On November 3rd, 1978 Dominica gained its independence from Great Britain and became an independent republic within the Commonwealth. Dominica is also known as the Nature Island of the Caribbean and is situated between the French speaking islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique it is the largest ... Read review
A review by Lorriee on General: Dominica June 29th, 2001
Author's product rating:
Value for Money
Shopping
Nightlife
Ease of getting around
Family Friendly
Advantages:
Unforgettable Experience
Disadvantages:
Very Expensive
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
On November 3rd, 1978 Dominica gained its independence from Great Britain and became an independent republic within the Commonwealth. Dominica is also known as the Nature Island of the Caribbean and is situated between the French speaking islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique it is the largest and most mountainous of the all the Windward Islands. Some people tend to get Dominica mixed up with the Dominican Republic, which can really makes me angry, as they are completely different places. People fail to remember that one is in the Caribbean the other is in South America, which is a good distance away.
The main airport on the island is Melville Hall, which, is in the north part of the island, is about 38 miles from Roseau the capital city. There is also another airport, which is Canefield in the southwest part of the island, which is about 3 miles from Roseau. To get to the island you need to use the regional carrier, which is called Liat. You can get the Liat plane from the any of the following islands Antigua, Barbados and St Lucia. These islands are less than an hour away. Liat planes are extremely small and cramped so I advice you only carry a small hand luggage bag.
The island is not that big being roughly 29 miles long and 16 miles wide. When you read about the island they usually say Volcanic in its towering green mountains covered with dense tropical forests; deep valleys and countless streams provide magnificent scenic views. This is so right. To get a good view of the island as you are landing it has been recommended that if you are flying north into Canefield that you sit on the right hand side and flying north sit on the left hand side. If flying into Melville Hall you do the opposite. The most frightening bit for me is when the plane starts to descend and all you see is green trees around you it actually feels like the plane is heading towards them. It probably wouldn’t bother me if the plane were bigger. Sights
Dominica has some fantastic sights to see I have listed some of the more popular ones below: -
Boiling Lake – one of the largest in the world, you reach it after a tough 2-4 hour walk
Titou Gorge – is a volcano that you can swim in (well not literally). There is a crevice in which hot and cold steams blend together.
Sulphur Springs – is a spring that you can bathe in. Its hot sulphuric mud and water that come s from the earth’s interior.
Emerald Pool – is a green pool in the heart of the rainforest, it has a waterfall which can viewed from the underside
Trafalgar Falls – a pair of waterfalls which you can climb and be surrounded by a rainbow these are one of the islands most famous sights.
Victoria Waterfall – probably the most impressive and photogenic waterfall on the island
Freshwater Lake – a big lake of pure clear water that you bathe in
Botanic Gardens – The Garden is located in Roseau and has different species of plants and even animals some say it is the ideal place for a picnic in the summer if you are into that sort of thing!
The weather is generally dry between January and July; with the wettest months is August to October. The hurricane season in Dominica is from June 1st to November 30th. I went at the end of September and was caught in the Hurricane George, which swept across the Caribbean in 1998.
It was really strange to go around the island a few days before and see all windows boarded up and people panic buying in the supermarket. The whole island had a state of unrest, as the hurricane was getting nearer. I can remember the night before it was due my sister said that my immediate family spend the night in the same room just in case the worse happened. Both my sister and myself woke up in the middle of the night and could hear the wind moving over the island and a great speed it seemed to last for hours. In the morning there was hardly any damage to my grandparents house where I was staying which was good and overall the island wasn’t damaged that bad unlike some of the surrounding Caribbean islands. I made a note to go in the dry season next time. Additional Info
· Prices range from about four hundred to over a thousand but it really depends on the time/season you are going.
· English is the official language but Creole (a French patois) is widely spoken.
· Local currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar but US dollars are acceptable all over the island. You are advised to exchange your currency at the banks, where you will get the most favourable exchange rate.
· Driving is on the left side of the road.
· Electricity 220/240 volts, 50 cycles. A transformer is required for American appliances. Outlets are three-prong European style. Adapters may be needed.
So not to confuse you, this isn't the Dominican Republic.
It is located between the French islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique in the Eastern Caribbean. It's a volcanic island. It's 26 million years old.
The carribbean name for Dominica is Waitikubuli.
