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two islands, while not precisely neighbors, offer in kind an abundance
of greenery and solitude. Both have mountainous, aggressively verdant
interiors nurtured by volcanic soil, and both also suffer for this
bounty, since farmers must battle encroaching jungle and periodic
torrential rains. Most beaches are black or gray, though the odd
golden strip may be found here and there; Montserrat, at Rendezvous
Bay, claims the only white-coral beach.
Tourism
has come slowly to these shores and in disparate forms: While Montserrat's
development took shape in scattered villas and condos (hotels are
surprisingly scarce), Dominica enfolds in its rough hills a hodgepodge
of romantic inns and semi-luxurious wilderness retreats. Visitors
to the former may enjoy a brisk rainforest hike now and then, but
most come for sun, sailing, seclusion, tennis and golf (many residents
are American retirees). Dominica's fans tend to be hardy lovers
of the outback who come to roam through the dense forests, swim
in the clear rushing rivers, and search for the island's endangered
parrots.
Montserrat,
southernmost of the Leewards, is 39 square miles, its highest peak
3,000 feet high. Flaunting a curiously Irish air, it is sometimes
called the Emerald Isle of the Caribbean, despite its status as
a British Crown Colony. This touch of blarney - heard even, on occasion,
in the brogue - favored patois of some natives - is the legacy of
its 17th-century settlers, who left Protestant enclaves as far-flung
as St. Kitts and Virginia to forge a life with kindred souls. This
is surely the only island where St. Patrick's Day is celebrated
more exuberantly than Carnival - albeit with rum punch and jump-ups
- and while Dominica exports limes and bananas, Montserrat harvests
potatoes.
Larger,
wilder, and poorer than Montserrat, self-governing Dominica (domi-NEE-ka)
is 298 square miles of the Caribbean's most untamed, awe-inspiring
beauty. Its mountains rise to 4,700 feet, and its 16,000-acre national
park embraces the sublime Emerald Pool, the fearsome volcanic Boiling
Lake, and forests burgeoning with orchids, exotic birds, and snakes
(none poisonous). Dominica was the last stronghold of the fierce
Carib Indians, and their descendants farm this rough land. Even
more so than on Montserrat, the charms here are not of the cosmopolitan
ilk. Your clients will find no golf or waterskiing, little tennis,
and few four-star meals. They will, however, find deserted beaches,
idyllic privacy, and welcoming hosts.
Both
islands offer good diving and snorkeling; facilities on Montserrat
can arrange numerous aquasports. Both are accessible only via other
nearby islands; they are truly for those who love getting away.
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