Rum Therapy, Author at Rum Therapy

February 14, 2014June 5, 2019

What to See and Do in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

Ah, Charlotte Amalie. The capital and largest city of the US Virgin Islands receives millions of visitors every year, many from the cruise ships that dock in the deep water bay that Charlotte Amalie surrounds.

With all of those visitors, Charlotte Amalie was bound to grow and develop with services of interest to tourists. So, what are some of the fun things to see and do if you have time to explore this bustling island city?

Aerial view of Charlotte Amalie

The following are a few of the things that we’ve experienced and enjoyed while visiting Charlotte Amalie. Feel free to add highlights from your visits in a comment at the end of the post.

Duty Free Shopping

Duty free shops line many of the streets in the Waterfront area of Charlotte Amalie as well as Yacht Haven Grande and Havensight (right next to the cruise ship dock). St. Thomas offers one of the largest duty free quotas to US citizens in the Caribbean, so if you’re in the market for great bargains on items such as china, perfume, watches, cameras, fine jewelry, liquors and other spirits, island goods, and arts and crafts, this may be the place to get them.

You can walk from Havensight to Yacht Haven Grande easily. There is also a pathway from Yacht Haven Grande all the way around to the Waterfront shops, but it is a pretty good walk. If it’s very hot or you are short on time, you might consider getting a taxi.

Havensight
Havensight is a large area just off of the cruise ship dock that consists of shops, bars and restaurants. Many of the shops here contain souvenir type items, although there are also some high-end jewelry shops.

Yacht Haven Grande
Yacht Haven Grande is an area just north of Havensight that houses some luxury shops such as Gucci and Louis Vitton. There are also a couple of nicer restaurants and yacht services. It’s areat place to grab a cold drink and check out the large yachts that dock here.

Charlotte Amalie Waterfront
North and west of Yacht Haven Grande is the Waterfront area of Charlotte Amalie. This area consists of several streets, Waterfront (Veterans), Front Street and Back Street and are all lined with a variety of shops, restaurants and bars. Check out the Vendor’s Plaza (west of Ft. Christian) Monday – Saturday for a variety of souvenirs, hair braiding and local food.

Food and Drink

You can find everything from fast food to fine dining and everything in-between in Charlotte Amalie. Although we have yet to sample some of the higher end restaurants, here are a few places we’ve stopped at and enjoyed. Be sure to check our interactive St. Thomas Map to find the locations of the places listed here.

Big Kahuna Rum Shack on the Waterfront.
Great place to grab a sandwich, salad, wrap or flatbread and a cold drink and sit on the patio which overlooks the harbor.

Bones Rum, also on the Waterfront.
Order one of their tasty offerings, such as a Bones on the Beach, Kiss of Passion or Twist of Luck and add as much – or as little Bones Rum as you’d like! Be sure to purchase a bottle and bring it home. Right now the only place to purchase Bones Rum is at the shop in Charlotte Amalie.

Fat Turtle in Yacht Haven Grande.
We enjoyed a tasty salad and beverages while sitting on the deck overlooking the yachts.

da Lime in da Coconut
Great “smoothie” place in Yacht Haven Grande. Leave the rum out for the little ones, or add the rum for a really tasty frozen concoction. We ordered their signature smoothie da Lime in da Coconut, which consisted of pineapple and coconut with a hint of lime…and a shot of Cruzan rum. Very tasty and cold on a hot day.

Mojo’s in Havensight
A fun little bar that manages to feel a bit tropical, despite the fact it’s in the parking lot at Havensight. Swings for chairs and some tasty Cruzan rum drinks. We enjoyed a Mojo Wacker.

Other Things To Do

Hot and tired after a day of shopping in the Waterfront area? Magic Ice on the Waterfront will give you a temporary “body freeze” after entering an ice palace with sculptures, lighting, an ice slide for the little ones and an ice cold shot of Cruzan for the big kids.

Paradise Point Skyride
Want to see a spectacular view of Charlotte Amalie while enjoying the best Bushwacker’s around? Head to Havensight to board the skyride to the top of Paradise Point. You’ll be treated to a spectacular view, some shopping and really great Bushwacker’s. Just be careful. They’re potent!

