Caribbean Travel Blog - RumShopRyan

Uncommon Caribbean Slates @GoDomRep Week, May 20-26

RumShopRyan — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:42:03 +0000

(Photo by Patrick Bennett)

Our friends at Uncommon Caribbean are spending a week celebrating the Dominican Republic. During this celebration they are giving away a trip for two to Cabarete, DR plus a host of prizes to go with it. Here are the details. Good luck!

Uncommon Caribbean, an innovative travel and lifestyle website updated daily with fresh, original content showcasing the best of the West Indies, has designated May 20-26 @GoDomRep Week! Throughout the weeklong celebration, all Uncommon Caribbean content will highlight experiential travel adventures, cuisine, libations, music and attractions travelers can enjoy throughout the country. As an added bonus, Uncommon Caribbean will also launch a sweepstakes during @GoDomRep Week offering readers the opportunity to win a beachfront villa stay in Cabarete, including kiteboarding lessons and an excursion to nearby waterfalls.

“As they say, the Dominican Republic has it all, especially for uncommon travelers,” said Patrick Bennett, Uncommon Caribbean co-founder and creative director. “I’ve visited the country twice in the past year, and have loved it so much I’m heading back during our @GoDomRep celebration next week! The natural beauty, adventure, history, food, culture, amazing people, quirky customs – the Dominican Republic satisfies every wanderlust, making it the perfect spotlight destination for our first dedicated week of coverage.”

Uncommon Caribbean’s @GoDomRep Week will feature photo, video and editorial content researched by Patrick during his recent visits to Cabarete, Pico Duarte, Punta Cana, Samaná, La Romana, Isla Catalina, and Santo Domingo, with additional stories produced by Uncommon Caribbean co-founder and editorial director, Steve Bennett.

“As with all of our content, the @GoDomRep Week stories will reflect our own personal experiences, likes and dislikes, providing the reader with an honest and insightful overview of what it’s like to visit and experience the country,” noted Steve. “Our hope is that readers will benefit from our informed perspective and go, themselves, to the Dominican Republic in 2013 and beyond.”

Uncommon Caribbean’s @GoDomRep Week kicks off Monday, May 20th with two posts – the first a video retrospective highlighting Patrick’s recent travels to the country will be followed by a story touting the launch of the Cabarete Sweepstakes, including details illustrating how to enter.

To keep current with Uncommon Caribbean coverage on the Dominican Republic, visit http://www.uncommoncaribbean.com/destination/dominican-republic/

About Uncommon Caribbean (www.uncommoncaribbean.com)

UncommonCaribbean.com reaches a monthly audience in excess of 60,000 readers, counting web traffic and social media outreach. Headquartered in South Florida with satellite offices in New York, Uncommon Caribbean is led by the Bennett brothers – Steve (editorial director) and Patrick (creative director). Both natives of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands with roots in Trinidad & Tobago, Steve and Patrick each carry 10+ years of marketing communications experience with the bulk of Steve’s experience focused squarely on the Caribbean travel and tourism industry.

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Video: Island Girl Cocktail Recipe From Blue Chair Bay Rum

RumShopRyan — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:34:59 +0000

After one sip, you’ll trade it in for a whole ‘nother world.

It seems like everyone is still hungry for anything Blue Chair Bay Rum related and I’m not one to disappoint. Last week we featured the Cinnamon Sun drink recipe from Blue Chair Bay Rum (BCBR) and this week we’re going to do the Island Girl recipe. Something tells me you guys are going to like this one.

The Island Girl drink is another creation from master mixologist Jonathan Pogash and is a featured drink that you can find on the Blue Chair Bay Rum website. When I was at the BCBR launch event in Orlando about a month ago we got the chance to try many of the different signature BCBR cocktails. After trying the Island Girl once I was hooked. It became my go-to cocktail for the remainder of the event. I guess it’s true what they say, once you go Island Girl, you don’t go back! We could easily get off topic with all this talk of island girls…must focus!

To show you the Island Girl recipe I thought I’d recruit a little help. I just so happen to know an Island Girl and asked her to show you guys how to mix this drink up. I’ll gladly take the back seat and let Island Girl Erin show you how it’s done, that is until it’s time to do some taste testing!

Blue Chair Bay Rum’s Island Girl Drink Recipe

Island Girl Drink Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz. Blue Chair Bay Coconut

 1 oz. orange juice

1 oz. pineapple juice

2 oz. lemon-lime soda

Mixing Instructions: Add ingredients directly to tall glass with ice. Stir, then garnish with orange wheel and cherry. Raise glass and toast.

