The "mangojito" I drank yesterday is this restaurant's signature drink.

By Wendy Perrin

I don't believe it!  I've finally managed to stump you seasoned travelers.  Since nobody's guessed the island or restaurant where I ate lunch yesterday, let me give you a couple more clues for Day 4 of WHERE IN THE WORLD IS WENDY?  before we proceed to Day 5. 

What I drank at lunch today, Feb. 15, 2007

By Wendy Perrin

Okay, you guys are too smart.  I'm gonna have to get even tougher. If this doesn't stump you, I don't know what will. Where am I?

My lunch

Attention, foodies: For extra points, name that cocktail!  You could also take a stab at the veggies/fruit that those chips are made from.

Barbados's northernmost point, shot from inside the Animal Flower Cave, Feb. 14, 2007.

By Wendy Perrin

Never in a million years did I think I'd say this to anyone, but  . . . CoralsO and Tracker1312, you guys are TOO well-traveled!  Looks like you're the current frontrunners in the WHERE IN THE WORLD IS WENDY? game. I must warn you, however, that pretty soon anyone trying to guess my whereabouts will need a different set of travel knowledge.

There I am, overlooking Soufriere, St. Lucia, and the twin peaks called the Pitons, Feb. 13, 2007

By Wendy Perrin

Wow. You guys are smart. Yes, I was indeed on St. Lucia yesterday -- in Marigot Bay, at Plas Kassav (the cassava bread factory), and at Ladera Resort. Some of you are figuring out my whereabouts so quickly that clearly my clues are gonna have to get tougher.  Here they are for Round 3 of WHERE IN THE WORLD IS WENDY?

I stood here this morning before the buses from the cruise ship arrived.

The same view, shot about ten steps back, after the cruise-ship crowds descended.

The same view, shot about ten more steps back (and to the right), after the buses had left.

By Wendy Perrin

Congrats to all of you who guessed that I was on the Caribbean island of St. Martin--first in Marigot, then at La Samanna resort--yesterday. The frontrunners in the WHERE IN THE WORLD IS WENDY? game seem to be CoralsO and Tracker1312 at the moment -- since they guessed both Marigot and La Samanna -- but KiwiWriter and Albany007 are close on their tails.

Okay, now for Round 2. In addition to taking in some pretty views today, I swung by a factory that makes a type of local bread:

By Wendy Perrin

Clearly the clues in round 1 of WHERE IN THE WORLD IS WENDY? were way too easy. (I'd figured I should make my clues easier, since it had taken people three days to guess the Pushkin Museum in Moscow. Apparently I overcompensated. From now on, no more Mr. Nice Guy.)

A few of you did correctly guess that I was in Marigot, St. Martin, earlier today. But the last 3 photos are not of Marigot. Who can guess where the beach, cabana, and "great place to stay" are? Where else was I?  To hazard a guess, click on "Post a Comment" below.

By Wendy Perrin

I've made it to a cybercafe and can finally post the first photos in the WHERE IN THE WORLD IS WENDY? game.

I'll be hitting several different countries during this trip.  The winner of the game will be the person who comes closest to guessing my exact location on the greatest number of days of the trip. The prize: Lunch with me at the restaurant of your choice, either in New York or wherever you live.

I snapped these pics in a town nearby this morning.

St. Lucia
Photo: St. Lucia Tourist Board

By Wendy Perrin

Today's the day that many Caribbean and Mexican resorts have been dreading: From now on you need a passport to fly back into the U.S. from Mexico, Canada, or non-U.S. islands in the Caribbean. (You don't need one yet if you're returning by land or sea.)  The new rules are at getapassportnow.com. For the low-down on rush fees or if you're looking for a passport expediting service, click here.

Many Caribbean and Mexican resorts, concerned the new regulation might scare off customers, are helping defray the cost of getting a passport ($97 without the rush fee) by offering special discounts and perks to U.S. citizens who arrive with brand-new passports. 

If St. Lucia is the first stamp in your new passport, for instance, the Ladera Resort will reimburse the cost of obtaining it and also give you a complimentary 30-minute massage at its spa (a minimum 5-night stay is required). Make Anguilla the first stamp in your passport, and the Arawak Beach Inn will give you a room for $120 per night (4 nights required) and throw in a "private day excursion to a secluded beach on an uninhabited island, including gourmet packed lunch."

Marriott and Renaissance properties throughout the Caribbean and Mexico are offering a $100 resort credit per room if you arrive with a new passport and stay a minimum of five nights.  And SuperClubs resorts will credit your passport cost toward your vacation package.   

By Wendy Perrin

Looking for a cut-rate Caribbean sailing?  The time is now.  Business is so soft for the cruise lines that, as Cruise Week points out, they're inviting travel agents onboard for free cruises this winter (normally they do so only in low season) . . . .

Ed Fuller, Pam Richards, and Mark Conroy, Oct. 15, 2006
Photo: Patrick Butler

By Wendy Perrin

The reason you haven't heard from me in the past few days is that I've been busy round-the-clock gearing up for Conde Nast Traveler's most action-packed two days of the year. The fun started yesterday, with our 2006 Top Travel Specialists Awards--an annual shindig honoring the world's most knowledgeable, well-connected travel agents (yes, there is such a thing as an excellent travel agent).  As part of the event I moderated a panel of industry leaders:  Ed Fuller, who runs Marriott's seven hotel brands in Asia, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East; Pam Richards, Commissioner of Tourism for the U.S. Virgin Islands; and Mark Conroy, who heads up Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Regent Hotels.

Photo: SeaDream Yacht Club

By Wendy Perrin

"It's yachting, not cruising."  That's SeaDream Yacht Club's slogan.  The head of the company was just in my office explaining why smaller is better when it comes to cruise ships.  Anyone who's read my advice on choosing the right ship knows he was preaching to the choir.

I already knew about SeaDream's flexible itineraries:  Say the ship is sailing past a tiny island with a colorful fishing village or a secluded bay that's perfect for snorkeling.  The captain can seize the opportunity and pull over. And he can keep the ship in a port longer than scheduled if there is nightlife that should not be missed. 

But I didn't know about SeaDream's impromptu crew-led shoreside excursions. When a ship called at the tiny Caribbean island of Bequia, for instance, the captain invited passengers to join him for an island hike. He led them to a secret cove (where a tender from the ship suddenly materialized with champagne and caviar), then to a shack that serves what the captain says is the world's best lobster pizza. When a ship sailing the Italian Riviera called at Portovenere, the chef invited passengers to go ashore with him to buy pesto.  They ended up getting a pesto-making lesson from the old men who grind it the same way they have for centuries.

Sounds like a cruise even I could stomach.

By Wendy Perrin

Tropical Storm Ernesto may not have done much damage to Florida, but it did do damage to certain Caribbean cruise itineraries. To avoid the storm, two cruise lines, Carnival and Royal Caribbean, altered certain of their ports of call on this week's sailings. 

There's a lesson here for anyone considering a Caribbean cruise in hurricane season, which is from now through mid-November:  Cruise lines are allowed to modify itineraries and switch ports of call without offering any refund or compensation.  So, when you're choosing among ships, don't pick one solely because your heart is set on one of its ports. Be sure that, even if you skip the port of your dreams, you'll enjoy the rest of the itinerary.