The most visited attraction in Dominica is it's waterfalls, and the most popular is the twin waterfalls at Trafalgur. It's very beautiful. You can go into the lake that it falls into and stand ... ...isn't that cold.
Also, the world's famous lake, The Boiling Lake can be found in Dominica. To get to the lake, you have to walk a 7 mile trail. It takes roughly 3 hours to walk each way, but it's well worth it. A word of warning, be prepared to get very dirty and wet, as it's very muddy. You of course can't go into the lake, because the waters very hot, but the views are spectacular. There are 365 rivers. Each one unique and very beautiful.
If ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Beautiful scenery, very friendly people and whales Disadvantages: Not really a beach island.
We've been twice, both times were via Cruise Ships, and late in the year. These were not big, fancy ships, just average Joe UK ones.
Dominica is a beautiful, lush, green, uncommercialised island that the locals should be very proud of. The locals themselves are very friendly and polite.
On our first visit we braved the enslaught of taxi drivers that rush to greet Cruise passengers. You just say where you want to visit and they tell you their price. ... ...to go to the Falls.
Our taxi driver was a young man who rented the vehicle. He took us up the very windy roads, stopping frequently to either point out things like pineapples growing by the roadside or local houses to explain their way of life or at a roadside shack so we could buy a cool drink. He spoke to us all the time and answered our questions happily. There were many other vehicles on the roads going to the same place, especially when ships ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: sunny, near the beach, friendly, lots to do, good service everywhere Disadvantages: outside of resorts is often classed as unsafe
Me and my family had an amzing time in the Dominican Republic, the weather was outsyanding everyday and we had a fantastic villa apartment for the two weeks we were there which had its own pool and a maid that came and served us breakfast everyday, it was fantastic, made us feel like royalty! Our resort had several lovely public pools and was right along the beach meaning that we could walk there whenever we liked in only a couple of minutes. The ... ...used our timeshare with RCI to swap weeks that we usually have in Tenerife for this holiday. We got a villa for 8 and since there was only 4 of us we could take our friends which just made the holiday even more fantastic, I would definitely reccoment Dominica for sun, sea and suntans! ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Advantages: Lovely beaches Disadvantages: Very hot and sticky weather!
Absolutley amazing holiday! Loved the Dominican Republic! The weather was just amazing apart from the odd rain shower or thunder and lightning. The people cant do enough for you, very friendly and hospitable, learning Spanish would be a good idea if you are thinking of going to the Dominican Republic as a lot of the people speak Spanish! The beaches were just specatcular, the sand very clean and the sea very warm, just like a hot bath! Just watch ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
I travelled to Dominica because my father comes from there and I wanted to see where he grew up. There are no international airports on the island so you have to travel from another island in the Caribbean. Curiously the airport you arrive in is at the top of the island miles away from where the majority of the islanders live. This seemed like an inconvenience at first, but the journey down from the airport to the capital takes an hour and a half ... ...island and see parts of the island you may not travel to normally. Dominica is primarlity a naturists holiday choice. There are hardlyu any beaches and the ones that do exist are mainly of black sand. If you go there its because you want to climb mountains and traipse through the rainforest. Not for the lighthearted. The capital is Roseau in the southern half and there are a limited number of accommodations availabel to tourists. Dominica hasnt been ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Advantages: Price, All inclusive Option, transatlantic crossing Disadvantages: lower level engine noise, tired cabins - could do with a refit
...someone else. We found this throughout the island-cruises-summer-holidays/">islands that we visited.
Next stop was Dominica, a very green island. Again we wondered around the port area, bought some postcards etc but generally just chilled out and relaxed on-board.
Day 12 was Antigua, we did go on an arranged trip across the island and had a really good time. Our guide Donna was very knowledgeable and it was obvious that the Islanders are mad about Cricket. We visited Shirley's Heights and got stunning views of Montserrat and some of the other surrounding Islands, plus Eric Clapton's old house. We also visited Nelsons Dockyard and Blockhouse Fort, where you can view Eric's new home and rehab centre in the distance.
We also wondered around the port area which had some specific port shopping areas and also town shopping. It was nice...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Teddy Bear Club International Magazine is a thoroughly absorbing read for all lovers of teddy bears, particularly collectors of traditional mohair teds. As a mohair bear artist myself, I am always on the lookout for a decent magazine to support my craft... more
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