The Closest Beaches

There aren’t any good sandy beaches in Charlotte Amalie but if you just have to get your toes in the sand and only have a short amount of time, there are several options. A 5 minute water ferry from Crown Bay (just north of Water Island) can get you over to Water Island where you can spend time on beautiful Honeymoon Beach.

Lindbergh Bay or Bolongo Bay on St. Thomas are two other options, but are farther away (see our interactive map). Both have beach bars and would be a nice place to hang out for several hours.

What else have you experienced and enjoyed in Charlotte Amalie?

Find these attractions on our St. Thomas Map

To see more posts on St. Thomas and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy Beaches, Bars & More, Tropical Travel Guide, 2014
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

February 12, 2014June 24, 2021

The Mysterious Bottle of Rum

We were recently contacted by Jim and Holly, a couple that we had the pleasure of spending a week with during our Island Windjammers Cruise a few years ago. They’d been gifted an old bottle of rum that was perhaps pretty special and wondered if we could find out anything about it. We’re posting the story of this mysterious bottle of rum to see if any of you may know how to get background info on it!

Here’s the story:

What started out as a simple gift from a brother-in-law has become my mystery. He gave me the bottle over Thanksgiving. One of his Californian neighbors is in the business of buying estates, usually after someone’s death. As you can imagine it is sometimes difficult to determine whether items in an estate have any real value. Not knowing much about rum, and knowing my brother-in-law drinks rum, the neighbor gave it to him.

We did some online research and have had some luck. Here is what I have been able to learn. The rum is named Bebida Real and was manufactured in Cuba by Nicolas Merino. The bottle was imported through New York and tax stamped in California for retail sale. California tax authorities confirmed that the tax stamp (16 cents) represents a tax rate that was in place between 1935 and 1955.

They were not able to use the actual tax stamp number to narrow it down any further and obviously know nothing about the producer. In about 1960 Castro took over the rum industry in Cuba and made it ‘state run.’ This happened to Bacardi as well.

I contacted a UK company that offered an evaluation and they offered two hundred pounds before any of my research so I have to believe its work twice that or more. They opined that the bottle label and type of seal were common to the 30’s and 40’s and that information is consistent with what I learned from the State of California. Prohibition ended in 1933 so I knew it was imported sometime after 1933 even before I got the information from California. Combining what the collector in the UK knew, and what the State of California told me, it appears the bottle was imported between 1935 and 1950.

The bottle was imported by a company named McKesson Spirits which was part of the McKesson and Robbins Corporation. The company was somewhat infamous in the late 30’s after a known criminal (Phillip Musica),using a couple of aliases,apparently took over the company. He had been convicted twice for bootlegging during prohibition. Musica and several brothers apparently created false sales and false value and profits. Eventually, December of 1938, the SEC opened an investigation and Musica was arrested and eventually committed suicide before he could be rearrested before trial.This incident contributed to the creation of many new federal regulations about how companies are required to report their financial health. The company survived and is now McKesson Corporation, a large global company. During the mid 1900’s McKesson was the USA’s largest importer of alcoholic beverages among other things.

Although the bottle’s labels are generally in good shape there is no manufacturing date on the bottle. I haven’t been able to find anything about the company that produced it and suspect it is no longer in business. However, it is difficult to get historical information out of Cuba via the internet. The stamp on the bottle, see pictures, is a 16 cent stamp which means that the tax on spirits in California at the time was 80 cents per gallon (which is how I was able to identify the 1935-1955 time frame by contacting California tax authorities). I now own a mint version of the stamp (purchased from a stamp collector) but still don’t know the actual date of manufacture and import.

Anyone who has any thoughts or information that might help me close in on the age of the bottle, understand its history, and determine the value of the bottle please contact me [email protected]. I don’t know if I will sell the bottle but want to know its approximate value before I decide. I also am not sure how best to sell it if I decide to.And if it turns out to be only worth a couple of hundred dollars I may just decide to have a Cuban rum party and enjoy it!

If you have any info on this bottle, please contact Jim and let him know. Is it worth anything? Or, should he just have a party (and invite us!)

