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Cruzan Rum Desserts at the Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas

As if we hadn’t already had a week full of wonderful experiences and meeting lots of new folks, we got invited by William Anthony Torrillo, who had become a friend of ours on Facebook, to come to the Ritz-Carlton during our last night on St. Thomas to sample some amazing Cruzan Rum Desserts created by Pastry Chef  Kunal Chakrabarti.

Many of you may know William through his amazing island photography that can be found on his website Old Mango – Guide to the Islands. William is also a fantastic chef and even though Chef Kunal was off the night we came, William prepared the Rum Desserts for us.

The Ritz-Carlton is a gorgeous property and we got there early just to look around. The grounds were beautiful and the staff extremely accommodating.  At 8 p.m. we headed over to Great Bay Lounge to begin our Cruzan Rum Dessert experience.

William met us in the lounge with a beautiful welcome platter that included chocolate covered strawberries,  a french meringue cookie and Cruzan Single Barrel Rum…


The second course was a Cruzan Rum Crème Brûlée tasting and included three different Brûlée’s. We were instructed to eat them left to right as the last one had the strongest taste. The three Brûlée’s were:

1. Cruzan Vanilla Rum with Coconut Macaroon
2. Cruzan Mango Rum with Strawberry
3. Cruzan Black Strap Rum with chocolate cake crumble and homemade Chocolate Ice Cream

Well, the Brûlée’s were so tasty that if we weren’t in such a fine establishment, we may have been tempted to pick up the plates and lick them clean, but we remained on our best behavior. After allowing us to let the Brûlée’s settle in, William brought out one last delectable plate. This one was entitled the Cruzan Rum Beignet Plate and consisted of three Coconut filled Beignets with Cruzan Coconut Rum Sauce and a Frappe Shooter made with coffee, espresso, half and half, and  dash of Kahlua.


We enjoyed every moment and taste of the evening and thank William, The Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas, Chef Kunal and of course Cruzan Rum for such a wonderful experience. If you are staying on St. Thomas, I’d highly recommend going to the Ritz-Carlton to sample the delicious Cruzan Rum Desserts for yourself!!
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The Sunset Cruz

As the leaves begin to fall and the temps drop, I get the urge to try some of the heavier or warmer rum drinks that I’ve run across over the summer. One such drink, The Sunset Cruz, created by Carlton Grooms, was shown being prepared on a video posted on Coastlines & Tanlines. It makes use of rum cream – which is actually quite enjoyable and decadent by itself over ice. This recipe, however, adds coconut water and coconut rum. So, as I turned on the heater in the Rum Therapy kitchen for the first time this season, I assembled the ingredients for this rich and creamy rum drink.

Unfortunately, I was not able to find the Aztec Chocolate Bitters that were used in the video and so just substituted a sprinkling of unsweetened chocolate. I’ll have to compare the taste to the chocolate bitters when I can find them.

The recipe is rich and creamy, yet with just a touch of the tropics. I liked it so much that I might even substitute it for a glass of spiked eggnog during the holiday season. Cheers!~

The Sunset Cruz

2 oz. rum cream
1 oz. Cruzan Coconut Rum
2 oz. coconut water
fresh shredded coconut
Aztec chocolate bitters

Vigorously shake the rum cream, coconut rum, coconut water and ice until frothy. Strain into a glass. Sprinkle with shredded coconut and Aztec chocolate bitters. Enjoy!

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Rum Therapy On St. Croix

Last spring we had the opportunity to go to St. Croix for the first time. We’d spent some time in the two other US Virgin Islands, St. Thomas and St. John, but had not yet gotten to venture a little farther south to the sunny shores of St. Croix.

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After just a week, St. Croix quickly became a new favorite destination. It’s the largest of the three islands but has about the same number of residents as smaller St. Thomas. The pace on St. Croix is decidedly relaxed, the people are warm and friendly and you can either find a quiet beach, relax and do nothing or be as busy as you want with activities like diving, snorkeling, kayaking, sailing, hiking and enjoying stunning scenery, great bars, music, restaurants and shops.

