Finding serene sleep at Anse Chastanet

By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon, CJ Travel Editor

The centerpiece of my suite at St. Lucia’s Anse Chastanet resort is a four-poster bed. Draped in diaphanous netting and dressed in linens trimmed with the colorful traditional Madras plaid, it’s the stuff of which Caribbean dreams are made.

But I didn’t sleep there last night.

Instead, I found an even better spot to rest my head. And I’m guessing you would, too, if you had this oasis of a wraparound balcony to yourself.

Reclined on one of a pair of lounge chairs in its southern corner, I watched the sun set over the calm Caribbean, clouds refracting its golden glow and reflecting it onto the water. Framed by a hillside carpeted with the greenest of trees, the scene was like something out of a vintage Caribbean postcard.

And if I looked left across even more mirror-flat water, I saw the Pitons, St. Lucia’s twin volcanic peaks. Although miles away, they appeared so close I could reach out and touch them as they stood silent and majestic vigil over this captivating corner of the island.

As the sun descended and its amber glow was replaced by the blue-black of night, as stars peeped out as if from behind an inky scrim and the chorus of whistling tree frogs began its nightly performance, I could fathom no reason to move from this luckiest of spots.

So I simply reclined the backrest of my chaise a little further, lit the votive on the side table next to me, and settled in for the night. Because when life gives you an opportunity as sweet and serendipitous as this, the only smart thing to do is to seize it.

The post The Perfect Night at Anse Chastanet appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Field Operations Officers on Sunday seized 22 pounds (9.9 Kilograms) of cocaine from a passenger arriving at the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan from St Thomas, US Virgin Islands.

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After massive damage in Haiti and in eastern Cuba, Hurricane Matthew began hitting the Bahamas on Wednesday.

The storm, which killed at least two dozen people in Haiti, has already impacted the southeastern islands of the Bahamas and is likely to affect all islands in the country, the Bahamian government said.

“This major storm, described by meteorologists as a category three or category four hurricane, is on course to impact the entire Bahamas, with potentially serious, and, in places, extremely dangerous consequences for our people and our country,” said Bahamas Prime Minister Perry Christie.

The Bahamas had already begun ordering evacuations and shelter seeking across the 700-island archipelago and deploying Defence Force teams to provide disaster support.

While Matthew had weakened from a Category 4 to a Category 3 hurricane, the storm had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph.

Hurricane conditions were set to continue over the central Bahamas and spread into the northwestern Bahamas Wednesday night and Thursday, with winds set to gradually diminish in the southeastern Bahamas Wednesday night.

There was particular concern in New Providence, the country’s most populous island, which was bracing for an extreme wind threat.

Some strengthening was forecast for Matthew in the next few days as the storm heads to Florida.

Hurricane warnings remained in effect for:

– Southeastern Bahamas, including the Inaguas, Mayaguana, Acklins, Crooked Island, Long Cay, and Ragged Island

– Central Bahamas, including Long Island, Exuma, Rum Cay, San Salvador, and Cat Island

– Northwestern Bahamas, including the Abacos, Andros Island, Berry Islands, Bimini, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama Island, and New Providence

The post Hurricane Matthew Hitting Bahamas appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Delta has announced it will be waiving change fees for travelers who cancel flights to destinations affected by Hurricane Matthew.

The waivers apply for locations in Jamaica, the Bahamas, Haiti, Turks and Caicos and the coastal United States.

The company is also issuing refunds for the unused portion of tickets as a result of flight cancellations or significant delays (90 minutes or more).

That includes flights between Oct. 2-6, and tickets must be reissued on or before Oct. 9, with rebooked travel required to begin no later than Oct. 9.

Affected cities include Kingston, Montego Bay, Georgetown (Bahamas), Nassau, Port-au-Prince and Providenciales.

Click here for more information on the waivers and refunds.

— CJ Staff

The post How Delta Is Dealing With Hurricane Matthew Cancellations appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Hurricane Matthew devastated Haiti on Tuesday after making landfall in the southwest of the country, causing massive flooding and heavy rains, particularly in the southern city of Les Cayes.

While injury and potential death totals were not yet known, the storm already led to the collapse of a major bridge in southern Haiti.

The landfall in Haiti came as the Bahamas was bracing for a potential impact.

The storm, which the National Hurricane Center called “extremely dangerous,” was also already pounding the eastern tip of Cuba with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph on Tuesday evening.

The Bahamas faced the most potential peril, with Matthew expected to move near or over portions of the southeastern and central Bahamas on Tuesday night and Wednesday, approaching the northwestern Bahamas on Wednesday night.

The storm is expected to remain a powerful hurricane through at least Thursday night.

Hurricane warnings remain in effect for:

* Haiti

* Cuban provinces of Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba, Holguin, Granma, and Las Tunas

* Southeastern Bahamas, including the Inaguas, Mayaguana, Acklins, Crooked Island, Long Cay, and Ragged Island

* Central Bahamas, including Long Island, Exuma, Rum Cay, San Salvador, and Cat Island

* Northwestern Bahamas, including the Abacos, Andros Island, Berry Islands, Bimini, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama Island, and New Providence

A Hurricane watch was in effect for the Cuban province of Camaguey, while a tropical storm warning was in effect for the Dominican Republic from Barahona to the border with Haiti, and for the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The post Hurricane Matthew Devastates Parts of Haiti, Heads Toward Bahamas appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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