Travelers to the Caribbean go to the islands in search of a fun vacation on the beach under the clear blue skies or to see the wonderful world of marine flora and fauna by scuba diving and snorkeling in the Caribbean Sea. Gardeners and eco-tourists find the natural beauty of the rainforests and tropical gardens captivating. As an avid gardener, I have always been drawn to the wealth of plant life on each of these islands, be it the spices of Grenada, the fruit trees, or the rare varieties of orchids that are found on various islands in the region.

My wife is more interested in the “regular” stuff and often complains about traipsing around botanical gardens looking at orchids and hibiscus instead of spending the day at the beach. So this time, when I went to the Caribbean with my wife, I stayed at Sandals Grande Ocho Rios, in a villa surrounded by a garden facing the beach. Friends had told me that the gardens at this resort were exceptionally beautiful and well maintained. I decided to check it out once we reached the resort and went for a walk around the entire premises. I could understand why they referred to it as a veritable Garden of Eden, seeing the number of fruit-bearing trees in the gardens. Fragrance from the flowering jasmines sweetened the sea breeze and the colors from the flowering blossoms were a treat for the eyes.

Pumping iron at the fitness center, a couple of games of tennis in the morning, theme nights and live music performances in the evenings, dancing at the night club, and a host of other activities kept us busy but I looked forward to our stroll around the gardens first thing in the morning.