Thanks!

February 11, 2014January 15, 2020

The Last Resort, Bellamy Cay, BVI

The Last Resort, a great little restaurant and bar on Bellamy Cay, a small island in Trellis Bay, Beef Island, has been serving up great entertainment along with tasty drinks and food since the ’70’s.

(Update: The Last Resort was destroyed by the hurricanes of 2017 and as of the date of this update, has not been re-built. We haven’t heard if the owner’s plan to re-build or not, but will be sure to update this post with any current information as we receive it.)

The Last Resort has quite an interesting past. Tony Snell was a British Flight Lieutenant who, in 1943 was shot down in his Spitfire and escaped a German firing squad. After the war, he worked as an actor, songwriter and musician. In 1969, Tony and his wife Jackie moved to the British Virgin Islands where they eventually opened the original “Last Resort” on Little Jost. After just one year, The Last Resort on Little Jost burned to the ground. Tony and Jackie decided to move The Last Resort to Bellamy Cay, which, in itself, had quite a history – of pirates! While living in a houseboat in Trellis Bay, they constructed a new restaurant on Bellamy Cay.

When The Last Resort opened, Tony was in his element providing all of the entertainment with piano, guitar, harmonica and original songs. Jackie, took the roll of main cook. There are stories – some of which are a bit unbelievable, but good stories nonetheless, of the many animals the Snell family kept on the little island, including parrots, a singing dog and wine and rum drinking donkeys! After a number of years, Tony and Jackie passed the reins to their children, Jessica and Jeremy.

The Last Resort in 2006 with a donkey named Chocolate

In past visits to The Last Resort we’ve had a blast.

Recently we enjoyed a great dinner with friends on the deck and then partook in some raucous entertainment with Al Broderick, aka, the Singing Chef, who successfully plied the audience with free shots to encourage participation. It worked.

Customers singing for shots at The Last Resort

We finished off the evening with a pretty intense Foosball competition.

Thankful we once again had a designated dinghy driver, we made our way back to our boat moored in Trellis Bay still singing and laughing after a great night of fun.

Apparently, The Last Resort has recently changed hands to a young couple by the name of Emily & Dylan Burill. They are hoping to make the resort a bit more family friendly and have changed the menu and decor a bit. We’ve not been there under the new ownership yet, but the recent Last Resort reviews seem to be positive! Have you been to the Last Resort and met Emily and Dylan?

Get to The Last Resort by dinghy if staying on a boat in Trellis Bay, or call for the ferry from Trellis Bay Dock opposite D’ Best Cup Cafe.

To see more posts on Tortola and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory.

All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit.
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

February 6, 2014September 21, 2019

What to See and Do in Sandy Ground, Anguilla

Sandy Ground Village and Beach, located on bustling Road Bay on the beautiful island of Anguilla, offers visitors a myriad of opportunities to dine, drink, enjoy live music and enjoy the beautiful beach.

Although Road Bay is Anguilla’s main port for ships, don’t let that scare you off. Sandy Ground Village and Beach, fringed by Road Bay, contains a long expanse of sugar soft sand and turquoise water and some of the best nightlife on the island.

The last time we spent the day in Sandy Ground, we started at one end and walked to the other, enjoying many of the sights and sounds along the way. I’m sure there are a lot of other places to discover in this pretty area, but this should give you an idea of a few things you might want to explore.

We began our day at Elvis’ Beach Bar at the north end of Sandy Ground Beach.

We’d sampled some of Elvis’ stellar rum punch in a previous visit and looked forward to ordering more, but unfortunately they were not open yet, so instead we took the opportunity to lounge on the chairs in front of the bar, checking out the boats and the incredibly blue water. Read more about our visit to Elvis’ here.

From there, we wandered south down the beach and took a quick jog to the left, across the road to check out The Pumphouse. The Pumphouse gets pumping after dark and is a great place for live music, food and fun nightlife.

We headed back to the beach and ended up at Johnno’s. Johnno’s is known for it’s great live jazz and in a previous visit, we spent a great afternoon with our toes in the sand, drinking rum and coke and listening to jazz. Perfect afternoon..

