The Baha Mar megaresort in The Bahamas is planning to reopen in October, the property’s president announced this week. 

The current plan for the Baha Mar, which set on the famous Cable Beach on the island of New Providence in The Bahamas, is to resume operations on Oct. 1, 2020. 

“Due to the quickly evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made the difficult decision to postpone Baha Mar’s reopening beyond the July reopening of The Bahamas,” said Graeme Davis, president of Baha Mar. 

Indeed, The Bahamas is planning to reopen its borders for international tourism on July 1. 

The nearby Atlantis megaresort on Paradise Island will, in fact, be reopening on July 7, albeit in a multi-phased plan.

“It is our hope that in prolonging our closure, we are setting the stage for a more successful reopening,” Davis said. “We are taking this time to carefully monitor the situation in The Bahamas and abroad, and to strategize robust safety, cleaning, and employee training plans that will give our guests the peace of mind they deserve when they return to Baha Mar.”

The Baha Mar also announced some expansion plans currently in the works, including a new mini golf course called Mini Blue; new retail shops on the way from brands like Tory Burch, Mont Blanc and Christian Louboutin and a new eatery from star chef Marcus Samuelsson. 

For more, visit Baha Mar.

— CJ

The post The Bahamas’ Baha Mar Resort Is Reopening in October appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The first thing you see when you walk into the blue-and-green lobby is a bright orange portrait of a rooster. 

And it’s not a surprise. 

If you eat, sleep and drink in Frederiksted, you’ll see and hear the roosters, strutting down Strand Street and setting the time, endlessly reminding you you’re somewhere unique — and sometimes waking you up.

And that’s precisely what Frederiksted is: a place with centuries of history, a vibrant beach town; and the center of a new wave of energy on the island of St Croix. 

And the heart of that dynamism is here: The Fred, the adults-only boutique beach resort that just completed a multi-phase opening and, following the pandemic, is now welcoming guests again. 

And as you walk past the rooster and into the grounds of this boutique resort you realize just how impressive it is. 

This is as cool, as hip, as thoughtful a design-forward hotel as you’ll find anywhere — with a hint of South Beach and a whisper of Key West. 

But it’s also unmistakably, authentically, faithfully Frederiksted, true to the vibe of St Croix. 

And it’s a sign of what’s happening in Frederiksted; of the new movement in this old town, of beach bars like Louie & Nacho’s and fun-loving eateries like 7AF (it stands for Asian Fusion, in case you were wondering), of bike tours and macaron deliveries from Nikki B and cups of perfect espresso at Molly’s. 

It’s a new reminder of what makes this place so special: the spectacular coastline, the wonder of Sandy Point a short drive away; the colorful arched walkways on Strand, Frederiksted’s proud heritage as the “Freedom City,” thanks to General Buddhoe’s successful rebellion in 1848, which led to emancipation in the Danish West Indies. 

And with the recent reopening of the US Virgin Islands for tourism at the beginning of June, it’s a reminder that the USVI is open for business, that it’s time to start planning your return; it’s a travel wake-up call.

And you don’t need a rooster for that.

See more in the latest CJ Video below:

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JetBlue is launching a Caribbean expansion beginning in August, with new routes to Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands. 

Beginning Aug. 6, JetBlue will be operating a new route from Philadelphia to San Juan, Puerto Rico’s Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport “up to once daily,” the carrier said this week. 

In October, JetBlue will be launching a new route from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to St Thomas, with up to two weekly flights to the island’s Cyril E. King Airport. 

“Coronavirus has transformed airline route maps, and as we begin to see small signs of recovery, we continue to be flexible with our network plans to respond to demand trends and generate cash in support of our business,” said Scott Laurence, head of revenue and planning at JetBlue. “We’ve selected routes where customers are showing some interest in travel again and where our low fares and award-winning experience will be noticed.”

The carrier will be operating both routes on its Airbus A320 aircraft. 

It should be noted that both of these are new routes, not relaunched routes. 

JetBlue has also announced that it will relaunch service to a pair of airports in Puerto Rico beginning early next month, with relaunched flights both to Aguadilla’s Rafael Hernández Airport and Ponce’s Mercedita International Airport. 

Those relaunches come ahead of Puerto Rico’s planned reopening for tourism on July 15.

JetBlue has not yet announced where else it will be relaunching flights in the Caribbean. 

— CJ

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