I think all you Castaways are going to enjoy the Island Girl drink from Blue Chair Bay Rum. Let me know if you mix one up and what you thought. Have you gotten your hands on any of Kenny’s Blue Chair Bay Rum yet? Let us know what you think of it!

Cheers!

RumShopRyan

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Winners Of The Kenny And Costa Photo Contest Are…

RumShopRyan — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:09:06 +0000

Before I announce the winners of the Goin’ Coastal with Kenny & Costa Photo Contest I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to submit a photo and everyone who kept voting for their favorites. We had 89 amazing photos submitted of people living the island lifestyle and I loved them all! Fun contests like this wouldn’t be possible without great people like all of you and for that I thank you. Nice work Castaways!

Secondly I’d like to thank the great people of Costa del Mar for donating two rockin’ Kenny Chesney signature Costa sunglasses. Kenny and Costa teamed up three years ago to bring people a signature line of sunglasses. Not only are Kenny’s island lifestyle and Costa’s water lifestyle a perfect match, but $5 from each pair sold goes to the Coastal Conservation Association. The Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) is a grassroots advocacy organization dedicated to ocean and coastal conservation programs. Since 2010, more than $80,000 has already been donated to CCA as a result of the Kenny Chesney and Costa partnership. The CCA has helped fund habitat restoration initiatives throughout the Gulf of Mexico as well as reef creation and oyster restoration projects around the Southeast.

Now with that all said, it’s time to announce the winners!

Winners of the Goin’ Coastal with Kenny & Costa Photo Contest

Congratulations to CJ Hudson and Jeff Howard!

Our first place winner was CJ with a total of 440 votes. CJ wanted to win a pair of Kenny Costas for his wife and he succeed! Here is what CJ had to say about his photo, “We are 2 school teachers who were on our Honeymoon during spring break of this year. We were in the Riviera Maya near Tulum at the Royal Catalonia Tulum.”

Our second place winner is Jeff Howard of St. Thomas USVI with 334 total votes. Here’s what Jeff had to say about his photo.

“The photo was taken by Kathy H. as she ,my best friend Scott and Micki all were celebrating my 50th birthday (Nov.9th,2010) on St John, photo is at Maho Bay…..it was definitely a WAYTOOMUCHFUNCLUB event!!”

I’ll be mailing out their Kenny Costas tomorrow, hopefully they will send in a photo of them sportin’ their new shades!

Again, big thanks to everyone who participated! You guys rock.

Cheers!
RumShopRyan

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Storytime With Jimmy Buffett and Mishka

RumShopRyan — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:21:40 +0000

When we see our favorite musicians play the songs we love, what we are seeing is the end result of a long creative process. Many hours were spent coming up with the lyrics and the melody, then many more practicing each song. The creative process, and the stories behind the songs are what most of us don’t get to see. So when we do get to see a video like the one below , one that shows us this behind the curtain look, it makes the connection we have with the musician so much stronger.

Mailboat Records released this little behind the scenes video of Jimmy Buffett and Mishka a couple months ago. In the video you’ll hear Jimmy tell the fascinating story of how he and Mishka met many many years ago in the Caribbean on St. Barths. You’ll hear Jimmy play a verse from his “Chanson pour les petits enfants,” a song that was inspired by their meeting.

Buffett and Mishka also pair up to sing part of Mishka’s new hit, “Ocean is My Potion.” The two casually sing the song in a intimate jam session. These are the type of closed door creative sessions that are so cool to see if you can. Thank you Mailboat Records for giving us this at to great artists.

Jimmy Buffett & Mishka

Pretty cool to see them just chilling out, not performing for mass audiences. Just a couple guys telling their stories and putting some music to it. Simple, amazing, real.

You can listen to Mishka’s new EP album, “Ocean Is My Potion” here on iTunes.

Cheers!
RumShopRyan

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New Edition Of Castaways In The Wild!

RumShopRyan — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:21:20 +0000

It’s time for another Castaways in the Wild post! My favorite!

It’s been a couple months since the last Castaways in the Wild post and in that time I’ve received some stunning photos from you guys. This addition highlights Castaways in Grand Cayman, the Exumas, Key West, Hawaii, Turks and Caicos, Cozumel, Grenada and more.

The photo above is from Castaways Brian and Paige as they relax at Satana’s Beach Bar on Little Exuma in the Bahamas. They loved Dee’s lobster of course!

Here they are, the most recent photos sent in by you guys living the Castaway lifestyle. Cheers!