We’ve determined that one week on St. Croix is not nearly enough to truly experience this Caribbean gem, but until we can go and stay longer, we’ll share with you the things we’ve experienced so far that we think shouldn’t be missed! Click on the links for more pictures and info.

St Croix 2 (600)

 1. Cruzan Rum Factory Tour – if you enjoy rum, this is a must see. Interesting tour and a rum drink at the end!

2. Drive to Point Udall – the eastern most point in the US.  – beautiful vistas.

St Croix 3 (600)

St Croix 18 (600)
From Point Udall, hike down to Jack’s and Issac’s Beach at  sunrise…

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copyright Rum Therapy
3. Sail to, snorkel and explore Buck Island. (See Turtle Beach, Buck Island and Snorkeling at Buck Island) Great snorkeling, an underwater snorkel trail, hiking and an amazing powder soft beach.

St Croix 6 (600)
4. Enjoy the wonderful Cruzan Rum drinks available everywhere on the island!

St Croix 7 (600)
 St Croix 8 (600)

 5. Explore Fort Christiansvaern in Christiansted and other historic buildings in the area to learn some of the the history of the island.

St Croix 9 (600)
Be sure to spend time walking around Christiansted shopping, exploring and enjoying some of the great restaurants and bars. Join the fun at the Crab Races in Christiansted and the Divi Resort on the SE side.

St Croix 10 (600)
6. Head to the northwest part of the island and hike one of the trails in St. Croix’s rainforest. Stop by the Mt. Pellier Domino Club for a cool drink, visit with some of the locals and feed a can of beer to one of the famous “beer drinking pigs”. (Read more about out visit to Mt. Pellier Domino Club here: Mt. Pellier Domino Club)

St Croix 11 (600)
7. Spend some time in Fredriksted and check out the pier where the cruise ships dock. Snorkel, dive, jump off the pier or just enjoy a spectacular sunset. Head over to nearby Coconuts on the Beach and Rhythms at Rainbow Beach to enjoy a cold beverage and live music.

Coconuts 1 (600)
St Croix 13 (600)
8. Spend a lazy day at Sandy Point. One of the prettiest beaches on the island and the location of the beach scene in “The Shawshank Redemption”.

St Croix 14 (600)
9. Enjoy “life in the left lane”. Rent a jeep to explore the entire island and drive on the left side of the road – from the left side of the jeep!

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10. Take a day trip to St. Thomas or Puerto Rico by seaplane.

St Croix 16 (600)
Whatever you do or however long your visit, be sure to slow down, relax and take advantage of all that St. Croix has to offer!

St Croix 17 (600)
See our St. Croix Map for locations of these attractions


To see more posts on St. Croix 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

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Sex On The Beach with Rum

Last week, while having an after-golf beverage with friends, one person in the group asked the bartender to surprise her with a refreshing tropical beverage with rum. He returned a short time later with a frothy, cold, pleasantly colored beverage that he called “his” version of Sex On The Beach – using rum instead of vodka. She sipped the beverage, sighed, then declared that it may in fact be better than the “real thing”. What?? Either she was REALLY thirsty, or this was one magical beverage!!

Jump to Recipe

We asked the bartender for the ingredients and set out to re-create this rumgasmic drink on our own!

The ingredients (sans measurements) given were: Malibu with a splash of spiced rum, fresh squeezed orange slice, cranberry splash and some pineapple juice. After comparing his recipe with the “typical” Sex On The Beach recipe, we came up with our own version using rum. Better than the real thing?? Hmmm….we’ll let you be the judge of that!

*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!

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Sex on the Beach with Rum

A frothy, cold, pleasantly colored beverage that uses rum instead of vodka. Better than the real thing? You be the judge.
Course: Drinks
Servings: 1

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine ingredients with ice, shake vigorously until frothy and pour into tall glass over ice.
  • Garnish with orange slice and cherry.

