The latest Caribbean Photo comes from Caribbean Journal reader Tom Bonin, who sent in this stunning photo of his view on a trip earlier this year to Tortola.
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The Renaissance Aruba Resort and Casino is reopening on June 30, ahead of Aruba’s tourism reopening, Caribbean Journal has learned.
The resort includes two properties: one in the heart of downtown Oranjestad and another on a private-island retreat.
The property is reopening with a number of new health and safety measures, with features like the ability for guests to check-in through the Marriott Bonvoy app at home before they arrive.
That’s along with enforced social distancing, widespread, enhanced disinfecting and new protocols for casino visits.
The resort’s popular Renaissance Island will continue its tradition of private boat transfers, albeit with a reduced capacity on each boat.
… rich culture and traditions, Puerto Rico is also known for … Mofongo.
“Mofongo in Puerto Rico is arguably the most important … , is a fusion of Puerto Rico‘s Spanish, African … but also my grandparents and Puerto Rico,” said Candelaria.
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And the property has adapted to the new realities of travel with a host of new health and safety protocols.
That includes masks or face coverings required when interacting with hotel employees, including upon entering at the main gate.
The gate attendant will take temperatures of guests to check for fevers.
And the resort has tapped an epidemiologist to help implement the new protocols on the property, from the provision of hand sanitizer across the resort to sanitizing and cleaning property-wide throughout the day.
That’s along with features like downloadable menus, socially-distanced beach and pool chairs; a reduced capacity in the Grotto pool; and to-go food delivered to your door instead of room service (see the full list of COVID-19 protocols here).
In other words, the travel experience has, for now, adapted for the times.
Of course, what hasn’t changed is the endless beauty of the resort: the three spectacular beaches; the sparkle of the Caribbean sea; and what is one of the most beautiful golf courses in the entire Caribbean.
You’ll have your Cruzan cocktails; your endless afternoons on the sand; your 18 holes of green hills edged by Caribbean water; your evening steel pan.
You’ll get the full Buccaneer experience.
And that means you’ll get a full-fledged Caribbean classic, the kind of authentic resort that represents the best of the US Virgin Islands travel experience, one where you’ll understand what this beautiful chain of islands is all about.
The five-star resort, which has been closed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been working on a series of enhanced health and safety protocols called “Casa Cares.”
Those measures include temperature checks for all guests upon arrival; COVID-19 tests for all staff before returning to work and pre-shift temperature checks; the installation of 130 new hand-sanitizer dispensers across the property; new plexiglass screens for counters and reception areas; required masks and gloves for all staff; distancing floor markers throughout the property; and the encouraging of cashless transactions, among other protocols.
The world-famous Teeth of the Dog course, one of three Pete Dye-designed courses at the resort.
““Since 1971, Casa de Campo has earned the loyalty and trust of guests from around the world. In the wake of COVID-19, we realize it is incumbent upon our team to take our focus on health and safety to an even higher level,” said Andres Pichardo Rosenberg, president of the Casa de Campo Resort and Villas. “We have been working diligently on a plan and are pleased to announce our ‘Casa Cares’ program. It highlights our new standard operating procedures and protocols to safeguard the well-being of our guests and the entire Casa de Campo community.”
The sweeping new protocols will also cover food and beverage outlets, which will have reduced capacities and digital and disposable menus; room service will be delivered in disposable packaging and left outside the door to avoid direct contact.
Casa de Campo, long considered the leading golf resort in the Caribbean, has also made changes to its golf practices: that means golfers will be required to carry their own bags and clubs; the addition of a “touchless” ball retrieving mechanism; and PGA-guided physical distancing and sanitation protocols.
On the beach, lounges, tables and umbrellas will be cleaned every day, while beach capacity will also be reduced.
The changes are part of what is, at least for now, the new normal of travel; but the return of one of the Caribbean’s legendary resorts is a major boost for the Dominican Republic and the wider industry.
