There’s a moment on this trip when you take it all in, when you look around at the glory of this place and stop to savor it.
We have been fortunate enough to have made the journey around the British Virgin Islands on a number of occasions, a privileged pilgrimage through one of the most resoundingly beautiful places in the Caribbean.
But each time the BVI’s immense beauty reminds you of why so many make this journey, of why it remains a bucket-list box to tick for Caribbean aficionados.
It’s all about moments like this.
And yet each time it feels new; each time it hits you, again for the first time.
On this voyage it wasn’t until the final day on the water, when we moored at The Indians and spent several hours in the golden glow of the late afternoon in the British Virgin Islands.
By a mix of fate and the quiet of early October in the Caribbean, there was no other boat for what seemed like miles, a rare thing at one of the greatest snorkeling spots in the West Indies.
And the light on the jagged rocks, the varying hues of blue and the power of the setting sun did a number, turning a tiny corner of 50-some-odd islands and cays into a shrine.
Because when you’re on a power catamaran in these waters, in this case the new MarineMax Vacations 443, the combination of pure exhilaration, beauty and adventure means you don’t often pause.
The new MarineMax 443.
There’s always another reef, another island, another stop for the dinghy.
But here at The Indians, we could stop and reflect, not just on how beautiful a destination this continued to be, but on how far the BVI had come in a short time since the storms of 2017.
The BVI has overcome quite a lot in two years, a testament to its endlessly inspiring people. And while certain things have changed, what hasn’t is the wonder, the marvel.
The BVI is a destination for adventurers, for those who’ve fallen in love with the feeling of discovering a place for themselves for the first time — or the 100th.
Because for every golden hour at The Indians, there are a thousand moments just like it.
And that was true on this journey, from a sandy afternoon at Norman Island to a festive night at CocoMaya to a circuit of the North Sound.
Norman Island is as beautiful as ever.
And that brings us to the boat itself.
There are many ways to do a charter vacation in the BVI: bareboat or crewed, monohull or cat, sail or power.
But one of the newest additions to the BVI’s charter fleet is a rather special thing indeed.
The new 443 by Aquila is a beautiful, crisply designed boat that’s equally adept at leisure and adventure, with a host of wonderful amenities, from the 360-degree galley and living area to a particularly welcome feature: direct access from the flybridge to the bow.
But what’s most staggering about the new 443 isn’t just its remarkable fit and finish — it’s the sheer speed.
The thing just flies, and that means that you can really island hop to your heart’s content, packing in as much of this glorious archipelago as you wish and putting a premium on the time you spend at each stop — not on the time you spend getting there.
And it means more late afternoons moments on the sea in the British Virgin Islands.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is officially relaunching its flights from Amsterdam to St Maarten.
The Dutch carrier suspended its nonstop flights to the island in the wake of Hurricane Irma in 2017, instead operating flights in combination with its Curacao flights.
Beginning Oct. 27, KLM will be flying nonstop services to St Maarten twice weekly, with flights on Tuesdays and Thursdays on Airbus A330 aircraft.
Beginning Jan. 14, 2020, KLM will be adding a third weekly flight, the company said.
It’s a huge boost for St Maarten, which has been in the midst of a tourism renaissance in the last year.
A new private-island destination is coming to Belize, Caribbean Journal has learned.
It’s called Ray Caye, and it will make its debut off the coast of Placencia in January 2020.
The 20-room resort is a reimagining of the former Hatchet Cay Resort, now expanded and transformed, set about 18 miles east of Placencia Village.
A room with a plunge pool at Ray Caye.
The change aims to reflect “the unforgettable tropical experience of the island, highlighting the nightly visits from our friendly neighborhood Spotted Eagle Rays,” the resort said in a statement.
Ray Caye includes four new oceanfront villas, all with private plunge pools, along with six renovated waterfront cabanas and six new guest rooms.
That’s along with a new welcome center, a newly-built Great House (which includes four hotel rooms, an additional pool and an eatery), along with a new main pool and three new standalone cabanas.
Ray Caye is also billing itself as the first resort in the world to install a TESLA Powerwall system, allowing the resort to operate exclusively on solar energy.
The 7.4-acre private island was purchased in 2018 and has been undergoing a transformation project for the last year.
All of the rooms and suites offer private outdoor spaces, while the rooms are outfitted in local hardwood and sustainable materials.
Dining concepts include La Bodega, a provisions shop, the Lionfish Grill restaurant and the Catch831 eatery.
There’s also a dive shop called The Pirate Reef, a pool. a gym and a yoga studio.
The resort is solar powered.
Another amenity? The nearby Moho Caye, a 12-acre island also owned by Raye Caye perfect for day trips on the resort’s 46-foot catamaran.
