Hummingbird

Recently a few of our readers asked if we had a recipe for a Hummingbird – a frozen rum cocktail that they enjoyed while vacationing in Jamaica. We hadn’t, but it sounded interesting, so we started searching for one. We ran across several of them – all slightly different and then made just a few small adjustments of our own. So – here’s our version of the Hummingbird. Sorry we can’t provide the beautiful Jamaican beach to go with it!

*We love bringing you amazing rum recipes! Our recipes may contain affiliate links to products that we use. If you click the link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support in helping us to continue providing rumlicious, tropical recipes!

Hummingbird

Course: Drinks
Servings: 2

Ingredients

  • 1 oz. Gold Rum (we used Appleton)
  • 1 oz. Rum Cream
  • 1 oz. Coffee Flavored Liqueur
  • 1 oz. Cream
  • 2 Strawberries
  • 1/2 Banana
  • 1 1/2 c. Crushed Ice

Instructions

  • Add everything but the ice to a blender and mix.
  • Add the ice and blend until smooth and frothy.
  • Pour into a glass and garnish with a slice of banana and a strawberry, if desired.

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Saba Rock, British Virgin Islands

Saba Rock is a small, private island that sits in the beautiful North Sound of Virgin Gorda.

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Update: Many of the businesses, buildings and residences in North Sound, Virgin Gorda were damaged or destroyed in the 2017 hurricanes including Saba Rock. They are rebuilding and hope to open in Fall 2021. Check their website for more information. The photo below was taken of Saba Rock in March 2020.

To see more posts on the British Virgin Islands and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

Saba Rock is less than an acre in size and accessible by boat or ferry. We first visited Saba Rock during a sail trip when we stopped for just a few minutes to get gas and ice. During a recent trip to Virgin Gorda, we wanted to get back to Saba Rock to experience more of it, so we rented a dinghy from Leverick Bay Marina. By having a dinghy for the day, we were also able to explore neighboring Prickly Pear Island and enjoy a rum beverage at the Fat Virgin Cafe.

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Saba Rock houses a restaurant – which we hear serves up succulent land & sea dinners, an over water lounge/bar, a boutique hotel, a full service marina, gift shoppe, 10 deep water slips and boat moorings.

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View of Eustatia Island from the terrace at the Saba Rock Hotel.

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Saba Rock has a ferry that will pick you up from several locations in the North Sound, such as Gun Creek and Leverick Bay – just call them to make arrangements.

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Out back they have an excellent area to relax and enjoy the view of North Sound and the Bitter End Yacht Club, with nice soft sand and hammocks.

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We spent some time lounging in the hammocks before heading back in to sample a Saba Rock Banana Daiquiri – recommended to us by a friend who thought they were absolutely the best around.

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They were pretty darn good and the view made it even better…

To find out more, visit their website: Saba Rock

To see more posts on the British Virgin Islands and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

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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.

Loblolly Bay, Anegada

It’s really not that easy to get to Anegada in the British Virgin Islands, which is good because if it were, everyone would go. And part of Anegada’s charm is the fact that many times you can walk for miles along one of it’s gorgeous beaches and not see a single soul. That’s our kind of beach!

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Loblolly Bay is located on the north side of Anegada. You can easily get a taxi to Loblolly from Setting Point or The Settlement. See the map below for more information on the location of Loblolly Bay.

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Loblolly has some really good snorkeling in areas, but our favorite thing to do on Loblolly is to walk the seemingly unending white sand beach and play in the powder blue water.

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Big Bamboo Beach Bar & Restaurant is located at the entrance to Loblolly. We didn’t have a chance to sample the food, but hear it’s very good and we certainly enjoyed a few cold rum beverages.

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Big Bamboo Beach Bar

Another restaurant/bar called Flash of Beauty (love that name) is located close by.

There are palapas for shade, and also a dive and gift shop, restrooms and showers available at Big Bamboo.

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Take a day trip from Tortola or Virgin Gorda, or plan to stay longer in the Loblolly Beach Cottages or one of the other small inns found on the island.

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A little peace and quiet mixed with some spectacular beach scenery. We’re ready to go back – how about you?

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To see more posts on the British Virgin Islands and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

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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.

An Olympus Waterproof Camera

We’re the type of travelers that like to have the convenience of taking a pic wherever we feel there could be a good photo (like while floating in the beautiful Caribbean water!) but, we don’t want to be trekking through the islands with lots of heavy and expensive equipment. So, when we recently broke the camera housing for our point and shoot camera, we started to research possibilities for a new camera – one that didn’t have to be placed in a separate housing unit.

