WHO: Sharon, 53, and Ted Weaver, 54, of Swampscott
WHERE: Dominica
WHEN: Two weeks in January and February
WHY: ''We are hikers and we love the outdoors," said Sharon Weaver, who researched destinations that had good hiking and warm winters. Dominica (pronounced dom-in-ee-ka) in the West Indies, called ''the nature island of the Caribbean," fit the bill.
FIRST SIGHT: ''When we flew in, first you see this island that looks like Jurassic Park, with clouds hanging around the mountains," Weaver said. ''You go right over the mountains and there's one lane to land on. On the ground we took a turn and there was the ocean with waves crashing."
BOTANICAL BOUNTY: Papillote Wilderness Retreat was the first of three places they stayed. ''It's a botanical garden with so many varieties of plants and flowers, some I'd never seen before. The birds were incredible, and there were three natural hot mineral pools and two waterfalls. It's in the rainforest, but you're only 20 minutes from Roseau, the capital. It rained every day, but the sun always peeked out. It is a land of rainbows."
KNOW THE WAY: Though the small island is promoted as an ecotourism destination, ''they don't publish too much about hiking. We had to go to the government mapmaking board to get what we wanted. They do have guides for hire, and we strongly recommend using them on every hike. They have to take courses in botany and first aid. Getting them from your hotel is best."
WALKING WITH BEAUTY: The couple hiked almost every day, covering about 55 miles total. Most visitors hike to Trafalgar Falls and also to Emerald Pool, but those hikes, though beautiful, were less wild, Weaver said. On the wilder side was the trek to Boiling Lake, a 12-mile round trip. ''There were a lot of ups and downs, but it was absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful," Weaver said. ''There were vibrant greens, yellows, oranges, and reds in the rocks from rust, and green and yellow from sulfur, with lush green vegetation and turquoise-blue grottoes beneath waterfalls. The lake is like a huge boiling cauldron." On Glassy Trail in Boetica ''we walked through jungle with hanging vines and beautiful foliage. At the top we were standing on limestone cliffs over the ocean with 50-foot rollers coming in."
BEACHES AND BUBBLES: They snorkeled at Champagne Beach where ''little bubbles come up from crevasses in the ocean floor." They also loved the hard-to-find Batibou Bay Beach. ''It's 2 miles of white sand, and coral reef about 20 feet into the beach."
SUNRISE, SUNSET: At Fort Young Hotel, where they stayed for several nights, the Weavers watched the sun set nightly. ''It was always different because of the cloud formations." At the third place they stayed, Calibishie Lodges, the Weavers overlooked the water to the east. ''Every morning we'd watch the sunrise from our porch and drink their wonderful coffee."
GO SEE WHERE THEY WENTVisit boston.com/wheretheywent to see other readers' photos. Send suggestions within two weeks of your return to diane@bydianedaniel.com.
