By the Caribbean Journal staff

There’s a major new adults-only Dominican Republic resort: the VH Atmosphere Resort and Beach Club.

The newest all-inclusive addition to Puerto Plata on the Dominican Republic’s northern coast has 193 rooms, including 70 garden rooms, 57 superior rooms, 50 junior suites and 16 honeymoon suites.

That’s joined by four restaurants, five bars, a tennis court, an infinity pool and access to the nearby Playa Dorada golf course.

VH Hotels’ new adults-only resort aims to “out of the ordinary all-inclusive experience for the modern couple,” according to VH Hotels executive vice president Roberto Casoni.

Casoni said the new VH Atmosphere also had a focus on wellness, with offerings including Zumba classes, yoga and other disciplines, complemented by “healthy gastronomic” cuisine.

The Lotus Bar.

VH Atmosphere was designed by the firm of prominent architect Sarah Garcia, who also designed the nearby Casa Colonial boutique hotel, another VH property.

Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina was on hand this week for the inauguration ceremony.

VH Hotels has another Puerto Plata resort: the Grand Ventana all-inclusive.

The post A New Adults-Only Dominican Republic Hotel appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

It isn’t often that Jimmy Buffett plays a concert in the Caribbean — much less a free one.

But that’s exactly what happened this week, when Buffett, a longtime friend of St Barth, came to the harbor in Gustavia to play a free set to help support the island’s recovery from Hurricane Irma.

And while locals in St Barth formed the majority of the audience, a small part of the crowd actually made the journey from neighboring Anguilla.

Anguilla’s Frangipani Hotel chartered a boat to shepherd hotel guests from Anguilla to Buffett’s concert, looking to say thank you to their guests for supporting them in their own post-Irma recovery process.

“Our guests’ support has meant the world to us, and we know how powerful tourism is to helping local economies recover,” said Scott Kircher, general manager of Frangipani. “We wanted to share some of that love and support with our neighbors in St. Barth and when we heard Jimmy Buffett was playing a concert in Gustavia, we knew we had to make it happen.”

The concert itself was intimate for a Buffett performance, with a few hundred guests, including onlookers on a number of yachts (along with a Paul McCartney sighting).

“This was by far the most intimate setting that anyone had ever experienced for a concert like this, which made it a very unique and memorable experience. It was outdoors, under the stars, on a beautiful night in St Barth,” said Shannon Kircher, the hotel’s marketing manager.

Buffett played for a little over an hour, according to Kircher, including favorites like “Margaritaville” and “5 O’clock Somewhere.”

“Seeing Jimmy Buffett in St. Barth was an awesome and unexpected surprise this year! There was no way we were going to skip supporting Anguilla after the hurricane, and we’re so glad to be a part of this special community,” said Gregg and Michelle Schwartz, a pair of guests who made the island hop to see Buffett. “This is what the Frangipani experience is about for us and what keeps us coming back year after year.”

The post Island Hopping to a Jimmy Buffett Concert appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Barbados has set a new record for cruise passenger arrivals in a single year, tourism officials announced this week.

The destination welcomed its record 812,864th cruise arrival for the calendar year, with American visitors Tom and Laura Thieman from Ohio putting the total over the top.

The pair arrived in Bridgetown Port on board a Windstar cruise ship.

A number of major lines sail to Barbados, from Royal Caribbean and Carnival to small-ship lines like Windstar and Silversea, among others.

The post Barbados Sets New Cruise Record appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Alexander Britell

It’s up the steps and past the pool tables and behind an unmarked wooden door on the second floor of a covered plaza in the heart of Old Christiansted.

There’s no name, no sign and it isn’t open all the time.

But what’s inside is something rather special.

This is the secret cigar speakeasy at the old Club Comanche hotel in Christiansted, a legendary, historic boutique property that once hosted the likes of Jimmy Carter.

The oldest in Club Comanche’s collection of historic structures dates back to 1756, built with Danish ballast bricks and planks salvaged from shipwrecks and wood from St Croix’s mahogany forests.

The cigar lounge opened its doors about six months ago, but it feels far older (in a good way), with stately leather chairs, warm lighting, wooden floors and an impressive bar — along with a full humidor.

A one-of-a-kind humidor.

You’d simply never expect something like this to be behind that creaking wooden door.

This is the sort of elegant, luxurious place that does justice to what is assuredly one of the coolest towns in the Caribbean — and one that only seems to be getting cooler, with a host of creative new restaurants and bars (including another one coming to the bottom floor of the hotel called The Rum & Wine Bar).

The cigar speakeasy is now the island’s best place to smoke cigars, both for guests at the hotel and eager travelers — and it’s a new pilgrimage spot in the Caribbean for lovers of the leaf.

That is, if you can find it.

The post A Secret Cigar Speakeasy in St Croix appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Carnival Cruise Line is continuing its Carnival LIVE concert series with a planned concert by Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen.

The music star will perform a free concert on the Carnival Splendor ship on Feb. 17, 2018.

The concert will be set on Carnival Splendor’s Lido Deck while the ship is at sea on a week-long cruise of the “Mexican Riviera.”

Carnival Splendor.

“While I’ve performed all over the world and on Broadway, I’ve never performed on a cruise ship before and I’m really looking forward toa night with my fans in what promises to be a unique venue for an incredible night,” Jepsen said in a statement.

The Mexico cruise operates round trip from Long Beach, California, featuring a day-long call at Puerto Vallarta and two days at Cabo San Lucas.

“We’re delighted to have Carly bring her signature brand of pop music to guests sailing aboard Carnival Splendor,” said Sarah Beth Reno, Carnival’s vice president of entertainment. “A free open-air concert on Lido Deck is an exciting new twist for Carnival LIVE and we can’t wait for our guests to experience this one-of-a-kind entertainment concept in an entirely new setting,” she added.

The post Carly Rae Jepsen to Perform on Carnival Splendor appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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