The Seasoned Traveler

07/02/2025

Happy Independence Day to the beautiful island nation of Grenada! 🇬🇩 Thrilled to say that I will be there on Sunday. Hopefully, will be able to share in some residual celebrations.

06/02/2025

Today would have been Bob Marley’s 80th birthday. His music and message have been a great influence and comfort in my life, as I’m sure they have been for so, so many others around the world. Blessings and One Love. ❤️💛💚

06/02/2025

Time to hit the beach again! All things being well, I will be back in the islands in a few days. This time it will be the beautiful nation of Grenada🇬🇩, a destination we’ve been wanting to return to for a long time. Unfortunately, we will just miss Grenada Independence Day on February 7th but, who knows, maybe we will be able share in some residual celebrations. Will be a very welcome break from the sub zero temperatures of the last month or so. So, next week will find me doing what I do best - chilling, soaking up the sunshine, searching for the perfect (or at least half decent) beach bar and generally, well, as the shirt says, bumming around the island.😎

06/02/2025

Time to hit the beach again! All things being well, I will be back in the islands in a few days. This time it will be the beautiful nation of Grenada🇬🇩, a destination we’ve been wanting to return to for a long time. Unfortunately, we will just miss Grenada Independence Day on February 7th but, who knows, maybe we will be able share in some residual celebrations. Will be a very welcome break from the sub zero temperatures of the last month or so. So, next week will find me doing what I do best - chilling, soaking up the sunshine, searching for the perfect (or at least half decent) beach bar and generally, well, as the shirt says, bumming around the island.😎

31/01/2025

A bit of a Friday flashback. My first ever trip to the Caribbean was to Barbados🇧🇧 way back in the 80’s. I knew right away that the islands were something special. So it was only fitting that Barbados was the first island my wife and I visited together, an incredible 29 years ago now. I’m happy to say that she fell in love with the Caribbean as much as I did. We’ve been hooked ever since. On that first holiday we stayed at Southern Palms Beach Club & Resort in St. Lawrence Gap. We had a great time. So when we returned to Barbados last year, we decided to take a trip down memory lane and paid a return visit. It was nice to be back where it all started. 😎

31/01/2025

A bit of a . My first ever trip to the Caribbean was to Barbados🇧🇧 way back in the 80’s. I knew right away that the islands were going to play a big part in my life. So it was only fitting that Barbados was the first island my wife and I visited together, an incredible 29 years ago now. I’m happy to say that she fell in love with the Caribbean as much as I did. We’ve been hooked ever since. On that first holiday we stayed at Southern Palms Beach Club & Resort in St. Lawrence Gap. We had a great time. So when we returned to Barbados last year, we decided to take a trip down memory lane and paid a return visit. It was nice to be back where it all started. 😎

28/01/2025

Here's one way way to warm up on a -9C night in Toronto. A couple of funky Electric Banana cocktails, featuring Worthy Park Select Jamaican rum and an exquisite banana liqueur from Giffard, courtesy of a fun special tasting dinner at Little Sister Portland Street. Worthy Park is the oldest distillery in Jamaica, producing sone excellent rum 🇯🇲. Giffard liquers are prized by bartenders around the world 🇫🇷.

23/01/2025

One of the definite highlights of 2024 was our return to Barbados🇧🇧, the island where we first caught the Caribbean travel bug many years ago. Had the chance to spend a delightfully lazy few days at the charming Cobblers Cove Hotel on the island’s famous ‘Platinum Coast’. Really enjoyed our stay and it’s definitely a place we would visit again. Check out our review of this refined boutique hotel on the website. You can find the link in the profile.😎

21/01/2025

Anguilla🇦🇮 has so many great beach bars that it’s easy to let one or two slip under the radar. Don’t let that happen with this one - Coconuts Beachbar and Grill at the Anguilla Great House on Rendezvous Bay. Great beach, great people and a fun, easy going vibe. The kind of place where memories are made (and new avatars are born😁). Let’s not forget to give a shout out to the irrepressible DJ Chu Chu, setting up in the background.😎 .company