Moving on down the beach we pass the Visitor’s Pier. There are some large ships that anchor in the the deep water at the edge of the bay, boat visitors in and drop them off at the pier. This area hasn’t been all that busy when we were there, but I’m sure it can be.

Shortly past the Visitors Pier sits the Sandbar. The Sandbar has a beautiful setting right on the beach and after 5:00p.m serves up excellent appetizers and drinks.

Onward to Roy’s Bayside Grill. The last stop before the commercial pier, we decided to order a beverage and enjoy the sugar soft sand of the beautiful beach.

We had gotten pretty warm walking in the beautiful sunshine and thought we’d order a Bushwacker. It was delicious and we enjoyed it while sitting under a thatched umbrella on the beach in front of Roy’s.

We fought the temptation to order another, knowing we had a lot more beach to explore and continued south from Roy’s. Now, it looks as if the beach ends at the commercial pier, but, at the time of this writing, we were able to go under the pier and continue on to a very quiet and beautiful stretch of beach past the pier.

Just past the pier is a large boat that has been beached. The color contrast of the boat against the water was stunning…

A little further and we came across some adorable Anguillan children playing in their “backyard”. Lucky kids…

From there it was beach time.

The end of the beach was marked by a large ship that found itself on the rocks during a hurricane in 1995.

Thirsty, we headed back for a refreshing cocktail and some live music.

Are you ready to spend a day in Sandy Ground, Anguilla?

For up to date information on all things Anguilla, be sure to check out our friend Nori’s website who lives on island. Can’t say we’re not just a little jealous….

To see more posts on Anguilla and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy Beaches, Bars & More, Tropical Travel Guide, 2013
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC
All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit.

February 3, 2014November 19, 2015

Snorkel Mask Camera

I was surfing the web yesterday looking for new toys for our upcoming tropical trip and ran across this ingenious product.

Liquid Image 304 XSC Explorer Series 8.0 MP Underwater Video Camera – Yellow

Now, as I’ve mentioned before, I am unfortunately not a diver, but I LOVE to snorkel and I LOVE to take pictures. I even love to take pictures AS I snorkel.We’ve had great luck with our Olympus Waterproof Camera and are definitely enjoying, although have not yet mastered our new GoPro HERO3+: Black Edition (note to self, before attempting to video a feat such as zipping down Mystic Mountain in Jamaica, make sure the battery is charged….sigh.) But, the thought of taking pictures and video while snorkeling without having to hold on to a camera is, well, appealing!

Another option.

GoPro Hero 3+ Compatible Scuba Mask (Black) – for Diving with GoPro® Hero3 Black, Silver, and White Accessory. Since we already have a GoPro, this option would make sense as well. My only concern would be if I would have to tilt my head slighlty to get the same camera view as what I’m seeing.

What do you think? Have you had any experience with either of these products? If so, what are the pros and cons?

Read more posts in Tropical Tips & More

Read more Island Posts in our Island Post Directory

January 31, 2014June 5, 2019

What to See and Do in Philipsburg, St. Maarten

Whether arriving by cruise ship or spending time on the island on St. Maarten/St. Martin, Philipsburg, the capital of Dutch St. Maarten, offers a ton of fun things to see and do, most within view of the gorgeous blue water of Great Bay.

Philipsburg is an area of only a few streets sandwiched between the Salt Pond and beautiful Great Bay. There are many shops, bars, restaurants and musicians lining the streets. Do you like to shop? You can find a lot of items in Philipsburg from inexpensive souvenirs to diamonds and watches. Want to find something to eat? There are a variety of options ranging from very casual to elegant and tony. Any good bars? Well, of course! The boardwalk especially is dotted with bars with a wide variety of great tropical concoctions.

With the ability to dock 6+ large cruise liners and the addition in recent years of a wonderful boardwalk that is about 50 ft. wide and nearly as long as the waterfront of Great Bay, Philipsburg really caters to it’s visitors. From the cruise ships you can either walk down a lovely palm lined path or take a short water taxi ride to town. If staying on island, there are several fairly large parking lots.

