A Sunday Morning Walk in the North of Dominica

A Sunday Morning Walk in the North of Dominica

by | Oct 26, 2019 | Hiking

Hans and I love to walk in the early mornings. On Sunday mornings we try to explore a different area if time and weather permits.
In the week we go out no later than 6am but on Sunday’s we sleep a bit later, and start around 7am.
Today we drove up to the little village of Clifton in the North of Dominica which is about
25-30 minutes driving from Hotel The Champs. 
We parked the car near a small river and started walking.

On Sunday mornings you don’t find much traffic so it is safe and relaxed to walk on the beautiful road surrounded by nature.

 It is amazing to see all those different colors of green. See the ocean, we could even see Ies Saints.

 Feel the early morning sun warming your skin and then the little breeze to keep you cool at the same time.

 While walking we came across some breadfruit trees.   

Great to see it’s breadfruit season again.

 Breadfruit: Its name is derived from the texture of the moderately ripe fruit when cooked, similar to freshly baked bread and having a potato-like flavor.

 Breadfruit is most commonly used as a vegetable. The starch-rich breadfruit tastes similar to potatoes. 

Breadfruit trees are one of the most common trees seen across the island. A good bit of breadfruit trees survived the wrath of hurricane Maria.

We just bought some fresh breadfruit at the market on Saturday morning and the cook turned it into a great breadfruit salad. They first roast the breadfruit so it gets black on the outside. Then they peel it and chop in pieces. Fry them and add some (secret) ingredients to get a tasty salad.

Other than salad, breadfruit can be used to make alot of other foods such as fries, and even a beverage called breadfruit shake, which tastes very delicous and satisfying.

Breadfruits can be found at the market almost during the entire year as there are trees which bear year round. When you visit Hotel The Champs ask for the famous breadfruit salad, our cook will be honored treat you to the very best.

One of the most common ways to prepare breadfruit is by roasting. First of all you must wash your breadfruit, and place it on a lighted burner of the stove.

Ensure that the burner is turned down onto the lowest, in other words small flames. By doing this the breadfruit will have enough time to be roasted properly from the inside out.

The kitchen may become a bit smoky while the scent of burning will be in the air, but dont worry this is all part of roasting a breadfruit.

Allow the breadfruit to become black while roasting. When one side is black then use  a towel to hold and  turn the breadfruit to be roasted on the other sides. The image to the right shows how the breadfruit should be placed on the fire for roasting.

This can be a slow process but one which you will not regret and enjoy to the fullest in the end.

 

When your breadfruit looks like the image on the right side it is fully roasted. Turn of the stove, and give the hot breadfruit a chance to cool.  

After it is cooled for about fifteen minutes, use a towel to hold and start peeling off the dark roasted skin with a knife. The food under the dark skin should be light yellow in color. Ensure that the black or outer roasted skin does not soil the yellow inside as you peel so that you can have a tidy and edible peeled breadfruit.

Now you should have a rounded peeled breadfruit ready for slicing. Cut the breadfruit into two halves. At this point you will see two different layers in the inside of the breadfruit. Slice the halves and get rid of the inner parts of the breadfruit. Now you can use the sliced breadfruits to make breadfruit salad, or lots of other fancy breadfruit recipes.  

 

 

We can also share with you the best places near our place to have an enjoyable morning walk, full of relaxation and renewed energy.

Staying with us will entail a fusion of local flare and extraordinary local comfort. We have been living in Dominica for the past ten years and know all the best places to go, and enjoyable things to do and so we would love to share these with you.

Our main aim is always to ensure that our guests enjoy their time with us, so that they may have long lasting and exciting memories of life in Dominica

 

Dive Package: Top Hotel & Top Dive Center

Dive Package: Top Hotel & Top Dive Center

by | Aug 2, 2019 | Diving, Environs, Hotel, Pool, Rooms

Dive Package: Top Hotel & Top Dive Center

Hotel the Champs and Cabrits Dive Center 

join forces to offer top-rated dive packages

The north of Dominica has been buzzing with excitement this year, but it is still somewhat undiscovered as a destination for dive, and travellers are enthusiastic to explore Portsmouth and the north.

Around the hills of the Cabrits National Park, in Douglas Bay and Toucarie Bay you will truly find some of the world’s top dive spots.  

 

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Hotel the Champs offers a top-rated personalised accommodation experience across an intimate five-room hotel and has partnered with Dominica’s only PADI 5 Star Rated Dive Centre, Cabrits Dive Center to offer idyllic dive and sleep packages for guests with varying dive experience and vacation wishes.

These dive packages have attracted the attention of specialized dive tour operators and the team from Hotel the Champs and Cabrits Dive Center were requested to conduct some training webinars to their Sales Agents last July.

 

 

 

A large US tour operator has already contracted to sell these dive packages through the 2020/21 season.  All parties are pleased with this partnership and look forward to taking this package model to other tour operators and trade partners and also directly to the visitors.

