Spring is in the Air ~ And for all the Brides-to-Be out there, it’s time to Plan Your Wedding

Dominica, the Nature Island of the Caribbean, is one of the region’s best kept secrets for Weddings & Honeymoons

The island’s rugged nature and abundance of adventure-based activities is balanced with a nourishing, natural side. Here you can eat real food, bathe in natural hot springs, spend time listening to the birds sing and watch tremendous sunsets.

And the Nature Island has now made it easy for visitors to get married in just 24 hours with a Special Marriage Licence.

Where should I tie the knot?

There are many wonderful hotels and guesthouses to choose from when planning your wedding in Dominica. Whether you opt for an escape wedding (just the two of you) or you decide to bring along family and friends, all of the hotels will be glad to work with you to find the best possible options for your wedding.

Some of the most popular hotels for hosting a wedding are:

• The Fort Young Hotel – Elegant and Formal weddings
• Jungle Bay Resort & Spa – Holistic, Natural Eco-Luxe Setting, Great  for Beach or River Weddings
• Secret Bay – Sustainable Luxury Villas and the Ultimate in Personal Service

Other hotels who offer Honeymoon Packages include:

• Calibishie Cove – Ocean View Suites offering Seclusion & Natural Beauty
• Papillote Wilderness Retreat – One of Dominica’s oldest Eco Lodges with a Beautiful Garden on Premises
• Evergreen Hotel – A Charming Sea-Front Inn close to Roseau with Sunset Views & Ocean Breezes
• Picard Beach Cottages –  Stay in a Private Wooden Cottage Nestled among Fruit  & Flowering Gardens fringed by Dominica’s longest sandy beach

Read more about Weddings in Dominica

Dominica’s Carnival 2013 Wrap-Up

Carnival in Dominica ~ 2013

While Dominica’s 2013 Carnival Celebrations have come to a close, the high-flying spirit brought on by nearly two months of celebrating is still in the air.

There are several aspects to Dominica’s Carnival including Calypso, Pageantry, and the Carnival *Jump-Up* Parades.

Calypso

Calypso is a wonderful Caribbean art form and Dominica is well-known for producing many talented Calypsonians – well rounded individuals who can sing, dance, write songs and, above all, PERFORM.

Calypso Songs, often infused with double-entendre, address social ills, make statements about political or social positions, or simply entertain the listeners – sometimes a mixture of all three!

These days, Dominica has two competing ‘tents’ (groups of Calypsonians) who each have their own weekly competition leading up to the Grand Finale Calypso Monarch Competition where one Monarch is crowned.

• Stardom Calypso’s King of the Tent
• Showdown Mas Camp’s Champ of the Camp
• Junior Monarch Competition for the youth

More information can be found on our website:

• Calypso in Dominica
• 2013 Calypso Winners

Pageantry

While the Miss Dominica Pageant is the biggest and best-known event, there are several other competitions including:

• Miss Teen Dominica
• Princess Pageant
• Mother’s Queen Pageant

Miss Dominica is crowned the Carnival Queen and goes on to represent Dominica in regional and international competitions, as well as being a spokesperson for her cause at home in Dominica.

The Carnival Queen and Queen Contestants during the Carnival Tuesday Parade ~ February 12th 2013

Miss Dominica 2013 ~ The Carnival Queen

Carnival Queen (back of costume)

1st Runner Up

1st Runner Up (back of costume)

Carnival Jump Up

Also known as ‘playing mas’, two days of Carnival parades blanket the streets of Roseau from early Monday morning through late Tuesday night. Dominica’s Carnival is an up-close & personal experience, where you can easily join a costume band, a t-shirt band or a get a few friends together and join in Jouvert (4 am to 6 am Carnival Monday morning).

Music, dancing, food & drink, vibrant splashes of colour, mixed with cultural heritage and Carnival’s own history, all blend together to make Dominica’s Carnival a unique and fun experience.

Images from Carnival Monday Jump Up  ~ February 11th 2013

 

Last Lap

All the contestants, led by the reigning Carnival King and Queen, participate in the costume parades on Carnival Monday & Tuesday.

