Time is measured here in the romantic hum of a prop plane. 

It’s so quiet here, so serene, that the only indicator of the hours of the day is the periodic arrival and departure of the tiny planes that are the gateway to St Barth. 

It’s easy to get lulled by the calm, abundant beauty, the shake of the palm trees, the indulgent absence of the busy and the frantic. 

And even on the endlessly glamorous island of St Barth, where there’s always action and energy, this place is a sanctuary. 

Les Ilets de la Plage is hidden away behind Remy de Haenen airport. 

You make a right at the St Jean roundabout, enter a code on the keypad and head down a winding gravel road, green fields on your left, the airport on your right. 

And when you get here, you discover a tree-covered oasis — the best-kept secret on the island of St Barth. 

There are just 11 villas here, some one-bedroom bungalows right on the beach, others multiple-bedrooms tucked in the hills, all just steps from the white sands of St Jean and all impossibly charming.

They’re all equipped with kitchens, Nespresso machines, fridges and everything you need to enjoy what remains one of St Barth’s greatest experiences: visiting the Super U and taking back the ultimate French delicacies right to your villa. 

There’s a simple, wonderful routine here: mornings with a book on the sand; strolls alongside the runway; ti’ punches just before twilight; dips in the palm-lined pool; evenings with fresh fish and baguettes and marvelous cheeses. 

And the comfort means you feel like you live here, no matter how long you’re staying, temporarily weaving yourself into the tapestry of the French West Indies. 

It’s a place that even for most on St Barth remains something of a secret, a place many know about but just as many have never actually seen, one that draws travelers back year after year as their part-time St Barth retreat.

It’s St Barth as it once was, and as it still is. 

But the best amenity is that feeling you get, peering out at St Jean, that you’ve found someplace very, very special. 

And for a few days, or a week, or a month, it’s yours. 

For more, visit Les Ilets de la Plage. 

The post A Secret Caribbean Hotel in St Barth  appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Michelin-starred chefs. Oceanfront cocktail bars. World-class rums.

The Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire is readying to host its most anticipated event in years: Bonaire Rum Week, the weeklong celebration of premium rum and culinary culture from June 14-17.

Bonaire Rum Week, which is organized by Caribbean Journal in collaboration with Tourism Corporation Bonaire, brings some of the region’s top rums across the island, shining a new light on Bonaire’s exciting gastronomic culture.

“We’re less than a month away from Bonaire Rum Week, and the response both locally and in the wider region has been tremendous,” said Alexander Britell, editor and publisher of Caribbean Journal. “Far more than a dive destination, Bonaire is coming to its own as one of the Caribbean’s hottest culinary destinations — and Bonaire Rum Week is all about highlighting that.”

The event kicks off June 14 with an opening party at Rum Runners, the island’s premier waterfront bar, presented by Aruba’s Papiamento Rum.

The rest of the week is filled with rum-fueled events around the island, many of which still have a few spaces available.

That includes a Rum on the Beach at Plaza Beach Resort presented by Rum San Pablo (rsvp to  banqueting.events@plazabeachresortbonaire.com); the Bonaire Rum Week Cocktail Challenge at Tiki and Co presented by Diplomatico; and star Chef Britt Thomassen’s rum-infused lunch at the Harbour Village Beach Resort (contact reservations@harbourvillage.com)

The following day is a rum tasting workshop for bartenders by the team behind the Caribbean Rum Awards St Barth.

On the afternoon of June 17, Bonaire’s leading local rum brand, Rom Rincon, will present a Rum Happy Hour at the Divi Flamingo Beach Resort (rsvp to fandb@diviflamingo.com)

The event concludes with a multi-course rum pairing dinner at the Caribbean’s number one restaurant, the Brass Boer, owned by three-Michelin-star Chefs Johnny and Therese Boer, followed by a cigar-and-rum party presented by Papa’s Pilar (there are just six spaces left, contact reservations@delfinsbeachresort.com to RSVP).

There’s also the recently-launched Bonaire Rum Week Photo Competition (you can send in your photo here).

“This is a new kind of rum festival, one that takes rum events out of stuffy conference halls and into the beautiful environments in which the Caribbean, and Bonaire in particular, specialize,” Britell said. “World-class rum and the remarkable beauty of Bonaire – what’s not to love?”

For more, visit Bonaire Rum Week.

For CJ’s other event, the Caribbean Rum Awards St Barth in November, see here.

The post Bonaire Set for Major Caribbean Rum Festival appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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While Tulum may be known more for its eclectic small inns and boutique hotels, it’s quietly becoming an all-inclusive destination in its own right. 

The latest brand to open in the Mexico hotspot? Hilton, which this week announced the opening of the Hilton Tulum Riviera Maya All-Inclusive Resort. 

It’s the company’s first-ever all-inclusive in Tulum, in a high-volume, low-scale design set across a series of three-story villa-style buildings. 

Indeed, there are 735 rooms at the Riviera Maya property — making it Hilton’s largest resort in all of the Caribbean and Latin America. 