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

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Rum Glazed Spare Ribs

BBQ – Holiday Weekend – our house. We were in charge of the grub and drinks and started looking for something a little different. Cruzan Rum had posted a delicious looking Planter’s Punch recipe from St. Croix mixologist Jesse Card so we had the drink – what should we BBQ? We settled on a delectable looking rib recipe that called for rum and even though the recipe calls for the ribs to be cooked in the oven instead of on the grill, we finished them off with a few minutes on the grill for that good BBQ taste. We used Cruzan Black Strap in the rib recipe and well, it was a hit with the guests filling the house with an incredible deep rum aroma. 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!

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Rum Glazed Spare Ribs

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Trim excess fat off ribs and brush both sides with vegetable oil.
  • In a bowl, mix brown sugar, paprika, cumin, pepper and salt.
  • Rub mixture evenly over ribs. Place ribs in a large roasting pan and pour in 1 cup water. 
  • Cover with aluminum foil and bake until tender, 1 1/2 hours.
  • In a small pan, mix rum, sugar, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove foil from roasting pan, pour off all but 1/2 cup of liquid in pan and pour rum mixture over ribs. Return pan to oven and continue baking, uncovered, turning ribs several times and basting with liquid in pan, until meat starts to pull away from bones and is very tender, about 1 hour. Add a little water as necessary to prevent scorching.
  • If desired, place them on the grill for a few minutes, basting with the liquid from the pan or BBQ sauce.
  • Let ribs rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes. Slice into individual portions and serve hot with barbecue sauce on the side, if desired.

adapted from www.myrecipes.com

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

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

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Witty Words and Clever Comments

We hit 4,000 Facebook friends last night and want to say thank you to all our wonderful Rum Therapy friends! Less than a year ago we started our Facebook page with just a few random pictures and a tropical drink recipe or two, wondering if people would enjoy dreaming about islands, rum drinks and escaping as much as we do. Judging by the participation on our page we see that there are a lot of “like-minded” Rum Bums out there and we love the way you interact with us through your comments on our posts!

Some of your comments make us chuckle and some make us sigh, “oh, yeah”. To say THANK YOU, we wanted to highlight some of our favorite recent comments and give one random person one of our new Quiet Please – In Session T-shirts.
There were SO many good comments that it really was hard to narrow them down to a few favorites! We love hearing how some of our beach pictures and tropical drink recipes help transport you back to a relaxing vacation experience – even if for just a moment! The shirt winner had a comment that we felt was especially relevant to our company name “Rum Therapy” – I mean, combining pirate with a therapeutic term….

Thanks again! We appreciate ALL of our Rum Therapy friends!! Here are just a few of your wonderful comments:

Runners up:

Holly Richardson-Ross commented on the Aug 27 post:…give me a minute & you should see me come into the lower right of this pic! :)

“Only worry in the world” post Aug. 30 had several funny comments:
Karen Whited Haun’s worry was ….what if somebody finds me?
Jim Thielen apparently had many worries: 1. How long is my sun-block good for?, 2. How Do They Make the Ice out here? 3. Who is going to turn my chair for me so I can follow the sun’s rays.. 4. Does anyone have cell signal to order in Rum when we run out!

And the “out of focus” post Aug. 29 brought out the wittiness in several of our friends!
Allan Large: I think I see some EKG readings in there … all that rum has you too excited.

John McBride: I think I saw that at a Crosby, Stills,and Nash concert 30 years ago…..

And the Quiet Please – In Session shirt goes to…drumroll please… Steven who taught us about a pirate psychoanalytical remedy!

Steven Bart Hetfield:  What you have to do is employ a little bit of regressive drinking therapy Rum Therapy.=) Try the shots you may be able to remember doing and drink them until you retrieve this level of consciousness. This is an old pirate psychoanalytical remedy.

