It’s not the all-inclusive resort you might be thinking of. 

It’s hidden away on the spectacular Turner’s Beach in Antigua, 29 barefoot-chic rooms, all endlessly private, individual sanctuaries on the sand. 

It’s a boutique, adults-only all-inclusive, where many of the rooms have their own private plunge pool, all with outdoor showers, all of them just a step away from the sand itself. 

But it’s different here, a small all-inclusive where the focus is on the local. 

You might call it a “boutique” all-inclusive, where the focus is on Caribbean personality, about Caribbean design. 

Owner Andrew Michelin says the aim is to “reflect vintage Caribbean living with a modern indulgent twist, encompassing the small wooden cottages with wattle fences dotted around the islands’ countrysides; the flowering vines between cottages for privacy; bathing beneath the stars with our outdoor showers; and living, dining, and relaxing with the sand between your toes directly on the beach.”

And that extends to every facet of the resort: the food is fresh and organic: think breakfast plates like Antiguan black pineapple custard French toast and dinner favorites like escovitch snapper. 

In a very cool inclusion, the resort has a “snack menu,” on offer from 11 AM to 4:45 PM, a time period during which it can sometimes be difficult to find a meal at many all-inclusives. And it’s not bag of chips, either: think fried local chips, pizza, fish and chips, tofu burgers, open-face cajun sandwiches and coconut cookies. 

And it all comes right to your room. 

There is also the Serenity Spa, a boutique wellness center where the soundtrack isn’t piped-in flute music, but the revitalizing sound of the waves just outside the door. 

And then there are the delicious rooms, a lovely mix of pool cottages (either on the beach or in the garden), sunset beachfront rooms or beach house rooms. 

Keyonna also cleverly labels each room with the “distance to the beach.” That means as low as 10 seconds from a “sanctuary pool cottage” to just 60 seconds in a garden pool cottage. 

In other words, there’s nothing between you and your Caribbean beach dreams. 

And that’s the spirit of this boutique all-inclusive, where the island itself is front and center and where the emphasis is on a true, unfiltered Antiguan experience. 

It’s the way Keyonna has carved out a beloved niche on an island that’s long been home to some of the Caribbean’s top all-inclusive resorts — by doing things its own way. 

“We’ve ensured that everything possible is made locally – the furniture, soft furnishings, placemats, bread baskets, lampshades and produce – as we seek to build up those communities that surround us,” Michelin says. With the added benefit that our food and drinks are fresh, nutritious, full flavored with no preservatives, just like the food that came from my grandmother’s kitchen in Jamaica.” 

For more, visit Keyonna Beach Resort. 

The post In Antigua, the Art of the “Boutique” Caribbean All-Inclusive  appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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It happens every November, when the season kicks off in St Barth, and the Caribbean’s most luxurious island kicks off the winter tourist season and celebrates the gourmet world. 

It starts the first of November, with the Caribbean Rum Awards St Barth, the ultimate Caribbean rum festival, a celebration of only the finest artisanal, premium rums from the Caribbean and the Americas. 

From Nov. 1-6, the island raises its glass to a week of rooftop parties, ti’ punch soirees, rum-and-food pairing dinners and a centerpiece two-day festival right on the Marina in Gustavia. 

It’s all presented by Platinum partners WIMCO, Tradewind Aviation and The Moorings.  

The following week, Nov. 8-13, St Barth’s Gourmet Month continues with the St Barth Gourmet Festival, the Caribbean’s most exclusive culinary event, bringing an unrivaled slate of 11 star chefs to the island for a full schedule of Michelin-level menus, competitions, lunches and dinners all over the island. 

That includes the chefs’ guest turns at some of St Barth’s top restaurants, from L’Esprit to Bagatelle and the Eden Rock, among others. 

“There’s no better island for this kind of monthlong celebration aimed at the bon vivant,” said Alexander Britell, editor and publisher of Caribbean Journal and co-founder of the Caribbean Rum Awards St Barth. “From the best rums in the world to impossibly good sourcing and exquisite cuisine, St Barth is the Caribbean’s true picenter of gastronomy.” 

It’s the Caribbean Rum Awards St Barth that starts off Gourmet Month, beginning with a VIP rooftop party by Martnique’s Rhum Neisson at the Le Barthelemy Hotel and Spa in Grand Cul de Sac. 

But that’s just the beginning: master classes from the world’s top rum distillers, rum after parties, ti’ punch pool parties and, most importantly, a headquarters at the most remarkable rum bar on earth: Christopher Davis’ Rhum Room St Barth, home to the world’s premier collection of fine rum (and particularly the rhum agricole of the French Caribbean). 

