Southwest Airlines has relaunched another nonstop route to the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba, Caribbean Journal has confirmed. 

The low-cost carrier has officially resumed nonstop service between Orlando International Airport and Aruba’s Queen Beatrix International Airport. 

The relaunched service is now operating daily between Orlando and Aruba, according to Southwest Airlines. 

It compliments existing service between Baltimore-Washington and Aruba; that service is currently operating once weekly on Saturdays. 

Southwest Airlines’ route between Fort Lauderdale and Aruba has still not yet resumed, however. While Southwest was on a broad expansion push to the Caribbean before the onset of the pandemic, especially out of Florida, that growth seems to have slowed in the last two years as competing low-cost carriers, including Frontier Airlines, have massively ramped up their Caribbean networks. 

The relaunch is a big boost for Aruba, one of the best performing destinations amid the pandemic. According to a recent report from ForwardKeys shared by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, Aruba is among the most “resilient” destinations in the wider Caribbean, based on confirmed arrivals for the summer. 

The new flight service on Southwest Airlines is also indicative of the growing importance to the Caribbean of Orlando, which continues to see more and more routes to the region on a number of carriers. 

Aruba has seen particularly strong tourism numbers since the Dutch Caribbean island decided in March to remove all pandemic-era pre-travel testing requirements for travelers. 

That means traveling to the island of Aruba is just like it was before the onset of the pandemic, with no negative test or proof of vaccination required. 

The move mirrors similar moves by Dutch Caribbean destinations like Saba, Statia and Bonaire, among others. 

For more, visit Southwest Airlines. 

The post Southwest Airlines Just Relaunched Another Route to Aruba appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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It’s morning in Bimini and I’m in the pool overlooking the lagoon and Rockwell Island. 

There’s no one else here, just the bobbing yachts and the sound of the water and the glimmer of the sun under the clouds. 

This isn’t my private pool, but it’s the next best thing: one of the swim-up suites at Resorts World Bimini. 

There are a collection of suites just like this at the resort, all opening right up to the property’s Lazy River at the edge of the lagoon. 

They’re all sleekly designed, with dark brown floors and crisply designed bathrooms with ultra-modern showers. 

But the centerpiece is, unsurprisingly, the pool access, something more and more travelers are searching for. 

And it’s not hard to understand why. 

Even if you love spending your entire day at the beach, there’s simply no greater amenity in a hotel room than direct pool access, perfect for cooling off during the day and adding a new dimension to the evening. 

And more and more resorts are answering that call, adding swim-up access to their resorts, sometimes entire wings of them.

The vast majority still tend to be at all-inclusive resorts; finding them at a traditional EP hotel is a bit more difficult; and that’s what makes the Resorts World rooms so unique (and, depending on when you reserve them, a rather good value, too).

Swim-up access turns a mere hotel room into something more, a kind of mini-villa, where your room — and your experience — doesn’t just end at the sliding door. 

And even if you’re not in the water, the patios are terrific, with a table and chairs and a broad deck. 

Of course, there is certainly no shortage of things to do here, both at Resorts World Bimini itself and in Bimini, long one of the adventure capitals of the Caribbean: bonefishing, exploring the mangroves, snorkeling and diving, visiting the Shark Lab. 

But Bimini has a particularly perfect brand of quiet, too, something that should be savored. It’s something you begin to understand in the Lazy River outside your room. 

Plainly, these are the some of the best swim-up rooms in The Bahamas, and another big reason to visit the country’s newest hotspot. 

For more on visiting The Bahamas, which just updated its protocols to waive testing for vaccinated travelers, see here.

The post In Bimini, The Bahamas, The Art of the Swim-Up Room  appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Belize is a fascinating country full of ancient Mayan ruins and jungles prowled by jaguars, but perhaps its greatest natural treasure is the 190-mile-long Belize Barrier Reef. Just off this Central American nation’s Caribbean coast, the reef is home to the Great Blue Hole and hundreds of small atolls, islands and cays, a number of which have been converted to laid-back but luxurious resorts. These 10 private island resorts are some of Belize’s best.

Cayo Espanto Diminutive Cayo Espanto lies three miles off the coast of San Pedro and packs six beachfront villas onto a palm-studded island and one overwater bungalow just offshore. The proximity to the mainland makes tours of Belize’s historic treasures an easy day trip, while bird watching, diving, and fishing are among the other (not included) activities. Everything from meals to spa treatments is provided in the privacy of your personal villa.

The post 10 Must-Visit Private Island Resorts in Belize appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The combination of no passport requirements, easy-to-understand COVID-19 rules and strong tourism management led to a boom in visits to the U.S. Virgin Islands from the mainland in 2021, helping to fuel a dramatic turnaround in tourism on St. John, which had struggled in the aftermath of devastating blows from Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.

