A week in Dominica

Hi everybody,

I'm traveling to St. Lucia this Summer. I checked nearby islands to combine my trip with and Dominica is the one that has caught my attention. I count on 7, 8 nights tops. However, I'm having a hard time figuring dominica out.

I'm mostly interested in quiet time on beaches and easy hikes that do not require guides. I know that Dominica doesn't get good reviews when it comes to beaches, but I like the pictures that I've seen. I don't intent to visit the whole island in a week (I don't want an ambitious tiresome vacation), specially since I won't count on a car (I can't drive, let alone on the left) but depend on taxis/bus.

So here are my questions:

1. Is Calibishie a good place to base the entire time, at least to explore the north? I like quiet places to base. What about Portsmouth in contrast to Calibishie?

2. Would you suggest a quiet place in the south to consider as a base?

3. What's your experience with buses/taxis? Is there a website that shows bus routes?

Thanks for your time and input,

Orlando