… of Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico, which promises empathetic service that … Campos, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company.
“Tourism development is … priority for the Government of Puerto Rico. The Island offers highly competitive …

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It’s a quiet land of waving cane fields and serene beaches, ti’ punch and accras, shaped like a pancake and flat like one, too. 

And the casual observer might mistake this merely for a serene Caribbean paradise. 

But Marie Galante is something else. 

You see, there are three rum distilleries in Marie-Galante, an island in the Guadeloupe archipelago that has just 12,000 people, making it home to more rum distilleries per capita than any other place in the world. 

It’s an island rum lovers always seem to speak about in italics, as close to holy ground as there is in the rum world, the sort of place where you do your regular rum shopping right at the distillery.

Because all three distilleries: Poisson, Bellevue and Bielle, all produce almost sacred rum, sought-after, yearned-for and beloved by lovers of cane spirits across the globe.

But given its station in the Caribbean (and Guadeloupe rum’s still up-hill battle for awareness), rum from Marie-Galante is not that easy to find, though you can sometimes find Marie-Galante’s output in places like Saint Martin and St Barth. 

So when we came upon a bottle of Bellevue in Orient Bay, Saint Martin, naturally it found its way home with us. 

And then we opened it, a bottle of Bellevue 1821, from the venerable Habitation Bellevue, which dates back to 1821 and has turned its birthdate into its newest collection of rums, with six and 10-year-old varieties. 

So what’s it like?

The moment the cork escapes the bottle, it smells like Guadeloupe. 

There’s that unmistakable, distinct marzipan aroma that is the hallmark note of the archipelago’s cane spirits.

And then you smell again. A hint of smoke, some vanilla, some burnt orange. 

And then you taste it. 

So what is it like?

The 1821 six-year rum has a light amber color. 

The rum starts out simply, with some vanilla and white pepper. 

Then the overture truly begins, with creme brûlée and spice and vanilla — and then the timpanis start to tap, and you discover citrus peel and powdered sugar; then there’s dried apricot and a cascade of smoky cane stalk; and the wind section and the strings and the brass all come together and you’re in a perfect rum symphony, a rum so good it forces you to mix metaphors. 

And then the 1812 concludes with a cadenza, a confectioner’s glaze at the very end of the finish. 

It’s almost unfathomable that this is a mere six year old rum, a tribute to tropical aging, yes, but more importantly to the wonder of the soil and the terroir in Marie-Galante. 

Plainly, the Bellevue 1821 six year 1821 is spectacular stuff.

Because there’s a reason Marie Galante is the rum world’s great hidden rum Mecca, the little island rum lovers speak about in hushed tones, like some lost city paved in sugarcane and gold. 

Rum Journal Review: 96 points 

The post A Taste of the Caribbean’s Hidden Sugarcane Mecca, Marie-Galante appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Canadian travel giant Sunwing is launching a new Caribbean destination: Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands. 

The tour operator has announced a new seasonal flight service from Toronto to Grand Cayman, with service set to launch from Feb. 2, 2020 through May 3, 2020. 

“We are excited to be offering travellers departing from Toronto Pearson even more ways to Vacation Better this winter with the addition of this new destination. With its pristine beaches and picturesque landscapes, we’re sure that Grand Cayman will be a popular choice amongst Torontonian sun-seekers.”

The flights will be operating once-weekly on Sundays, a big boost for Cayman from the important Canadian market. 

“We are so pleased to welcome Sunwing in offering Canadians with more opportunities to visit the Cayman Islands,” said Rosa Harris, director of tourism at the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism. “We are proud to share our exceptional attractions, from our pristine Seven Mile Beach to the Crystal Caves and, as the Culinary Capital of the Caribbean, our diverse and exceptional restaurants.”

Sunwing has a broad footprint across the wider Caribbean region. 

The company said it would be highlighting Grand Cayman’s Margaritaville Beach Resort on Seven Mile Beach for travelers from Toronto. 

— CJ

The post Sunwing Is Launching Its First-Ever Flights to Grand Cayman appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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… pernil are how I define Puerto Rican Christmas. And although pork … side of coquito, a Puerto Rican version of eggnog made … with the greatest hits of Puerto Rican Christmas: pernil, arroz con … time we spent Christmas in Puerto Rico.
During the holiday season, …

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The world’s largest airline launched a pair of new routes this week to a Caribbean destination on the rise: St Thomas. 

The latest boosts to St Thomas’ tourism renaissance came with the arrival of new winter flights from both Chicago O’Hare and Dallas-Fort Worth. 

Both of those nonstop flights will be operating weekly on Saturdays, now through April 4, 2020, St Thomas tourism officials confirmed to Caribbean Journal. 

The Chicago-St Thomas flight will be running on an Airbus A319 with 128 seats, while the Dallas-St Thomas flights are operating on Boeing 757s with 176 seats. 

“American Airlines is pleased to provide nonstop service to the beautiful island of St. Thomas from these important hubs,” said Alfredo Gonzalez, American’s Managing Director, Caribbean, in a statement “We would like to thank the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism, the Virgin Islands Port Authority, and other agencies for working seamlessly with us to make these flights possible.”

The new routes come as St Thomas’ tourism sector, still recovering from the storms of 2017, welcomed back the US Virgin Islands’ leading hotel, the Ritz-Carlton, St Thomas, which reopened its doors at the end of last month. 

That complements a strong contingent of hotels that have been operating in St Thomas for some time now, from the beloved Bolongo Bay Beach Resort (Iggy’s, anyone?) to the Secret Harbour hotel. 

And the USVI’s most popular destination will this year see the launch of two more hotels: the transformed Frenchman’s Reef Marriott Resort and Spa, and a new hotel called Noni Beach, a St Thomas Resort. The latter will be a member of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, with the combined openings totaling more than $200 million investment. 

American is also adding more flights to St Thomas out of Miami, with a third daily flight that launched earlier this week. 

“We are delighted to inaugurate these flights which open up and enhance the very important Chicago and Texas markets,” said Joseph Boschulte, Commissioner of the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism. “We are very happy with the deepening of our partnership with American Airlines and look forward to working with their team to bolster airlift to our Territory this winter and beyond.”

St Thomas also serves as a crucial air hub for the neighboring British Virgin Islands, which will undoubtedly see a benefit due to the increased air capacity, too. (While travelers can fly to Tortola through airports like San Juan on Cape Air, St Thomas-Tortola ferry service is also a very popular option). 

The new routes are an important sign of confidence from American, and part of a wider Caribbean expansion American is undertaking throughout the second half of this month. 

— CJ

The post American Airlines Kicks Off Two New Nonstop Routes to St Thomas appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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