A new Margaritaville resort will soon be opening its doors in the heart of the Caribbean coast of Mexico, thanks to a partnership between Jimmy Buffett’s iconic brand and Karisma Hotels and Resorts. 

The new Margaritaville Island Reserve by Karisma Riviera Cancun is slated to open in March, according to Margaritaville. 

Karisma is already taking reservations for stays at the property, which will be an all-inclusive resort. 

“The picture-perfect shore of the Riviera Maya is the perfect destination to launch our inclusive resort experience with Karisma Hotels and Resorts,” said Tamara Baldanza-Dekker, Chief Marketing Officer of Margaritaville, in a statement. “With an unparalleled level of personalized service, unique amenities and a mix of fun and relaxation around every palm tree, we can’t wait to give our guests a new way to vacation in Margaritaville.”  

The property will be relatively small by the standards of the Mexican Caribbean, with 148 rooms and suites in an “intimate beachfront property,” according to the company. 

The rooms will come in nine different categories, from swim-up rooms to oceanfront suites. 

That will be accompanied by six bars, four eateries, four pools and an 8,000-square-foot spa called the St. Somewhere Spa by Karisma. 

The resort will also come with what Karisma is calling “Island Ambassadors,” who will act as kind of combination concierge and vacation planner for guests. 

“We are thrilled to be opening the first Margaritaville Island Reserve by Karisma in Riviera Cancún, Mexico, an ideal destination for an unforgettably luxurious yet laid-back tropical vacation,” said Kelly Poling, Chief Executive Officer of Premier Worldwide Marketing, which represents Karisma. “Karisma has a deep history in the Riviera Maya and we look forward to welcoming guests to experience its stunning natural beauty, rich culture, and warm people along with the world-class service, amenities, and carefree fun that define the Island Reserve Inclusive experience.”

The new Riviera Cancun, Mexico property will arrive as another Margaritaville Island Reserve property in Cap Cana, Dominican Republic, has also broken ground. while another is planned in Jamaica.

All are the product of a high-profile partnership with Karisma, which has cultivated a growing niche in developing resort implementations of famous brands, most notably with Nickelodeon.  

The new resort in Mexico is part of a wider expansion for Margaritaville-branded resorts in the region, with another, the highly-anticipated Margaritaville at The Pointe in Nassau, set to debut this year. 

It joins a regional portfolio of Margaritaville-branded resorts that is highlighted by the Margaritaville Grand Cayman, which itself just launched an innovative new all-inclusive program. 

For more, visit Margaritaville Island Reserve by Karisma Riviera Cancun. 

– CJ

The post A New Margaritaville Resort Is Coming to Mexico appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Aruba is looking to grow its group business in the North American market, and the Dutch Caribbean destination has tapped a new sales director to lead that push. 

The Aruba Convention has named Robert Hayes as its new regional sales director of North America. 

Hayes will be the Aruba Convention Bureau’s main point of contact for group business or clients in the 

Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northwest, along with Canada. 

He comes to the Aruba Convention Bureau after having served most recently as market director for Marriott International in the Caribbean. 

“After working for 19 years with my fantastic Marriott Caribbean and Latin America Team representing Aruba, I’m pleased to join the ACB and work alongside an incredibly warm and passionate team to now represent the entire island,” Hayes said in a statement. “As a destination renowned for its culture, culinary prominence, sustainability and innovation, and award-winning beaches, I look forward to providing value and achieving our goals of nurturing important relationships that drives movement to the One Happy Island of Aruba.”

In a statement, the ACB said Hayes would “assist and advise meeting planners sourcing Aruba for their corporate programs, and continue to foster relationships with stakeholders in the MICE industry.”

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It’s not easy to become a classic. 

It’s not just half a century of luxury, or years of visits by legendary names. 

A classic resort is about a vision, a look, a philosophy — and relentless execution. 

Being flanked by two of the region’s most scenic beaches doesn’t hurt, either. 

Curtain Bluff, one of Antigua’s iconic resorts, has long been a Caribbean signature, a resort the very mention of which seems to stir emotions in travelers. 

Set on the southern coast of Antigua and founded by the late Howard Hulford (whose wife Chelle still lives in the resort’s Bluff House — and still hosts a weekly cocktail party for guests), Curtain Bluff is the sort of grand property that doesn’t seem to exist any more. 

And yet it has never felt more current, more “now.”

After several years of upgrades that included changes to even the very smallest of details, Curtain Bluff is, well, better than ever. 

The property, which includes a mix of 72 rooms and suites, all of which boast beachfront views, is still the luxurious, indulgent space it always was — but it’s got an even more sparkling look to it. 

What hasn’t changed is the Hulford vision of hospitality, of serene, beautiful luxury, of a place that makes you feel something. 

And it’s still delivered in a rather unique way — an all-inclusive that never feels like one, a luxury resort whose warmth makes you feel as if you’re staying in your own private club. 

