The U.S. Virgin Islands is now an approved destination to host National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I teams.

In addition to hosting basketball, volleyball and swimming events, the territory can facilitate the participation of soccer, lacrosse and other NCAA-sponsored sports during the summer months.

Governor Kenneth E. Mapp said the new designation represented a huge boost for sports tourism opportunities in the territory.

“With all 24 NCAA Division I sports teams now able to travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands for summer tours, we look forward to being part of the growth of the Paradise Jam [basketball] competitions and to the possibility of hosting other NCAA sporting events,” Mapp said. ”This is an amazing opportunity to expand our sports tourism portfolio and our facilities.”

The USVI and Basketball Travelers have partnered to bring five men’s college basketball teams to the Territory as early as this August now that the USVI has been approved as an international or foreign tour destination for Division I colleges across the United States.

Hawkinson, whose Basketball Travelers organizes both domestic and international basketball competitions for college and high school teams, noted that there are 340 Division I universities in the United States, each with approximately 25 sports with 50 potential teams (men and women combined) that can now visit the islands.

“We’re very excited to build on the success we’ve had for the last 18 years with Paradise Jam and to bring additional teams here,” he said. “We’re looking forward to this new initiative and continuing our great partnership with the U.S. Virgin Islands and its people.”

The hope is to model destinations like The Bahamas, which has become the region’s premier sports tourism destination with events like the Battle 4 Atlantis NCAA basketball tournament and the annual Bahamas Bowl college football event.

— Dana Niland, CJ Contributor

The post Sports Tourism Gets a Boost in the U.S. Virgin Islands appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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It begins, as it should, with a perfect stretch of sugar-white sand, with navy umbrellas and turquoise waves.

This is the other side of Nassau, a kinder, gentler edge of the island of New Providence called Sandyport.

It’s a true town, built around a series of canals just off the coast, with the sort of colorful Bahamian architecture you expect and a community feel just past the bustle of Cable Beach.

The location is the star here — it’s a short jaunt from the airport, from downtown, and there’s even a convenient guest shuttle that takes you on a five-minute drive to the impressive new Baha Mar and all of its entertainment venues.

It’s one of the island’s best bets for families, thanks to spacious, well-designed guest rooms, a large pool complex, several beaches and the comfort of a condominium with the service (and friendliness) of a large resort.

There are 72 rooms in all, a mix of one, two- and three-bedroom layouts, most of which have either ensuite kitchens or kitchnettes, with property amenities like tennis and basketball courts, shuffle board and easy access to the surrounding shops and restaurants of the Sandyport Marina Village (yes, it’s a great destination for boaters, too).

Of course, the night is best punctuated with a meal (or a Kalik) at Chef Jacques Carlino’s excellent Sandyport Blue Sail Restaurant, home to one of the best views in Nassau — the one with the umbrellas and the waves.

This is a place to experience the other side of Nassau, the real Nassau — not just a place to stay in Nassau but a place to live — to go out for groceries, to picnic on an empty beach.

This is the real Nassau, the authentic Bahamas. And that makes it one of the island’s best kept secrets.

For more information, visit the Sandyport Beach Resort.

The post VIDEO: Checking in to Nassau’s Sandyport Beach Resort appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The latest Caribbean Photo comes from Caribbean Journal reader Bob Crowe, who sent in this lovely shot of an old sugar mill photographed during a visit to Antigua.

Have you taken a great photo in the Caribbean?

Send it to news@caribjournal.com with CPOTW in the subject line, including your first and last name and the location of the photo.

It could be the next one!

— CJ

The post Caribbean Photo of the Week: An Old Sugar Mill in Antigua appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor

Summertime calls for beach days and barbecues and, if you’re anything like us, liberal amounts of ice cream. And now, if you’re in the Bahamas this summer, there’s a new spot you can check out to get your frozen novelties fix: Sun & Ice, which just debuted in The Coral at Atlantis on Paradise Island.

Helmed by local chef Wayne Moncur, the parlor is the first element to be unveiled in the completely reimagined and renovated hotel formerly known as the Coral Towers, and has pride of place in the resort’s lobby lounge.

In keeping with Atlantis’ recent efforts to rebrand itself as more authentically Bahamian, the shop will feature flavors of ice cream, sorbet and gelato that are inspired by the 700-island country, combining cream, milk and pure cane sugar with organic Bahamian fruit, teas, herbs, seeds and spices.

Guests can expect to sample inventive island flavors such as soursop and caramelized sugar banana; sapodilla and maple; allspice potato bread; and coconut candy. Sorbet offerings include pineapple and thyme, and there’s also mango skin, guava and sea grape gelato.

“People will be able to walk into Sun & Ice and see our beloved island culture come alive to tell a story,” said Moncur. “They will be able to learn about the local farmer who provided that day’s fresh sapodilla fruit from his tree, and they can taste featured flavors like the one in honor of the Bahamian flag, complete with mangola, black sesame seed and blueberry.”

Sun & Ice opens daily from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. The Coral is scheduled to welcome its first guests later this summer.

The post Sun & Ice: The Scoop on Atlantis’ New Ice Cream Parlor appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor

Headed to Jamaica? If you’ve already seen the sunset in Negril and soaked up the rays on Doctor’s Cave Beach in Montego Bay, why not spend a few days in Ocho Rios? The north coast hotspot has long been a popular weekend getaway for locals, and staying here means you’re “thisclose” to Jamaica’s two most popular attractions, the cascades at Dunn’s River Falls and the bobsled-themed rollercoaster at Mystic Mountain. Clearly, there’s no time like the present to start planning a trip to this St. Ann standout. And here’s where we recommend you stay when you get there. Here are the five best resorts in Ocho Rios.

Jamaica Inn This 67-year-old Ocho Rios classic offers the rare combination of refinement without pretension, delivered in a tranquil beachfront garden setting that feels far removed from hubbub of town but is only minutes away. Relax in its elegant suites; take afternoon tea on the terrace; and find your bliss in the waterfront Ocean Spa.

The post The Five Best Ocho Rios Resorts appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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