VIEWPOINT

Hear or rather, as in this case, read, the word ‘Caribbean’ and you immediately think of special holidays. In the days before I’d visited any of these sun-kissed islands, they had an almost mythical status in my mind’s eye: the water was always clearer, the sands always whiter, the sun hotter and the cocktails cooler. Best of all, when I did make that first trip – for me, it was the Cayman Islands – it delivered. Stereotypes are there for a reason, and they’re not always bad. I saw those whiter than white sandy shores (curiously, not just up close but also from above in a helicopter piloted by a French stuntman); I scuba-dived into those warm waters to get acquainted with the local stingray; I ate the freshest fish at the Friday night grill; and I discovered a passion for birdlife, having spotted so many psychedelically coloured specimens. I even sailed into the distance on a sunset cruise, while sipping rum (some things you just have to do). But, while the Caribbean has all this, it’s not a matter of one size fits all, as each island has its own unique influences, whether cultural or due to its climate and geography. So although you can take some things for granted, we can’t just lump the islands into one giant pigeon-hole.

It’s worth taking time to explore their intricacies, and our Caribbean special on p92 is a good place to start.

If you’ve already been lucky enough to experience the

Caribbean of late, maybe you want to vote for it in our annual

Food and Travel Reader Awards, back in all its glory, to celebrate the best in our globe-trotting, gastronomic world, on p28.

Finally, as the world gets back to normal, don’t forget the tough time our hospitality and travel industries have been through, so get booking – from restaurant tables to island tours, flights of wine to flights to Spain, get out and make the most of our wonderful world of food and travel. It’s been waiting far too long.

EDITOR

Alex Mead

ʻGET BOOKING – FROM RESTAURANT TABLES TO ISLAND TOURS, FLIGHTS OF WINE TO FLIGHTS TO SPAIN, GET OUT AND MAKE THE MOST OF OUR WONDERFUL WORLD OF FOOD AND TRAVELʼ