Castaways In The Wild

RSR showing up on the ticket counter in the March Harbour Airport, Abaco Bahamas. Thank you Island-concierge.com

BigKahunaBrewer living the island life on Waikiki Beach!

Bill H. knows what to do when visiting Cozumel! Cheers!

Deedee M. spotted this worn out sticker at the Smokin’ Tuna bar in Key West! Love that bar!

Mike and Lorrie living like Castaways on Grand Cayman. Wish I was there!

Mike and Lorrie doing and little Stand Up Paddle boarding with cold refreshments!

Castaway Mark B. of island-breeze-travel.com diving in the Turks & Caicos. See the visor?

Brian and Paige of HookedOnSUP.com island hopping in the Exumas.

Mr. RumConnection.com limin’ on Carriacou. Union Island in the background.

Shari J. has a great collection don’t you think!?

Thanks again for all the great photos guys! If you’d like to submit a photo with your Castaway gear, feel free to email me or post them on the RumShopRyan Facebook page. If you don’t have any Castaway gear yet, you need to join this exclusive club! The available items are located in the Castaway Store. Keep sending in those great photos guys! Here are some more great photos of Castaways in the Wild from the past.

Cheers!
RumShopRyan

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Best Scuba Diving and Snorkeling in the Caribbean

RumShopRyan — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:32:11 +0000

This is a guest post from Angie Picardo, a writer at TravelNerd.com.

If you are planning on going to the Caribbean, scuba diving and snorkeling is a must. Diving the underwater world of the Caribbean is a phenomenal way to experience the islands. Let’s look at some of the more magnificent reefs and islands suited to explore the underwater world. From huge holes in the ocean floor, to massive expansive reefs, the options are vast for anyone looking for the best places to go scuba diving in the Caribbean.

Cozumel, Mexico

Cozumel is considered by many to be the best spot to snorkel or scuba dive in the Caribbean. The water surrounding the island is crystal clear due to the currents flowing around it, and visibility on a good day is around 100 feet. There are at least 16 reefs to dive from, and the wildlife within them includes stingrays, eels, barracudas and nurse sharks. The landscape around Cozumel is extremely diverse, including dive levels from shore to deep, all of them being drift dives. You may discover landforms like underwater caves, drop offs that go deep down into the black ocean abyss, or underwater mountain pinnacles. An underwater camera would be a good piece of equipment to bring with, as the reefs are aglow with vibrant colors any traveler would want to remember.

Cayman Islands

The Cayman Islands are a must for divers of any experience level. The level of natural beauty and ability to connect with wildlife makes it a bucket list type of event. The Cayman Islands are packed full of marine life, and nearly the entire pallet of colors is available for divers to see on the reefs. Stingray City will allow swimmers to float amongst stingrays and touch them as they swim by. The stingrays are fed regular meals of fish entrails daily, and as such are domesticated and highly unlikely to harm anyone. On an average day in the Cayman Islands visibility is up to 150 feet through the Caribbean waters, and 200 feet on a perfect day.

Roatan

If you want to find the largest reef in the Caribbean (2nd only the Great Barrier Reef in Australia) then you should travel to Roatan. Of all the bay islands, Roatan is the largest. Each Bay Island offers great scuba diving locations. The reefs are all around the islands so they are very accessible, as are the underwater mountain ranges that stretch around. There are a variety of resorts that offer this experience including Coco View. Off the coast of Roatan there are plenty of abandoned shipwrecks and volcanoes for divers to explore. Combined with 750 species of fish, 80 species of coral, and a resort where you can interact and swim with dolphins in shallow water, Roatan makes a great choice for prospective vacationers.

Belize

Belize is another great choice for divers looking for a stunningly beautiful and awe-inspiring experience through scuba diving or snorkeling. Belize has a 185 mile long barrier reef which houses creatures and marine life ranging from sharks, sting rays, manatees, coral, sponges, and bigger fish. One unique feature of Belize is the Great Blue Hole, a hole in the ocean floor 1,000 feet across and 400 feet deep. This magnificent hole lures divers from all over the world just to see it. In addition to the hole, one mile out from the shore the ocean floors drop over 2,500 feet down, offering plenty of terrain for the hardcore divers.

Angie Picardo is a writer at TravelNerd, a blog dedicated to helping you save money traveling to the destination of your dreams by comparing airport taxi options at over 72 airports.

Video: Cinnamon Sun Cocktail Recipe By Blue Chair Bay Rum

RumShopRyan — Wed, 15 May 2013 11:35:16 +0000

After one sip, you’ll be cracking nuts high in a Coconut Tree.

