Hyatt’s newest all-inclusive hotels have held their grand openings in the heart of Punta Cana in the  Dominican Republic.

Playa Hotels and Resorts has debuted the new Hyatt-branded Ziva and Zilara resorts in Punta Cana’s tony enclave of Cap Cana.

It’s a big expansion for Playa, which first launched Hyatt’s all-inclusive platform back in 2014 with a pair of resorts at the former Ritz-Carlton in Montego Bay back in 2014, has developed a rapidly expanding portfolio of resorts both in the Caribbean and Mexico. 

“Hyatt Ziva and Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana represent the best minds in the business, the best facilities available, the most modern of technology and, most importantly, the legendary hospitality of the Dominican Republic,” said Bruce Wardinski, chairman of Playa Hotels and Resorts. This is the result of true partnership. From the President and Ministry’s support, to the Hazoury family’s ongoing support of Playa’s vision to transform what all-inclusive means, to the arrival of the legendary Hyatt standard in the Dominican Republic.”

That now includes a total of eight Hyatt-branded resorts in destinations including Montego Bay, Cancun, Los Cabos, Punta Cana and Puerto Vallarta. 

Playa’s broader all-inclusive portfolio includes resorts under the Hyatt, Hilton, Panama Jack and Jewel brands. 

The company also manages the nearby Sanctuary Cap Cana, also set on Juanillo Beach — part of an increasingly competitive all-inclusive sector in Cap Cana that also includes the flagship Secrets Cap Cana resort. 

The all-inclusive growth represents something of a shift for Cap Cana, which rose to fame largely fueled by a portfolio of luxury villas and real estate and its signature hotel, the spectacular Eden Roc Cap Cana, one of the leading luxury resorts in the wider Caribbean.

But Punta Cana’s continued strength as a destination has led developers to look to Cap Cana as another burgeoning all-inclusive destination.

And Playa’s newest properties are Hyatt’s first-ever resorts in Punta Cana (and, indeed, the Dominican Republic), long the Caribbean’s most popular destination by visitor volume. 

The dual-resort Punta Cana all-inclusive complex includes the family-friendly Ziva and the adults-only Zilara, along with an underground “cenote-inspired” spa, a 14,000-square-foot fitness facility, an outdoor amphitheater and a diverse array of dining concepts including an Indian eatery served in a dining car the company says was inspired by the Orient Express. 

Other features include a lazy river, a full-scale water park and a half-mile stretch of beach. 

Both the Ziva and Zilara resorts include a total of 375 rooms. 

The debut is another new addition to Hyatt’s wider Caribbean expansion, from a new Grand Hyatt resort in Puerto Rico to a new planned Hyatt Place in Aruba. 

For more, visit Hyatt Cap Cana. 

— CJ

The post In Punta Cana, a Pair of New Hyatt All-Inclusive Hotels appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Dominica continues to see a full-fledged tourism renaissance, according to the most recent data from the Discover Dominica Authority. 

Dominica reported a total of 75,726 visitors in the first 10 months of 2019, representing a 52 percent increase over the same period in 2018. 

More crucially, it represented a 15 percent increase over the same period in 2018, which largely comprised pre-Hurricane Maria data. 

The data also eclipsed 2016 visitor numbers by 14 percent, DDA said in a statement. 

“Dominica’s advanced stage of recovery is evident in the performance of visitor arrivals recorded for 2019 to date,” the DDA said in a statement. 

Dominica tourism officials said the 2019 numbers surpassed its stated arrival targets for this year. 

It’s another very positive sign for a destination that has seen a remarkable recovery since the storms of 2017 — most recently buoyed by the island’s first full-fledged luxury resort, the 151-room Kempinski resort.

— CJ

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… of Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico, which promises empathetic service that … Campos, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company.
“Tourism development is … priority for the Government of Puerto Rico. The Island offers highly competitive …

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It’s a quiet land of waving cane fields and serene beaches, ti’ punch and accras, shaped like a pancake and flat like one, too. 

And the casual observer might mistake this merely for a serene Caribbean paradise. 

But Marie Galante is something else. 

You see, there are three rum distilleries in Marie-Galante, an island in the Guadeloupe archipelago that has just 12,000 people, making it home to more rum distilleries per capita than any other place in the world. 

It’s an island rum lovers always seem to speak about in italics, as close to holy ground as there is in the rum world, the sort of place where you do your regular rum shopping right at the distillery.

Because all three distilleries: Poisson, Bellevue and Bielle, all produce almost sacred rum, sought-after, yearned-for and beloved by lovers of cane spirits across the globe.

But given its station in the Caribbean (and Guadeloupe rum’s still up-hill battle for awareness), rum from Marie-Galante is not that easy to find, though you can sometimes find Marie-Galante’s output in places like Saint Martin and St Barth. 

So when we came upon a bottle of Bellevue in Orient Bay, Saint Martin, naturally it found its way home with us. 

And then we opened it, a bottle of Bellevue 1821, from the venerable Habitation Bellevue, which dates back to 1821 and has turned its birthdate into its newest collection of rums, with six and 10-year-old varieties. 

So what’s it like?

The moment the cork escapes the bottle, it smells like Guadeloupe. 

There’s that unmistakable, distinct marzipan aroma that is the hallmark note of the archipelago’s cane spirits.

And then you smell again. A hint of smoke, some vanilla, some burnt orange. 

And then you taste it. 

So what is it like?

The 1821 six-year rum has a light amber color. 

The rum starts out simply, with some vanilla and white pepper. 

Then the overture truly begins, with creme brûlée and spice and vanilla — and then the timpanis start to tap, and you discover citrus peel and powdered sugar; then there’s dried apricot and a cascade of smoky cane stalk; and the wind section and the strings and the brass all come together and you’re in a perfect rum symphony, a rum so good it forces you to mix metaphors. 

And then the 1812 concludes with a cadenza, a confectioner’s glaze at the very end of the finish. 

It’s almost unfathomable that this is a mere six year old rum, a tribute to tropical aging, yes, but more importantly to the wonder of the soil and the terroir in Marie-Galante. 

Plainly, the Bellevue 1821 six year 1821 is spectacular stuff.

Because there’s a reason Marie Galante is the rum world’s great hidden rum Mecca, the little island rum lovers speak about in hushed tones, like some lost city paved in sugarcane and gold. 

Rum Journal Review: 96 points 

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Canadian travel giant Sunwing is launching a new Caribbean destination: Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands. 

The tour operator has announced a new seasonal flight service from Toronto to Grand Cayman, with service set to launch from Feb. 2, 2020 through May 3, 2020. 

“We are excited to be offering travellers departing from Toronto Pearson even more ways to Vacation Better this winter with the addition of this new destination. With its pristine beaches and picturesque landscapes, we’re sure that Grand Cayman will be a popular choice amongst Torontonian sun-seekers.”

The flights will be operating once-weekly on Sundays, a big boost for Cayman from the important Canadian market. 

“We are so pleased to welcome Sunwing in offering Canadians with more opportunities to visit the Cayman Islands,” said Rosa Harris, director of tourism at the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism. “We are proud to share our exceptional attractions, from our pristine Seven Mile Beach to the Crystal Caves and, as the Culinary Capital of the Caribbean, our diverse and exceptional restaurants.”

Sunwing has a broad footprint across the wider Caribbean region. 

The company said it would be highlighting Grand Cayman’s Margaritaville Beach Resort on Seven Mile Beach for travelers from Toronto. 

— CJ

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