Travel + Leisure highlights Dominica’s nature, culture and authentic Caribbean experience

Dominica: A Travel + Leisure piece by writer Rachel Chang published on September 20, 2026 relates how Dominica enchanted a traveller who had found little to charm her in earlier excursions in the Caribbean focused on beaches.

Chang wrote that she is more of an explorer than beach vacationers and that visits to the Dominican Republic, St. Martin and the Bahamas had left her questioning if the region was for her.

She wrote that the advice of Saba locals who insisted that she would love Dominica, eventually led her to the island known as Nature Island.

She flew in via the nonstop flight from Newark International Airport to Douglas-Charles Airport and was on the island for a total of five days. Her base was Fort Young Hotel and Dive Resort in Roseau, housed in a fortress built in 1699 and operating as a hotel since 1964.

Chang wrote that she was stunned by the twin cascades of Trafalgar Falls and spent as much time as she could in the sulphur hot springs at Ti Kwen Glo Cho, a family-run site whose Creole name means "little corner of hot water".

She also visited the Calibishie Red Rocks where sea caves and crevices dot a barrier reef amidst a green landscape.

On the Indian River, she rowed past a riverside shed which served as a filming location for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest with a tour company by the name of Cobra Tours.

She wrote that the people made more of an impression on her than the scenery. Many buildings remained damaged across the island as a result of Hurricane Maria in 2017 and she spoke of a quiet strength in the community in terms of its welcoming spirit which she noted was characteristic of locals, indigenous people and expatriates who had come to call the island their home.

She highlighted Simon Walsh who launched Nature Island Dive in 1994 and who is pioneering methods of rehabilitating coral which had been affected by waterborne disease.

Chang wrote that Walsh has also played a part in leading a coral biobank which has preserved more than two dozen native coral species.

She also featured Dian Douglas, a Dominican who studied landscaping in New Jersey before returning to found Paradise Valley Garden Nursery, a nearly 60-acre property.

Other stops she made were the recreated traditional village at Kalinago Barana Auté, and Sea Cliff Eco-Cottages run by a Brooklyn couple who moved their young children to Dominica and make small-batch gin with local botanicals.

She ended her trip at Secret Bay, one of her all-time Travel + Leisure favourites. She spoke of its treetop villas, on-site funicular, and botanical garden dining.

Owner Gregor Nassief, who was born in Dominica told her that it was the depth, authenticity and people which made the experiences afforded in Dominica unique in the Caribbean.

Chang is a frequent contributor to Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler, writing often of solo travel and responsible tourism.