This is the month that Kenny Chesney’s new Blue Chair Bay Rum is hitting stores. I’ve seen many excited comments from people that have finally got their hands on the new rum and many comments from those still eagerly waiting. Today I’m going to show you what you can do with the rum. Yes, drink it of course! But let’s mix a little somethin’ somethin’ up shall we.

During the Blue Chair Bay Rum launch event in Orlando I was able to meet the master mixologist Jonathan Pogash. Jonathan is responsible for coming up with the Blue Chair Bay cocktail recipes. Knowing Kenny, I’m sure he was right there helping with the taste testing, making sure each drink is pure island heaven in a glass. After tasting quite a few of them, I’d have to say they were successful.

This week’s cocktail recipe is called the Cinnamon Sun. It’s super simple and damn good. It has only two ingredients, Coconut Water and Blue Chair Bay Coconut Spiced Rum. I love drinks with Coconut Water in them, it creates such a refreshing taste. The perfect solution to cool down a hot day in the tropical sun. The Coconut Spiced Rum is the perfect flavor to go with the Coconut Water, it gives the simple drink that little burst of flavor so your not overwhelmed by the Coconut water. Then finally you add a spark of cinnamon sugar to the rim of the glass, toss in a mint leaf or two and the Cinnamon Sun is ready for you enjoyment.

I created a short drink video for you guys. Watch as I mix a Cinnamon Sun cocktail on the back bay of Lovers Key. It was a stunningly beautiful day, one I will think about every time I sip on a Cinnamon Sun.

Blue Chair Bay Rum’s Cinnamon Sun Cocktail

Cinnamon Sun Cocktail Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz. Blue Chair Bay Coconut Spiced Rum

1 1/2 oz. Coconut water

Mixing Instructions: Add directly to an ice-filled highball glass rimmed with cinnamon sugar and stir briefly.  Put some mint on it and rock. Raise glass and toast.

I hope you Castaways enjoy the Cinnamon Sun cocktail. Let me know if you mix this drink up and what you thought. Have you gotten your hands on any of Kenny’s Blue Chair Bay Rum yet? Let us know what you think of it!

Cheers,

RumShopRyan

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Voting Starts Today! Goin’ Coastal With Kenny and Costa Photo Contest

RumShopRyan — Tue, 14 May 2013 11:33:41 +0000

It’s time to vote! For the last week people have been submitting their best photos that represent the Kenny Chesney and Costa lifestyles. From what I’ve seen the competition is intense! The photos are amazing, you guys definitely know how to live “The Life.”

Voting for your favorite photos starts today!

Voting Details – How You Win

The voting portion of the Goin’ Coastal with Kenny & Costa Photo Contest will last 7 days, May 14th-21th.

To see the the entries and vote click here – VOTE HERE

Voting takes place on the RumShopRyan Facebook page, under the Kenny Costa Photo Contest tab you see below.

There is a “More Entries” button on the bottom of the entries page. Click that to see and vote for all your favorites.

To win you want to get your photo the most votes. People will be able to vote for your photo once per day (once every 24 hours). The two photos with the most votes by May 21st win one of the two pairs of Kenny Chesney Costa Sunglasses pictured below. The photo with the most overall votes will get their choice of the two pairs of Kenny Costas.

Get your friends, your family, your co-workers, everyone you know to vote for your photo! Send them to the RumShopRyan Facebook page and have them click on the Kenny Costa Photo Contest Tab.

Remember people can vote once every 24 hours!

Use Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and any other social network you use to make those votes pour in!

THE PRIZES

The top 2 photos with the most votes will win either a pair of KC Kenny Chesney Costas or a pair of Grand Catalina Kenny Chesney Costas.

Head to the RumShopRyan Facebook page now to vote for your favorite photo!

Good luck to everyone that submitted a photo!

Cheers,

RumShopRyan

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Jimmy Buffett Performing “Boat Drinks” and “Volcano” At USVI Beach Bar

RumShopRyan — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:56:00 +0000

Going to a concert to see your favorite musician perform is an experience that you will likely remember for a long long time. If you are attending a Jimmy Buffett show you are likely joined by 35,000 other Parrotheads, all wearing their signs, fins and coconut bras. Get’s me excited just thinking about it. Traveling to see a Buffett show is something that many of you reading this do as an annual event. Event being the appropriate term indeed.

But what if you were to watch Jimmy play and it wasn’t an event. What if you were to stumble into a beach bar some place in the Caribbean, sand still sticking to your toes, and you find Buffett sitting on a barstool in the corner playing his classics acoustic?

