Your guide to the food and culture of the tropics

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Romantic Tropical Destinations Couples Can Go For a Weekend

Tropical vacations don’t need to be a week-long excursion to be romantic and enjoyable. Weekend getaways are a quintessential way for couples to recharge the batteries and reconnect with each other. Looking for somewhere to sweep your significant other away for a few days? Any of these Tropical destinations are reachable within 12-15 hours from anywhere in the continental United States.

Aruba

Daily flights go in and out of Queen Beatrix International Airport in Oranjestad, Aruba making it a perfect getaway for shorter trips. With flight times from Miami at less than three hours non-stop, it’s easy to maximize your time even on a tight schedule. Aruba offers couples parasailing, snorkeling, miles of white sand beaches.

From February 12th-24th, The Renaissance Aruba Resort and Casino in Oranjestad, Aruba offers last minute deals for couples wishing to escape. Starting at 328 U.S. dollars per night, couples can enjoy a kid free section of the hotel to unwind in privacy and quiet. There’s an on-site spa for couples massages, both casual and upscale dining, with ocean view room and suites available.

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U.S. Virgin Islands

If you don’t have a passport – and don’t have time to acquire one – the U.S. Virgin Islands is an ideal spot to jet-set for the weekend from the U.S. Additionally, with the official currency being the U.S. dollar and the official language being English, money worries and language barriers won’t apply.

Where else is better to spend a romantic weekend than Love City (Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands)? Saint John doesn’t have an airport, but it’s just a short 20-minute ferry ride away from Cyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas which Delta, American, Spirit, and United all fly into from major U.S. connection hubs.

For a simple getaway retreat, try the Caneel Bay Resort. It’s a beautiful, quiet haven with both modest rooms near the tennis courts all the way up to a private cottage that once belonged to the Rockefeller family.

 

Brazil

While most typical men have the twenty-second short term memory span of a chimpanzee and often forget special days like Valentine’s Day or for couples too busy at the beginning of a new year, consider a belated celebration in beautiful Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In Brazil, is a day set aside for lovers celebrations on June 12th. June 12th is set aside because it’s close to the day of death of Anthony of Padua, or St. Anthony who was a Portuguese priest who died on June 13th, 1261. The Brazilian Valentine’s Day is celebrated in a similar fashion as the U.S. and Europe. Chocolates and flowers are usually involved and couples generally go out to dinner and/or exchange gifts.

Direct, non-stop flights from the states to Rio are hard to come by, but connecting flights through American, Delta, and United are plentiful.

As good as place as any to start off your hunt for accommodations is the Santa Teresa Hotel in Rio, the Superior Room can be booked for as little as $282 per night which includes a mini bar, internet access, a king size bed, and, of course, an LCD TV. While not flashy in design, it lacks nothing a couple needs and offers the most important luxury of all – privacy.

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On site at Santa Teresa, couples can indulge in a side-by-side massage at the spa or relax in the sauna. There are two bars on site – one is pool-side and offers up light meals with views of the surrounding neighborhood.

Looking for something more romantic and upscale? Santa Teresa has you covered there too. While still casual, Restaurant Tereze is slightly more cosmopolitan offering a full dinner menu and over 200 wines in a private cellar.

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Tipsy in the Tropics: Relax with a Local Cocktail

Travel guides can be a big help with finding local restaurants abroad, but what about a local tropical cocktail? Those of us who are adventurous tend to seek out something exotic and authentic that we can’t find at home.  Aside from local cuisine, local cocktails are a great way to broaden your horizons when traveling abroad. Becoming friendly with residents native to your destination is a great way to find a cocktail that wasn’t mentioned in a guidebook or piece of literature at your hotel. If you haven’t been abroad lately to find new cocktails, we have a few here that will give you taste of the tropics and a pleasant buzz.

 

Mama Juana

Mama Juana (or mamajuana) is a drink native to the Dominican Republic. It’s made from rum, wine, and sometimes honey or cinnamon. To spice it up, various herbs, plants, and leaves native to the Dominican Republic – Canelilla leaves – are added. At first site, it doesn’t look terribly appetizing. It somewhat resembles sticks and trees bottled up in a jar with a strange looking liquid. Recipes vary depending on who makes it but usually it’s dark red in color with an alcohol content (about 20%) approaching that of a port wine.

Rumors and mythical legends surrounding mamajuana range from medicinal to mysterious. Many Dominicans claim that mamajuana is a cure all for many ailments ranging from the flu to prostate problems. Other claim drinking mamajuana acts as a powerful aphrodisiac.

There’s no hard and fast rule to making mamajuana so, the recipes and methods are very forgiving. The easiest way to test out a homebrew, is to soak leaves and whatever plants you choose in a bottle or mason jar with equal parts rum and red wine for up to two weeks. At the end of the two weeks soaking period, throw out the liquid portion and refill again with rum, red wine, and honey. Cinnamon or even raisins can be added to the concoction at this stage as well. The only thing left to do is pour in a glass over ice and enjoy!

 

Mojito

A Mojito is a cocktail that originated in the Caribbean island of Cuba. With U.S. and Cuban diplomatic tensions easing up, acquiring a Cuban mojito may not be as difficult as it once was.

The most widely believed tale of how the mojito came into existence occurred in 1586 when Sir Francis Drake landed on the island of Cuba with sick crewmembers. A few people went ashore to grab supplies and came back with a primitive form of rum made from the sugarcane fields. Along with the rum they brought lime and mint which were thought to help with vitamin C deficiency, inflammations, and infections.

The key to making a correct mojito starts with make simple syrup. When I was in high school, I dated a girl whose parents had immigrated to United States from Cuba right after the revolution. It seemed to me that one of them always had a mojito in hand, especially in the evening. Of course they let me try it but cautiously explained to me that I will never have a mojito as good as they could make it. The family “secret” she informed me is in the simple syrup. I have witnessed many a bartender try to replicate the Cuban treasure I first tried in high school and every single one of them has failed.

