore the enchantments of nature, through one of the ultimate symbols of Polynesian culture.” ―Surfer Today.

From the authentic folk art of the Huichol Indians to thrilling outdoor adventures to the historic cobblestone streets of the Zona Romantica, Puerto Vallarta and nearby areas teems with interesting things to see and do. “Fodor’s is pitched a few notches higher….aimed at a fairly discerning traveler with an appetite for background and the occasional surprise.” – New York Times.

Featuring a durable vinyl binding, hundreds of brilliant, full-color photographic identification pictures arranged for quick access, and definitive text, the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Tropical Marine Fishes is an essential reference guide for any ocean lover. Covering tropical marine fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda, this field guide by C. Lavett Smith (curator emeritus, Department of Ichthyology, American Museum of Natural History in New York) sets the tropical-fish standard.

Copies of: Reef Fish Identification: Florida, Caribbean & Bahamas ; (4th Edition); Reef Creature Identification: Florida, Caribbean & Bahamas (3rd Edition) and Reef Coral Identification: Florida, Caribbean & Bahamas (3rd Edition) packaged in a beautifully printed shelf case.

The 20th anniversary edition of Edwidge Danticat's groundbreaking debut, now an established classic--revised and with a new introduction by the author, and including extensive bonus materials At the age of twelve, Sophie Caco is sent from her impoverished Haitian village to New York to be reunited with a mother she barely remembers. Danticat's elegant, intricate tale wraps readers into the haunting life of a young Haitian girl." It is clear in retrospect that this is a novel whose literary resonance has been profound, one that opened many doors for others—without it, would we have The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao ?” —Barnes and Noble Review. "Danticat has created a stirring tale of life in two worlds: the spirit-rich land of her ancestry, whose painful themes work their way through lives across generational lines, and her adopted country, the United States, where a young immigrant girl must negotiate cold, often hostile terrain, even as she spars with painful demons of her past." — Emerge "A distinctive new voice with a sensitive insight into Haitian culture distinguishes this graceful debut novel . In simple, lyrical prose enriched by an elegiac tone and piquant observations, [Danticat] makes Sophie's confusion and guilt, her difficult assimilation into American culture and her eventual emotional liberation palpably clear."

Saint Lucia Travel Reference Map 1st Ed. ITMB Publishing (International Travel Maps and Books) of Vancouver, Canada, has published detailed reference and travel maps of countries, regions, and cities around the world since 1985.

A mini-dictionary includes essential vocabulary for quick reference An 30-minute audio download that features key words and phrases Vital vocabulary and phrases relevant to relief and rebuilding processes. Cécile Accilien, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor of French and Francophone Literatures at Columbus State University. She has taught French and Haitian Creole at Portland State University and Tulane University.

The Complete Diving Guides to scuba diving in the Eastern Caribbean, including descriptions of ALL dive sites, dive stores and operators. All in all, the guide contains everything a diver needs to know to decide which island to dive and where to stay, which operators to dive with, which sites to visit, what to expect to see and even which camera lenses to use to capture on film what you actually see. ". All in all, the guide contains everything a diver needs to know to decide which island to dive and where to stay, which operators to dive with, which sites to visit, what to expect to see and even which camera lenses to use to capture on film what you actually see. ". Each chapter starts with a short island introduction followed by a very specific description of the dive sites, operators and hotels. Surely this is the acid test of a dive guide?"

The often turbulent struggle for survival from the earliest Arawak settlement to the 1981 execution of revolutionary Prime Minister, Maurice Bishop, to today. Since 1973 she has been the resident tutor and Head of the University of the West Indies Outreach Center in Grenada.

You may be the sort of tourist who would wonder why a Prime Minister would want an airport named after him--why not a school, why not a hospital, why not some great public monument. So begins Jamaica Kincaid's expansive essay, which shows us what we have not yet seen of the ten-by-twelve-mile island in the British West Indies where she grew up. [with] a poet's understanding of how politics and history, private and public events, overlap and blur.” ― The New York Times. “A jeremiad of great clarity and force that one might have called torrential were the language not so finely controlled.” ― Salman Rushdie. Her small books are worth a pile of thicker--and hollower--ones.” ― San Francisco Chronicle. In truly lyrical language that makes you read aloud, [Kincaid] takes you from the dizzying blue of the Caribbean to the sewage of hotels and clubs where black Antiguans are only allowed to work .

You may be the sort of tourist who would wonder why a Prime Minister would want an airport named after him--why not a school, why not a hospital, why not some great public monument. So begins Jamaica Kincaid's expansive essay, which shows us what we have not yet seen of the ten-by-twelve-mile island in the British West Indies where she grew up. [with] a poet's understanding of how politics and history, private and public events, overlap and blur.” ― The New York Times. “A jeremiad of great clarity and force that one might have called torrential were the language not so finely controlled.” ― Salman Rushdie. Her small books are worth a pile of thicker--and hollower--ones.” ― San Francisco Chronicle. In truly lyrical language that makes you read aloud, [Kincaid] takes you from the dizzying blue of the Caribbean to the sewage of hotels and clubs where black Antiguans are only allowed to work .

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