They’re small, they’re playful and they’re directly on the beach. What they may lack in amenities, they make up for with character. Because sometimes you just want to jump right into the water, without the long trek from your room. These are some of our favorite tiny beach hotels in the Caribbean, from simple accommodations to luxury boutiques.

Cooper Island Beach Club, British Virgin Islands

One of our favorite hotels in the Caribbean of any size, this boutique treasure on Cooper Island in the British Virgin Islands has it all: a dedicated rum bar, a soft, calm beach; a world-class restaurant and top-notch service. The best part? There are just 10 rooms.

The post 10 Tiny Caribbean Beach Hotels appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Not your average holiday fruitcake, black cake is a delectable cake filled with rum and fruit. It sounds simple, but creating it is an arduous task that requires patience and more than a week of soaking a variety of fruit in dark rum before baking. Trinidadians take pride in their black cake and are specific about how it must taste and look. The recipe calls for an entire bottle of rum used to soak the fruit, plus a bottle of cherry brandy, in conjunction with the ingredients that make the cake rise. The cake gets its name from the black color, which results from burning the sugar.

The tradition of black cake during Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Trinidad comes from the British plum puddings or fruitcakes that can be dated back as far as the 19^th century. Variations of the cake have been passed down for generations with minor changes throughout the years, including the soaking of the fruit in spirits for days. The variations differ throughout the Caribbean, from the amount of flour, eggs, spices or butter is used, to how long the spirits must be soaked in the fruits prior to baking. Because of this, there is a rivalry between the Caribbean islands about who makes the best black cake. Trinidadians will, of course, say that theirs is far better than any other. I have to say I concur.

Here’s my favorite black cake recipe:

Ingredients: 

Fruit Base:

1 lb. pitted prunes
1 lb. raisins
1 lb. currants
1 bottle cherry brandy
1 bottle rum and/or Bailey’s
2 tbsp. Angostura bitters

1/4 cup of chopped Almonds is optional

Browning:

1 lb. brown sugar
1/2 cup boiling hot water

Cake:

1 lb. unsalted butter
1 lb. sugar

8 whole eggs

2 tsp vanilla essence

¼ cup browning

3 tbsp. Molasses

4 lbs. of grinded fruits

1 lb. all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

Have on Hand:

1 more bottle of rum (750ml) 

Method:

Blend Fruit base together and grind with cherry brandy, rum and bitters until the mixture is consistent. Weigh out 4 pounds of mixture and set aside.

Place brown sugar in sauce pan and heat until sugar begins to caramelize and turn a golden brown color. When all the crystals are melted, carefully add boiling water while constantly stirring. Bring mixture back up to a boil before removing from heat. Allow to cool and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix cream butter and sugar until light in color (about 20mins).

Meanwhile sift all dry ingredients and set aside.

Add in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla.

Mix in browning and molasses along with the 4 lbs. of ground fruit mixture.

Gently fold in dry ingredients until all the flour is incorporated.

Place mixture in lined baking pan or half sheet pan and bake at 325F for 30 minutes or until cake pulls from the sides of the pan.

When removing from oven, immediately pour rum or brandy onto cake to lock in the moistness.

This recipe was submitted by the Hyatt Regency Trinidad’s executive chef Fernando Franco and his team, which are members of this year’s ‘Caribbean National Team of the Year’ at Taste of the Caribbean in Miami.

The post How to Make Trinidad’s Famous Black Cake appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The only thing better than lobster is, well, more lobster.

That’s definitely the case at Deckers Caribbean Inspired Grille in Grand Cayman, which has cultivated one of the Caribbean’s best-kept culinary secrets.

Every Tuesday and Saturday evening, the Seven Mile Beach institution, famous for its large model double-decker bus on the bar, offers “All You Can Eat Lobster” Night, which serves up unlimited lobster tails.

That’s right — while traditional Caribbean spiny lobster is abundant throughout the region, this is the first eatery we’ve found that offers an all-you-can-eat lobster experience with regularity.

That’s right — unlimited lobster.

And the lobster is terrific — the tails come three or four per plate, served with drawn butter, potato mash and vegetables.

The meat is soft, tender and fresh, and the minute you finish the last tail on a plate, your server arrives with another collection of tails.

Deckers’ chefs prepare the food on lobster night.

It’s also joined by your choice of either a caesar salad or lobster bisque.

The only difficulty is knowing when to stop.

We’re still trying to figure that one out.

— CJ

The post The Caribbean’s Unlimited Lobster Restaurant appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Not too far from Grand Cayman’s legendary Seven Mile Beach is another terrific one: West Bay Public Beach.

Best known as the launching point for dives of the nearby Kittiwake wreck site, this beautiful stretch of sand is calm, quiet and less traveled than its more famous sibling.

Here’s what it’s like to take a walk on the beach.

— CJ

The post VIDEO: A Walk on West Bay Beach, Grand Cayman appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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There’s something new to see at St. Barth’s Le Guanahani, thanks to a collaboration between a pair of top artists.

Inspired by the St. Barth’s resort’s ongoing 30th anniversary year, artists JonOne and Richard Orlinski have unveiled two striking works of art at the beachfront property.

An American graffiti artist who has lived and worked in Paris since 1987, JonOne created a unique work of art for the event– “an explosion of vitality and color offering a Dionysian celebration of lines enmeshed within a maze of visual and touch-sensitive explosions.”

JonOne describes himself as an “abstract expressionist graffiti painter.”

Since 2011, he has worked with the foundation Abbé Pierre in the fight against poverty, and in 2016 he earned France’s highest honor as a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur.

Sculptor Richard Orlinski, “a believer that beauty can invert violence into positive feelings,” has tapped his “Born Wild” concept to create a work of art in the signature colors of Le Guanahani, with two alligators fighting for the “G.”

Orlinski’s works are found in collections around the world, and ArtPrice has ranked him as one of the top ten most sold French artists worldwide since 2011.

The post A New Art Collaboration at Le Guanahani St. Barth appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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