“The Rhum Room is a bucket-list destination for rum connoisseurs the world over, and it is the beating heart of this weeklong tribute to rum,” Britell said. “And while the Caribbean Rum Awards St Barth is the ultimate stop for rum aficionados, it’s also an outstanding entry point to the universe of rum for any lover of fine wines and spirits.”

And the weeklong focus is on only the finest rums, with distilleries bringing the best of their expressions for the eminently discerning St Barth crowd. (You can find tickets to the Rum Awards here). 

And if you stick around, you can sample the results of a rarefied  gathering of world-class French chefs, from legendary Jean-Georges Vongerichten to three-Michelin-star Chef Gerald Passedat (of Le Petit Nice) to Michelin-star Chef Fanny Rey, among others. 

Each Chef sets up shop as guest chef a different participating local hotel or restaurant, making for a deliciously unique experience all week long, alongside the island’s already-impressive culinary culture. 

“This is a culinary festival where everyone can taste the talents of our chefs as well as their highly-acclaimed guest chefs,” St Barth Tourism said in a statement.

For more, visit the Caribbean Rum Awards St Barth and the St Barth Gourmet Festival. 

The post In St Barts, the Ultimate Caribbean Gourmet Month  appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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In a significant step, The Bahamas has officially removed testing requirements for all travelers entering the country.

In a statement, the country announced that its testing requirements for entry had officially been eliminated.

That means travelers no longer need to show proof of vaccination or proof of a negative test result in order to enter the country.

The Bahamas becomes one of the most high-profile destinations in the Caribbean to remove its testing and vaccination rules, following a growing number of destinations that now includes hotspots like the USVI, the Cayman Islands, Jamaica and St Kitts and Nevis, among others.

Testing is also no longer required for those traveling inter-island within The Bahamas, regardless of vaccination status.

And as of Oct. 1, face masks are no longer required in The Bahamas in most public settings, according to The Bahamas’ Ministry of Tourism, Aviation and Investments.

It should be another boost for a destination that has been seeing surging tourism arrivals in 2022, measured by both land and sea arrivals.

The Bahamas’ Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism Chester Cooper recently told Caribbean Journal he expected the destination to “exceed” its pre-pandemic tourism totals in 2023.

It has been a broad recovery for the destination, from traditional tourism strongholds in Nassau and Paradise Island (including strong occupancy at the Atlantis Paradise Island and Baha Mar resorts) and Grand Bahama, to Out Island getaways like Exuma, Bimini, Harbour Island, Eleuthera, Cat Island and Abaco, among others.

That will be driven, Cooper said, by a strong increase in the country’s hotel stock, both from expansions of existing hotels and new-build properties.

For more, visit The Bahamas.

The post The Bahamas Just Removed All Testing Requirements for Travel appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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One of The Bahama’s most storied sailing regattas is back this year. 

The Harbour Island Regatta, the beloved marine festival on the charming island off the coast of North Eleuthera, runs this weekend, from Oct. 7-10. 

This year’s event will welcome both sloop sailors and spectators, with sailors racing around the island’s turquoise waters and attendees enjoying the best of Bahamian food and spirits. 

All profits are donated to local island infrastructure and other charitable groups. 

It’s part of a broader return of festivals and other events across the islands of The Bahamas this year for for the first time since the onset of the pandemic. 

The post The Bahamas’ Harbour Island Regatta Is Back  appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The island of Anguilla has become the latest Caribbean destination to remove its testing and vaccination rules. 

Effective Oct. 1, the island has removed all of its entry travel requirements, including pre-arrival testing for unvaccinated travelers. 

“With the discontinuation of all pre-arrival testing, we want to ensure our residents and visitors that their safety is still our number one priority,” the Anguilla Tourist Board said in a statement. 

It’s a rather significant move for an island that had some of the strictest entry travel requirements in all of the Caribbean for much of the pandemic. 

Much of the Caribbean has removed its testing and vaccination requirements, from destinations like the United States Virgin Islands, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands to smaller getaways like St Kitts and Nevis, Barbados and Grenada. 

Anguilla’s policy change comes as the island is celebrating the rebranding and relaunch of one of its top resorts: the former CuisinArt, now the Aurora Anguilla, which has been repositioned as one of the top golf resorts in the Caribbean. 

The Aurora this month is marking the debut of its transformed clubhouse, anchored by a Greg Norman 18-hole course and a newly-added nine-hole short course. 

Anguilla is easier to visit than ever before, thanks to this past year’s debut of the first-ever nonstop flights between the United States mainland and the island. 

And American Airlines just announced plans to expand that service for the upcoming winter season. 

For more, visit Anguilla. 

The post Anguilla Latest Caribbean Island to Remove Testing, Vaccination Rules  appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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