The Quiet Please – In Session T is available in three colors and can be purchased here:
http://rumtherapy.com/products-page/mens/quiet-please-in-session/
 
Be sure to check out our other awesome T designs, caps, shot glasses and Tropical Drink Recipes at www.rumtherapy.com
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Tears of a Mermaid

We’re always on the lookout for individuals who are doing something they love to do – especially if it involves something tropical. That’s why we were thrilled when William Torrillo – the amazing photographer who we interviewed for our “Through the Eyes of a Tropical Soul” article told us about Elizabeth. William suggested that we check out Elizabeth’s sea glass jewelry and we’re glad we did! Elizabeth had long enjoyed collecting sea glass during walks on the beach with her daughters and recently began making jewelry from the glass they have found. We asked if we could interview her and this is what we found out:

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself? I have lived in Maryland all my life and I’m 32 years old. I’ve lived in Calvert County for about 22 years. We are a water oriented area, known for crabbing and our ginormous Rock Fish! We are surrounded by water here on 3 sides. The Chesapeake Bay to our East and the Patuxent River to West, The Patuxent spills into the Bay at the southern tip of the county. We are a family of Beach Bums for sure and at home in Maryland we lived about 5 blocks from the Bay and our Beach House is in the Outer Bank of North Carolina where we spend most of our summers.

2. What made you decide to start making your own jewelry? I am a stay-at-home Mom of 3 Daughters 10, 7 and 4. I’ve been home about 5 years and my collection of sea glass was getting out of hand. So, my Hubby suggested we try to wire wrap a few pieces and see what happens. 3. Why sea glass? 3 years ago I found my first piece of Cobalt which is not easy to find. I found it on a girls weekend trip to our beach house and you’d have thought I had found a million dollars!! I immediately took it to a bead shop and had it made into a necklace. Everywhere I go to this day I’m complimented on how gorgeous my necklace is…  After years of finding tons of glass and a friend sharing her secret beach for amazing glass, we decided to give the jewelry making a try!

4. Where do you find your sea glass? The majority of my sea glass is from a place my girls and I call “Our Secret Beach”.  We find gorgeous colors there, aquas, lavenders, and cobalts, as well as the more common colors like greens, browns and whites.

5. What are the challenges of using sea glass? What are the benefits? My only challenge so far has been the earrings. Finding two pieces that are somewhat similar in shape is not an easy task! The benefit is that I have plenty of glass!! HA!

6. Where do you sell your jewelry? We showed the pieces my Hubby and I created to some friends and got an overwhelming response so I decided to open a shop on Etsy.com.  I chose the name Mermaids Jewelry Box because of the old folk lore that says that pieces of Sea Glass are Mermaid’s Tears. 7. Has this been a good career change, choice or path for you? I’m not really looking to make a career, my Hubby and I enjoy sitting together and wrapping the glass. It’s more of a passion that I wanted to share with others that may not have access to it like we do.

8. Is there anything else we should know about you or your business? I never use artificially made sea glass. I use pieces from my own collection. For some reason “Our Secret Beach” keeps us well stocked. I don’t have much luck finding glass in the Outer Banks, only random pieces here and there.

Oh, and I don’t know if I mentioned it or not but the little girl in the picture is my youngest daughter Haley. She’s a Sea Glass Mermaid also! She knows all about it… She’s my Sea Glass Buddy, we go hunt for glass when her older sisters are at school!
And yes, after checking out Elizabeth’s Etsy shop, I had to get a Mermaid Tear of my own (see pic above!) Be sure to check out the Mermaid’s Jewelry Box and see if there’s a piece calling your name too.

