Wildest Dreams

Posted by Petra, Staff Writer

I have been lucky to travel to many wonderful places, but I am not a lucky traveler. My luggage generally arrives two days after I do, and my flights leave no sooner than two hours behind schedule. And those are the good trips. I've been on a plane that had to emergency-land in Syracuse for gas, and a Carnival cruise where someone imitated the captain on the intercom system and ordered us all to "abandon ship" at 4 a.m.

Thus, it was no big shock during last summer's vacation with my boyfriend that our flight was delayed eight hours. Yep, eight. When at long last we arrived in Punta Cana, our luggage, naturally, did not. I spent two days on the beach fully clothed, since the resort had just one store with only one bathing suit style, which was basically a $90 thong situation.

The only upside: We each (much later) got a $250 voucher from American Airlines to (somewhat) make up for the fiasco. We cashed in those vouchers toward this summer's vacation, to a friend's destination wedding on the island of Dominica, in the West Indies. I am just back from that and, well, my luck changed. Drastically. I am superstitiously scared to talk about it, but I want you all to go visit this island, so I will.

First, we stayed at the bride's father's house near Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, for a few days (we flew through P.R. to get to Dominica). It was ... pretty nice. Here is a shot from the backyard, to give you a sense.

Um, yeah. So then, we headed to San Juan, where the I-can't-recommend-it-enough El San Juan hotel randomly upgraded us to a $750/night room with this view.

The luck continued in the casino, where we had an only-in-the-movies roulette incident involving just one chip tossed onto just one number (25). We won.

After that, I knew the highlight of the trip, Dominica (or at least the small-plane trip over there), was going to be royally awful, to balance all my good fortune. I really knew it during the 1.5-hour van ride that snaked through steep mountain curves toward the resort. This ride was basically hell. I balanced on a rickety fold-down seat and gripped my handbag so tightly to my chest that its color stained my top. Jungle Bay Resort was going to have to be outrageously amazing to make up for this. In keeping with our trip thus far, it was.

Jungle Bay is an eco-tourism destination where everything is locally grown and/or made, from the furniture to the rum in the cocktails. Here is an example of a guest room; there are hammock swings on the porch, and you're up in the tree canopy with the songbirds (and possums!).

The roots of a tree larger than any I've ever seen formed a "handrail" along the steps to our cabin -- cabin number 25, naturally.

Everything you see here (towel-swan included) is locally designed. There was also a beautiful, swirled woven rug. Because the cabins are on a steep hill above the sea, they stay well-ventilated -- no AC necessary. Our only real electrical appliance (other than lamps) was a modern one-shot coffee pot.

The pool is wild and natural, although still chlorinated. You feel like you're swimming in a forest pond ... minus all the scum.

Oh, and despite the romantic mosquito canopies over the beds, Jungle Bay is seriously sparse in bugs, which I found astonishing, having being eaten alive throughout Puerto Rico (I counted 29 bites on just my boyfriend's lower back after a kayak trip in a bioluminescent bay). They say that it once again has to do with the careful planning of how the resort sits on the cliff. You do see the occasional bizarrely huge insect, but more often you just see cute little lizards. I even had a little best-friends lizard-frog duo sitting in the cabin's almost-outdoor shower with me one morning. And oh, that shower!

In case you want a little more of that jungle-rainshower feeling, this panel lifts up. And, yes, there's hot water (the hotel uses energy-efficient, on-demand gas heating).

Here's the main building, swathed in wild flowers. Enormous yoga studios with shiny wooden floors occupy most of it. There's also a library where you can borrow or swap books and magazines.

When it came time for the wedding, we hopped into "limos" unlike any I've ridden in (those horrible Hummers have nothing on the Jungle Baby) and headed to a nearby cove, where waves crash right up into cliffs.

The bride and groom, Krupa and Rob, were married in an elaborate traditonal ceremony performed by the native Carib Indians, and they were draped in ceremonial robes pinned with blossoms.

The reception (there were about 40 guests) was held back in Jungle Bay's main building. I never really notice wedding cakes, but this one was so simple that it caught my eye. Perfect!

The most surprising thing about the whole vacation: Only one hour of airline delays, total, over four flights! All in all, a perfect trip. I hope my good travel luck continues despite my publicizing it here (cross fingers, knock on wood ... what are these desks made of, anyway?). More important, I hope the new husband and wife share lots of it in the days and years to come.

Comments

[Amy]

awwwww I'm glad you liked my little Puerto Rico!! (okay im totally jealous over the ESJ upgrade!)

[Petra]

Hi Naomi,

I'm so glad you're working on a story about the island -- as you can see, I could have rambled on about it forever! I did not personally go to the boiling lake, but fellow travelers did and seemed pretty excited by the experience. I will email you a few of their photos. I hope you get to go to Jungle Bay soon to experience it in person!

-Petra

[Naomi]

Hello Petra - loved seeing this post! In the past few weeks I have been researching Dominica and Jungle Bay for Conde Nast Traveler and have fallen in love with the resort and the island - without ever stepping a foot on it! It was a joy to see some other photos than those already online. I am currently planning my trip there and was wondering if you got to see any of the island's "boiling" lakes (sulfur pools)? That is on my list of things to do. (I, too, have taken a dip in the bioluminescent bay in PR and would recommend it to anyone!) Happy travels.

[casapinka]

This is a great write-up. Thanks for all the photos and details.

[Michelle]

Oh how special and unique, they will remember all that fun for ever, for sure!

[julie]

those roots....and that cabin..so beautiful!!