See our website for more information about Carnival in Dominica

Olympians for Dominica at the 2012 Summer Games in London, England

Dominica had two athletes competing in 2012 Summer Games, Luan Gabriel and Erison Hurtault.

Luan Gabriel competed in the Women’s 200m sprint. She placed 9^th with a time of 24.12 seconds, but did not advance past the first round. What an extraordinary effort for this 16-year-old young lady from Roseau!

Erison Hurtault ran the Men’s 400m race in 46.05 seconds, but did not advance to the second round. Erison also had the honour of being Dominica’s flag bearer for the 2012 Games. This was his second Olympics, having run in the 400m in the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, China.

Cricket in the Nature Island! West Indies v. Australia Test Match Wraps Up

Today is the last day of the 5-Day Test match between the West Indies and Australia at Windsor Park Stadium here in Roseau, Dominica.

It has been a great week for cricket in Dominica… wonderful weather,  historical benchmarks and record-making Test Cricket .

• Dominica’s own Shane Shillingford made history as the first Dominican to play for West Indies in Dominica. Read more…
• Shivnarine Chanderpaul joined an elite club when he made his 10,000th hit! He became the tenth player to hit 10,000 runs in test cricket and the second West Indies player. Read article…
• Shane Shillingford took 10 wickets in one game (see video below).

Windsor Park Stadium has received kudos for its facilities, its cricket pitch and its wonderful views.

Australia player Ed Cowan calls Windsor Park his “favorite venue in Australia’s tour of the West Indies for this series.”  Read article…

Photos of Cricket at Windsor Park

Photo by Images Dominica

More photos from Images Dominica

More Cricket!

The international test match has filled many of the hotels during the past week, which has given a boost to the local economy as the main tourist season comes to a close this month. Hoteliers and restauranteurs are pleased with the advent of sports tourism in Dominica. Yes, Dominica wants more Cricket!

Unravelling Underwater Mysteries: The Dominica Sperm Whale Project

Dominica is a “whale friendly” country that has earned the distinction of “Whale Watch Capital of the Caribbean.”

Until recently, little was known about the elusive Sperm Whales that are often seen off of the west coast of Dominica.

Photo Copyright ImagesDominica.com

A Canadian whale biologist from Dalhousie University and his colleagues have made some amazing discoveries about these mysterious mammals that spend most of their lives underwater. He and his research team have spent several years following some Sperm Whale families to observe their methods of socialization and communication.

It appears that certain traits resemble those of humans more than one might think!

• Read more at www.avirtualdominca.com

2012 Opening Parade ~ Dominica’s Carnival

Saturday was a beautiful tropical afternoon as revelers took to the streets of Roseau to kick-off Dominica’s 2012 ‘Mas Domnik’ Carnival Celebrations.

The Opening Parade is an annual event that showcases some of the exciting bands to come during Dominica’s Carnival Jump-Up on February 20th & 21st this year.

Enjoy this brief video showing the start of the Opening Parade.

For more information about Dominica’s Carnival and the Schedule of Events, visit avirtualDominica.com.

New Ferry Service for Dominica

A new ferry service began coming to Dominica this month. On October 13th, SAS JEANS Fast Ferry Service (a subsidiary of SAS L’Express des Iles) made its first trip to the Cabrits Cruise Ship Berth in Portsmouth, Dominica.

The Ferry, HSC Liberty,  travels from Pointe-a-Pitre Guadeloupe to Portsmouth, Dominica on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

The ferry runs from Portsmouth, Dominica to Pointe-a-Pitre Guadeloupe on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

This will make it much easier for weekend trips to and from our neighbouring French island.

The schedule is as follows:

• Depart Guadeloupe: 13:15 hrs on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays
• Depart Dominica:  10:15 hrs on Tuesdays, Fridays & 14:15 hrs on Sundays

As of October 24th 2011, the fare for Guadeloupe to Dominica is EC $260 Return.

In Dominica, contact local Agents Whitchurch Travel for more information:

• E-mail: shipping@whitchurch.com
• Tel: (767) 255-1127 or (767) 255-1166