So, if you are reading this blog post and are interested to find out more, then contact Hotel The Champs or Cabrits Dive Center and ask for the special Dive Package offers.

Here is a nice article to find our more about Cabrits Dive Center and the owners Virginie & Rémi Granger.

 

 

Ask for a Promo Code for Unbeatable Rates - Click Here.
Hotel The Champs + Cabrits Dive Center
Hotel The Champs + Cabrits Dive Center
Hotel The Champs + Cabrits Dive Center
https://cabritsdive.com
Hotel The Champs + Cabrits Dive Center
Hotel The Champs + Cabrits Dive Center
Hotel The Champs + Cabrits Dive Center
Hotel The Champs + Cabrits Dive Center
Hotel The Champs + Cabrits Dive Center

Developing the Art of a Tiny Caribbean Hotel

Developing the Art of a Tiny Caribbean Hotel

by | Jul 22, 2019 | Hotel, Pool, Restaurant, Rooms

Developing the Art of a Tiny Caribbean Hotel

In October 2007 Lise and Hans came to live and work in Dominica. They never worked in the hospitality industry and never formally studied hospitality. But they have stayed in many hotels and visited countless restaurants and bars.

 

Staying at Hotel The Champs has to be such a good experience that all our guests will tell their family and friends that The Champs is THE place to stay in Dominica.

That was the standard when The Champs opened on Nov 8, 2008, a standard that has worked well for many years. 

We are now writing July 2019. Almost two years after devastating hurricane Maria, after building a new roof, new interiors and beds in the rooms, after rebuilding and expanding the pool, after creating an intimate breakfast-and-dinner restaurant, and while still working on more great facilities.

And at a new level of tourism in Dominica with Secret Bay around the corner, Kempinski opening in October, the “Morocco Hotel” almost ready to start, Anichi under full construction. The 2008 standard is no longer good enough. Now is the time to develop the art of a tiny Caribbean hotel.

Join us in thinking and talking about the “new champs”.

We think that Hotel The Champs is not a typical boutique hotel, although it is much sleeker than a bed and breakfast. There’s an on-site restaurant, though that certainly doesn’t make it a resort.

There is a particular class of tiny hotels in the Caribbean, delightful little places with a handful of rooms, a lunch-and-dinner restaurant and, if you’re lucky, a pool or a beach.

They’re typically under the radar, the sorts of accommodations for seasoned travelers who know what they like, what they need and what they want to avoid. And Lise & Hans want Hotel The Champs to be part of that particular class.

It’s the special experience of Lise and her team offering a mix of Dutch and Caribbean hospitality, always smiling and cheerful, a simple hotel filled with simple pleasures for sophisticated travelers.
That’s precisely what we’re trying to offer at The Champs, perched on the hillside of Picard, overlooking Prince Rupert Bay, on the Nature Island Dominica, still waiting to be discovered.
It’s an hour-long winding drive from the airport over narrow mountain roads, but when you walk through the doorway and see that splendid million-dollar view, you’ll know that is was worth the flight and the drive to get here. This tiny little jewel box of a hotel has just five rooms, all contemporarily appointed with neatly designed wooden interiors and spacious bathrooms. But when you’re here, why would you won’t be spending much time indoors?

 

 

Because the top-floor restaurant is worth the trip all by itself, and so is the beautiful pool-deck set above the lush garden with sweeping views of the Caribbean Sea and the hills of the Cabrits. Inviting and comfortable furniture and a crystal-clear little pool.

And yes, there are beaches at walking distance. Coconut Beach, Picard Beach, Purple Turtle Beach, all offer the authentic Reggae & Rasta experience with spicy rum-punches and local Kubuli beer.

And then there are the superior sea view rooms, decorated with local art, and the garden/pool level rooms, the ones that open right out onto the pool and deck, giving you the feeling of your own private balcony on the Picard hillside.

The food is excellent, with The Champs’s always-smiling friendly service and the rooftop tables where you’ll never be bored of consuming the incredible 270 degree view.

Take your time sitting down with your personal concierge Lise who love to help you exploring Dominica’s adventures or the quaint little colonial towns. After your day out come back to Hotel The Champs and end your day on the pool-deck, savoring a colorful cocktail while the sun sinks in the sea painting astonishing colors in the sky. And while the tropical night comes rolling it with all its stars and sounds, you will relax with the joy of knowing you’ve found one of the island’s best-kept secrets.

Come check out the new Hotel The Champs. The days of student-hangout have gone. No more busy bar with shuttle service. Now our 5-star personal service fully focuses on you, the hotel guest, the fill your stay with life long memories to make you feel warm inside when you’re back home in cold wintery weather.

Let us have your comments if you stayed at Hotel The Champs in recent times. Do you think that we are developing the art of a tiny Caribbean hotel? Tell us how we can do even better.

We love to learn.