Part of my job as a Caribbean blogger is to constantly be on the look out for new Caribbean sites that I can learn from and in-turn tell you about. Reading other island sites/blogs is one of the best parts of this job. I love seeing what other people have to say about particular islands and the fascinating characters that call them home.

Below is a list of some of the top Caribbean Travel/Island/Sailing blogs that I’ve found and read on a daily basis. I wrote about the top Caribbean blogs last year as well, it’s interesting to see how the list has changed over the past year. There are a few new comers and of course ones that continue to produce great content and make our island dreams come true. Each one of these sites has a great person or team behind it and will give you great insight into their part of the island lifestyle.

The list is in no particular order. Don’t be offended if you aren’t on the list. I read a lot more than just these, I just can’t list hundreds of blogs here. If you have an Island/Beach/Caribbean style blog and would like to be mentioned, just leave a comment and link below and I’ll check it out. Always looking for more Caribbean sites to lime with!

Top Caribbean Travel Blogs of 2011

2 Gringos in the Caribbean – Tired of the rat race and cold weather in the northeastern United States, we decided to chuck the life and try something new. We pulled up roots, sold the house, took only the most prized possessions and with child and Jack Russell Terrier headed to the Turks & Caicos Islands.

Adventure Antigua – a blog about island life spent with sun, sea and sand.

Anguilla Bliss – Great blog about the day to day happenings on Anguilla.

Bahama Bob’s Rumstyles – Based out of Key West Florida and bartender at the Rum Bar on Duval Street, Bahama Bob will tell you tales of the high seas and smooth rum. His blog will take you through the Rum lifestyles of a fine group of people that enjoy the fun and pleasure of fine rums. He travels to distilleries, partys, and Rum Events to bring people the Rumstyles of all those he comes in contact with.

Barbados Sun – Beach, Sea, Sun – It doesn’t get any better. Barbados travel information.

Bermuda Shorts – For island news and tropical updates, it’s your daily dish from paradise.

BigKahuna Brew – Fun in the sun with the beer and the rum. Enjoying craft beer, food of all kinds, airplanes, beaches and the high planes of eastern Colorado.

Bonaire Bliss – Great blog about the day to day happenings on the south Caribbean island of Bonaire.

BVI Music – the one-stop source for artist information and live music performances taking place in The British Virgin Islands.

Camille in the Caribbean – “Chronicling my journey with the Peace Corps”. Based out of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Caribbean Travel and Life – Great magazine blog page about all things Caribbean. Travel discounts, information and more.

Caribbean Travel News – Offers Caribbean hotel information and other great travel tips.

Chesney World – your number one stop on the web for Kenny Chesney news and tour information.

Coastlines & Tan Lines – Written by a finalist in the Tommy Bahama Rumologist contest, my friend Carl Grooms represents the island vibe to a T. This island boy produces great videos of his Caribbean and rum explorations.

Discovering Puerto Rico – brings you non biased, accurate information on things to see and do in Puerto Rico. From popular attractions to lesser known spots around the island I hope to provide you with information to help make your vacation here memorable.

Following The Equator: Voyages of Equinox – Welcome Aboard! We’re just a family following our dreams, living aboard and cruising where we can. Feel free to follow in our wake as we journey aboard our our 2007 Kadey-Krogen 58′!

Irie Time – “My Irie Time is a collection of photographs and stories from our travels through the Caribbean. “Irie” means to be at peace with your state of being, and in a worry-free mindset, just how I feel when my feet hit the sand on the beach.”

ISLANDS Magazine – This magazine’s blog is great. It features stories from islands all over the world. They have some of the best writers and photographers in the business.

Jimmy Buffett World – your number one stop on the web for Jimmy Buffett news and tour information.

Key West The Blog – is a local’s perspective and, in pictures and words,  sharing the news and views of the island life with you.

No See Um’s Blog – Life on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. This guy posts some great photos of how weird and crazy life in the islands can be.

Pirate’s Paradise Adventures – This is a blog for a boat rental company in the USVI. They do a great job of writing interesting stories about the Virgin Islands.