Looking for a few ideas of what to see and do while visiting Philipsburg? These are a few things that we’ve enjoyed during our visits there.

1. The Beach

Although it can be just as busy as many of the other beautiful beaches in St. Maarten/St.Martin, Great Bay has gorgeous blue water, a calm surf and a variety of places to rent beach chairs and umbrellas. Plus you’re really close to some good bars, restaurants and shops when you need a break from the sun.

The turquoise blue water of Great Bay.

2. Eat & Drink

The majority of bars and restaurants line the boardwalk and offer a great view of the beach, surrounding hills and cruise ships. Each have their own tropical specialties.

Boardwalk Breeze at the Blue Bitch Bar

Pizza at Taloula Mango’s

Grab a $.99 beer at the Barefoot Bar to enjoy while walking the Boardwalk. The Barefoot Restaurant also serves up some excellent roti – mmm…roti…

Enjoy some good food and drink at Big Wood Grill on the Boardwalk, but don’t ask for a BBD if you are easily offended!

Walk through Big Wood Grill to get to Juggie’s Place, The Smallest Bar in the World!

Juggie’s Place on Front Street behind Big Wood Grill

Casual dining right on the beach at Chez Delphine

Stop, buy a cold drink and chat with some of the local vendors on the Boardwalk.

3. Shop

Front street and the connecting streets between the Boardwalk, Front and Back street have a large variety of shops carrying local crafts, souvenirs, liquor and more expensive items.

There are several liquor stores that carry a good selection of rums that we can’t find at home, so we usually buy a bottle or two to bring back with us.

And of course, be sure to stop at the Guavaberry Emporium on Front Street to sample different guavaberry rums, liquors and hot sauces. Be sure to try a Guavaberry Colada – so refreshing!

Direction sign next to the Guavaberry Emporium

So there you have it. Some of the things we’ve experienced and enjoyed during our visits to Philpsburg – so far. What have you enjoyed there?

To see more posts on St. Maarten/St. Martin and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

January 27, 2014June 24, 2021

Appleton Rum Factory Tour, Jamaica

Deep within the beautiful Jamaican countryside lies Appleton Estate, home of the family of wonderful Appleton rums. During our recent trip to Jamaica, we made the long trip from Negril through the lush fields of Nassau Valley, to take a tour and learn more about Appleton rums.

During the drive to Appleton, we passed by fields and fields of sugarcane, as well as mangoes, bananas, breadfruit and peanuts.

The estate itself sits on a beautiful site in lush Nassau Valley, close to the Black River.

We arrived at Appleton, were greeted by the friendly staff, paid our tour fee ($25 per person) and ushered into the bar, where we were offered a rum punch.

While sipping the tasty punch, we watched a brief video on the history of Appleton Estate and it’s rum.

Our tour guide then led us outside then to the estate grounds, where we were shown how donkeys were used to help squeeze the sugar cane and many other historical artifacts that have now been replaced with modern technology and processes.

We climbed the lookout tower to get a great view of the surrounding estate, countryside and limestone hills that protect the estate.

The tour moved on to the area where the distilling and aging take place.

Photography was not permitted in the actual distilling area, but we were able to snap some pictures in the aging area, where the rum is aged and rests for for many years in oak barrels.

After learning about the different distillation processes and examining the aging areas, we had the chance to press our own sugarcane and sample “wet sugar” (molasses) out of a copper pot.

A few more pictures of the grounds and we headed in to the best part (in our opinion) of the tour – the rum tasting.

We were given the opportunity, and encouraged, to try all of the rums that are somehow connected in the Appleton Rum Family including Wray & Nephew Overproof and Rum Cream, Coruba, Jamaican Blue Mountain Mist Coffee Liqueur and several Appleton Rums such as V/X and Genesis (white).