After reading some reviews and spending some time at the electronics store, we ended up purchasing an Olympus TG-1iHS 12 MP Waterproof Digital Camera.

We’re not saying this is THE BEST waterproof camera out there – we haven’t had an opportunity to try many of the others, but we thought we’d tell you of our experience with this one, in case you’re doing some research on a new waterproof camera of your own.

What we like:

1. No camera housing. Seems really strange to just walk into the water with your camera without adding any housing or protection of any kind, but you can with this one!

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2. Fast shutter speed. The regular setting is fairly fast, and if you set it to the sport setting, you can take numerous shots in rapid succession – perfect when you’re trying to capture that barracuda swimming by…

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3. Large viewfinder. Good for making sure you’ve got that cool turtle in the shot.

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4. Picture clarity. As long as the lens doesn’t have any water spots, the photos are very clear!

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5. It has a rechargeable battery and it seems that the battery keeps a charge for fairly long, which helps when you want to spend LOTS of time in the beautiful water.

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The camera also has video capabilities, but we haven’t had the chance to try that feature out yet. The camera is waterproof to 40 ft., shockproof and sturdy. So far, we really don’t have any complaints.

The bad news? The Olympus TG-1iHS seems to have been discontinued. The good news? It’s been replaced with an updated version – the Olympus Stylus TG-2 iHS Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom and 3-Inch LCD (Black) which looks to have the same great features as its predecessor and according to the specs, is now waterproof to a level of 5o ft! And – at a price of  $379.oo seems to be slightly lower than what we paid for the TG-1.

Do you have the Olympus TG-1 or TG-2? If so, what are your thoughts on its performance? Or – do you have another waterproof camera that you would recommend?

Magic Ice, St. Thomas

We don’t usually associate freezing temperatures with a tropical vacation, but on our recent trip to St. Thomas we experienced just that – and enjoyed it!

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Located on the Waterfront in downtown Charlotte Amalie (just down from Bones Rum and Big Kahuna Rum Shack), Magic Ice might be a fun way to escape the tropical heat while checking out some intricate ice sculptures and an ice bar!

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Once you enter the lobby of Magic Ice, you are given a huge parka with a fur rimmed hood, velcro leg warmers in case you show up in shorts and mittens.

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After suiting up in our arctic gear, our guide led us into
the “cold room” filled with magical ice sculptures backlit with a variety of beautiful colors.

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When we visited, the sculptures included a myriad of sea creatures, an ice throne that you could sit in, an ice slide for the young or young at heart and various island and pirate themed pieces, such as this skull and crossbones.

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New ice sculptures are created every six months, when ice artists from all over the globe are flown in to create a new gallery of ice art.

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At the end of the ice room we came across the ice bar complete with a great variety of Cruzan Rums and were treated to our choice of a VERY COLD shot of rum…yum…

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After about 20 minutes, we exited the ice room, got back in to our tropical attire and left cooler and refreshed to go explore more of the waterfront in Charlotte Amalie.

Visit their website to find out more about Magic Ice, St. Thomas

Find Magic Ice on our St. Thomas Map

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

 

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Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

Poppin’ Strawberry Colada

We wanted to post this one sooner, but finding pop rocks turned out to be quite the feat! We thought this might be a good recipe for the holiday weekend – festive, cold and rummy – and with a little sizzle and pop! This can easily be made without rum for the “yung uns” and designated drivers! Be safe and enjoy!

*We love bringing you amazing rum recipes! Our recipes may contain affiliate links to products that we use. If you click the link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support in helping us to continue providing rumlicious, tropical recipes!

Poppin' Strawberry Colada

Servings: 2

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Blend rum, pineapple juice, strawberries and coconut cream until smooth.
  • Add ice and blend until creamy.
  • Dip the rim of two small glasses in a small bowl of pineapple juice, then dip in pop rocks (put the pop rocks on a plate for easier access). The rocks will begin to pop as soon as they get wet, but there is still some residual popping to enjoy as you sip! 
  • Add a garnish of blueberries for color. Cheers!

You may also like these recipes:

Firecracker Rum Shots

Red, White & Booze

For more recipes, visit our Rum Recipe Picture Directory
or Rum Recipes by Category

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Rum Therapy encourages you to always drink responsibly.

Dune Preserve, Anguilla

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On an picturesque stretch of sand on beautiful Rendezvous Bay, Anguilla, sits Dune Preserve, an ever changing bar/restaurant/music lounge owned by famous reggae musician Bankie Banx.

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Dune Preserve sits between the beautiful CuisinArt Resort and Spa and its Greg Norman designed golf course, and is ever changing because owner Bankie and friends continually add to the work of art with predominately salvaged and discarded wood and other materials found in the area.