Professor Beach – From the professor: I’ve always said “its fun to visit the worlds best beach locations, but what really matters is that there is great town up the road to eat, drink, shop, sleep and be entertained in”.

Rum Connection – This guy knows his rum. Mike from RumConnection.com is a rum expert and regular judge in international rum competitions. Dedicated to providing rum lovers with the latest news, exclusive articles and critical information about the tradition and culture of rum.

Rumdood – Matt Robold is an Orange County, California-based rum connoisseur and cocktail enthusiast that likes to write about his passions on his blog RumDood.com.

Rum Therapy – A soft tropical breeze, the warm sun touching your skin and a rum beverage in hand. Therapeutic, huh? We think so and through our line of vacation wear, t-shirts, caps and more, we hope to embody the island spirit so you can capture that feeling when you need to.

San Pedro Scoop – “About 5 yrs ago, I moved as a single woman to San Pedro from NYC. I want to show all sides of island life; give you the SanPedroScoop. The island is one of the most beautiful places on earth but every day I see something hard to Belize.”

See St. John – St. John Life – All about St John, Virgin Islands (USVI)

On-St. John – My favorite St. John blog. These guys make the best island videos and give the coolest information of beautiful STJ.

St. Thomas Blog – “We created this website to share our experience and knowledge of St. Thomas. We want to fill you in on everything; great St Thomas restaurants, nightlife, bars, St Thomas real estate, which car ferry to St. John is the fastest, how to greet the locals, what time and day to hit the post office in order to avoid a 35 minute line…you get the idea.”

Taco Girl – “I stepped outside the box and moved to the tropical island of Ambergris Caye off the coast of Belize where I started tacogirl.com – a daily expat travel blog with a unique twist.”

Team Cocktail – These guys know how to party. Based out of my home town of Kansas City but have salt water their veins, Team Cocktails is an island inspired clothing company. They have a fun blog and are always giving away some great TC gear.

The Blog of Maho – Green Musings of an Eco Resort. Maho Bay Camps North Shore Road, St. John, US Virgin Islands. An Eco Resort in the US Virgin Islands.

The Sand Slipper – “Journey with me as I navigate the 700 islands, and direct you to the best fishing holes, watering holes, beaches , party spots, and the most secret getaways that weren’t discovered by Christopher Columbus.”

The Trinadad Charlies – Melissa, Emily, and Noelle or Charley M, E, or N. Three girls on a journey to find their own palm tree paradise. Join us as we embark on a wild ride!

Uncommon Caribbean – UC offers an engaging journey beyond the region’s well-trod sun, sand and sea attractions to reveal a unique side of the Caribbean seldom featured in traditional travel guides.

Webcam Grenada Blog - “Our website is not just another travel guide for Grenada. It is much much more. Grenada is our home, and on this site you will get to see some of the ‘real’ Grenada. Here you will see a selection of things we like to do, places we visit and events which we have gone to, which we have written about in our blog.”

Windtraveler – When two people, with the same life long dream of sailing around the world find each other, there’s only one thing to do… make it happen!

Zero To Cruising – “From total sailing newbies to live-aboard cruisers. How we made it happen!” Follow their island hopping adventures throughout the Caribbean. I got the chance to hang out with Mike and Rebecca on Grenada this year and hand a blast with them. Great people and a fun blog to follow.

____________________________

Again, if you have a Island/Beach/Caribbean style blog and would like to be mentioned just leave a comment and link below and I’ll check you out.

Have a great New Year Castaways!
Cheers,
RumShopRyan

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Again, Merry Christmas, stay warm and enjoy a boat drink or two this holiday season.

Cheers!
RumShopRyan

Last weekend was spent in Key West, participating in the Conched in Key West Bar Crawl. The event started out as just some online friends wanting to get together in a beautiful place like Key West and paint the town with rum. It quickly evolved into more than just a group of island junkies looking for a fix, it turned into a chance to really make a difference and have fun doing it.