Other posts on Making Your Tropical Obsession Your Profession:

4242 Miles to St. Lucia – The Boiled Frog Guesthouse – Danielle and Steve Unruh

Searching for Pieces of Eight – Thomas Gidus

Okolemaluna Tiki Lounge, Kailua Kona, Hawaii – Brice Ginardi

Vessels of Freedom – Captain Darrel Hearne

Through the Eyes of a Tropical Soul – William Anthony Torrillo, Photographer

A Pirate Looks at 10 – Fletcher Morton, Trop Rock Musician

I’m Gonna Live My Life Like a Jimmy Buffet Song by Anthony Bjorklund (book review)

Railean Distillers – San Leon, Texas, Kelly Railean

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Miami Vice

Oh, the Miami Vice. Such a sensual treat. The smell of coconut and strawberry mingling with rum. The taste of the tropics. Just looking at one brings me back to vacations past; lounging in a beach chair in paradise, and a bartender keeping us well stocked with a never ending supply of these tropical delights. I came across an easy recipe for a Miami vice recently and good vacation memories came flooding back and I thought – this should be called a “Tropical Beach Party In Your Mouth”.

Jump to Recipe

We’ve made these before by mixing a batch of pina coladas and a batch of strawberry daiquiris from scratch and honestly, the taste is supreme, but it’s a lot of work. Especially because they go down way too easy, making the host jump out of their beach or pool chair to mix up another batch for everyone. This recipe is simple and it’d be quite easy to double it from the beginning, giving you extra time to relax and enjoy some Rum Therapy!

*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!

Print Recipe

Miami Vice

Tropical Beach Party In Your Mouth

Course: Drinks
Servings: 3

Ingredients

  • 5 oz. 151 "Overproof" Rum
  • 1 can Pina Colada Mix
  • 1 can Frozen Daiquiri Mix
  • Fresh Strawberries

Instructions

  • Combine pina colada mix with 2.5 oz of rum and ice – add enough ice to make a thick mix. Set aside.
  • Combine daiquiri mix with 2.5 oz of rum and ice.
  • Again, add enough ice to make it nice and thick.
  • Pour pina colada and daiquiri mixture into a tall glass at the same time.
  • If that gets a bit too messy, alternate pours.
  • Garnish with strawberries.

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

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Jamaican Smile

We’ve only had the pleasure of visiting Jamaica once – so far – and certainly enjoyed some fantastic tropical scenery along with some knock your socks off Rum Punches. We hadn’t, however, heard of such rum delights as the Jamaican Smile until a Facebook friend  asked for help in locating the recipe for the drink she had enjoyed during an apparently successful Rum Therapy session in Jamaica!

As we searched for the recipe, we were surprised at the variety of recipes found on the the web. We found one that looked pretty tasty and set out to make one. About that time, Facebook friend Jehmal David Hartwell posted a Jamaican Smile recipe for us. They were different enough that we thought we should create them both and do a taste test. In the end, they were quite different, but both really good. If you’ve had a Jamaican Smile, let us know which one tastes most like the one you tried – or let us know if you’ve been using a different recipe.

*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!

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Jamaican Smile

Recipe from our Facebook friend, Jehmal.
Course: Drinks
Servings: 1

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients and blend in a blender. Pour into glasses and garnish with a pineapple slice.

 

 

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Jamaican Smile - Resort Version

Delicious, tropical and frozen vacation in a glass!
Course: Drinks
Servings: 1

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients and blend in a blender. Pour into glasses and drizzle with strawberry syrup.

You may also like:

Jamaican Me Crazy
Bob Marley Shooter

Or search our Rum Recipe Directory for more Rumlicious Recipes!