The storm wiped out one of St. John’s most iconic resorts, Caneel Bay, which still hasn’t reopened and possibly never will.

But meanwhile, St. John has gained a new private island resort and many other new and revived hotels, restaurants, and attractions are drawing visitors back to the island in record numbers.

Now in its second season, the Lovongo Resort & Beach Club is the hottest thing to happen to St. John in a long time. Set on a private cay offshore of Caneel Bay (the body of water, not the resort), Lovongo is a mix of guest accommodations and residential homes; stays can be as diverse as a luxury villa hideaway, a treehouse perch, or nights spend in a glamping tent.

Guests also have the option of adding three nights on a charter yacht to their stay — a must do in the Virgin Islands, where the easiest way to get around is by boat. The beach club and waterfront dining only sweeten stays for overnight guests, as well as drawing in boaters and other day visitors.

Virgin Islands National Park, which occupies 60 percent of St. John, is basically back to pre-Irma and pre-pandemic operation levels, with major attractions like the Reef Bay Trail, Trunk Bay beach with its famous snorkeling trail, the campground at Cinnamon Bay, and Annaberg Plantation all open to visitors. The Concordia Eco Resort, located within the park on the east side of St. John, reopened in early 2022, once again offering guests stays in eco-friendly studio rooms and tents with ocean views.

Bookings at St. John’s fine collection of private villas also have been red hot, and the Westin St. John Resort Villas has returned as a vacation ownership resort — fully condos, in other words — that can also accommodate stays by non-owners.

Cruz Bay’s Wharfside Village Hotel,, is back with 15 redesigned rooms within steps of great dining, nightlife, and shopping. The landmark Gallows Point Resort was one of the first on St. John to reopen after the hurricanes; guests will benefit from freshly renovated rooms and the farm-to-table Ocean 362 restaurant.

And then the area the sought-after villas of the Blue Sky Luxury Travels portfolio.

Events are back on St. John, too: the island hosted its first Carnival in three years in April, and the St. John Celebration is slated to go forward again in July.

The Lime Out floating bar and restaurant weathered the COVID-19 storm and continues to serve tacos and rum drinks at its swim-up bar in Coral Harbor.

The 18° 64° The Restaurant is a newcomer on the Cruz Bay dining scene, serving up seafood and sushi in the Mongoose Junction courtyard; neighbors St. John Brewers opens the taps daily for beer lovers after handing out brews for free in the aftermath of the 2017 hurricane.

The Tamarind Inn, long a favorite for breakfast in Cruz Bay, but it closed after Irma and stayed that way even when the affiliated Inn at Tamarind Court reopened. The good news: the restaurant has returned to offering courtyard dining for breakfast and dinner. And for waterfront rum drinks, you can’t beat the recently reopened Rum Hut at Cruz Bay’s Wharfside bar and restaurant. Newcomers to the local dining scene include Dave & Jerry’s Island Steakhouse at the Cruz Bay Hotel, the Windmill Bar at Neptune’s Lookout with its spectacular views, the colorful Shambles VI serving all-day barbecue on Centerline Road, and the Roti King food truck at the Lumberyard in Cruz Bay.

And Caneel is still home to one of the Caribbean’s most sought-after destinations: the Bikinis on the Beach Bar, this year’s Number One Beach Bar in the Caribbean.

The post The Island of St John Is Back in a Big Way appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The Bahamas is waiving testing for fully vaccinated travelers, the country announced. 

The move comes as The Bahamas has also eliminated its Bahamas Travel Health Visa for all travelers. 

Fully vaccinated travelers will no longer have to submit to pre-travel testing. 

Unvaccinated travelers ages 2 and up will, however, be required to obtain a negative test, either PCR or antigen, taken no more than three days prior to travel. 

Fully vaccinated means travelers who have completed at two shots of a two-dose vaccine or one dose of a single-shot vaccine. It does not require boosters.

The changes officially take effect Sunday, June 19. 

“The Bahamas is adapting to the continued evolution of this pandemic. We want to streamline the entry process for travelers as much as possible, all while ensuring we are protecting public health,” said Bahamas Deputy Prime Minister and Tourism Minister Chester Cooper. “We hope the changes to the pre-travel testing requirements combined with the elimination of the Travel Health Visa will reduce friction for travelers and further the recovery of our tourism sector.”  

The elimination of the Travel Health Visa means travelers simply have to show up with their proof of vaccination or test result. 

“The discontinuation of the Travel Health Visa is yet another signal to the international community that we are open for business,” Cooper said. “Throughout the pandemic, we have remained committed to evaluating protocols and adjusting requirements to reflect the current environment. We acknowledge that the Travel Health Visa was a burden for travelers,

and we are pleased to be able to eliminate.”

For more, visit The Bahamas. 

The post Bahamas Waiving Testing for Fully Vaccinated Travelers  appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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