One of the Caribbean’s hottest destinations has a new boutique hotel.
It’s called The Great House Antigua, and it’s set in a 350-year-old stone estate turned into a boutique hotel set on 26 acres of tropical gardens.
For 60 years, the estate was the home of the Howell family, who have decided to open up its doors as an 8-room boutique ”to allow more people to enjoy its historic charm and the tranquillity offered by its 26 acres of tropical gardens,” the family said in a statement.
The hotel is, in fact, the last extant stone estate in all of Antigua and Barbuda, according to the family.
The pool.
The project has gone extensive renovation work to create four “individually styled” suites within the home, featuring antique furnishings like Chippendale chairs, mahogany four-poster beds and china, silver and glassware.
That’s along with four new garden cottage suites with amenities like his-and-hers showers and private terraces, all with pyramid roofs and vaulted ceilings.
The boutique hotel has a main pool, along with an exercise deck, a spa, a pool bar and dining options including an outdoor courtyard and a candlelit dining room for dinner.
Inside a room at the hotel in Antigua.
In a statement, the hotel said it grew at least half of its fresh produce on property, complementing that with locally-sourced food.
The preserved sugar mill on the estate.
The hotel, set on the eastern shores of Antigua, adds to what is one of the more impressive collections of historic hotels and properties set in historic buildings in the wider Caribbean, from Antigua’s Inn at English Harbour to the Admiral’s Inn to the Copper and Lumber hotel.
The latter two hotel properties are set in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Nelson’s Dockyard.
Both American Airlines and Delta Air Lines are extending their existing non-stop Saturday flights to St. Kitts from JFK to include the month of May 2020, providing continuous service from peak season through summer.
With both airlines increasing service at a time when they traditionally hiatus, the additional flights help to position St. Kitts for summer season and full year passenger arrivals growth.
“I could not be more pleased to receive this additional airlift from our two North American airline partners with the most capacity into St. Kitts,” said St Kitts Tourism Minister Lindsay Grant. “Having just met with American Airlines at their new headquarters in Dallas Fort Worth and received the update about our JFK gateway for May, the additional service is a clear testament to their trust in our development as a tourism destination.”
“These extra operations by American and Delta from JFK, our top US source market for visitors, effectively eliminate their normally-scheduled May hiatus, making it easier for potential visitors and Kittitian nationals to reach the island this summer,” he said. “Having continuous non-stop flights from peak season through the summer increases our appeal as a premier leisure destination and demonstrates the success of our strategy to continue our momentum of growth.”
“This bold move by American and Delta is a direct result of our specific marketing strategy to build out St. Kitts’ summer season in support of overall tourism growth,” said Racquel Brown, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. “Last year, we set a new record for air passenger arrivals and we are on track to exceed those numbers again this year.”
“This extended air service for 2020 positions us for even further growth next year and is a clear indication of the strength of our relationships with the airline network planners handling the Caribbean region,” Brown said.
From May 2 through June 3, 2020, American Airlines will add a total of 4 rotations for the flight utilizing a 160-seat Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 16 First Class, 30 Main Cabin Extra and 114 Main Cabin class seats.
From May 2 through June 6, 2020, Delta Air Lines will add a total of 3 rotations for the flight utilizing a 160-seat Boeing 737-800 with 16 First Class, 30 Main Cabin Extra and 114 Main Cabin class seats.
In addition to the JFK flights, American also flies non-stop year-round to St. Kitts on Saturdays from Charlotte and daily plus twice daily Wednesday through Sunday from Miami.
As of 2019, the carrier also offers summer season non-stop flights to St. Kitts on Saturdays from Dallas.
Delta runs non-stop year-round to St. Kitts on Saturdays from Atlanta as well as from JFK.
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For the first time, the most exclusive rums in the Caribbean went head-to-head in a blind tasting competition at Caribbean Journal’s Caribbean Rum Awards in St Barth, and a team of seven international rum judges finally decided on a winner.
It was a superstar rum field: Ron Del Barrilito Five-Star; Don Q Reserva de la Familia Serralles; Havana Club Maximo; Brugal Papa Andres; El Dorado 25.
And after a round of voting, Puerto Rico’s Ron del Barrilito and the Don Q were neck-and neck, with the Don Q Reserva de la Familia Serralles finally emerging victorious in the second round.
It was the culmination of a week of rum celebration: arrival in style via Tradewind Aviation; a rum expo in Gustavia, a People’s Choice jury; a dinner at Pearl Beach sponsored by WIMCO Villas; a Ti’ Punch seminar and cocktail afternoon; and a seven-course cocktail-and-food pairing VIP dinner at the Quarter Kitchen and Cocktail Lab on Saturday (helmed by top chef Andrew Zarzosa of Yuzu Miami fame).
It was an impressive field of both molasses-based and agricole rums at the Rhum Room.
2019 marked the arrival of the Caribbean Rum Awards in St Barth, set at the Rhum Room, proprietor Christopher Davis’ rum Mecca that has more fine rums on its menu than any bar in the Western Hemisphere, including the largest selection of rhum agricole of any bar on earth.
“We are so pleased with the reception of the Caribbean Rum Awards in St Barth,” said Alexander Britell, editor and publisher of Caribbean Journal. “St Barth is one of the most remarkable markets for rum, and our partnership with Christopher Davis and the St Barth Rum Festival is a natural fit. This year’s competition was filled with outstanding rums from across the Caribbean, and a reminder of the wonderful diversity of Caribbean rum.”