Each of the sponsors; Team Cocktail, Rum Connection, Shawn Martin, Conch Republic Bikinis, Hoffman Publications, the Shot Doctor and RumShopRyan – are active online with blogging/social media and have good size readerships. Why not take a little of that influence and invite people (Castaways) to come down to Key West with us and raise money for charity at the same time. The charity we chose was to support the families of the Naval base there in the Keys.

Sponsors of Conch in Key West

So that’s how the Conched in Key West Bar Crawl was started. Now I could write a story about how we went to this bar and that bar, how we drank this cocktail and tried this rum, how the fun lasted till the wee hours of the night and how we can’t wait till next year but I’m not going to do that.

Instead I’m going to tell you about the people and let the photos tell their stories. I titled this post with “A Meeting of the Minds” not because it has anything to do with the large gathering of Jimmy Buffett Parrotheads that will be invading Key West next month also called Meeting of the Minds, but because the people who participated in our Conched in Key West crawl.

BigKahunaBrew (Charles) & RumShopRyan

My buddy Carl of Conch Republic Bikinis wrote a good story yesterday and I think he hit the nail on the head. Most of us have never met, we only know each other through words on a screen, a thumbnail photo and a Twitter handle. But something special happens when you throw a group of people together that all have the same salty, rum infused soul. Handshakes be damned, I’m giving you a hug and buying you a drink!

Raffle for a bottle of Tommy Bahama Rum

We had a group of about 30 crawlers and raised somewhere around $1500-$2000, exact figure is still being worked out due to t-shirt sales. We hit up 9 or 10 bars, you tend to lose track of things as the crawl drags on. The bars we hit, many I’ve never even been to before, where great. Places like the Cork & Stogie, Pearl’s Patio, Rum Bar, Virgilio’s, Krawl off Duval, Overboard Bar & Grill, Captain Tony’s and Irish Kevins. I think a few more places were sprinkled in there, I just can’t recall all their names right now.

Bahama Bob at the Rum and his infamous Root Juice

We raffled off things like limited edition Tommy Bahama Rum, Team Cocktail gift cards, a bunch of Castaway gear and all the proceeds went right to the charity.

Do you know where this is?

But like I said, this wasn’t just an average bar crawl, it wasn’t just an excuse for a bunch of people to get together and drink their way down Duval. It’s the start of something new, the start of lasting friendships and a chance for many to get a taste of the islands. We had crawlers travel from Colorado, South Dakota, Kansas and I think a couple were from Maryland.

Steven and Erin - Nice Koozie Steven!

We are planning on making this an annual event, so if you couldn’t make it this year, start planning for next year. Next year will be bigger and better and everyone is already excited about returning.

Rum Connection Mike and RumShopRyan

New friends, a great charity, an island with a crazy personality and a little bit of rum, mix those all together and you get the Conched in Key West Bar Crawl. It was an amazing time and I’m already missing my new pirate friends.

To see the rest of the Conched in Key West photos you can go to the RumShopRyan Facebook page here and see our Flickr group here.

Cheers to next year!

RumShopRyan

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10 years ago we were flooded with emotion, to many feelings happening all at one time it was impossible to contain. Sorrow, fear, hate, sympathy, love, desperation, unity, resolve and revenge.

10 years ago on September 11th we watched as towers fell, people perished and lives were changed. On September 12th and the days following, this great country came together the likes I never new possible. We came together in the form of loving arms, to take care of those effected by this tragedy. We came together in the form of a hammer, to rebuild out cities, big and better, heeling the bruises of our wounded country. We came together in the form of a fist, to take the fight to our cowardice enemies, to show them we are strong, we are powerful, we are unrelenting and that we are Americans.

Today we stand silent, we close our eyes and think about the people that gave their lives. We think about the our loved ones, we think about the heroic acts of strangers and we think about never letting this happen again. We think about those to continue to fight for our freedom and keep us safe.

