A helicopter buzzes back and forth near Trafalgar Falls, one of Dominica’s most treasured natural sites. He is making an effort to help build a cable car that will take tourists over the island’s Boiling Lake, a spectacle that normally requires a three-hour hike.
Meanwhile, work continues on a new international airport (built by the Chinese and funded through a “citizenship by investment” scheme), which may or may not tempt the likes of British Airways and Virgin Atlantic to fly direct.
In the capital, Roseau, the government wants to increase the number of cruise ships docking daily from October to April.
And what was formerly known as Princess Margaret Hospital (Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized) is now called Dominica China Friendship Hospital.
Change is afoot in this beautiful outpost, which calls itself the “island of nature,” although cable cars, international airports, Chinese investments and a fleet of cruise ships coming and going may not seem like the most obvious gifts of nature.
There are those who fear that Dominica is not going in the best possible direction and that any move towards mass tourism will be counterproductive.
“We need to play to our strengths and give people an experience they can’t find anywhere else in the Caribbean,” says Dr Lennox Honychurch, 71, a conservationist and undisputed authority on the island’s history and its place in the rest of the world.
Those strengths are amazing. Dominica (pronounced Dom-in-ee-ca and should not be confused with the Dominican Republic, although many people do) is about the same size as Barbados but with half the population.
Undercover comfort: On a visit to Dominica, Mark Palmer checks into Secret Bay resort (pictured)
Baywatch: Secret Bay features uninterrupted views of the Caribbean Sea. It’s “really special,” says Mark
It has a greater concentration of volcanoes per land mass than any other country in the world, there is a resident population of sperm whales, some 365 rivers, spectacular waterfalls, elaborate reef systems and the birdlife is such that one morning when we met with Dr. Birdy, also known as Bertrand Jno Baptiste, we detected all four varieties of hummingbirds.
Then, with the help of Dr. Birdy’s telescope, we see the endangered imperial parrot, also known as the sisserou.
Dominica’s landscape is more lush and green than any other Caribbean island. During our hike deep into the forest around the base of Morne Diablotin, the island’s highest mountain (which attracted both George V and Theodore Roosevelt), we don’t see a soul.
That could change once the new airport opens (scheduled for 2026), but the brutal truth is that Dominica is not ready for mass tourism, and its appeal is precisely that it is not a fly-and-flop destination.
You come here because it’s different. You come here because you don’t need Whispering Angel rosé at London prices. You come here to watch and learn, and discover that Dominicans are quieter and less confident than their better-known Caribbean neighbors. But that also has its charm.
The place to stay is Secret Bay, just ten minutes south of Portsmouth on the north-west coast, a project that has embraced the ‘natural island’ spirit, added a touch of luxury and created something truly special.
It is the brainchild of businessman Gregor Nassief, whose grandfather fled Lebanon a century ago, settled in Dominica and began selling clothing and other household items door to door.
As a child, Gregor used to cycle with his brothers through the forest, where Secret Bay now has 22 villas cleverly hidden among the trees. They are all built on stilts and have outdoor kitchens and refrigerators that are miraculously filled every day with all kinds of delicacies.
“Dominica’s landscape is more lush and green than any other Caribbean island,” Mark writes. Above, the impressive Trafalgar Falls.
Marks visits Red Rocks (pictured), one of Dominica’s natural wonders
Above, a purple-throated Caribbean hummingbird, the largest variety on the island.
There are two beaches. One is below the spa and has a pool, bar and various water sports (although nothing as crude as noisy jet skis), and the other is only accessible to those who swim or take a kayak.
There are four dining options, including two in a new building called Bwa Dann (bay leaf in Creole), where there’s also an art gallery, kombucha brewery and convenience store.
At upscale restaurant Terrezza there are no real menus; instead, you’re offered whatever the French chef decides to conjure up and, frankly, he’s a culinary wizard.
Exploration is what Dominica is all about, so we rent a car, stop regularly to marinate in hot sulfur springs, make pottery in villages where multicolored wooden houses match vivid wildflowers, and marvel at Red Rocks, an extraordinary landscape of weather-worn cliffs. that look towards deserted beaches.
The east coast is home to the Kalinago Territory, where the indigenous people of Dominica, originally from South America, occupy some 4,000 acres of land and do everything they can to preserve a distinctive identity.
The country’s current president is the first woman and the first Kalinago to hold the position.
We came to love Portsmouth. More ramshackle than elegant, it was once a major seaport and the British named it capital in 1765, but the swampy lands to the north and south led to too many cases of malaria and yellow fever, so Roseau took over three years later.
Cabrits National Park, just outside the city, is where you’ll find the 18th-century Fort Shirley garrison, partially restored and still mighty. It is a gentle climb to the fort, from where there are commanding views of the coast.
I can almost make out Secret Bay in the distance, which embodies much of what makes this fascinating island unique. Let’s hope the Chinese aren’t keeping an eye on him too.