… SHOWS 4% DROP IN PUERTO RICO POPULATION SINCE MARIA
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POAT-MARIA PUERTO RICO MIGRATION RESHAPES CENTRAL FLORIDA
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By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

After 18 months of renovations and rebuilding in the wake of Hurricane Irma, St Maarten’s Sonesta Maho Beach Resort is debuting upgraded facilities, amenities and new entertainment programs.

In short, St Maarten’s top family resort is back.

In addition to a new contemporary look throughout the resort, the destination’s leading family resort has relaunched its Beach House Kids Club and Aqua Park, with two new waterslides for ages 10-15, a whole new cast of Beach House characters along with the new Teen Zone.

The resort’s family-oriented concept include walkabout events; junior fitness; a dedicated children-only Beach House Kids Club designed for ages 3 to 12; character experiences with the Beach House Crew and the main event – the interactive kids show, “Beach House Live!”

The Beach House Kids Club features 1,000 square-feet of indoor space and a 2,500 square-foot outdoor area with a playground.

Adjacent is the 4,000 square-foot Aqua Park with a kid’s pool, featuring three aquatic themed slides and a spacious pool deck with loungers and umbrellas creating an environment for families to share quality time and fun under the sun.

The Teen Zone is packed with the latest entertainment and games including air hockey; foosball; table tennis/Ping-Pong; crazy golf; a cinema-style TV media room with PlayStation, Wii and Xbox and features a Social Suite for the cool crowd where teens can snap, tag and share all of their experiences virtually.

The dedicated Teen Zone events program will also include GoPro sessions, Shake Night, BBQ beach parties roasting marshmallows under the stars, movie nights and backstage passes to VIP parties.

Everything about the Teen Zone is focused on social interaction, ensuring everyone connects and has a great trip.

So what about the rest of the resort?

The Sonesta Maho Beach Resort has a number of restaurants and bars including the al fresco Palms Grill with Lava Rock dining; buffet offerings at Ocean Terrace; Napoli Pizzeria + Paninoteca; à la carte dining at The Point; pub grub at the Ascot Pub & Sports Bar and Asian specialties at Jing’s Kitchen.

The Oasis Pool has two new waterslides for kids, and the popular Oasis Swim Up Bar is back with poolside fun making it the lively center for resort activities.

The resort also added a new room category, The Loft Suites, featuring ocean views, balconies, an elevated bedroom with a king bed and a sitting area located beneath with pullout sofa, providing privacy for parents and space for the kids.

Other family-friendly features include connecting rooms, One Bedroom Suites with separate living rooms and pullout sofas and complimentary cribs available on request.

It all adds up to a new, even better version for what has long been one of St Maarten’s most popular places to stay, complementing the adults-only Sonesta Ocean Point.

For more, visit the Sonesta Maho in St Maarten.

— CJ

The post What’s New at St Maarten’s Top Family Resort appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Hot dogs, apple pie, baseball and the Best American Rums.

This is now the seventh annual edition of what has become one of our favorite traditions at Caribbean Journal: compiling the list of the best rums in America to celebrate July 4th.

Since we began highlighting rums made in America, there’s been a boom in American rum production, with distilleries popping up from Newport to Hawaii — and the quality has been rising, too.

So what are our favorite rums in America this year? Check out the list to see more, with some longtime Best Rums in America selections and some new faces, too. (And before you get worried, no we didn’t forget Puerto Rico and the USVI. We always consider rums from those territories as Caribbean rums first).

Papa’s Pilar The rum part-owned by the Hemingway Estate is in many ways the flagship “made in America” rum, with a quality that matches its Hemingway-inspired story. The brand that includes a blend of rums from across the United States, Central America and the Caribbean has become a favorite of rum aficionados, with a growing portfolio of expressions from sherry-finished to cask-strength Cuban-style “blonde” rums. It now calls a flagship distillery in the heart of Key West home.

The post The 10 Best American Rums – 2019 appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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… treatment of American citizens from Puerto Rico,” according to the suit.
… protection provisions because it treats Puerto Rico-born American citizens differently than … questions about Puerto Rico in order to prove that they are Puerto Rican.”
FOLLOW …

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

The Dutch Caribbean’s most-visited travel destination is getting more new flights from New York.

Aruba will soon be the beneficiary of year-round nonstop flights from New York’s LaGuardia Airport, according to an announcement from American Airlines.

The New York-Aruba flights, which had previously been operating only seasonally, will become year-round flights beginning Dec. 21.

Boca Grandi Beach in Aruba.

The flights will now be operating once every week on Saturdays.

It’s a rather strong statement for Aruba, given that American Airlines only began operating the seasonal service last month.

In less than 30 days, Aruba and its Queen Beatrix International Airport have already received a year-round stamp of approval.

The Marriott in Aruba.

Aruba has long been one of the more popular Caribbean destinations for travelers in the northeastern United States, and this expanded service only underscores that.

It complements a growing route network for American to Aruba, with flights from destinations including Miami, Dallas Fort-Worth, Charlotte, Philadelphia and Charlotte.

American operates the LaGuardia service on Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

They’re yet another expansion for American Airlines in the Caribbean, where its footprint is significant, but where it has continued to face network competition in recent years from airlines like JetBlue, Southwest and, increasingly, Spirit.

— CJ

The post Aruba’s New Year-Round Flights From New York appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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