A quirky island without any sea

Jamaica harbors artists, exotic birds, and other treats for a traveler in southern Vermont

February 13, 2005|Patricia Harris and David Lyon, Globe Correspondents

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"No guarantees, no returns, no peeking," says a sign, explaining that the pints "did not meet stringent high-quality standards." Go ahead and indulge; the profits help support community programs.

If you truly want to escape winter (if only temporarily), visit D&K's Garden Center on the outskirts of town. The Ameden family also operates a butterfly enclosure and aviary that they call a "3,000-square-foot tropical paradise." You won't find any butterflies this time of year, but the temperature in the connected hothouses hovers between 75 and 80 degrees. Small birds flit through the dense greenery: iridescent green or yellow conures, tiny spice and zebra finches, Java sparrows, curious cockatiels, and virtual flocks of chittering parakeets. Larger parrots and lories keep watch from high perches. Button quail scamper around the floors, while cooing doves roost on the overhead irrigation pipes.

Don't linger too long. Michel de Preux's hearty cooking will call you back to town and the pleasures of winter. After serving as chef in a number of kitchens in the United States (including Ivana's at the Trump Plaza Hotel in Atlantic City), de Preux opened Asta's Swiss Restaurant and Suites with his wife, Bonnie, about a year and a half ago.

"The ambience was just right for the Swiss style," the Swiss de Preux says of his dining room that looks back on a snowy meadow and distant peaks. "And there's enough land for my sheep, peacocks, and chickens."

In winter de Preux offers meat or cheese fondue and raclette every night (though you must have four people for raclette, a dish of melted cheese and potatoes), along with other entrees such as filet mignon with rosti or sauerbraten with spaetzle. Dessert can be chocolate fondue served with fruit and bits of cake. If you realize that you've passed the whole day in Jamaica and it's too late to move on, ask de Preux if one of his three suites -- two with gas fireplaces -- is available.

Patricia Harris and David Lyon are the authors of "Escape to Northern New England" (Fodor's/Random House).