SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A federal indictment was unsealed on Wednesday in the District of Puerto Rico charging 50 members of La Asociación ÑETA with racketeering, drug trafficking and murder. The defendants include the leadership of the enterprise, its drug trafficking network…

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By Alexander Britell

There are so many different kinds of Caribbean hotels, depending on the time of year, the kind of trip, the budget and the needs of the traveler. But ultimately what we’re always looking for is a hotel with personality, a hotel with a soul. Our latest look at hotels gives you five great options to explore the Caribbean, from hip new city hotels to castaway-style dive resorts at all price points. What do they all have in common? Personality. Here are some hotels to try right now.

Le Guanahani, St Barth

The completion of a four-year, $40 million renovation means this St Barth standout is better than ever, with a terrific beach, a chic air and superb food. It doesn’t get any better than St Barth, and summer here means you have the island all to yourself.

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The multi-sectoral citizens’ group Puerto Rico Limpio has sent a letter to Congressman Raúl Grijalva, ranking member of the US House Committee on National Resources, to warn him and denounce the crisis Puerto Rico is living through with 22 of its 27 municipal…

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Dark lighting. High-backed leather chairs. A top-shelf spirits selection. A breadth of cigars.

There’s even a library.

These are the ingredients to a great cigar lounge, and the Avo Lounge at San Juan’s Condado Vanderbilt hotel.

This is the classic cigar lounge, a place that makes you feel like you’re a member of a private club (and there are, naturally, private cigar lockers).

What really puts this lounge over the top is the spirits list, which comes from the hotel’s lobby bar and happens to include a wonderful selection of rums from Puerto Rico to Martinique.

This is a must-visit place in San Juan.

— CJ

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

In what is one of the highest-profile hotel deals all year, Morgans Hotel Group has announced that it has entered into an agreement to be acquired by global hospitality company SBE.

SBE will acquire Morgans’ portfolio of 12 properties, and is currently working with lenders to assume the mortgages of the Hudson and Delano hotels in New York and Miami, respectively.

SBE is planning a major expansion in Mexico, with five resort management deals planned.

“Morgans’ Board of Directors carefully considered all of the alternatives available to us and we are pleased to have arrived at a transaction that we believe is in the best interests of our shareholders, while providing a great home for our attractive assets under a renowned hospitality company in SBE,” said Howard Lorber, chairman of Morgans.

SBE had been slated to open a hotel at the now-troubled Baha Mar in the Bahamas, although the fate of that project and its hotels is unclear.

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