Million dollar view of the southern tip of Manhattan, as seen from Governors Island

This morning, under steely threatening skies, I hopped a free ferry from New York's Battery Maritime Building to Governors Island, the tiny slip of land just south of Manhattan and home to Governors Island National Monument and a city-owned public park. I was headed for a seemingly secret walking tour of the historic part of the island, organized by National Park Service rangers who promised a 90-minute orientation to the island's almost 400 years of history.

While this season isn't the first time rangers are giving the Wednesday and Thursday tours—they've been offered since 2004 and are particularly enticing because the island is otherwise closed to visitors on these two days—it is the first year the Park Service is actively promoting the program. The hope is to max out attendance, currently capped at 60 people per tour per day—but I was joined by just one other curious visitor from Connecticut on today's trip.

Despite the two-man turnout, the tour pressed on, taking in sweeping views of downtown and the Brooklyn Bridge, scoping out Castle Williams (which in varying turns has been a defensive fort, Civil War brig, and even babysitting facility when the Coast Guard occupied the island during the early 1960's), and strolling down shaded Colonel's Row, admiring its officers' homes.

We then found ourselves in "Downtown" Governors Island, where a mothballed theater and YMCA, as well as Catholic and Episcopalian churches, pay testament to what a self-sustained village the island was for a good part of the 20th Century when the Army (and later the Coast Guard) were stationed here. Then, taking us back in time, two rangers appeared, dressed in Union Army blues to do a living history demonstration of the weapons training recruits would've had on the island during the Civil War. A few cartridges of gunpowder later, we headed for a quick look at Fort Jay, the island's central—and oldest—defensive feature, and the boat back to Manhattan.

The tour, as with so many of the activities on the island, was completely free, and about 100 times more interesting than the usual tourist circuit of riding the Staten Island Ferry right past this historic jewel at the heart of of New York Harbor.

Cap Juluca: The Anguilla Chief Minister's favorite hotel
Photo: tiarescott / Flickr.com

So many promotional events are so controlled that the surface is all there is. But the Anguilla Tourist Board is a class act. The luncheon it threw yesterday at Thomas Keller's Per Se--one of New York's really exceptional restaurants--is just another case in point on the art of sophistication.

Apart from the food being exquisite and the view of Central Park divine, the presentations were vivid and the conversation easy. Le tout Anguilla showed, including Hubert Hughes, the government's newly elected Chief Minister, and hi!s son, Haydn Hughes, the government's Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, both of whom showed their fearsome political talents.

Minister Hughes, Anguilla's longest-serving politician, elected in February after 10 years out of office and 40 years in the opposition, spoke of Anguilla with passion and conviction before the meal was served. He admitted that even while he wanted more visitors to come to Anguilla, he was deeply ambivalent about seeing the island change. He said quite frankly that his favorite hotel on the island Is CuisinArt; even before it was built, the owner had a good reputation for how well he treated his workers.

Hughes also questioned Cap Juluca’s marketing to the rich and famous and classified the new Viceroy as too big--he doesn't see allowing any more developments of such size. This set tongues wagging at all the tables--in between chomping on various delicacies, of course.

His son Haydn came up to answer questions afterward. First he made clear that his favorite hotel is Cap Juluca, to the point that he considered himself a "Julucan." He told us that Juluca was an AmerIndian rainbow god; also AmerIndian is the word Malliouhana, the original name of the island (meaning "arrow-shaped sea serpent," an allusion to the shape of the 35 square-mile island) and of course the island's other great resort. And from his point of view, the Viceroy was more than quite all right. He discussed the fact that Anguilla is 95 percent Anguillan-owned, part of the reason the community is so tight and the island so safe. When you check into Cap Juluca, do you get a room key? No. There is no need.

Furthermore, he said, he was in a position to say that there are no locks on his father's house--or tourist-board chairman Eustace Guishard's house. All in all, an event that showed how just how lively, diverse, and interesting the nation of Anguilla is. As one of my young colleagues said afterward, "Now I really feel as if I have an idea of what Anguilla is all about."

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Island News found a little Anguilla Bliss at Trattoria Tramonto.  And back in 2005, Condé Nast Traveler's Susan Hack fell in love with the island's beautiful beaches and unassuming luxury

Film buffs, take note: Head to Aruba between June 4 and 11 and volunteer to help out at the first Aruba International Film Festival! Organizers are looking for volunteers to work five shifts over as many days. In return, volunteers will get access to many of the screenings, workshops, and master classes that will be on offer. Applications are due by tomorrow, May 15.

Given the number of people involved who've worked in the Italian film industry perhaps it's not surprising that the festival will honor master filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci with a Golden Aruba, its award for outstanding achievement. Richard Gere, who will also open and host the festivities, and Guillermo Arriaga, writer of, for instance, Babel and 21 Grams, will kick off a series of afternoon conversations with actors, producers, directors and writers about the art, craft and business of film-making.