Today we watch, we watch as the bruises in our proudest city, our capital city and a field in Pennsylvanian heal. Like a phoenix from the ashes, these spots that were once filled with so much tragedy are transformed into a places of remembrance, renewal and strength.

Today we remember.

How does a Castaway prepare for a pending hurricane? A little differently than the common soul.

I’ve experience a few storms since my move in 2001. Of course 2004 was a tough season. That was the year that us here in south Florida felt the wrath of Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne. Then the very next year we took a shot from Wilma. Good times.

A lot of people have these things called “Hurricane Parties.” You get together with friends and help them board up, have some rum and watch the weather channel. Cities shut down, people are off of work and there’s a monster that looms just over the horizon, what else are you suppose to do but have a little fun!

NOTE: I would only recommend this for tropical storms and hurricanes up to a Category 2. Wilma was a Cat 2 coming in but turned into a 3 at landfall and let me tell you, it got a little scary. I would evacuate if a Cat 3 or higher came this way again.

Hurricane Preparations

So you’re staying in town and are going to ride out the storm. There are a few things you need.

1. WATER – This should be obvious, but you never know with some people. When a storm come through local drinking water can become contaminated and undrinkable. And without electricity to boil water you’re going to need a supply of your own.

2. RUM & BEER (CASTAWAY) – These are essentials for hurricane parties, but you have to be smart. Drink the beer first while it’s cold. After the storm blows through like a pissed off 6 year old with ADD, and you won’t have a cold fridge to keep the beer cold. Rum you sip at room temperature, plus you might need something a little stronger depending on the damage the storm caused.

3. MIXERS (CASTAWAY) – If you like to mix your rum with something then you need to think about a mixer that can be kept at room temperature. Things like fruit juices that have to be kept cold are going to spoil like my shorts after eating Mexican. Things like coke, bloody mary mix, sweet and sour will work nicely. Hopefully you have some ice in a cooler.

4. ICE – Once power goes out your going to be up the proverbial river and realize just hope important electricity is. Before the storm hits, fill all your coolers with ice. You’ll need this to keep some food cold that you don’t want to spoil. Plus you’ll need a couple cubes for that Rum and Coke right?

5. GASOLINE – Who knows when gas stations are going to open up again after a storm. Make sure your car is gassed up. Of course if the storm tosses it into a tree, then you’re not really going anywhere anyways. If you have a generator, which many people in hurricane prone areas do, then you’ll need gas for that as well.

6. BATTERIES – No brainer….flashlights, radios, Tickle-me-Elmo. You know, important stuff.

7. GAMES – Without power you’re going to get bored. Instead of looting the local Wal-Mart, why not play some Taboo or Apples to Apples. Get the gang together and play some poker and make the hurricane a money making experience. I don’t think your buddy with the car in a tree is going to make it though.

8. CANNED FOOD – I went to the store earlier this week to grab some non-perishable food. I was a little lost since Erin does most of the shopping, so the only thing I got were cans of Chef Boyardee Overstuffed Ravioli, Nutter Butter cookies and a six-pack of Carib beer. I really should be supervised when shopping.

That is my list of hurricane preparations. What items would you add to the list?

Cheers,
RumShopRyan

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I hit the beach probably 2-3 times a week. You can usually find me on Bonita Beach near Doc’s, Lover’s Key Beach at Big Carlos Pass, or on Ft. Myers Beach. I like to kick back with a good book, my iPod and a nice view of the Gulf of Mexico. Simple and peaceful.

It never fails though, I’m sitting there on an uncrowded section of sand and guess what happens, a family of 5 with 3 kids sets up a small city right in front of me. Gulf view gone, peace destroyed.  They unfold their chairs and place them in a neat row, creating an impenetrable wall of canvas and overweight bodies. The kids scream in pitches I didn’t think possible and kick sand on all nearby.

There’s only one choice…move. Castaway Shawn said he carries a bag of potato chips just for this reason. As he gets up and moves to a new plot of sand, he quietly takes a handful of chips and tosses them behind the chairs of the offending party. What happens next is an aerial bombardment of screeching seagulls. Revenge is sweet.