At first you hear the music but assume the guy in the corner is covering Buffett. You head to the bar to grab a rum punch but the hairs on the back of your neck are standing up and you don’t quite know why. Your subconscious has picked up on the fact that this is no cover song, but you brain is slow to react. You take your first sip and turn your gaze to the musician in the corner. After coughing and nearly dropping your drink you realize that the old barefoot guy strumming the 6-string in the corner is noneother than the master storyteller himself, Jimmy Buffett.

I think seeing your favorite musician perform in an intimate setting like this would be a dream come true. The “pinch me” moment of a “pinch me” moments. It would be all about the moment, about the music, and not about the “event” like a large concert is.

This situation can happen, Buffett has been known to play a couple tunes at some of his favorite hang out spots in the Caribbean and around the world. I found this video of Buffett playing two classics, Boat Drinks and Volcano for a few people at what I think is the Sugar Bay Resort on St. Thomas.

At first it’s hard to tell exactly where he is, the description in the video doesn’t give any information. The MorningStarCharter.com on the video helps though. Morningstar is a boat charter company out of St. Thomas. Then Buffett changed up the lyrics towards the end of Volcano and said, “Sugar Bay” which is a resort on St. Thomas, so I’m just assuming. The video was uploaded in March of 2013 so I’m guessing this recently happened as well.

For me this would be something epic that I would remember for the rest of my life. Oh what I would have given to have stumbled into that beach bar and found the one and only JB sitting in the corner strumming away.

Have you found yourself in a situation like this? Have you caught one of your favorite musicians giving an impromptu concert for just a few folks at a bar? Leave a comment below and tell us all about it!

Cheers!

RumShopRyan

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Where Should I Go In The Caribbean?

RumShopRyan — Fri, 10 May 2013 12:59:03 +0000

This little Caribbean travel blog is over three and half years old now. In that time I’ve received countless emails from readers that share the same passion. Many of them have questions about the island, rum and why I point in all my photos. After awhile you begin to see trends and what people really want to know. I would say the most common question I get asked is…

What Caribbean island should I travel to?

It seems like a simple question, I could easily just tell the Castaway a couple of my favorite islands, wish them safe travels and to have a rum drink for me. But it’s not about me, it’s about them. It’s about what they like to do, what their idea of paradise is. Each person is different. That’s what makes the Caribbean so special, each island is different, each has its own unique personality.

Every time I get asked this question I immediately turn around and ask a few questions of my own. What do you like to do on vacation? Do you like to hike? Do you like to dive? Do you like to sail? Do you like to turn into a puddle of relaxation at a resort? Do you like to shop? Do you like to surf? There’s a million questions I could ask that would help to narrow down the perfect Caribbean island for that person.

Here are just a few Caribbean travel tips that will help you find the right island based on your interests.

Diving

Looking for the best spots to dive and snorkel? Belize, Bonaire and the Cayman Islands should be at the top of your list.

Romance

Looking for a romantic hideaway? A spot on Grace Bay on Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos or a majestic resort overlooking the Pitons on St. Lucia will fuel those fires of love.

Nightlife

Want a little nightlife in the Caribbean? Try San Juan, Puerto Rico or Dutch St. Maarten.

Hiking

Want to get your hike on? St. John in the USVI is laced with trails. Dominica is a hikers dream with trails that take you deep into the interior to the Valley of Desolation. The interior rainforests of Puerto Rico and St. Kitts also have a lot to offer adventurous hikers.

Sailing

Looking to raise the canvas for a week of island hopping? The British Virgin Islands, Abaco Islands of the Bahamas and the Grenadine Islands will satisfy your sailor’s soul.

Shopping

Do you love to make your credit card scream mercy while on vacation? St. Thomas in the USVI and Nassau in the Bahamas are a shoppers delight.

Escaping

Want to get lost? Want to relax where tourism hasn’t completely changed the island? To find a true Caribbean escape I would look into Nevis, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Tobago, St. Vincent and the Bay Islands of Honduras.

These are some of the “personalities” of a few islands. By no means would I call myself an end-all-be-all expert. Other locations that I didn’t mention probably can be listed in some of these categories, but these are what I know and can help you choose a Caribbean destination that suits your idea of paradise.

I love receiving your emails and questions so keep them coming! Hopefully this brief list will help you choose a Caribbean vacation that fits you. Do you have any suggestions I didn’t mention, leave a comment below.

Cheers!

RumShopRyan

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