The "secret" island park off the tip of Downtown Manhattan may not be so secret any more. In 2009, a record number of visitors—more than 275,000 people—explored the National Monument, abandoned Coast Guard buildings, and beautiful green space that populate the 172-acre knot of land just an seven-minute free ferry ride from the Battery Maritime Building at 10 South St.

The island opens to the public for the season on June 5, and hosts visitors Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. But for an insider look, aim for a Wednesday or Thursday visit, when National Park Rangers lead interpretive hikes, exploring the history and much-debated future of Governors Island.

A lengthy roster of special events is lined up for this season, too, including the annual Figment festival, one of New York's coolest art shows. It's planned for June 11-13 and will be centered around the Living Pavilion, designed by architects Ann Ha and Behrang Behin as part of a competition hosted by The Emerging New York Architects Committee.

The porch off my room at the Inn at English Harbour

Island News has been sadly neglected in recent months as my mind has been on vacation in other realms. So, memory speaks, to remind me of the fabulous night I spent at the Inn at English Harbour on Antigua. The inn is very quiet and old-style lovely, tucked down the side of a hill under the lookout at Shirley Heights, the very best place in Antigua to watch the regattas and where there is still a Sunday night jump-up. This porch was a great place to sit with my notebook early the next morning before heading down to the beach below for a sea bath.

An overwater bungalow at the St. Regis Bora Bora Resort and Spa

A reader asks:

In Dec. 2010, my husband and I would like to return to Bora Bora for our 25th Wedding Anniversary. We honeymooned at the Hotel Bora Bora, but it is closed for remodeling. Can you suggest another hotel along the lines of Hotel Bora Bora? Also, we would like to go to Fiji for the first time. Can you also recommend a hotel or resort? BTW, we will be bring our two children, ages 21 and 23 with us.

We will be flying from California, so can you advise us if we should first go to Bora Bora or Fiji?

To get the best answer to your questions, I turned to one of Wendy Perrin's outstanding travel specialists, Kleon Howe, who runs The Art of Travel, and of course, he's the man who knows.

His advice:

1.)     Hotel Bora Bora: This was a very special hotel that had the highest of customer service. The bungalows were few and very well spaced, all with an ocean view--even the garden bungalows. The resort was torn down and is anticipated to be rebuilt under the same brand of Aman Resorts. I do not have a date or any confirmation of this as of yet.

2.)     There is not another resort in French Polynesia that matches the traditional and boutique feel of this resort. That said, the Private Ocean Front Pool Villas at the St. Regis are very private and are similar in feel to the beach fares of the Hotel Bora Bora. These are the ones that have a view to the ocean and are separated by view from the rest of this larger resort. You do not notice the size of the resort from your villa and so you have that feeling of being in a small resort. Once you step outside, you do have the facilities of a lovely resort. The service of the St. Regis is, of course, on par with that of the Hotel Bora Bora.

3.)     There is another resort in the islands that offers a similar feel with their beach bungalows although they are not as private as those at the St. Regis, and that is Le Taha’a Private Island and Spa. This is on the island of Taha’a. It, too, is on its own private small island as is the St. Regis, and while a bit larger than the Hotel Bora Bora, the beach bungalows are lovely, private, and luxurious. That said, the Bora Bora View Over Water Bungalows are very beautiful and with only 8 of them you have quite a bit of privacy. There is great snorkeling here as there was at the Hotel Bora Bora, better than at the St. Regis. The service is good but does not always reach the best here as it does at the St. Regis. It often does but I have had clients with issues here.

  
4.)     Fiji: There are several resorts that I would suggest in Fiji that are similar in feel and service to the Hotel Bora Bora: Wakaya Club; Namale; Vatulele; Royal Davui

The reason I suggest these resorts in Fiji is that they are all smaller, secluded, with high customer service levels, and they give you the experience of that traditional feel of Fiji and the South Pacific Islands, all of which were trade marks of the Hotel Bora Bora.
 
Also, I should let you know that there are no flights between Fiji and French Polynesia. You must fly to New Zealand and then back to the other island. Also, where one travels to first or ever would be dictated by the time of year or season of travel. I would not travel to the Fiji Islands between the months of January through April as this is the height of the hurricane season. French Polynesia tends to be fine this time of year although you can get the odd storm with lots of rain and wind. The best months of travel to both islands would be May through November as the trade winds are established and keep the humidity down a bit.
 
