Sunset across Cobblers Cove boutique hotel—Speightstown, Barbados.

I’ve just returned from an incredible trip to Barbados, discovering all there is to do on and off the beach. I went from Speightstown to Weston, to the heart of the island, and north, as well as south. What an adventure! I learned a ton about Bajan culture and history, about the fishing towns and the UNESCO-ranked city Bridgetown, the rum shops and distilleries, and even stopped by Rihanna’s neighborhood, among many other fun discoveries. I will share my finds with you soon on what to do and see in Barbados via upcoming articles, footage, and right here on the blog. In the meantime, check out my Instagram posts from the trip.

So what else is happening right now? SO much! I’m juggling some fantastic projects as you know from my last post. And they’re all progressing great. In the meantime…

1. Moon Dominican Republic 2019: “Behind the Scenes” IG Series kicking off next week

I am starting the update and research work for the 2019 edition of my Moon Dominican Republic guidebook for Moon Travel Guides.  

I thought I would make it more fun for you to follow along, aside from just IG photos, because I get many questions about what it’s like to be a travel/guidebook/writer/journalist.

So below is Episode 1 of my “Behind The Scenes with a Travel Guidebook Writer + Photographer” Series on IG. 

There will be one-minute videos and the occasional Live recording, on the making of my book. Topics will be as far ranging as a new hotel stay, or restaurant, beach, or other topics – all about the good, and the not so great about being a travel writer on the road. It will be spontaneous from the road, which is about as candid as it gets. (P.S.  I’ll be doing the same for Belize later this year when I update Moon Belize 2019).

To catch future “Behind the scenes” episodes, be sure to follow DRVisitor on Instagram and set the notifications on.

2.  Blog post on Curaçao in the running for CTO Award—here’s how you can help me out! 

Last but not least, my blog post on Curaçao titled “Dushi Magic” (see bottom of this post for the direct link) is currently among those in the running for one of the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s annual CTO Media Awards, in the category of “Best Travel Blog Posting.” It’s by public vote, and you only have to click once. If you’ve enjoyed my Caribbean posts, photos, and stories over the years right here on Sun & Stilettos, I would love your vote. Check out my entry at this link–remember the title, Dushi Magic–and click on the checkmark. The vote is open until May 19 (some people got an early start, ha!). Thanks so much.

Vote for “Dushi Magic or Why you should visit Curaçao”—thanks, guys!

Till soon, with love from the Caribbean.