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Steve

Steve Bennett

PR guy by trade, West Indian by birth, Steve has been helping journalists tell stories about the Caribbean for nearly 20 years. As Uncommon Caribbean's editorial director, he finally gets a chance to spin a few yarns of his own. Steve's passport bears stamps from 29 Caribbean islands (and counting), many of which he's visited while leading media tours as the head of his PR firm, SBPR Corp. Steve resides in Fort Lauderdale, FL, though his heart remains in his home island of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.

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Steve
Steve

On-Site Curacao: Sailing Serene Spanish Water Bay

Spanish Waters, April 3, 2012/SBPR

It would be easy for many visitors to Curacao to miss out on Spanish Water Bay. This wonderfully serene and sheltered body of water lies a good bit away from the much more popular downtown Willemstad area, from whence most visitors to Curacao rarely tread.
While staying at the Hyatt Regency Curacao, the island’s newest and perhaps poshest resort property, a few weeks ago, I simply couldn’t miss this place. Indeed, the property lies directly on Spanish Water, which is a very good thing for anyone who stays, or strays here…

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Steve
Steve

Scout’s Place ‘Sabaoke’ Night, Saba’s Best (and Only?) Weekly Party

Richie Diesterheft (puroticorico) via flickr

In our recent conversation with Mark Yokoyama about the special scuba diving in Saba, we learned a lot about the island’s unique pinnacles, underrated shallow reefs, geothermal sand and abundant undersea wildlife. All of this (and that yummy Saba Spice) has us sold on visiting the tiny Dutch Caribbean paradise some day soon, but what, we wondered, is there to do in Saba once the sun goes down? Does the nightlife match the undersea wildlife?
The answer, not surprisingly, is no, though Mark did clue us in on one particular weekly party that any visitor to Saba won’t want to miss.

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Steve
Steve

Taste of the Caribbean: Excelsior Genuine Jamaican Water Crackers

Excelsior Genuine Jamaican Water Crackers/SBPR

PANIC!
The Miami Rum Renaissance Festival starts today, and my favorite West Indian grocery store is low on the life-saving Bajan biscuits that got me through my marathon judging duties at last year’s Caribbean Rum & Beer Festival. Eclipse Crackers helped me survive 40 rums in four hours. For the Miami event, the drink menu measures more than 100 rums!
Clearly, I need a replacement. Something light, yet hardy. Something tasty and capable of taming rum’s rough side.
What I need are Excelsior Genuine Jamaican Water Crackers.

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Steve
Steve

Wish You Were Here: Practicing Yoga in Costa Rica

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Striking the Virabhadrasana II warrior pose in Costa Rica.

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Steve
Steve

Head FAR Off the Beaten Path to Panama’s San Blas Islands

San Blas

When it comes to off-the-beaten-path Caribbean travel, you can hardly do any better than Panama’s San Blas Islands. An idyllic string of 378 islands and small cays, 49 of which are inhabited, San Blas is one of those remarkable places where time has virtually stood still for centuries.
The islands are inhabited by the Kuna Indians, who moved here when Spanish Conquistadors drove them out of mainland Panama. Like the Maroons in Jamaica and the Caribs in Dominica, the Kuna in San Blas are an autonomous society, living their daily lives much as their ancestors had hundreds of years ago.

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Steve
Steve

Friday Happy Hour: Picking a Fight in Curacao Over Green Rum

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At Uncommon Caribbean, we’re never ones to pick a fight. Well, not on purpose anyway. Occasionally, though, our thirst for knowledge, adventure and authentic West Indian experiences can rub some folks the wrong way.
You have to ask a lot of questions to get at the unique sort of information we share here each and every day, something that can sometimes create conflict, especially when you come across a disputed origin story like the one I encountered in Curacao a few days ago.

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Steve
Steve

Uncommon Attraction: St. George’s Cathedral, a True Guyanese Miracle

Ian MacKenzie (madmack66) via Flickr

For those inclined to base their uncommon travels around spiritual enlightenment, Guyana is a good place to go. The country boasts as diverse a collection of ethnicities as anywhere, with African, East Indian, European, Chinese and indigenous Amerindian peoples all calling Guyana home. This diversity has, in turn, spawned a rich spiritual tradition. Hinduism, Islam, and Rastafari are all followed. The Baha’i Faith is too.
As elsewhere in the Caribbean, though, Guyana’s most popular religion is Christianity. Its most enduring symbol: St. George’s Anglican Cathedral.

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