Ready to escape winter's icy grip for a pristine tropical beach and warm Caribbean breezes?
You are not alone. Travel agencies throughout Maine's mid-coast are flourishing this winter with robust bookings to southern climes.

"Especially cold winters push people who are on the fence about vacationing to say let's get away," said Chris, a travel agent at Hewins Carlson Wagonlit travel in Brunswick. "Most definitely this January cold spell is helping the travel business. Travel bookings are significantly higher this winter. Helping the market, along with the weather, is a stronger economy and people beginning to feel safer about traveling."

What are the "hot" destinations for Mainers? "Florida is always popular of course," said Joel Verney of Wiscasset Travel. "Orlando is the favorite winter destination by far, followed by other Florida destinations predominantly on Florida's Gulf Coast such as Fort Myers, Captiva, Sanibel, Tampa and St. Petersburg."

The Caribbean and Mexico are extremely popular this winter for winter escapes. "The Mayan Riviera continues to attract increasing numbers of visitors after it gained notice four-five years ago. Other Mexican resorts and the Dominican Republic are popular this year," said Verney.

"The appeal of the Mayan Riviera is that it is relatively easy, quick and inexpensive to get to, being just an hour flight from Miami. It is not over-developed with high rises (like Cancun thirty miles to the north). It has a rich Mayan culture with ancient ruins and temples, abundant and diverse wildlife, great beaches with one of the largest coral reefs (the Great Mayan Reef) in the world for amazing snorkeling, and friendly people," said Verney.

The Mayan Riviera runs from just south of Cancun's International airport and parallels highway #307 along the southern Yucatan peninsula coast to Belize. The Mayan Riviera is known to possess an abundance of unique species, plants and animals. The Sian Ka'aan reserve is especially noteworthy for its biological diversity.

The Mayan Riviera boasts many beautiful beaches. Highway 307, rarely ventures more than a mile from the coast and solitary beaches are not difficult to locate. The most popular and well-known Mayan Riviera beach is located in the area's largest town--Carmen del Playa.

"The Dominican Republic has gained in popularity over the last few years with Mainers," said Verney. "The Dominican Republic offers a good bang for the buck as well as spectacular and varied terrain."

The Dominican Republic historically has been an obscure tourist destination. In recent years the government has begun playing a more active role in attracting visitors. The island nation possesses some of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean with its 1288 kilometers of shoreline.
The country's capital, Santo Domingo is one of the Caribbean's oldest and most cosmopolitan cities.
Eco-tourism draws an increasing number of tourists to the Dominican Republic. The country has the tallest mountains in the region and sixteen magnificently varied national parks. The Parque Nacional del Este is renowned for its remote beaches and pre-Columbian art.

Another "hot" eco-tourism destination is the Central American country of Costa Rica, according to AAA Travel of Cook's Corner in Brunswick. The country boasts some of the most beautiful tropical national parks in the western hemisphere, including a park with a drive-through volcano.

"Yes, Orlando and Disney are wildly popular," said Heather from Hewitt's Travel in Camden. "The Caribbean islands that are particularly attractive are Saint Lucia, Martinique, St. Marten and Barbados."

When asked her favorite dream vacation spot, Heather quickly responded Bequia.

Bequia (pronounced Bek-way) is a tropical island paradise located in the Grenadines of the Caribbean West Indies. The small, lush island boasts long stretches of gorgeous near-deserted beaches, quiet azure lagoons and an extremely easy-going and friendly indigenous population.
Bequia's sunsets are magnificent and provide the cue for locals, sailors and tourists to migrate to one of the friendly island bars. Usually once or twice a week, locals and tourists celebrate "Jump-Up," a spontaneous festival of music and dance.

Bequia's food offerings are exceptionally good and fresh. The most popular dishes in this former British colony are lobster, chicken, fresh fish, tropical fruits, coconuts and guava pudding.
Looking for stars? Just off-shore, of Bequia, is the tiny island of Mustique where celebrities Mick Jagger, Raquel Welch, David Bowie and Princess Margaret have homes.

The only drawback to Bequia, according to travel agents, is its remoteness. It typically takes an entire travel day to get there. The best route to Bequia is via Barbados, and then catch a short flight or ferry to the enchanted isle.

The islands beckon. Still, doesn't the thought of escaping to one of these tropical get-aways take some of the chill out of this winter? Boothbay Register and Wiscasset Newspaper reporter Daniel Fayen can be reached at 633-4620, or danielemmett@yahoo.com.