Labadee, Haiti

  

Labadee, Haiti

I tried to buy stamps and send postcards from Labadee, but they do not have a postal service in the area, even on the ship they can't get stamps or mail from here.  They only postcards for sale were on the ship, none actually in Labadee. We were on the Allure of the Seas - Dec. 5th, 2010

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Labadee is a port located on the northern coast of Haiti. It is a private resort leased to Royal Caribbean International. Royal Caribbean International has contributed the largest proportion of tourist revenue to Haiti since 1986, employing 300 locals, allowing another 200 to sell their wares on the premises, and paying the Haitian government US$6 per tourist.

The resort is completely tourist-oriented, and is guarded by a private security force. The site is fenced off from the surrounding area, and passengers are not allowed to leave the property. It is also blocked off from the remainder of Haiti by mountains. A controlled group of Haitian merchants are given sole rights to sell their merchandise and establish their businesses in the resort. Although sometimes described as an island in advertisements, it is actually a peninsula contiguous with the island of Hispaniola.

Attractions include a Haitian flea market, beaches, watersports, a water-oriented playground, and a zip-line.