14/01/2025

A little self indulgence today. I’ve always loved cartoons and comics, and I’ve been an avid supporter of the Crabgrass comic strip by the talented Tauhid Bondia () since I first came across it in its early days. I love the mix of whimsy, imagination, fantasy and good old-fashion cartoon slapstick - with the occasional subtle message thrown in. As such, I was delighted when Crabgrass won for Best Newspaper Comic Strip at the 2024 Rueben Awards (the Oscars of the cartooning world) and even more thrilled to receive this personal piece from Tauhid, drawn in the inimitable Crabgrass style. So… meet my new emoji. 😎

09/01/2025

We have just booked our first trip of the year and I am excited to say we are returning to the beautiful island of Grenada 🇬🇩 after more than 12 years. That’s just too long! Really looking forward to our visit - in exactly one month from today (all being well). I’m sure there have been many exciting developments during that time. Already have a few beach bars lined up, both old favourites and new ones (to us, anyway) - Umbrellas, Esther’s, La Plywood, Savvy’s - and always open to recommendations. 😎

09/01/2025

We have just booked our first trip of the year and I am excited to say we are returning to the beautiful island of Grenada 🇬🇩 after more than 12 years. That’s just too long! Really looking forward to our visit - in exactly one month from today (all being well). I’m sure there have been many exciting developments during that time. Already have a few beach bars lined up, both old favourites and new ones (to us, anyway) - Umbrellas, Esther’s, La Plywood, Savvy’s - and always open to recommendations. 😎 Also looking forward to a strolling around one of the Caribbean’s most picturesque capitals. (And I will be remembering the kind, calm, reassuring Grenadian oncology nurse at Humber River Hospital in Toronto, who made my difficult chemotherapy so much easier to take. Thank you, Vondell.🎗)

07/01/2025

Around this time last year we were just getting ready for a trip to Eleuthera in the Bahamas 🇧🇸. It was a great trip that allowed us to discover some new places and revisit old favourites, like the LeoRose Sunset Beach Bar & Grill. Naturally, it got me thinking about hitting the beach again. Think we’ve decided on our next destination, a place we haven’t been for over 12 years. Will let you know soon. And a Happy New Year to all. 😎 .company

31/12/2024

31/12/2024

We managed to visit a few great islands this year, even one that wasn’t even in our plans😅.  On the way I picked up a few new favourites. So, in keeping with the year-end list thingy, here’s my ‘Top Five New Faves of 2024’. No science or strict criteria behind this list. Just my selection of the favourite things we came across for the first time this year. 

Favourite new hotel: Cobbler’s Cove, Barbados. Classic old school elegance with a relaxed, friendly vibe. Ideally situated in a particularly lovely part of the island.

Favourite new cocktail bar: Bon Vivants, Nassau, Bahamas. Truly creative, well-crafted cocktails in a charming ‘vibey’ setting. These guys know their stuff. One of the most original cocktail lists I’ve ever come across.

Favourite new island song: ‘Ancient Wisdom’ by Olaide Banks, Anguilla. An easy choice for me. The best way to get it is simply to give it a listen. Available on most streaming services.

Favourite new shop: The Olive Tree, Nevis. ‘The’ place to pick up affordable works by local artists, expertly curated by the engaging proprietress. You’ll be sure to find something to take home. And the prices are more than reasonable.

Favourite new beach bar/restaurant: Sea Shed, Barbados. A terrific location, imaginative layout and excellent food. And the staff make you feel welcome from the moment you arrive. Have to try their XO Rum Old Fashioned, made with fine Bajan rum.

Looking forward to finding new favourites in 2025.😎

25/12/2024

And may all your beach bar hoppings be bright. Blessings from Canada. 🇨🇦