This frustration brings me to the unwritten rules of the beach. I’m going to list a few of the most common rules, then you guys can list rules you have below in the comment section. Hopefully the oblivious offenders read this and learn the social laws of the sand.

Unwritten Rules of the Beach

1. Space

Like I mentioned above, if there is plenty of open space on the beach, do not set up your campsite next to another party. It’s called personal space, people like to have it. The only exception is if the other party is attractive and you wish to start a conversation, even then that’s an ify situation. Fill the empty parts of the beach and try not to sit directly in front of another person’s view.

2. Kids

Kids are great, I love kids, but they are wild crazy animals. They yell, scream, kick sand and cry. They are destroyers of peace. When heading to the beach with kids, seek out a place on the sand close to another family with kids. This will hopefully keep the ciaos contained to local areas and give the kids some other terrorists to play with and entertain themselves.

 3. Banana Hammocks

I’m writing this from the perspective of a Floridian. This is the United States, not the south of France. Men in speedos is not acceptable. This is a huge violation of the unwritten rules. No one wants to look at your man parts being held back by a small tight piece of material. If you’re visiting America you should follow the local customs. Board shorts and swimming trunks are the normal custom for the states.

4. Smoking

The sand on the beach is not your personal ashtray. I can’t stand smoking period, but to have it blow across your face at a place as tranquil as the beach is just offensive. If you just have to have a cancer stick on the beach, make sure you’re not close to other beach goers. You could even take a walk to the parking lot and do your business there. Also please put your cigarette butts in the trash when you’re done, not in the sand.

 5. Music

I love music at the beach…my music. There’s nothing better than staring out at the waves with some Buffett, Chesney, Mishka or Marley playing to set the mood. If you bring a radio to the beach make sure it’s loud enough for only you to hear. If you want it louder, ask the people close by if it is okay.

Those are 5 unwritten rules of the beach. If you’re an offender of any of these hopefully you learned a few things of what people expect at the beach.

If you have others you’d like to add, please do so in the comment section below.

Cheers!
RumShopRyan

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Our destination, Tigertail Beach on the beautiful Marco Island. Located on Hernando Drive, Tigertail beach rewards beach goers with thirty-one acres of  natural undisturbed sand.

I live about 5 minutes from the perfectly good white sands of Bonita Beach, but today I was talked into taking the 40 minute drive south to Marco Island and setting up camp on Tigertail Beach. This is one beach I haven’t yet buried my toes into, so I was pretty excited about the quest.

If you haven’t been to Tigertail before, the beach makes you work a little to enjoy its splendor. Once you unpack your car and load everything on you back like a mule, walk past the park’s restaurant, volleyball court, playground and other distractions. Waiting for you is a 50-60 yard walk through a tidal lagoon that is waist deep (I’m 6’2″) depending on tide. The lagoon bottom is a mix of mud and sand that makes walking somewhat difficult. You then have another 100 yard walk on a trail that takes you past sand dunes, Sea Grapes, and Sea Oats. It really is quite beautiful, but hot. The only thought bouncing through my sweaty head was, JUMP IN THE WATER!

Tidal Lagoon and Tigertail Beach, Red Dot Was Us

The trail comes to an end to revile a beautiful stretch of beach, free of human development and just waiting to be enjoyed. This is my kind of place. The fact that it’s a little difficult to get to keeps the crowds away, so you’ll have a nice plot to yourself without anyone encroaching on your space.

Tigertail Beach, Looking South

Tigertail Beach, Looking North

What only ten years ago was Tigertail’s sandbar is now Sand Dollar Island, a barrier island in the making. Changes in the formation of the island are noticeable on a yearly basis and its development is a welcome occurrence for the many shorebirds that now use it as a nesting site.

Shore Bird On Tigertail Beach

We spend the day floating in the shallow clear waters and listening to Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Chesney and Pirate Sessions. Corona in hand, sun on my skin and good company, life was good. Man do I love southwest Florida and the barrier islands.

