Caribbean his mother and grandmother used the
various flora for and I asked what a bright yellow fruit was on the forest floor. “Chinola!” he said, incredulous as he sliced it open for me to try. “Have you never seen one?” I had – they are my favourite fruit. But I had only seen purple- skinned passion fruits in packets in Sainsbury’s and this was on another level flavour-wise. Dining at Amanera is delicious too, with the
main restaurant serving a range of Caribbean, Mexican and Italian dishes as you look out over the infinity pool, resort or sit inside clinging to the air-con. The other dining option is Club de Playa on the beach, where salads and fresh seafood and ceviche are prepared in the open kitchen, along with pizzas from the woodfired oven. There is also a kids club down by the beach.
An artful outing But as much as Amanera wants people to enjoy languishing at the resort, it also wants them to get out and explore, so a trip to nearby Rio San Juan is a must. A tranquil small town where the emphasis is on fishing, it offers a sleepy glimpse of life, but is also peppered with lots of modern murals, created as part of the ArteSano public art programme in 2014, when 25 street artists were invited to the town. Part of the tour also includes climbing into
a wooden boat and put-putting through Laguna Gri Gri, past labyrinthine mangroves then out to sea to marvel at crystalline waters, intricate caves with swallows’ nests and beaches such as Caleton, decorated with sculptures by Dominican artist Persio Checo. By night, the local flavour continues when you
eat out at Babunuco on the outskirts of Cabrera, another local town. It’s an unconventional restaurant, seemingly ramshackle but created with love out of recycled materials by owner and chef Juan Alberto Martinez, who serves up huge plates of fish and local meats with mountainous side dishes of mashed potato, rice and plantain. But the best is yet to come. Cuba may have the big reputation when it
comes to cigars, but those made in the Dominican Republic are said to be better and our host Martinez worked for national cigar maker Arturo Fuente for 15 years, so knows his stuff. Key to good cigars is the tobacco leaves – the best being aged four-five years, he tells us as he watches his young protege carefully roll some. I have to decline politely when he produces a
huge bottle of Johnnie Walker –me and whisky fell out way back. But that’s not what’s in there. Oh no. This is his own brew – his version of mamajuana, a Dom Rep favourite made by allowing rum, red wine, and honey to soak with tree bark and herbs. The taste is similar to port wine and the colour as deep a red – each maker’s concoction of herbs varies to their taste and habit and it’s drunk as a shot, with positive effects on health said to range from flu remedy, to digestion and circulation aid, to blood cleanser, kidney and liver tonic, even a boost to sexual potency. For me, its positive effect was a fit of the giggles. Amanera has even created its own version of mamajuana, which I obviously had to try for comparative reasons the following evening. The giggles took hold again, but abated when
How to book it Elegant Resorts offers seven nights from £4,365pp (room only) including economy flights from Gatwick with British Airways, private transfers and UK lounge passes (based on June 23 departure). Tel: 01244 897538,
elegantresorts.co.uk
it was mentioned that another ingredient was added to some versions – grated tortoiseshell, or sometimes even the unspeakable organ of a sea turtle, said to add the aphrodisiac effect. It was too sobering a thought for me, but Mertz assured me it wasn’t used in his blend. When I got back to my casita – all 818sq ft of it – there was a gift of the mamajuana mix in a bottle on the bed, which added to other turndown gifts that had been left nightly. They always came with a little story about their significance and included maracas, used in Dominican music such as Bachata, and some chunks of Dominican chocolate By Kah Kow to represent some of the 40,000 cocoa growers in the country. The next morning, to shake off the night
before I braved the picture-perfect infinity pool, which others in my group had told me was very, very chilly. I jumped in and let out a pretty hearty scream, which is probably not supercool Aman behaviour, but who cares – it’s what the locals would do, and after a few days here, I almost feel like one. Which I think is the point.
Pictured 1. Atrium of the resort’s Casa Grande 2. Playa Grande 3. The golf course 4. Street art mural in Rio San Juan 5. Amanera’s infinity pool
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TTGLUXURY.COM SPRING 2016 DESTINATIONS
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