The final cocktail-and-food pairing dinner at the Quarter Kitchen and Cocktail Lab was one of the hottest tickets in St Barth.
In a field marked by broad excellence, rums from Martinique to Guadeloupe to Puerto Rico took home the double golds in seven different categories.
The Don Q Reserva de la Familia Serralles took home the Double Gold in the Ultra-Premium Category, while Ron del Barrilito’s Four-Star Rum won Double Gold in the Premium Rum category.
The ti’ punch was the cocktail of the hour.
On the Rhum Agricole side, Double Gold medalists included Rhum A1710 for its Renaissance rum in the Rhum Blanc – Martinique category, while Rhum Bologne’s La Coulisse took home the Double Gold in the Rhum Blanc Guadeloupe category.
Legendary Martinique chef and restaurateur judging rums during the blind tasting.
Martinique’s Rhum HSE won top honors in the XO category, while the Guadeloupe-made R St Barth “Authentique” won for the Hors d’age category.
“The partnership of the Saint Barth Rum Festival and the Caribbean Rum Awards’ inaugural event in Gustavia this year was incredible,” Christopher Davis said. “The judges, both professional and amateur, experienced some of the finest rhums/rums/rones from the Caribbean, culminating in a seven-course Japanese-inspired tasting menu with rum cocktails during the awards program. As it was our first year, we kept everything intimate, so we could make sure the quality of our event was top notch. We are already having distilleries and other potential partners on island as well as our people’s choice panel enquiring about the second edition next year, which for all of us at the Quarter Kitchen and Cocktail Lab and Rhum Room is the best reward.”
The festival also bestowed a special jury prize on Martinique’s Gregory Vernant of Rhum Neisson, choosing him as the Caribbean Rum Maker of the Year.
Top Martinique-based bartender Sam J. leads the Rhum HSE tasting at the Rum Expo during the Caribbean Rum Awards.
Judges included Martinique chef and restaurateur Guy Ferdinand; Caribbean Journal editor and publisher Alexander Britell; Caribbean Journal EVP and managing editor Guy Britton; New York-based vintner and spirits importer Steven Shaw; Peter Berntsen, operating partner of Casa de Montecristo by Prime Cigar in Miami; Cuba Journal editor-in-chief Simons Chase; and the aforementioned Rhum Room and Quarter Kitchen and Cocktail Lab proprietor Christopher Davis.
Judges on the People’s Choice panel included Steven Miller, Eddy Maddox; Benoit Lavigne and Ted Houseknect.
“St Barth is the natural home for an event that celebrates rum, one of the world’s greatest artisanal, luxury products,” Britton said. “And we are excited about what the future has in store.”
See the full results of the Caribbean Rum Awards 2019 below:
Caribbean Rum Awards Results
Rhum Blanc Agricole (Martinique)
Double Gold: A1710 Renaissance
Gold: La Favorite Riviere Riviere Bel’air
Silver: Rhum HSE Parcellaire
Bronze: Rhum Neisson L’Esprit Bio
Rhum Blanc Agricole (Guadeloupe)
Double Gold: Rhum Bologne La Coulisse
Gold: Rhum Saint Barth Blanc
Silver: Pere Labat 50
Bronze: Karukera L’Intense
VSOP Rhum Agricole
Double Gold: Rhum Karukera Black Alligator
Gold: HSE VSOP
Silver: Rhum Bologne VSOP
Bronze: Rhum Clement VSOP
XO Rhum Agricole
Double Gold: Rhum HSE XO
Gold: Rhum Damoiseau XO
Silver: Rhum Depaz XO
Bronze: Rhum Bologne XO
Hors d’Age Rhum Agricole
Double Gold: R St Barth “Authentique”
Gold: Rhum HSE 2003
Silver: La Favorite Privilege Pour Lulu
Bronze: Rhum Depaz 2002
Premium Rum ($450 and under)
Double Gold: Ron del Barrilito Four Star
Gold: Foursquare Zinfandel Cask Blend
Silver: Appleton 21
Bronze: Facundo Paraiso
Ultra-Premium Rum ($450 and above)
Double Gold: Don Q Reserva de la Familia Serralles
Gold: Ron del Barrilito Five-Star
Silver: Havana Club Maximo
Bronze: El Dorado 25
Special Jury Prize: Caribbean Rum Maker of the Year 2019
Gregory Vernant, Rhum Neisson
Caribbean Rum Awards People’s Choice Results
Best Molasses Rum: Don Q Reserva de la Familia Serralles
Southwest is returning several seasonal routes to the Caribbean, the carrier said this week.
Southwest has announced the return of several flights for the upcoming 2020 season, it said.
That includes nonstop flights from Atlanta to both Cancun on the Caribbean coast of Mexico and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic beginning April 18, 2020.
Both of those routes will fly on weekends nonstop, according to the company.
Southwest also be resuming seasonal flights between Oakland and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, also on Saturdays and Sundays, beginning in mid-April.
On April 18, Southwest will be resuming weekly Saturday service between New Orleans and Cancun as well.
Southwest has been steadily growing its footprint in the wider Caribbean region in recent years, both from the west coast and from growing hubs like Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
