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Resort Profile: Hotel The Champs

If you're into nature, aren't big on crowds, and crave a vacation experience that's unique and authentic, this is the place for you. A stay at Dominica's Hotel The Champs provides a refreshing change from large, impersonal resorts, without scrimping on the amenities that really matter.

 

What makes this boutique property noteworthy? First, there are the views. The hotel is perched on a hillside on the scenic northwest coast of the island of Dominica, delivering sweeping views of the Caribbean from guest rooms, pool deck and the top-level dining room and bar. Then, there's the atmosphere. Owners Lise van de Kamp and Hans Schilders provide a level of warm personal service usually associated with a bed & breakfast – everything from fetching guests from the airport to arranging outings and hosting dinners. And, perhaps best of all for divers, there are the reefs. Hotel The Champs has partnered with Cabrits Dive Center to create stay-and-dive packages that showcase all of the underwater treasures of the Caribbean's Nature Island.

Hotel The Champs is a boutique property set on a hillside overlooking Prince Rupert Bay and the Cabrits National Park.
Hotel The Champs is a boutique property set on a hillside overlooking Prince Rupert Bay and the Cabrits National Park.

The Property
To ensure personal service, Hotel The Champs offers just seven guest rooms. These accommodations are spread across three floors to allow each room to have unobstructed views of the valley below. There are three Garden-Level rooms furnished with queen-size beds, two Superior rooms with king-sized beds and two Superior XL rooms equipped with either a King bed or 2 XL Twin beds as well as a Queen sofa, allowing them to accommodate up to three adults.

Terraces provide sweeping views of the Caribbean and are a favorite place to relax after a day of island adventures or diving.
Terraces provide sweeping views of the Caribbean and are a favorite place to relax after a day of island adventures or diving.

All rooms are air-conditioned, and also have ceiling fans for those months when open windows usher in cooling trade winds and bird songs. Amenities include sitting areas, compact refrigerators, spacious ensuite bathrooms, local artworks, both wired and wireless Internet and flat-screen televisions with international programming. That said, guests may find themselves turning off their devices and adjourning to the pool deck or relaxing on their porches or patios to take in the expansive views of Portsmouth, Cabrits and Rupert Bay. Recent additions to the hotel include a yoga area, two massage rooms, and a small bar and hot tub on the pool deck.

Restaurant & Pizzeria The Champs is known as one of Dominica's favorite restaurants, both for the food and views.
Restaurant & Pizzeria The Champs is known as one of Dominica's favorite restaurants, both for the food and views.

The hotel's top level is the home of Restaurant & Pizzeria The Champs, which is one of the island's most acclaimed dining venues, both for the food and the views. Complimentary breakfasts are included with every stay, and the kitchen serves up lunch and dinner menus that feature an extensive range of both local and international dishes. The setting is casual, save for the “Fancy Friday” dinners Friday where fine-dining options are prepared by chefs Joselyn and Eric Subin, as well as monthly dinners that showcase the culinary talents of guest chefs from around the island. Adjacent to the dining room is a well-stocked bar offering spirits and an international variety of red, white, rose and sparkling wines.

Cabrits Dive Center is ideally to reach all of Dominica's premier northwest dive sites, many of which are just minutes from the wharf.
Cabrits Dive Center is ideally to reach all of Dominica's premier northwest dive sites, many of which are just minutes from the wharf.

The Diving
Hotel The Champs works with the Cabrits Dive Center, which is located on the Portsmouth waterfront, just a quick shuttle ride away from the hotel. Shop owners Virginie and Rémi Granger personally host each dive, visiting a variety of sites within the Cabrits National Park and Prince Rupert Bay. Underwater landscapes in this area include walls and a variety of caverns, swim-throughs and volcanic vents. Dominica is known for its macro life, and for unusual finds such as seahorses, flying gurnards, and batfish.

The underwater terrain on Dominica's northwest coast includes an enticing mix of boulder fields, walls and caverns.
The underwater terrain on Dominica's northwest coast includes an enticing mix of boulder fields, walls and caverns.

In Prince Rupert Bay, divers can discover a site known as Volcano, where gases that vent from the sea floor and bubble up gently through the sand and coral. Heated sands at this site are colored by sulfur deposits that surround huge sponges and brain corals. Shark's Mouth draws its name not from tooth predators but from the groves of large sponges that cover the steep slope in what appears to be the gaping mouths of a school of sharks. Sunshine Reef is ideal for multi-level profiles, as divers can descend a sheer wall, then end on a coral and sponge-covered plateau at a depth of 35 feet.

Dominica is known for its eclectic mix of sea life, which includes both rare and familiar creatures.
Dominica is known for its eclectic mix of sea life, which includes both rare and familiar creatures.

Toucari Caves has been called the beautiful dive in Dominica, if not the Caribbean. This site combines abundant fish life, a healthy reef, caves and coral archways, all set against a cloud of geothermal bubbles that rise from the reef floor. Favorite sites in nearby Douglas Bay include Five Finger Rock, which is a huge boulder that rises from a depth of 100 feet to break the surface. The wall at Douglas Bay Point is covered with a dense coating of both hard and soft corals and includes a giant boulder field that creates a maze of swim throughs. There is a wreck dive suitable for all, and for the more adventurous, trips to the island's northern tip where Atlantic and Caribbean meet.

Surface Intervals
Dominica is an island tailor-made for active adventures, many of which can be arranged through the hotel. Horseback rides follow a historic track along the Brandy River into the heart of Dominica's mountainous interior. Hikers can sign up for guided walks that cross the island to the Atlantic coast, climb to the highest peak or venture into the forest reserve to spot Dominica's national bird, the Sisserou Parrot.

The island's forested interior is crisscrossed by hiking trails that offer something for everyone from casual walkers to dedicated trekkers.
The island's forested interior is crisscrossed by hiking trails that offer something for everyone from casual walkers to dedicated trekkers.

Dominica is known as the land of 365 rivers. Some cascade down jungle-clad slopes forming scenic waterfalls and cool swimming pools. Closer to the coast, streams such as the Indian River become the site for relaxing float trips made in traditionally-styled canoes. Bathers can also take a soak in the hot springs that create pools along the Layou River. There are a number of historic sites worthy of a visit, and a trip to Carib Territory is a rare chance to interact with some of the last remaining indigenous Caribbean peoples and to experience firsthand their way of life, dress and handicraft traditions.

 

We have partnered with Hotel the Champs and Cabrits Dive Center to create special diving and adventure packages that deliver the best of Dominica. To learn more, give one of our expert agents a call at 800-329-9989 or send a note to sales@caradonna.com.

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