The geology of these two island groups are very different. French Polynesian islands are fully encircled by reef with breaks in it to flush the lagoons out twice a day. The waves of the ocean crash on this outer reef and leave the waters of the lagoon to be mostly flat calm, clear (50’ to 80’ visibility standard) and warm with temps being right around 80 degrees year round. Fiji on the other had does not have the reef fully encircling the islands. The protected beaches are usually quiet. That said, the visibility is less than in French Polynesia unless you go out to the reef where there is not bottom sand or silt stirred into the water by the waves. The water temp tends to be lower but not cold like here in North America. 
  
 --Kleon Howe

The excellence of Kleon's info reminds me of the advantages that Wendy's travel specialists can give travelers planning an important trip. Check out all her specialists in our August issue. And of course, if you want more advice like that above, call Kleon at 888-294-3598.

The scene at Scarlet, in Barbados, pre- and post-mojito.

The Bajan lorelei sings again, this time disinhibited by a mojito:

Scarlet (located right across the highway from the Tamarind Cove Hotel) is the hot ticket--mainly for drinks, but the meal was the best I've ever had on Barbados. Or should I say it's the meal I most enjoyed. But I think it was also the best.

More important than what we ate were the mojitos that we drank. As you know, I'm not a big drinker. I tarried after the first and gave myself plenty of time to think better of a second, but in the end I couldn't think better of it, and I'm glad I didn't, because it was every bit as good as the first.

As for the food, we were sharing two menus among the five of us, so I didn't get to study it long enough to remember the names and ingredients of everything. Out of perhaps six proffered appetizers, we ordered fried goat's milk cheese balls, which came with a dipping sauce, calamari stuffed and fried (also with a sauce), and crab and mango bruscetta. I was not offered so much as a whiff of the crab and mango bruscetta. The cheese was shared by all, and the calamari by three of us, and having just tastes was excruciating.

There was a bit of a wait before we got our main courses; I had fish pie—mahi-mahi under a bed of mashed potatoes that were comparable though superior to my own. Jane ordered shrimp curry, something that could easily be shared, but she didn't. Bo, who that afternoon in a snorkel, mask and flippers, had come head to head with a couple of barracudas, took the opportunity at dinner to prove who was boss. The barracuda steak never had a chance, and Bo pronounced it delicious. The two other men ordered burgers, which came on great big salt bread buns. Masses of the great big bread remained on the plate, but not one little grind of those two hefty home-chopped balls of beef. I never had a shot at any of it.

Donald Tulle, taxi driver extraordinaire, lunching at the newly reopened Atlantis. If you need a ride in Barbados, give him or his wife, Suzanne, a call at 246-425-0834 or 246-230-5829.

This just in from my Bajan lorelei, one of my secret sources: The beloved Atlantis Hotel, in Bathsheba, Barbados, bought and rebuilt by the owners of the Fishpot and Little Good Harbor, reopened last month.

"It's not so old and funky as it was, but they kept with the general feel of the place," she writes. "There now seems to be a separate pale green cottage attached to the hotel that is rented out in addition to the rooms. Also, there's a bright, bitter orange building next door where you can rent an apartment. The restaurant is open, and we went on the first day (it took practically all day, too). They've updated the menu, but it remains Bajan in flavor."

More photos of the Atlantis Hotel after the jump!
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St. Lucia's geologic icons, Gros and Petit Piton, tower over the island's west coast
Photo: Julien Capmeil for Condé Nast Traveler

Here's a question from a reader looking for a St. Lucia B&B:

My girlfriend and I will be traveling to St Lucia in early April for a friends wedding. Are there any comparably priced hotels or B & B's like the Coco Palm? It seems to be the best bargain for my budget. Could you suggest a website that would describe places to visit there? It seems like there is the diamond waterfall and some plantations and that is it, other than water sports.

My answer:

One thing to consider is where your friends will be having their wedding, because St. Lucia is fairly big. Personally I love to drive around exploring, and I found the roads good, but some people are put off by driving on the left, and driving at night can be tough because the roads have many hairpin turns. Your feelings about how you like to get around may influence where you'll be happiest staying.

The St. Lucia Tourist Board has a particular website listing small hotels and inns that is worth checking out. Coordinate your research with a map so you know what part of the island you'll be on!

There are a number of waterfalls and spots of great natural beauty to visit, from gardens to the rainforest. There are also great hiking opportunities--up a Piton, perhaps--as well as horseback riding and wonderful sailing and villages that host a fish fry on Friday nights. I also suggest you look up my recommendations for places to stay and things to do in St. Lucia in a St. Lucia profile I wrote for Condé Nast Traveler.
 

Have an island question? Ask me.

It's not so easy to get into Haiti right now. You can fly to Santo Domingo and take a bus, or ride in with an aid organization if you can find one that wants to accommodate you.  Or you can fly in with an NGO from Miami, Boston, New York, Fort Lauderdale. You can go in with the Marines if you have someone who can make those special arrangements.