By the Caribbean Journal staff

Fresh off the launch of the celebrated Orlando’s Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia has another new destination eatery.

The Caille Blanc Villa and Hotel has announced the debut of its new TreeTops restaurant.

The new eatery, the menu of which was crafted by leading chef Jeffrey “Cheffrey” Stella, will be open Thursday through Sunday evenings.

“From the first moment I came to Saint Lucia I was drawn to the flavors and colors of the spices on the island. Drawing from this wealth, I was able to help Caille Blanc Villa & Hotel’s restaurant TreeTops craft a menu of delicious meals and teach the staff to prepare them for an extraordinary dining experience,” Stella said in a statement.

“Caille Blanc has always strived to deliver a unique one of a kind experience to our guests, with the expansion of this restaurant TreeTops, we’re able to offer local visitors an opportunity to have an chic romantic dining experience while taking in our spectacular view of the Pitons and Caribbean,” said Alisa Coleman, the owner of the hotel.

The new menu will include everything from lionfish francese to a full Caribbean buffet on Friday evenings.

The six-suite hotel is set in the town of Soufriere in southern Saint Lucia.

For more, visit Caille Blanc.

— CJ

The post Another New Dining Destination Opens in Saint Lucia appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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… María’s devastating landfall on Puerto Rico, Senator Bernie Sanders (I- … of the needs of the Puerto Rican people; and put a … moratorium on any payments on Puerto Rican debt until an independent … . Do the 30,000 Puerto Ricans still living under tarps need …

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Royal Caribbean is set for a $110 million transformation project on its Explorer of the Seas cruise ship, the company said this week.

The newly-revamped ship, which will debut in 2020, will add a new waterslide, a “resort-style” poolscape and a new poolside bar, among other amenities.

That will also include a new Johnny Rockets Express; a standalone Starbucks coffee shop; a sports bar called Playmakers and the cruise line’s new Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen.

After a summer season in Europe, Explorer of the Seas will head to the Caribbean.

Royal will be operating five and nine-night Eastern and Southern Caribbean cruises out of PortMiami, including a number of stops at the company’s new private destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay, which opened earlier this year in The Bahamas.

The ship is the fourth in Royal Caribbean’s Voyager Class to be revamped, part of a wider $1 billion fleet enhancement project.

That project will ultimately cover 10 ships over the course of four years.

For more, visit Royal Caribbean.

— CJ

The post Royal Caribbean’s New Cruises on Explorer of the Seas appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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We can’t say it enough: The Bahamas is open for business, from Cat Island to Eleuthera, Harbour Island to Exuma, Bimini to Long Island.

But Nassau remains the country’s travel hub, its most complete — and popular — destination.

And while you may have been to Nassau before, you may not be familiar with its hidden gems, the small hotels that are a beautiful, very different way to experience the destination.

Whether you’re looking for a hip boutique luxury hotel, a rustic beach resort or a culinary Mecca, Nassau’s small hotels offer a marvelously diverse range of experiences for every kind of traveler.

These are our favorite small hotels in Nassau, Bahamas. (Note: all photos and video were shot on-location in mid-September 2019 after Dorian).

Yes, there’s a movie theater at a 30-room boutique hotel. And it’s glorious.

The Island House The newest boutique hotel in Nassau is a standout at the edge of tony Lyford Cay, a world-class hotel where you get boutique service and design with the sort of amenities that even large resorts aren’t creative enough to come up with. That means things like on-site squash courts, a co-working space and, yes, a complete cinema that shows first-run movies — along with an exceptional Bamford Spa. The 30-room (24 rooms and six suites) hotel, which first opened in 2015, bills itself as not just a place to stay, but a “gathering space” for the local community, and that emphasis on local engagement makes for an energetic, fun, place to stay. Hotels don’t get much cooler than this. Period.

The post The 7 Best Boutique Hotels in Nassau, Bahamas appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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… off Puerto Rico coast
ISABELA, Puerto Rico — A 6.0-magnitude earthquake shook Puerto Rico Monday … miles north-northwest of Isabela, Puerto Rico, around 11:23 p.m …

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