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Music Calls Us To Caribbean

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By ROGER PETTERSON, The Associated Press

Published: December 30, 2007

Head to the Caribbean for a cultural opportunity at one of the region's winter music festivals.

The St. Barts Music Festival - www.stbartsmusicfestival.org/ - is set for Jan. 11 to 23 with performances ranging from classical to jazz. It's advertised as relaxed and informal - no reservations, just enjoy the beaches during the day and then pay at the door of that night's venue in churches and community halls.

This Web site, however, is not as accommodating; to get in, you must click on the festival title, then a new, smaller Web browser window opens. However, it does have a video featuring musical and dance performances with some of the island's tropical scenery.

St. Barts in the French West Indies has beaches, quaint villages, restaurants and the duty-free port of Gustavia but no really big resorts or high-rise hotels. For its available places to stay, St. Barths (short for Barthelemy) Online - www.st-barths.com/ - provides a visitors' guide to getting there (flights and ferries from nearby St. Maarten) and places to stay that range from small hotels to private cottages or villas.

The guide also has maps of the 14 beaches, hotels and restaurants.

During part of that same period, the Barbados Jazz Festival - www.barbadosjazzfestival.com/ - features an array of artists Jan. 14 to 20 in the West Indies. Its accommodations list is short, so try the Barbados Tourism authority - barbados.org/ - to survey hotels, villas, guest houses and apartments, then click on "Discover" for tours (including submarines) and activities from scuba diving to shopping to horse racing and even polo.

A little later on the calendar, there's a much jazzier Web site and artists' lineup for the Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival - www.airjamaicajazzand blues.com/08/ - Jan. 24 to 26.

It promises performers including Anita Baker, Spyro Gyra, Hugh Masakela, Diana Ross and Taj Mahal. Bigger names mean bigger ticket prices, but you can get a three-day pass for $225. To arrange a trip, click on "Travel" to link to the sponsoring Air Jamaica Vacations.

There's a lot more to appreciate about Jamaica. Go to the Jamaica Tourist Board - www.visitjamaica.com/ - and dig into "Vacation Themes" in the upper-right corner of the page to learn about beaches, family vacations and a category called "Untrodden" for ideas such as rafting on the Martha Brae river, picnicking at Mayfield Falls or hiking the Bluefields Mountains.

Then click on "Before You Go" for subjects including climate, banks, driving and air travel to the island.

A little later in the season, try the U.S. Virgin Islands and the St. John Blues Festival - www.stjohnbluesfestival.com/bf/blueshome.htm - March 19 to 23, with a cajun and zydeco flavor this year. Since it's a U.S. possession, travel is a little easier. It has a link to "Where to Stay on St. John."

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