Unfortunately, the wonderful aged rums, Appleton Estate, Appleton 30 and Appleton 50 were not available for sampling. We though about bringing some of the Appleton 50 home and probably would have it we had more room in our suitcase… ;)

Is the Appleton Rum Factory Tour right for you? The cost of the tour is $25.00 per person (which includes a small complimentary bottle of rum to take with you). We paired the Rum Factory Tour with YS Falls and Floyd’s Pelican Bar, which made it an affordable experience for us. The cost of getting to Appleton can be high from Ocho Rios, Montego Bay and Negril, but if you enjoy rum and would like to learn more about a premium rum manufacturer, the estate it’s produced on and have the opportunity to sample different rums in their portfolio, you will probably really enjoy this tour. We did.

Find Appleton Rum Estate on our Jamaica Map

To see more posts on Jamaica and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

January 20, 2014January 15, 2020

Captain Mulligan’s, Tortola

Need a place to relax, unwind, enjoy a few beverages and watch sports on a 30 ft. screen while in Tortola? That’s right, a huge 30 ft. outdoor screen – as well as multiple flat screens in the bar!

We were recently asked by one of our readers if we knew of a good place to watch the upcoming Super Bowl around Nanny Cay in Tortola. Having stopped a few times at Captain Mulligan’s in the past, we thought it might just fit the bill.

To find Captain Mulligan’s, turn into Nanny Cay and look to the left. It’s located on a nice grassy area with a view of Sea Cow Bay from the back.

The bar/restaurant is open air and there is a lot of additional seating in the yard around the bar.

Additionally, there is a new miniature golf course on which to challenge your friends during half time.

We like the laid back vibe, friendly people, open air and decent prices.

And although one of us REALLY likes the idea of watching sports on the huge outdoor screen (see above), the other one likes the idea that there is also a great local arts and pottery shop called Bamboushay within walking distance :)

If you are going to stop by on Super Bowl Sunday this year, Randy and Allison of Team Mulligans say that the specials for the day are $2 Coors Lite all day, $2 hotdogs during the game and the tail gate starts at 2pm. With a projector screen and 6 flat screen tv’s, wherever you are you cant miss the action!

Check them out on Facebook.

To see more posts on Tortola and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

January 15, 2014April 19, 2021

Princess Margaret Beach, Bequia

Princess Margaret Beach is a gorgeous stretch of light colored sand framed by lush green hills and turquoise blue water on the island of Bequia in the Grenadines.

Princess Margaret did in fact swim at this beach, thus the reason it is named after her!

The light sand beach is one of the pretty beaches in Admiralty Bay – a busy bay for boaters. It’s close to Port Elizabeth but not easy to access, so it’s usually pretty quiet.

We’ve had the pleasure of visiting this gorgeous beach twice, both time by boat. If you want to get here from Port Elizabeth, you can take a water taxi or, from what we heard, you can walk over by taking a steep path down from the main road.

The first time we visited, we spent time walking through the small cave at the end of the beach and snorkeling in rocky area around it.

The snorkeling was pretty good, but be sure to watch out for sea urchins in the rocks.

The second time we visited, we opted for some sunshine and Clarke’s Court “Grog” on the beach…

After a few hours of lounging, we headed back to the dock where we stopped in at a great bar at the end of Princess Margaret Beach called Jack’s Bar to enjoy some fabulous Rum Punch before heading back to our boat relaxed and tanned by the sun. Great day…

Jack’s Bar, Bequia

To see more posts on St. Vincent and the Grenadines and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC. All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit.

January 14, 2014June 24, 2021

Frosty Long Island Iced Tea

This recipe is a re-mix of the regular Long Island Iced Tea with rum, of course. At 2.5 oz of liquor and liqueur (triple sec), it’s potent, though oddly enough, it doesn’t taste really “boozy”. So – be careful and drink responsibly! It’s cool and refreshing on a hot summer day and a glass can go down very easily… (Jump to Recipe)

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Print Recipe

Frosty Long Island Iced Tea

Course: Drinks

Servings:

Ingredients

1/2 oz triple sec
1/2 oz white rum
1/2 oz gin
1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz tequila
1-2 squeezes fresh lemon
3/4 c. cola
1 1/5 c. ice
1 slice lemon
maraschino cherries

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and icy.
Pour into a glass and garnish with a lemon slice or maraschino cherries. (Actually the lemon slice makes more sense with iced tea, but we like the look of the cherries!)