By Alexander Britell

It’s already Antigua’s most anticipated hotel opening of 2019 — but now the soon-to-debut Royalton Antigua Resort and Spa has announced another major component.

The 294-room all-inclusive hotel will include Antigua’s first-ever overwater bungalows set on Antigua’s Deep Bay.

One of the eateries at the soon-to-open hotel.

The adults-only Diamond Club “Chairman Overwater Bungalows” are a collection of one-bedroom villas, each with special amenities including butler service, private transfers and yoga classes, among others.

Diamond Club is Royalton’s premium service category.

More importantly, every overwater bungalow has its own private infinity plunge pool, a hammock, a king-sized bed, a pullout couch, a private ocean entry from a private deck and a glass floor to “experience the ocean from the comfort of this luxurious villa,” according to the company.

The new Royalton Antigua is slated to open its doors on May 1, with everything from a spa to a casino and a kids club.

A rendering of a bathroom at one of the bungalows.

The new bungalows will make their debut in the second week of June, a company spokesperson told Caribbean Journal, with a total of six bungalows. That could include more in the pipeline pending further environmental studies.

The new bungalows continue a regional trend that began in earnest with the debut of Sandals’ overwater bungalows at its Sandals Royal Caribbean resort in Jamaica back in 2016.

That has spread across the region, with several resorts featuring overwater bungalows now in development in the region, including the Viceroy Bocas Del Toro in Panama and the Four Seasons in Belize.

For more, visit the Royalton Antigua.

— CJ

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

The world-famous Maroon 5 and frontman Adam Levine are coming to Curaçao this summer for the island’s annual Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival.

Maroon 5 will join a star-studded lineup that already includes Ozuna, Gladys Knight and Third World, among others.

The festival kicks of Aug. 29 with free concerts by Havana D’Primera and Aymee Nuviola, concluding on Aug. 31.

This year’s event is being held at the World Trade Center at Piscadera Bay in the capital of Willemstad.

Last year’s festival was headlined by Sting and Shaggy’s new supergroup.

For more, visit the Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival.

— CJ

The post Why Maroon 5 Is Coming to Curaçao appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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… Hurricane Maria, people across Puerto Rico invented new ways to … strikes. They are roving Puerto Rico with laptops, transmitters and … Cruz, a self-taught Puerto Rican tech developer who recently … emergency management director for Puerto Rico, warned the U.S …

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Carnival Cruise Line has big plans in Port Canaveral.

The cruise giant has officially broken ground on a new $163 million cruise complex called Cruise Terminal 3.

The new terminal, called the “Launch Pad,” will be the homeport for Carnival’s upcoming Marid Gras ship beginning in 2020.

The project, the largest in the history of Port Canaveral, is slated for completion in May 2020. “Mardi Gras,” named to celebrate Carnival’s first-ever cruise ship, will launch year-round Caribbean cruises in the terminal in October 2020.

“We began our operations from Port Canaveral nearly 30 years ago – coincidentally with our original ship of the same name. We’ve had a great relationship with Port Canaveral during that time and we’re proud, honored and excited that our newest and most innovative ship, Mardi Gras, will sail from the new Terminal 3.  We are pleased to be the port’s number one cruise line and Mardi Gras promises to be a spectacular addition to the Space Coast,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival.

The 187,000-square-foot, two-story facility will include modern check in, seating for 1,700 guests and a “high-tech baggage processing facility,” among other amenities.

“The trust and confidence we’ve earned with our great cruise partner has been the foundation of success and we are excited for what the future holds. We’re building a great new terminal, for an innovative new ship, and looking forward to welcoming home Mardi Gras,” said Port Canaveral CEO John Murray.

— CJ

The post Carnival Breaks Ground on $163M Port Canaveral Complex appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Alexander Britell

Buoyed by increased airlift and sizzling hotel development, St Kitts and its sister island of Nevis are seeing a surge in tourism so far in 2019.

The destination has seen a 15.3 percent increase in air arrivals through the first two months of the year, according to new data from the Ministry of Tourism.

That includes a 19.3 percent jump in arrivals from North America, long the largest source market for St Kitts and Nevis.

The Park Hyatt St Kitts.

“I am extremely pleased to see such strong increases in air passenger arrivals to our Federation for 2018 continuing into peak season 2019,” said Tourism Minister Lindsay Grant. “These numbers are a clear indication that we are gaining momentum towards reaching our goal of 150,000 stayover visitors in the next few years.”

The growth comes as more and more air carriers are either adding new flights or expanding their service to St Kitts’ Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport.

In December, Sun Country added new flights from Minneapolis, while United is running twice-weekly flights from Newark for the season.

Cockleshell Bay in St Kitts.

In May, American Airlines will be launching new service from Dallas to St Kitts on Saturdays.

“We redoubled our marketing efforts in the fourth quarter of last year specifically to support our additional peak season air service and these numbers demonstrate that we have achieved very successful results,” said Racquel Brown, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. “With the milestone airlift arrivals recorded for 2018 and performance last year in the months of March and June nearing 30 percent growth over the same months in 2017, the significant growth measured so far in 2019 signals a rising demand for St. Kitts as a highly desirable travel destination.”

It’s a period of growth that began in earnest with the late-2017 debut of the Park Hyatt St Kitts, a halo hotel for the destination that brought the island to a new level in the luxury travel ecosystem. (That hotel was named Caribbean Hotel of the Year in last year’s Caribbean Travel Awards.)

That’s along with the growing success of the Belle Mont Farm eco-hotel, which has created a new tourism pole in the north of the island.

Brown said the destination is looking to reach the 150,000-stayover-guest number by 2021.

— CJ

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