The Caribbean coast of Mexico has its first-ever Marley Coffee. 

The Jamaican coffee brand has opened a new coffee house at T”he Fives Beach Hotel in Playa del Carmen. 

It’s just the second coffee shop by the brand, which is owned by the family of music icon Bob Marley. 

“I am pleased to be back in the beautiful Playa Del Carmen where travelers from around the world can experience my family’s passion, vision of universal love, respect for nature and connection to the beauty of the land through a cup of coffee,” said Rohan Marley, founder of Marley Coffee.

The coffee shop is set in the “plaza” at The Fives, an all-inclusive hotel in Playa. 

The coffee itself is sourced from fair-trade farms globally, including Ethiopia, Central and South America and Jamaica. 

For more, visit The Fives. 

— CJ

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It’s no secret that Puerto Rico is in the midst of a full-fledged airlift boom, and now the island will soon be getting more new daily nonstop flights, Caribbean Journal has learned.

Low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines, which kicked off a broad expansion of its service to Puerto Rico in the fall, is planning to add another daily nonstop flight to Puerto Rico out of Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. 

Beginning May 21, Spirit will double its flight service from Baltimore to Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico’s capital of San Juan. 

That will mean two daily flights between Baltimore and Puerto Rico. 

In a statement, Spirit said the move is “in recognition of the route’s exceptionally strong performance.”

It also comes less than a year after Spirit first launched its route from Baltimore to San Juan. 

“Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI) is a key component of the Spirit’s route network,” Spirit Airlines Vice President of Network Planning John Kirby said.

The planned expansion only reinforces what is already one of the strongest Puerto Rico flight networks of any carrier. 

And it also continues Puerto Rico’s continued momentum in attracting new airlift, with a host of major carriers expanding their routes to the island, from travel giants like Delta Air Lines to upstarts like Frontier Airlines. 

Puerto Rico’s tourism sector has largely recovered from last month’s earthquakes (a sentiment echoed by Discover Puerto Rico CEO Brad Dean writing in Caribbean Journal) which were largely concentrated in areas like Ponce that are not traditionally the island’s travel hubs (at least not yet)

It all adds up to what is a very positive trend for Puerto Rico — air carriers do their homework when they launch new routes, and continued bets like these by leading air carriers means they see strength (and demand) in Puerto Rico’s tourism sector. 

Now, it’s on Puerto Rico’s hotel developers to make sure there is hotel stock to meet the rising demand.

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Luxury cruise line Regent Seven Seas has taken delivery of its newest cruise ship, Seven Seas Splendor. 

The 735-foot-long, 55,254-gross-ton ship will be making its maiden voyage to Miami this week before launching a series of itineraries in the Caribbean Basin. 

That will include a pair of Panama Canal crossings and a Southern Caribbean cruise that will start in Miami and end in New York City. 

The new ship will include five eateries, three bars and lounges and what the company says is an art collection valued at $5 million. 

“Wherever you turn on Seven Seas Splendor, you will be surrounded by elegance, comfort and hospitality,” said Jason Montague, president and chief executive officer of Regent Seven Seas Cruises. “Luxury travelers have anticipated this stunning new ship for more than two years.”

The ship will have capacity for 750 guests in 375 suites, ranging from 307 square feet to nearly 4,500 square feet. 

“Quality is a hallmark of both Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Fincantieri, and it has been our privilege to construct this important and remarkable ship that reflects Fincantieri’s extensive abilities and its reference presence in the luxury cruise segment, a unique and competitive market niche in the shipbuilding industry,” said Luigi Matarazzo, General Manager, Fincantieri Merchant Ships Division.

The debut of Seven Seas Splendor comes as there is increased competition in the luxury cruise space, most notably from the soon-to-launch Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. 

— CJ

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