Current Rock of Residence:
Dominican Republic
Island Girl Since:
2005
Originally Hails From:
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Lebawit Lily Girma is an award-winning travel writer, photographer, and guidebook author focusing on the Caribbean region. Her work has appeared in major travel publications, including Delta Sky, CNN Travel, Lonely Planet, BBC, Travel Channel, and New York Times Magazine, among others.
Born in Ethiopia, raised in Côte d’Ivoire, and also schooled in the US and England, she fell in love with the Caribbean on her first solo trip to St. Lucia in 2005. Four years later, Lily left behind her prestigious legal career and took a leap into travel photography, followed by writing — focusing on culture, adventure, and sustainable travel.
Thanks to her work, which includes Belize and the DR guidebooks for Moon Guides, she’s made island living a reality since 2011, from Jamaica to Grenada, Belize, and currently, the Dominican Republic.
You can follow her adventures on her travel and photography blog, Sunshine and Stilettos.
Explore posts by this writer:
Casually Coastal
We have so many amazing women all over the world who love islands - many are lucky to live on islands and many just love the island vibe and try to replicate the laid back style and attitude whatever their latitude! I want to start sharing the stories of some of these...
Return to a Small Island
So, my husband and I have just relocated from the "big" island of 60,000 people back to one of the smaller "sister" islands with a population of 2,000 people. We left here 20 years ago after the birth of our first child. The return has definitely felt like a...
The Story of Rose – The Little Dog That Could
My life in the Dominican Republic had a major change in March 2020. My husband and love of my life passed away. I was also extremely ill with a Lupus flare and COVID at the time he died. I was in hospital and wasn’t with him. Doctors were trying their best to save...
Call me Cruella de Vil
I want to talk to you guys about the one time I "kidnapped" a dog and how I think I'm paying for it in Karma. Taking a brief trip into yesteryear, there used to be a bar and restaurant right next to the condo I live in. Said restaurant would host loud parties which...
The Perfect Island Community
"If you look at an island for what it is, it's a piece of land, surrounded by water that appears to stand alone. It's true that there are no united states or neighbouring unions. It floats in the middle of the ocean, seemingly disconnected from the rest of the world....
A Caribbean Take on Body Positivity
Found this article this week and love its positive spin on body positivity. I encourage you to read the whole article. :-) Excerpt from bbc.com Read the whole article here. It’s impossible to travel around the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao without falling in love...