That’s along with 13 restaurants and what Hilton calls an “upscale beverage program,” along with eight pools, five Jacuzzis and a soon-to-debut Family Zone with a water park playground and other amenities. 

It joins the campus of the adjacent Conrad Tulum Riviera Maya. 

Hilton says it’s planning to open another 30 Hilton-branded properties in Mexico in the coming years. 

Hilton is one of a number of major travel brands on an all-inclusive expansion push, particularly in the Mexican Caribbean. 

For more visit the Hilton Tulum.

The post Hilton Opens First All-Inclusive in Tulum, Mexico   appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Marriott’s major move into the all-inclusive space is continuing this summer with a new adults-only all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic. 

Marriott is joining forces with Playa Hotels and Resorts on the Sanctuary Cap Cana resort, which will be the first-ever all-inclusive hotel in Marriott’s Luxury Collection. 

The hotel is expected to open this summer as the Sanctuary Cap Cana, a Luxury Collection Adult All-Inclusive Resort . 

The all-inclusive resort is set in Cap Cana, the most exclusive corner of the tourism hub of Punta Cana. 

The 325-resort underwent a renovation in 2019 and features five eateries, six bars, five pools and a nightlife destination called “Sanctuary Town.”

Notably, it’s the first-ever Playa-managed resort under a Marriott International brand. 

“We are thrilled to bring our first The Luxury Collection all-inclusive brand extension to the Dominican

Republic and we are grateful to the Martínez family for developing such a unique resort,” said Laurent de Kousemaeker, Chief Development Officer, Caribbean and Latin America, Marriott International. “We are also excited for the opportunity to work with Playa Hotels and Resorts, a very reputable all-inclusive operator.”

The hotel is owned by Francisco Martinez. 

“In our first joint venture with Marriott International, Sanctuary Cap Cana is the perfect choice for the level of style and sophistication that has made Marriott’s The Luxury Collection resorts the standard- bearer for unique, one-of-a-kind vacations,” said Fernando Mulet, Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, Playa Hotels and  Resorts. “I would like to personally thank Mr. Martinez for his continuous trust in Playa and commitment to the success of this magnificent property.”

Marriott entered the all-inclusive category in 2019, first with its acquisition of Barbados’ Elegant Hotels. 

Now, the company has a portfolio of 28 all-inclusive resorts, the vast majority of which are in the Caribbean (including a number of hotels in the Blue Diamond portfolio).

For more, visit All-Inclusive by Marriott. 

The post Marriott Is Opening an Adults-Only All-Inclusive in the Dominican Republic  appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Caribbean all-inclusive brand Elite Island Resorts has partnered with reggae legend Causion on a major new musical tribute to the island of Antigua. 

The song, Antigua Me Come From, is a common phrase of identity and heritage for Antiguans; a love letter to the island, it’s a message to travelers to  “forget their troubles, to come take a load off their shoulder and feel the energy when their feet touch the ground.”

It’s another major video for Causion, whose long career includes touring with Third World, Rita Marley and Freddie McGregor, among others. 

“Personally growing up in Antigua was the greatest experience I can imagine. I grew up on the water in English Harbour, and most of my childhood was on the water, sailing and fishing, and the freedom to do that was phenomenal,” he says. “Antigua is a place I have loved from the bottom of my heart, and there is no place I would rather be. As a musician and writer, when you go to Antigua the words keep coming, the artistry and creation keep coming because you find that place of peace.”

The idea of the song and video, according to Elite Island Resorts Chairman Rob Barrett was to “”give the people of Antigua and Barbuda something that shares the beauty and spirit and Antigua with the world for years to come.”

“This amazing collaboration between Elite Island Resorts and Causion captures the essence Antigua and is a project we can all be very proud of,” Barrett said. 

Elite Island Resorts has a portfolio of five hotels on the island of Antigua, including Hammock Cove; the Pineapple Beach Club; the Verandah Resort and Spa; the Galley Bay Resort and Spa; and the St James’s Club and Villas. 

“Music has a way of touching us and bringing us closer to where we want to be.” Exploring the concepts of happiness, and what fuels it, he compares the joy from acquiring material things with the lasting power of memories,” Causion says. “A lot of the things I experienced in Antigua when I was younger, those fond memories are still with me today. You can’t buy that kind of happiness.”

“Covid has brought the rest of the world and the Caribbean into a frame of mind to open up their eyes and respect each other more. To appreciate each other and what we bring to the table,” he says. “We also appreciate that people are coming to our shores. Now more than ever, in this world when nothing can be assumed, we are learning to appreciate, respect, embrace, and welcome each other.”

The song is especially poignant for the artist, in light of his recent, ongoing battle with cancer, one that sees him traveling monthly between Antigua and Florida. 

It’s a battle that has put his island home in a new light, he says. “I go on hikes to experience the country in a way I didn’t before. It’s an enormous feeling, seeing it from a different perspective for the past two years, and I have found a new love for the country.”

For more, visit Elite Island Resorts.

The post The Caribbean’s Newest Reggae Hit Is a Love Letter to Antigua  appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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