And its rooms, always the sort of lavish accommodations you’d expect from a legend, are fresh and gorgeous, with little touches like espresso machines, somehow preserving the jet-set look with a modern sheen. (That’s without mentioning the suites, particularly the property’s splurge-worthy wing, the Hulford Collection, a luxury oasis punctuated by plunge-pools perched above the ocean.) 

It’s that duality that manages to extend itself across the resort – timeless and fresh, family-friendly yet perfect for adults seeking seclusion; apt for active travelers (the Caribbean’s best tennis center is on hand) and those merely in search of a week of lazing on the sand. 

And that’s certainly true of the all-inclusive program. It’s an all-inclusive experience that doesn’t feel like one, where you always feel like you’re being indulged.

It’s at once the sort of rarefied space we dream of — and an energetic, crisp resort ripe for honeymoons and experiential travelers alike. 

In other words — it’s a classic. 

See more in the latest Caribbean Journal Video.

For more, visit Curtain Bluff. 

The post Curtain Bluff, an All-Inclusive Caribbean Classic, Is Better Than Ever appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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There’s a new wellness resort in the heart of the Riviera Maya on the Caribbean coast of Mexico.

It’s called  Palmaïa, The House of AïA, and it’s a new kind of holistic retreat in the region.

Founder Alexander Ferri says Palmaia was designed “with the belief that inner exploration and respect for nature and community is key to bringing people together to create meaningful change.”

“There is a growing community of unconventional thinkers and spiritual seekers that gather in small communities around the world to embrace creativity, music and the environment. Together we are creating a new modern collective consciousness,” said Ferri. “Palmaïa was designed to be one of these gathering points, and currently the only natural, forward thinking beach enclave of its kind. A safe place where we can create positive change within the boundaries of modern society.”

The all-suite hotel has a mix of family-friendly, adults-olnly and swim-out suites, along with amenities like four infinity pools, four eateries and a beach club called Eolo.

Notably, Palmaia will even have “Vegan Suites,” with rooms completely free of any animal produts and without products tested on animals — or even any leather or feathered bedding.

In all, there will be 314 suites, a mix of oceanfront and swim-out units.

The culinary program is helmed by executive chef Eugenio Villafaña, who has worked at a number of Michelin-starred eateries; it will focus on plant-based dining, with an alumnus from the world-renowned Noma, Mauricio Alvarez.

The centerpiece of the wellness offering will be something called “Architects of Life,” led by Shaman Balder, who will guide guests through rituals like sound healing, yoga, cacao ceremonies and meditation.

Palmaia will also include a “Rituals of Sound” program, with daily performances by a rotating cast of what the property calls “experimental musicians.”

For more, visit Palmaia.

— CJ

The post The Riviera Maya Has a New Wellness Resort appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Playa del Carmen has become one of the hippest beach destinations in the Caribbean in recent years, and a new Marriott hotel is about to up the cool factor in a big way.

Marriott International is adding to its Caribbean expansion with plans to open a W Hotel in the fast-growing city of Playa del Carmen in Mexico.

Marriott is partnering with Fibra Inn on what will be the first-ever W-branded hotel in the Mexican Caribbean, and what will be the only active W hotel in the wider Caribbean. (The W Vieques in Puerto Rico has been shuttered since Hurricane Maria).

The new hotel will be set on the ocean in Playa del Carmen, a beach town on the Caribbean coast that is in the midst of a development boom.

“We are excited to work with hotel developer Fibra Inn to open a cutting-edge W hotel in Playa del Carmen, a destination ready for the brand’s bold design, signature “Whatever/Whenever” service and innovative programming,” said Laurent de Kousemaeker, Chief Development Officer, Caribbean and Latin America for Marriott International. “This important signing underscores the impressive growth of our luxury portfolio in the region and across Mexico.”

Marriott said the 218-room hotel property was slated to open in 2023.

Amenities will include the W’s signature offerings: the WET Deck pool bar and lounge; the Away spa; a fitness center, a beach club and a rooftop bar, among others.

Playa del Carmen has been seeing a continued hotel investment in recent years, with a strong pipeline of new projects from big brands like Hilton and brands like Thompson.

Even as tourism growth has flattened of late in the Mexican Caribbean, it’s clear that investors continue to make big bets on the future of Playa, as it’s often known, both with branded hotels and, increasingly, condominium projects that double as residential resorts.

Fibra Inn has a portfolio of hotels across 15 different brands in Mexico, from Marriott to Holiday Inn Express, totaling 6,486 rooms.

“Our plan for the W Playa del Carmen is critical to our goal to diversify the beach destination’s lodging base, which currently lacks quality luxury lifestyle properties,” said Oscar Calvillo, CEO of Fibra Inn. “This project will elevate the offering in this prime destination with this fun and energetic brand.”

This will be its first W, however, and its second hotel in Playa del Carmen, joining the existing Wyndham Garden Playa del Carmen, which first opened in 2013.

The W Playa del Carmen will be one of just three hotels in the wider Caribbean Basin, along with the W Costa Rica and the W Panama. The latter opened its doors in 2018.

— CJ

The post Marriott Is Opening a New W Hotel in Playa del Carmen appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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