Apple Leisure Group is continuing its rapid expansion push.

The company signed 10 new resort deals in 2016, growing the company’s resort brand management portfolio by 15 percent in less than one year.

That comes after what was a record-breaking 2015 for the company.

Apple Leisure Group also announced that, through its subsidiary, AMResorts, it plans to sign its 100th resort by 2020, with target markets including St. Lucia, Turks and Caicos and Colombia.

“In addition to maintaining our leadership status within Mexico’s and the Caribbean’s luxury leisure travel space, next year we will also explore opportunities to acquire more distribution companies and resort companies if the opportunity is right,” said Javier Coll, executive vice president and chief strategy officer of Apple Leisure Group.

The company currently has 14 resorts in the development pipeline, meaning Apple Leisure Group will have 65 open resorts across the Mexico, the Caribbean including Puerto Rico and the Bahamas; Costa Rica and Panama by 2019.

“The Caribbean and Mexico are a hotbed for development, with STR reporting a more than 12 percent* increase in the number of hotels under construction in the region compared to last year,” said Javier Coll. “Combined with the steady demand from travelers, 2017 will present another excellent opportunity for hotel owners seeking to capitalize on the strength of the hospitality industry with a trusted partner, like Apple Leisure Group, that understands the area.”

The post Apple Leisure Group Targeting St. Lucia, Turks and Caicos appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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AMResorts’ newest resort is now open in the Dominican Republic: Secrets Cap Cana.

The new luxury 457-room adults-only resort is in the exclusive gated enclave of Cap Cana in greater Punta Cana; it is the 15th property in the Secrets Resorts and Spas portfolio.

The property, set on the beautiful Juanillo Beach, has a mix of accommodations, including bungalow-style and swim-out suites, along with a large infinity pool, eight restaurants and a Secrets Spa by Pevonia.

“As the doors to Secrets Cap Cana Resort & Spa open, AMResorts officially raises the bar for luxe adults-only options in the already top-rated Cap Cana area,” said Gonzalo del Peòn, President of AMResorts. “We’re eager for couples and adult guests to settle in and escape in the destination’s newest hideaway.”

Guests can access a host of nearby amenities, including a Jack Nicklaus-designed championship golf course, a marina, stables, an equestrian enter with polo fields and a world-class fishery.

We’ve long been fans of the Cap Cana neighborhood, which has also developed a very good food scene in recent years.

To book a stay at Secrets Cap Cana click here.

— Caribbean Journal Staff

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A month-by-month journey of sunrises in the Caribbean.

By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor

Arguably the only thing better than a Caribbean sunset is a Caribbean sunrise, with its promise of a day filled with leisure and pleasure. Throughout 2016 I’ve been lucky enough to watch the day begin in several idyllic spots, so as the year draws to a close I wanted to share a dozen of the best with you. And to wish you the happiest of holidays and all the best for 2017.

January On Harbour Island in the Bahamas, I had to stop and snap a pic of the conch shell-pink sky (which took my breath away almost as much as my morning run).

February Its views like this, on the beach at Club Med Punta Cana, that reward the effort of waking up early.

March Every sunrise feels like a blessing, but this one was particularly special since it was at St. Croix’s Point Udall, the easternmost point of the United States, where the sun rises first.

April Punta Cana’s curving coastline and signature palm trees, seen here at Uvero Alto Beach, make for a classic Caribbean scene.

May The west coast town of Negril in Jamaica is famous for its sunsets. But it’s a little-known fact that the sunrises aren’t too shabby, either (and that they require coordinating clothing).

June Another sunrise run took me to Parque Los Fondadores, just off Playa Del Carmen, Mexico’s Quinta Avenida, where this magnificent bronze statue stopped me in my tracks.

July OK, so I didn’t quite make the sunrise, but this inviting row of palapas and pillowy white sand was still waiting for me when I woke up at RIU Republica in Punta Cana.

August Good mornings combine coffee and the Caribbean, don’t you think? This one, at Brownes Beach on Barbados, was one of the summer’s best.

September During a trip to Barbados, the sight of groomers bathing their racehorses in the sea at Pebble Beach was a delightful dawn surprise.

October Who doesn’t love an over-water suite? This pair of spa cabins, at the new Pink Sands Club on Canouan in the Grenadines, was a welcome sight at the mid-point of my morning run on the three-square-mile island.

November There’s nothing quite as serene a sunrise at sea, and, during a Thanksgiving Caribbean cruise, I was appropriately grateful for the privilege of witnessing this one.

December This sublime scene, as the sun rose over a perfectly placid infinity pool at Jamaica’s new Royalton Blue Waters resort in Trelawny, embodied the calm before the Christmas storm.

The post The Year in Caribbean Sunrises appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Four Seasons is continuing its Caribbean expansion.

Just a month after opening its new Anguilla resort, the company’s new Puerto Rico project has broken ground.

The Four Seasons Cayo Largo officially launched work in the area of Fajardo.

The $230 million hotel project, which is slated for a debut at the end of 2018, will have 140 rooms and will generate 400 permanent jobs (along with 400 construction jobs), according to Puerto Rican officials.

“Today Cayo Largo is reborn,” said Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla.

Puerto Rico’s government is supporting the project through tax credits from the Department of Finance and the Hotel Development Corporation.

The hotel would be Four Seasons’ third property in the region, along with the aforementioned Anguilla resort (which was formerly a Viceroy) and its flagship resort in Nevis.

The formerly stalled project will reportedly include a hotel and an 18-hole golf course and a residential real estate component.

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The Maya Beach Hotel and Bistro in Belize has expanded with the addition of three new suites.

The hotel added three brand-new suites, bringing the hotel’s room count to 13 units, ranging from standard one-bedroom rooms to beachfront cabanas to three-bedroom apartments.

“We’re thrilled to offer even more private, relaxing options to our guests,” said Ellen Lee, co-owner of the property. “At Maya Beach Hotel, we embrace the natural beauty and cultural identity of Belize and the Placencia Peninsula. Our rooms are simple, comfortable and accessible to all the amazing adventures that await our guests.”

The boutique hotel is home to a pool, a bar and a signature restaurant, Bistro.

— Caribbean Journal Staff

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