Category Archives: Island Life

Air France’s New Miami-Guadeloupe Flights

There’s a new way to get from Miami to the heart of the French Caribbean. 

Air France has launched a new nonstop route between Miami International Airport and Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe. 

The nonstop flights, which take about three and a half hours, are operating twice each week, with service on Tuesdays and Fridays. 

Air France is operating the service on Airbus A320-200 aircraft. 

Guadeloupe reopened its borders for tourism earlier this summer

A Prestige Villa Rental property in Guadeloupe.

All visitors need to show proof of vaccination and a negative PCR or antigen result taken and received within 72 hours prior to travel. 

That’s along with another antigen test within 48 hours before travel.

U.S. visitors will also have to present a sworn statement they do not have symptoms of COVID-19 nor contact with someone with a confirmed case of COVID-19.

It’s a major boost for the Guadeloupe archipelago, which remains one of the Caribbean’s best-kept secrets, from its “main” islands of Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre to Les Saintes, one of the region’s most charming island chains. 

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Marie Galante, Guadeloupe.

And then there’s Marie-Galante, the pancake-shaped island that’s one of the world’s great rum destinations

Right now, it’s the only way to fly nonstop from the United States to Guadeloupe.

Guadeloupe will see more airlift from the US in November, when American Airlines relaunches service from Miami and JetBlue resumes flights from New York. 

For more, visit Guadeloupe

— CJ

The post Air France’s New Miami-Guadeloupe Flights appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Is Booming Right Now

Tourism is booming to Antigua and Barbuda — with the twin-island destination surpassing pre-Covid levels in July. 

Antigua and Barbuda welcomed 23.405 tourists in July via the VC Bird International Airport – a total that exceeded the 23,031 tourists that visited the destination in July 2019.

2019 was itself a record-breaking year for the country, meaning that was the best July ever for Antigua and Barbuda. 

“There has been a visible change in the travel behavior of our visitors brought on by the covid-19 pandemic and we continue to see a steady increase in arrivals during the summer months,” said Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Minister Charles Fernandez. “July has been an extremely strong month with demand for the destination from the US Market as well as the UK market, booming, with growth above 2019 figures.  We are also beginning to see an uptake from our Caribbean and Canadian market.”

The Hammock Cove resort in Antigua.

The July totals included 15,350 visitors from the United States – up from 10,221 in July 2019. 

That was along with 6,521 visitors from the United Kingdom, up from 5,378 in the same period in 2019. 

“We are indeed buoyed by this continued upward trajectory in the air arrival numbers which is a clear indication that the recovery is well underway,” said Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority CEO Colin C. James. “This is particularly encouraging in that this July which is the best July ever for air arrivals was accomplished in a year when Antigua’s carnival was again cancelled due to the pandemic as compared to 2019 when we had carnival. This good news only serves to redouble our efforts for the remainder of the year.”

Last month, hotel occupancy on the island was “very high,” according to Vernon Jeffers, executive chairman of the Antigua and Barbuda Hotels and Tourism Association. 

That included occupancy surpassing 80 percent across the country’s mid-sized hotels, he said. 

antigua barbuda booming
The Verandah in Antigua is reopening Sept. 1.

The destination will also get a boost next month with the reopening of one of its most popular resorts, The Verandah.

“We certainly hope that these occupancy levels are sustained over the next few months as travelers continue to make last minute decisions to travel to the destination,” he said. 

For more, visit Antigua and Barbuda

— CJ

The post Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Is Booming Right Now appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Turks and Caicos to Require Proof of Vaccination for Travel

Turks and Caicos will be requiring all visitors 16 and over to show proof of full vaccination in order to be granted entry to the destination, Caribbean Journal has learned. 

The rule will apply to all visitors who are 16 years and over. 

Fully vaccinated means people who have received the full dose of their vaccine, with the final dose administered at least 14 days prior to arrival to Turks and Caicos. 

Proof of vaccination accepted means either e-cards from CVS, Walgreens  or the NHS, or vaccination letters signed by doctors. 

No handwritten vaccination cards will be accepted as proof of vaccination. (For example, for CVS, you can download the CVS App and retrieve an electronic record of your vaccination). 

All travelers need to apply for entry on the TCI Assured Portal (you can find it here). 

All travelers will also need to show proof of a negative PCR or antigen test taken and received within 72 hours before arrival to Turks and Caicos. 

Beach House Turks and Caicos.

All travelers need to show their pre-authorization before they’re allowed to board their flight to Turks and Caicos. 

Turks and Caicos first reopened for tourism in the summer of 2020, and the country has seen one of the Caribbean’s most successful reopenings, with a continued travel boom, particularly this summer.

For more, visit Turks and Caicos. 

— CJ

The post Turks and Caicos to Require Proof of Vaccination for Travel appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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This Is the Best Boutique Hotel in Jamaica

Bob used to come here in the 1970s. 