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

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The Beaches of St. Maarten/St. Martin by Antilles Treasure

We’ve had the pleasure of “virtually” getting to know the wonderful folks at Antilles Treasures through Facebook and email over the last several months. If you don’t already follow them, you should pop on over to their Facebook page and “like” them for daily pictures and other island related material. They also have a website at: http://treasures.beachjunkie.com/. Through conversations we realized they not only appreciate good rum, but they’ve spent a substantial amount of time on St. Maarten and Anguilla and have taken many wonderful pictures of their adventures. We will be spending some time on St Maarten and Anquilla this spring and asked for recommendations of – you’ve got it – the best beaches and beach bars!!! We wondered if they would be kind enough to do a guest post for us on this topic and here is what they had to say:

The good folks at Rum Therapy asked us to put together a guest blog about a couple of our favorite ST Maartin/ST Martin beaches. Since we love opportunities to discuss our favorite island, we jumped at the chance.

Island background: The island of ST Maartin/ST Martin is a 37 square mile land mass that anchors the northeastern corner of the Lesser Antilles. This island is split by two governments French and Dutch.  Coincidentally, there are 37 named beaches. So for every mile that makes up this jewel of an island, there is a breathtaking beach.

First on most visitors list is Orient Beach, located on the French Side:
If you are looking for a beach that has it all, this one is for you. This is a great “ activity” beach with a plethora of beach bars, each hocking their own chairs, umbrellas and cuisines.

Wherever you choose to park on a thick cushioned chair for the day, you will be greeted by a breathtaking view including some of the small islands just off shore.  Relaxing in your chair, you will be treated to the dance of the sun baked tourists being performed in many acts. This will range from the kids bouncing on the floating trampolines to parasailing boats and jet skis crossing to and fro in the bay that is just a few feet from your chaise.  This is also a great beach for couples of all ages to stroll lovingly hand in hand from one end of the beach to the other.

The south end of the beach features Club Orient which is a clothing optional resort and beach area.  You are on a French beach, so you will most likely see topless women but the only place that everything is optional is at Club O.  No you do not have to participate but it is good to be aware.

Our favorite places on Orient are either Kakao beach or La String.  Our tip for this beach is to visit the KO bar. This is a little Tiki Hut in front of Kakao.  The bartender, GP, makes incredible drinks and if you are lucky enough to land a bar stool you are in for some enjoyable conversations.

This is one of the few beaches that have bathrooms and showers at almost all of the beach bars.

Our favorite venue is Cupecoy Beach; Dutch Side of the island.The sand on this beach is “ever changing”, it shifts with the tides. The backdrop is 20 + feet of sandstone cliffs dotted by several hollowed out caves.  Lying on the beach, you will be treated to a view of the island Saba on the horizon, jumbo jets as they arrive in paradise and boats of all shapes and sizes cruising by.  At this point, Cupecoy is a clothing optional beach.  There are rumbling that this could change, but as of now, you will see sun worshipers displaying all options.

Beach tip.  Stop in and say hi to Dany.  He can rent you a chair for the day, but he also makes an awesome rum punch and some of the best ribs on the island.  We give him our food order as we find our chairs and he will deliver food and drinks when lunch is ready.

Third on the list is Baie Rouge on the French side.

We discovered this beautiful long beach on our first trip, and now it has found a home in our hearts.  The sand here is a bit coarse, and once you enter the water there is a fairly quick drop off.  Views from this beach are breath taking, from the high cliff walls that glow red in the sunset to the multi million dollar villas that dot the cliffs and shoreline.

There are two permanent beach bars on this beach.  One will signal happy hour by the sound of someone blowing thru a conch shell.

Our Beach tip, bring a couple of bottles of water with you and hike the length of the beach.  It is a quite a walk but the far end of the beach is gorgeous and in our minds the best segment of beach on the island.

If none of these beaches tickle your fancy, there are 34 other beautiful beaches to explore, some which will be unpopulated.  There are a few others with the amenities of umbrellas and chairs for rent but the three we described top our list of favorites and bring us back to them day in and day out over our many trips to paradise.
Rob and Mary/Antilles Treasure

A big thanks to Rob and Mary for putting together this informative and picturesque guest blog. Be sure to check them out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AntillesTreasuresLLC and at their website: http://treasures.beachjunkie.com/