To make simple syrup, combine a cup of white sugar with a cup of water in a saucepan. Bring it to boil stirring frequently until sugar is dissolved and allow it to cool. Once it’s cool, it can be kept in a squeeze bottle for up to a month in the refrigerator. Any air-tight container will do but a generic squeeze bottle makes it easier to get the syrup into the mojito.

Cuban Mojito
 
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Ingredients
  • 3-4 fresh mint sprigs
  • 2-3 small lime wedges
  • 1 oz Simple Syrup
  • 2 oz rum
  • Ice
  • Club soda, chilled
  • A Muddler
Instructions
  1. Place mint and lime wedges in a cocktail shaker.
  2. Muddle gently with a muddler to release the lime juice and aromas and oils from the mint.
  3. Add in the simple syrup, rum, and ice.
  4. Shake vigorously and pour into a pint size cocktail glass.
  5. Top off glass with club soda.
  6. Optionally, you can garnish with a new mint sprig and fresh lime wedge.
 

Canelazo

Going against the traditional iced-down cocktail of warmer climates, canelazo is an Ecuadorian drink that is served warm. In Quito, the capital of Ecuador, the elevation sits at over 9,000 feet causing some chilly evenings in the wintertime. In order to stay warm, particularly around Christmas, canelazo is a popular choice among locals.

Canelazo
 
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Ingredients
  • 4 cups water
  • 1¼ cups granulated sugar
  • 8 small cinnamon sticks
  • 2 cups white rum
  • 1 lime, sliced
  • 1 orange, sliced
Instructions
  1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, and the orange slices.
  2. Bring to a simmer stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
  3. Once the sugar has dissolved, reduce the heat to low and cook for about 30 minutes or until the syrup is dark brown and heavily smells of cinnamon.
  4. Add in rum and lime wedges and mix before serving.
  5. It can be served in a coffee mug as a drink or as a shot if you’re entertaining multiple guests.
 

 

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The Bahamian Cocktail That Could Cost You $750

On two separate occasions, I’ve visited the Bahamas to soak up the sun, shuffle my barefoot toes through the white sand beaches, scuba dive in the crystal clear blue water, and – most importantly – to forget about life for a while. While my two adventures to island paradise have been memorable in countless ways, each visit has bestowed upon me two cravings I have still yet to satisfy stateside – Conch Fritters and Goombay Smashes.

Each of the sun-kissed delicacies cannot be forged or replicated anywhere in the world. When I think of the Bahamas, I think of enjoying afternoon appetizers and ice-cold cocktails while playing a friendly game of Cribbage with the locals under the gazebo grill by the pool. Conch Fritters are a traditional Bahamian appetizer similar to what Americans know as hush puppies. Every restaurant, grill, or street side vendor uses their own unique set of ingredients and spices, but commonly red and green bell peppers are used along with salt, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes to give it that touch of heat that Bahamians seem to be particularly fond of. Egg and flour are mixed with spices and fresh chopped vegetables to form a batter that is dropped a spoonful at a time into hot oil and fried to a crisp, golden brown. The one thing that distinguishes a Conch Fritter from a bland American hush puppie is the conch itself.

 

Conch is a deliciously wonderful shellfish that in native to the coasts of the Caribbean, including the islands of the Bahamas. Conch is finely diced and worked into the batter in the same manner as the other ingredients and it makes the dish shine. Without the hint of conch, it’s a generic ball of batter that’s deep-fried and turns into a pre-hangover stomach ache. It’s almost as if the conch itself provides soothing properties to the human stomach lining that fights off the liquor that’s used to chase them down.

If you’re going to chase down a traditional Bahamian Conch Fritter, there’s no better cocktail to indulge in than a Goombay Smash – the quintessential island cocktail comprised of rum and natural juices. As far as I know, they don’t exist outside of Nassau. Of course, there’s a good chance I’m wrong, but I would equate it to being a kid and thinking teachers don’t exist outside of the classroom. Sometimes it’s better to hold your dreams dear to your heart and not face reality. The islands and Goombay Smashes provide an opportunity to do just that.

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The bartender at the Westwind Club in Nassau where I stayed, graciously informed me I could put as many helpings of Conch Fritters and as many glasses of Goombay Smashes as I’d like on my room tab. I thought that was genius given the fact that I could keep my cash for other endeavors. The problem with that, I found out at the end of my week long stay, is that I didn’t keep track of what I was drinking. Or eating. Keep in mind, the grill at the club is only open for lunch and early happy hour, and I managed to rack up five orders of Conch Fritters during my six day stay and I’m still not exactly sure how many Goombay Smashes. An order of six Conch Fritters was $4.75 as I recall, and my six-day tab was $750. Ten years later, I still refuse to do the math.

I never did get the exact recipe used for Conch Fritters from the cook at the club – I’m convinced it was different everyday depending on the ingredients he happened to have on hand – but I did get the concoction for Goombay Smashes from Donny the bartender.

Goombay Smash Recipe
 
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Ingredients
  • One Part Light Rum
  • One Part Dark Rum
  • One Part Pina Colada Mix (Found by the handle at any grocery store)
  • Two Parts Orange Juice
Instructions
  1. Mix all vigorously in a two-quart pitcher and serve over ice in your favorite cocktail glass.
  2. Garnish with a cherry.
While I didn’t get the chef’s name nor did I manage to wrangle away his mysterious conch fritter recipe, here’s a basic recipe anyone can use at home and expand on to their likings and taste.

**Tip: I’d go with more than a pinch on the cayenne pepper. You want your fritters to have a little island kick to them.