 |
Caribbean cyber cafes offer cruisers easy Internet access
By Carol M. Bareuther |
No phones ringing, only the sound of the waves lapping against the hull.
|
But sooner or later, if you're like me, there will be that nagging curiosity to check e-mail or search the Web for details of the next destination. The good news is that cruisers to the Caribbean can enjoy both of these scenarios. Caribbean cyber cafes have cropped up on almost every island as a way for locals and visitors alike to conveniently stay in touch with the world.
Some of these places are business oriented, catering to landlubbers and seafarers alike, and usually have personnel knowledgeable in the computer sciences and communication services. For example, this category includes the Global Business Center, a breezy little kiosk located on the ground floor of the West Coast Mall in Holetown, Barbados. Then, there are locales where food and drink is the first emphasis, underscoring the cafe concept and offering hours beyond the typical 9 to 5. At the Cornerhouse Information Cafe in Dominica—a cozy second floor cyber cafe and eatery off Old Market Square in Roseau—breakfast, lunch and dinner are served daily. Wednesday night is all-you-can-eat wings night, and on this night and Fridays, computer access is available until midnight. Finally, there are Internet access sites that cater especially to cruisers. The Yacht Club Business Centre, located right in the Simpson Bay Yacht Club/Plaza Del Lago complex on St. Maarten, is one of these. If you want to stay in touch via e-mail and be sure of Internet access when cruising through the Caribbean, check with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) in advance of the trip. AT&T requires that you go to a special screen to enable remote access of your e-mail account. Once your ISP permits access, then most cyber cafes in the Caribbean will offer the capability for you to send and receive e-mail. If you plan to sail with your own equipment like a laptop, check before the voyage to find out how to connect and log on at the destinations you plan to visit. Some ISPs have an 800 number that may offer lower on-line fees than the cyber cafe, although not all U.S.-based 800 numbers are accessible from the Caribbean. If you have any doubt or questions, e-mail the cyber cafes you want to visit and ask specific questions about their equipment, access, rates, hours, and other facilities and services. Electric power and phone connections can literally be completely foreign in these destinations. Exploring cyber cafes from Jamaica to Trinidad, here is what you can expect to find: Most offer either IBM, Mac, or even iMacs, ranging from two PCs up to six to eight PCs. Soapy's Station, across from the Havensight Mall in St. Thomas, has 20 PCs, but cruise ship personnel keep these busy much of the time. Soapy's, like many other cafes, does have 20 additional phone lines or data ports for laptop plug-ins. Other hardware often available are printers, loaded with black ink (and sometimes in color), and scanners. Accessing Hotmail accounts is available from most cafes, and the business-oriented facilities especially can help in setting up Hotmail accounts. Additionally, many cafes are AOL-friendly. PCs are usually set up with basic browsers like NetScape Navigator or Microsoft Explorer. Additional services that might be available include ICQ real time capabilities, video e-mail, digital photo uploading and sending, Internet telephone, Internet gaming access, CD burning, live web cams and even e-mail via VHF radio. The standard dial-up modem connection is 56K, although a few locales offer broadband DSL or partial T1 high speed access. On a more business-oriented level, cyber cafes often offer faxing, photocopying, phone cards, express mail delivery and pickup, and sometimes secretarial services. And in the multi-cultural climate of the Caribbean, cafe personnel are often multilingual. The hourly cost of Internet access in the Caribbean can be as inexpensive as two piņa coladas. The average fee is around $8 to $10 per hour, but can be as low as $5/hour in Puerto Rico and up to $12 at some cafes in Trinidad. Some cafes have a 15 minute minimum, so check if you intend just a quick trip online. Others have prepaid packages or club discount rates. For example, the Island Surf Cafe in Chaguaramas, Trinidad, has a $16 per month membership fee that allows 10 hours of computer time for only $1.70 per hour. Whether your idea of a good time is cruising the high seas or surfing the Internet, both are easily available throughout the Caribbean. |
A Selection of Caribbean Cyber Cafes Barbados Global Business Center, St. James, Barbados Internet: www.globalbizcentre.com E-mail: global@globalbizcentre.com Tel: (246) 432-6508 Bonaire De Tuin Eet & Internetcafé, Kralendijk Internet: www.detuin.com E-mail: detuin@bonairelive.com Tel: (599) 717-2999 Carriacou, The Grenadines Grenadines Internet Cafe, Hillsborough Carriacou Island Internet: www.grenadines.net/supporters.html#carriacoucafe E-mail: webmaster@grenadines.net Dominica Cornerhouse Internet Cafe, Roseau Internet: www.delphis.dm/cornerhouse E-mail: cornerhoused@hotmail.com Tel: (767) 449-9000 Dominican Republic Cyber Colmado, Boca Chica Internet: www.cybercolmado.com/locations.html E-mail: info@cybercolmado.com Tel/Fax: (809) 523-4282 Jamaica Irie Vibes Bar & Cafe at The Beach House Villas, Negril, Jamaica Internet: http://irievibes.com E-mail: Jamaica@jamaicaconnection.com Tel: (876) 957-4731 Puerto Rico CyberNet Cafe Puerto Rico, Condado, San Juan Internet: www.cybernetcafepr.com E-mail: cybernetcafepr@hotmail.com Tel: (787) 724-4033 St. Maarten The Yacht Club Business Centre, Simpson Bay E-mail: buscent@satcoms.net Tel: 599-544-1057 VHF: Channels 14 or 64A St. Thomas Beans, Bytes & Websites, Royal Dane Mall, Charlotte Amalie Internet: www.usvi.net/cybercafe/ or beansbytesandwebsites@yahoo.com Tel: 340-777-7089 Soapy's Station, across from Havensight Mall Internet: http://skytalkwest.com/links/soapys/stt_vi.htm Tel: (340) 776-7170 Trinidad Island Surf Cafe, Chaguaramas Internet: http://Chaguaramas.com/isc/ E-mail: IslandSurfCafe@Chaguaramas.com Tel: (868) 634-2407 The Mariner's Office Ltd., Crews Inn Marina, Chaguaramas E-mail: mariner@tstt.net.tt Tel: (868) 634-4183 |
Copyright © 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 Southwinds Media.
All rights reserved.