So did the Rolling Stones. 

There’s music all over the place — The Harder the Come posters on the walls; the tributes to the Crown Prince of Reggae, Dennis Brown.

And every room comes with an Aomais bluetooth speaker, begging you for some Peter Tosh or The Skatalites. 

But the most wonderful thing about the Rockhouse is what you don’t hear. 

Even in a setting just off the main drag in Negril, this legendary 40-room spot on the cliffs is a quiet, serene oasis, the rare place where you can walk along the water and still hear the sounds of your footsteps.

Here, the most important soundtrack comes from a medley of shaking palm trees, waves lightly thrusting against cliffs and the clack of porcelain plates. 

But the sensory experience is not just aural. 

It’s a lush, beautiful place, whether you’re in the bungalow-style villas at the water’s edge or in the hotel’s newest offering, the Ocean View Suites, 800-square-foot stunners with high ceilings that make you feel like you’re somehow floating above the cliffs. 

And then there’s the taste — with food arguably as good as you’ll find on the entire island, whether you’re eating freshly-grilled sea bass at the Pool Bar, having a waterside breakfast at the Rockhouse Restaurant or savoring jerk snapper with a side of rum at the splendid Pushcart. 

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And then there’s the spa, a charming, rarefied wellness destination focused on massages and bathing rituals. 

What’s impressive at Rockhouse is the resounding, uniform quality of the place — no matter what you choose, no matter the request — a poolside cocktail, ackee and saltfish for breakfast, you get something outstanding, something done well. 

But what’s more impressive is the authenticity. 

It’s truly, wonderfully, inescapably Jamaican — taking the culture and personality of Jamaica and somehow managing to shape it into a hotel. 

jamaica boutique hotel
Inside a villa.

And that’s because the Rockhouse has always viewed itself as an integral part of Jamaica and Negril; indeed, its Rockhouse Foundation has over two decades spent more than $6 million building and renovating schools and libraries in Negril, a mission that’s expanded to distribute more than 1,000 tons of food amid the pandemic. 

But it’s more than that: there’s the magnificent Jamaican team, the bold, creative decor, the posters, the menus. Everything here is from here, about here. 

jamaica boutique hotel
The Rum Bar at the Pushcart.

“It’s the people,” says Inise Lawrence, general manager of the hotel. “All of our staff here is Jamaican. We allow our team to be themselves. Of course, when our guests come to this hotel, they really get to experience a true, authentic Jamaican experience, whether it’s through our food, the interaction with our staff, through what we represent.” 

“Rockhouse is a special place for a lot of people,” Lawrence says. “It was always a popular spot; the ownership has changed over the years, but we’ve really maintained the uniqueness — the thatched huts on the water, the really casual style. We want to be chic and also stay true to the Rockhouse’s philosophies.”

jamaica boutique hotel

Ultimately, boutique hotels are works of art; they are the manifestations of the hotelier’s vision, intimate molds of their personality. 

And that’s exactly what the Rockhouse and owner Paul Salmon have achieved, in partnership with a splendid Jamaican team; they’ve taken Jamaica, bright and brilliant, and shaped it into a boutique hotel, taken the boundless energy of Negril and honed it, contained it, bottled it. 

It’s not just that this is the best boutique hotel in Jamaica. 

It’s that it’s the best boutique Jamaican hotel. 

And if that sounds like the perfect place to stay, well, you’ll just have to take a listen for yourself. 

For more, visit the Rockhouse

— CJ

The post This Is the Best Boutique Hotel in Jamaica appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Saint Lucia’s St James’s Club Morgan Bay Set for October Reopening

One of the leading all-inclusive resorts on the island of Saint Lucia is set to reopen to guests, Caribbean Journal has learned. 

The St James’s Club Morgan Bay Saint Lucia, part of the Elite Island Resorts portfolio, is reopening on Oct. 1, the company confirmed. 

The all-inclusive resort, set minutes from the island’s popular Rodney Bay Marina, is the latest Elite Island Resorts property to relaunch in the Caribbean. 

The resort, long popular with families and couples, has a total of 325 guest rooms and suites. 

That’s along with six dining concepts, five bars and lounges and even afternoon tea. 

There’s also a strong waterspouts component, from kayaking and windsurfing to catamaran sailing and banana boat rides, among others. 

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It’s the latest Elite Island Resorts property to relaunch in the Caribbean, along with Antigua’s Hammock Cove, Galley Bay, St James’s Club and Pineapple Beach Club. 

Another Elite Island Resorts property, Antigua’s Verandah, will open in early September, while the Club, Barbados is planning an Oct. 14 relaunch.

Saint Lucia is currently open for tourism; for more on the destination’s travel rules, see here.

For more, visit St James’s Club Morgan Bay Saint Lucia

— CJ

The post Saint Lucia’s St James’s Club Morgan Bay Set for October Reopening appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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