Upon our approach to Dominica’s Douglas-Charles Airport (DOM) in the golden light before sundown, my first impression was of elevation—multiple thickly forested peaks plunged down towards roiling cobalt seas, sometimes with a gentle decline, but more often with a sheer black cliff. An isle of luxurious sand beaches this was not.
But let me back up. Many of you are probably thinking, “Isn’t it usually called the Dominican Republic?” or, “But the Dominican Republic has lots of beaches.” If you are confused, don’t worry, you’re not alone. I was basically in the same boat you are prior to about 6 months ago. I knew Dominica was a Caribbean island, and I knew it was a different place than the Dominican Republic. But I couldn’t have told you where in the Caribbean it was (answer: Lesser Antilles, between Guadeloupe and Martinique), the name of its capital (answer: Roseau, which is not pronounced like the 18th century political philosopher), or whether it had been a British, French, or Dutch colony (answer: both British and French, but mostly British, and now independent).
So how did I end up booking an unlikely trip to an island I had just barely heard of? This spring, a friend and I were both desperate for a girl’s trip to escape the winter office drudgery, and we spent days researching the various Caribbean islands to find the one that best suited our needs. The Caymans were too commercialized. We would have had to fly to Martinique from DC by way of Paris (not really, but it may as well have been so). We researched the vibe of the different islands, and tried to decide what it was we were really looking for out of our Caribbean escape. Barbados looked lovely, but so did St. Lucia, and Bonaire, and did we really consider Jamaica? We were paralyzed with indecision.
Finally, my friend found an AirBnB in Dominica called the Villa Passiflora that looked absolutely gorgeous, with an infinity pool, panoramic ocean views, four-poster beds, dark wooden timbers, and impeccable tropical landscaping.
Flights to DOM from Washington-Dulles routed through San Juan, Puerto Rico at convenient enough times. “We love the house, let’s just book it” I told her, and the rest is history.
Now we had to figure out what to do once we got there. We were somewhat enthused by the absence of tour books on Dominica by the usual suspect publishers—no Lonely Planets or Fodors here. That told us that this island was truly off-the-beaten path. Sure, Time had named it one of its top destinations for 2023, but everything we read suggested it was still largely untouristed and more authentic than many Caribbean islands.
(My friend ended up with the Bradt guide from 2016, and I bought this completely off brand book written by former Peace Corps volunteers from 2011. Both were dated, but serviceable.)
By the time we got there we had a bit of a plan. It involved some lounging on the deck chairs by our infinity pool, reading and drinking rum. Some hiking and snorkeling and seeking out hidden waterfalls. Lots of eating seafood.
I will say that we accomplished most of what we set out to do. But we did find that Dominica was an island where you can’t get too fixated on your own plans—which really, is part of the fun of travel.
The setting sun illuminated puffy clouds in salmon pink as our prop plane landed on the single runway at DOM one Saturday evening at the end of April. We had no idea what unexpected adventures really lay ahead of us.