Living "THE LIFE"

Was all the work to get to this beach worth it? You can’t see it, but the smile I have on my face as I recall the day says most definitely…yes.

Tigertail Beach: Facilities

• 210 Parking Spaces
• Bathhouse
• 5 Boardwalks
• Concessions with beach equipment rentals, food & drinks
• Picnic area with grills
• Sand Volleyball Court
• Playground
• Butterfly Garden
• Handicapped beach wheelchair
• Rest Rooms

Cheers,
RumShopRyan

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Good times! Thanks Rori and Ben, I had a great blast!

Cheers,
RumShopRyan

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Here is the Fox News list of the best Caribbean beers:

• Carib Lager – Trinidad, St. Kitts, Grenada
• Kalik Gold – Bahamas
• Red Stripe – Jamaica
• Blackbeard Ale – Virgin Islands
• Presidente – Dominican Republic

This list has some of the usual suspects with only one real surprise, the Blackbeard Ale. The headline said the best Caribbean beers, to me this list says most popular or most widely distributed, not necessarily the best. Has the writer really tried all of the smaller Caribbean beer labels? I think some really good beers got left off this list, they only missed the boat because they aren’t the big bottle on the beach.

Carib Beer Sign

First, I would kick Presidente right off the list. Big boot straight to the ass. For whatever reason, every time I drink more than one of these I get a headache. I know it’s a popular beer with many, just not this pirate.

I would have to say goodbye to the Blackbeard Ale as well. Only because I haven’t had the pleasure of it touching my lips.

Kalik Gold from the Bahamas

Carib, Kalik Gold, and Red Stripe, these are some of my favorites and they find themselves in my beach cooler just about every weekend, but are they the best or just the most popular? Probably a little of both.

In my opinion I believe Banks Beer from Barbados and Imperial from Costa Rica should be added in place of the Blackbeard Ale and Presidente. Both have very unique flavors, taste great and are refreshing to the last drop.

Other Top Caribbean Beers

Belikin Beer from Belize

Honorable mentions go to: Balashi Beer from Aruba, Sands from the Bahamas, Caybrew from the Cayman Islands, Medalla Light from Puerto Rico, and Belikin Beer from Belize.

You can read about the battle of the Bahamas between Kalik and SANDS here.

Of course when it comes right down to it, it all depends on the drinker’s tastebuds. Your top 5 Caribbean beers may differ from mine and the Fox News list completely, that’s fine. The most important part is that you enjoy it with a smile on your face and hopefully with your toes covered in Caribbean sand.

Cheers Castaways!
RumShopRyan

(Red Strip photo from dameonrb via Flickr, Carib Beer sign from erikaheinzurlaub via Flickr)

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The good people at the Marriott and I got on the phone and were discussing all the activities that there is to do on property and on the island. So much so that it will be impossible to fit it all into a 5 day trip. We decided the best way to choose the activities for me to write about was to have the Castaways vote on them! After all, you’re the ones responsible for sending this bald pirate on the Beach Blogger trip.

The Marriott Caribbean & Mexican Resorts has set up a Facebook page to collect the votes. On the left hand side, under the main photo you’ll see a tab that says “Beach Blogger Voting“, click that and cast your votes.

Beach Blogger Voting

Here are the daily activities you’ll be choosing from.

Day 1:

• Have moonlight mojitos at the Key Cigar & Rum Bar
• Try some soothing Emerald Mist Spa treatments
• Climb the sleeping Mount Liamuiga volcano
• Jet ski along the clear blue Caribbean coast

Day 2:

• Trek along the Valley of the Giants rainforest tour
• Explore Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park
• Tee it up on the Royal St. Kitts Golf Course
• Catch a sunset Catamaran cruise

Day 3:

• Visit beachfront rum shops like the Shiggidy Shack
• Experience the island in an off-road ATV
• Double down at the Royal Beach Casino
• Zipline through the luscious rainforest

Thanks for voting everyone. Can’t wait to see the adventures you’re going to be sending me on.

Cheers,
RumShopRyan

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