Above: Gordon “Butch” Stewart accepts the award at the JW Marriott Marquis 

MIAMI — Sandals Resorts International Chairman and Founder Gordon “Butch” Stewart won one of the Caribbean’s most prestigious awards in a ceremony in Miami on Thursday.

Stewart received the Lifetime Achievement Award from at the CHRIS Caribbean Hotel & Resort Investment Summit in Miami, for a career among the most celebrated in the history of Caribbean tourism.

Stewart, who was joined by his son, Sandals and Island Routes CEO Adam Stewart and a large family contingent, was presented with the award by James E. Burba, president of the Burba Hotel Network.

Sandals operates properties across the Caribbean, including in Jamaica, St. Lucia, Antigua, the Bahamas, Grenada and Barbados, along with Beaches-branded resorts in the Turks and Caicos Islands and Jamaica.

— Alexander Britell

The post Sandals’ Gordon “Butch” Stewart Wins Lifetime Achievement Award appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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There’s just something different about a small hotel. Maybe it’s the intimate service you get, or the way the design vision of the owner seems to manifest itself better in the decor. Maybe it’s the little quirks, or the warm, honest service. Small hotels are just a special way to experience the Caribbean.

Our latest look at some of our favorite small hotels in the Caribbean is a trip around the region, from larger islands like Barbados and Aruba to off-the-radar spots like Little Cayman and Harbour Island.

Here are 15 small hotels we think you’ll love for your next trip to the Caribbean.

Valentines Harbour Island is one of the most charming islands in all of the Caribbean, a Bahamian outpost that expertly blends the casual and the chic. And one of the island’s best places to stay is Valentines, a wonderfully-designed boutique with historic-inspired architecture and a marina, too.

The post 15 Small Caribbean Hotels to Visit Right Now appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The Scuba Lodge & Ocean Suites resort in Curaçao has completed a major renovation project.

The upgrade included the addition of six new Superior Rooms, raising the hotel’s stock to a total of 28 rooms.

The renovation comes after the hotel had already added three new suites at the end of last year.

The property, which is located within walking distance of downtown Willemstad and the Queen Emma Bridge, also upgraded its guest check-in and reception area.

True to its name, the hotel offers a host of different dive packages, aimed at everyone from first-timers to advanced divers.

— CJ

The post Curaçao’s Scuba Lodge Completes Renovation appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The United Nations Development Programme has released the latest edition of its Human Development Index, it’s periodic  ranking that effectively names the best countries in the world to live in.

The index is based on a number of factors, including life expectancy at birth, expected years of schooling, mean years of schooling and gross national income per capita, with an eye toward examining each country’s relative quality of life.

So what was the number one country? This year, it was Barbados ,which was ranked 54th in the world, just ahead of Uruguay and just behind Oman.

See below for the full list of the Caribbean countries included in the Human Development Report, in order by their global rankings. (Note: only UN member countries that produce acceptable data are included in the report).

Barbados (54)

Bahamas (58)

Antigua and Barbuda (62)

Trinidad and Tobago (65)

Cuba (68)

St Kitts and Nevis (74)

Grenada (79)

St Lucia (92)

Jamaica (94)

Dominica (96)

Dominican Republic (99)

St Vincent and the Grenadines (99)

Belize (103)

Guyana (127)

Haiti (163)

See the full human development report here.

— Caribbean Journal Staff

The post These Are the Best Caribbean Countries to Live In appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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JetBlue Airways is adjusting its flight schedule to the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao.

Beginning June 19, travelers can fly from New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport to Curaçao’s Hato International Airport every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

That’s a change from the current schedule, which has nonstop flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

JetBlue added the third nonstop weekly flight to Curaçao last year, after first launching New York-Curaçao flights in December 2014.

The carrier has been expanding rapidly in the Caribbean region.

– Caribbean Journal Staff

The post JetBlue Changing New York-Curaçao Flight Schedule appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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