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We loved checking out the funky decor and chatting with a few of the locals hanging out there the day we visited, but we’d love to go back someday to enjoy the live music.

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The Dune Preserve is home to the annual Moonsplash Festival, a several day event featuring world class musicians and usually a few surprise guests. Apparently both Jimmy Buffet and John Mayer have stopped in to jam at past festivals.

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Great place to enjoy a tasty libation and food along with a fantastic view of Rendezvous Bay and St. Martin and if you can time it right, some great live music.

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 Find out more by visiting the Bankie Banx Website.

Find Dune Preserve on our Anguilla Map

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

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Frozen Rum Concoctions

There’s booze in the blender and soon it will render
That frozen concoction that helps me hang on…Jimmy B.

Nothing like a hot summer day to get ya thinking of a frozen concoction! If you think one might help you hang on this weekend, here are a few suggestions – with rum, of course!

Coconut Lime Freeze


Island Delight


Pineapple Breeze

Lime In De Coconut


Strawberry Banana Colada


Dirty Pirate Poptails 

Peach Daiquiri

Stay cool and enjoy your weekend!

Find more recipes here:

Rum Recipes by Pictures

Rum Recipes by Category

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Baie de l’Embouchure, St. Martin

Heading north on Rue de Coralita on our way to Le Galion Beach, St. Martin for the day, we turned the corner to Baie de l’Embouchure and saw what appeared to be a couple of people walking on water – a good distance from the shore – toward one of the small islets in a protected area of the bay. We immediately pulled over to see what was going on.

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The area is called Ilets de la Baie de l’Embouchure and is a protected area on the southern edge of Baie de l’Embouchure. From the parking lot, walk up to an observation platform overlooking the beautiful bay and check out the plaques providing information about the area, history and ecosystem. From the platform you can look north to Le Galion and to the south and east you can see St. Barths.

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We talked to several people who had just returned from “walking on the water” to one of the small islets, and they showed us the route to take across the water. There’s a shallow path of pebbles from the shore to one of the islets where the water is only a few inches deep.

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It’s about a 10 minute walk across the watery path to one of the rocky, windswept islands. You’ll need to wear water shoes or sandals. The path in the water is made of pebbles and the island is comprised of sharp rock.

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Be sure to climb to the top and leave a rock on the cairn.

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And check out the view of the bay behind you.

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Find Baie de l’Embouchure on our St. Maarten/St. Martin Map
Press the 
Baie de l’Embouchure bar (Attractions) underneath the map

 

To see more posts on St. Martin 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

Palm Trees in Paradise

Nothing is quite as calming as a pictures of a palm tree next to beautiful blue water, and over the years we’ve amassed a nice collection of these types of pics. So…we thought we’d put some of our favorites together to share with you. Actually, we can’t verify that they are all palm trees – sorry- we’re far from palm experts, but they’re definitely palm looking plants that give us the same tropical feel! Since we couldn’t narrow it down any more than this, this is a sort of Tropical Palm Pictorial Journal. Pull up a glass of rum and enjoy a little tropication!

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No wonder it’s called “Palm” Island…(The Grenadines)

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Gorgeous palms on Saltwhistle Bay Beach, Mayreau.

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Shoal Bay, Anguilla. This one gets extra points for the hammock :)

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Palm Tree Tire Swing in Cane Garden Bay, Tortola

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O.K, these are palm fronds on a palapa (and a small palm to the right), but we’re gonna count it anyway because it’s just super fun to look at and remember. Extra points for the rum punch at Guys Driftwood Boat Bar in St. Maarten.

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Hard to believe there could be palm trees on a manmade conch shell island off of Union Island in the Grenadines, but as you can see, there certainly are palms on Happy Island!

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Lovely palms and boats at Smathers Beach, Key West.

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Gorgeous palm sunset on Kauai

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Cool leaning palm at Bolongo Bay, St. Thomas

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Amazing palms and scenery of Tobago Cays, The Grenadines

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The palms burned (cinematically – thank goodness) on Petit Tabac in the film Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

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The perfect twin palms of Maho Bay, St. John

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A palm tree shadow at the gorgeous Magens Bay Beach, St. Thomas

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View of the palms at Spring Bay, Virgin Gorda from the crystal clear blue water

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A palm and a beautiful beach, what more do you need on Prickly Pear Cays, Anguilla?

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A palm and a view at Smuggler’s Cove, Tortola

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And I guess it wouldn’t hurt to end up with a palm (or two) and a Painkiller (or two) on White Bay, Jost Van Dyke in front of the Soggy Dollar Bar…would it?


To see more posts on these 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