The new Saba Rock resort in the British Virgin Islands is a magnificent blend of form and function, capturing some of the ephemeral feel of a Caribbean beach bar while designed to survive the destructive force of a hurricane like the one that wiped out this small private island resort in 2017.

Hurricane Irma did its best to erase the Saba Rock resort — a North Sound fixture since the 1960s — but it won’t be so easy next time. The core of the structure is a virtual concrete bunker with thick walls, and the roof of the restaurant and bar are supported by v-shaped steep supports, thick wooden beams, and braided turnbuckle cables. The fine finishing work — pickled wood paneling on guest room walls, rope braided around support pillars — masks it all, but there’s no doubt that version 2.0 of the Saba Rock resort is, well, rock solid.

Reopened in October 2021, Saba Rock includes 7 guest rooms, two luxury suites, a restaurant, bar, and gift shop, all fanned out in a half-circle facing the (usually) placid waters between Virgin Gorda and Prickly Pear Island. The front of the resort is almost entirely dockage, a nod to Saba Rock’s popularity with boaters who dinghy over for lunch or a drink (the resort has seven slips and 18 mooring balls, with the capacity for boats up to 80 feet in length).

The back of the 1.5-acre island has a small sandy beach for guest use, and resort activities include kiteboarding, diving (Saba Rock was founded as a dive center), snorkeling, paddling, yoga classes, and spa services offered in the resort’s single treatment room.

Saba Rock may be small, but designers ADR Architects put the available space to good use, creating spacious guest rooms and expansive, open-air dining and drinking areas on two levels, linked with broad waterfront decks and stairs. As the first member of the media to stay overnight in one of Saba Rock’s individually named guest suites (mine was “Turtle”), I enjoyed a comfortable, nautically themed room (semaphore flags over the bed spell out the resort’s name), with a king bed overlooking the beach and views of the North Sound from every part of the room other than the commode, thanks to glass walls separating the shower and sink area of the bathroom.

Rooms ring in around 530 square feet, and the peaked ceilings make them feel even bigger, so there’s plenty of space to lounge around in your logo waffle robe, including on a deck facing Virgin Gorda and the nearby Bitter End Yacht Club. On the day of my visit a rare winter gale was blowing through, which I could see but not hear through the 10-foot windows in my room — another nod to the resort’s sturdy construction.

One Saba Rock quirk is that the guest rooms are all on the second floor of the property, with doors facing a small grassy courtyard that’s about as removed from the public areas of the resort as possible in such a tiny place. The rooms’ slightly cloistered locale stands in contrast to the rest of the resort, where dining and drinking areas take shelter under the vaulted roofs but are otherwise open to the elements.

It’s a design clearly meant for sunny days, although I was still quite cozy for dinner with the wind and rain blowing around out over the water. The dinner menu included a mix of classic and tropical cocktails — the Saba on the Rocks was a refreshing mix of spiced rum, triple sec, and fresh pineapple and passion fruit juice — with appetizers and entrees drawing on a mix of cooking traditions from yellowfin sashimi to curried shrimp, jerk snapper, and a no-nonsense roast chicken. You can get more casual fare at the upstairs bar, however.

Coupled with the reopening of Bitter End Yacht Club, and some obvious rehabilitation work going on over at the long-shuttered Biras Creek resort, the return of the legendary Saba Rock proves that the North Sound is back after the devastation wrought by Irma — along with the rest of the BVI. So pull up to the dock, grab a sunset drink, and you may well be tempted to get out of your cabin and stay for a night or two at this luxurious new addition to one of the best boating destinations in the Caribbean.

For more, visit Saba Rock.

The post A Tiny Must-Visit Resort in the British Virgin Islands appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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This is a work of art. 

That’s the first thing you think when you start turning the pages of the cocktail menu at Tiki & Co in Bonaire. 

The West Indies Phoenix. Davy Jones Locker. Oaxacan ‘n Talking. 

With each page, another elaborate sketch and even more elaborate cocktail recipe, all nods to the golden age of tiki and worthy new additions to the tiki landscape. 

Instantly memorable, eminently drinkable cocktails are the standard here at Bonaire’s newest, hottest cocktail bar, the brainchild of the award-winning Sir Eddy Trenidad, a Bonaire native who has become the most celebrated bartenders in Bonaire. 

But Trenidad, a remarkably gifted mixologist, is quick to note that this is a “cocktail bar first,” he tells Caribbean Journal. 

“Bonaire has never really had a cocktail bar at this level,” he says of his bar, meticulously curated and designed, an ode to the fun-loving, authentic essence of Tiki and a significant new addition to the Dutch Caribbean island. 

And he’s right – the entry of Tiki & Co is a major boost to Bonaire, but it’s also a reminder of how far this island’s culinary scene has come. 

What was once primarily a diving and snorkeling destination has, in recent years, become one of the Caribbean’s most sophisticated, buzziest gastronomic movements, with an enviable array of world-class eateries from Brass Boer to Grandi to It Rains Fishes, Carpaccio and Sebastian’s, to name just a few. 

Of course, there’s a serious rum component here, with many of the the standards on the shelf: Martinique’s Rhum Clement; Jamaica’s Rum Bar and Worthy Park; Barbados’ Foursquare. Black Tot; Plantation; Pusser’s. 

It’s a growing, impressive rum list, and a sign of just how focused this bar is not just on being a great Bonaire bar, but on being a truly Caribbean bar. 

And that’s the goal for Trenidad, who plied his trade at some of Holland’s top bars and has quickly become one of the most important young bartenders in the global mixology scene. 

And it’s clear when you look around the colorful, funky, playful decor that’s as faithful to the lore of Don’s Beachcomber and Trader Vic Bergeron as it is to the cutting edge of modern tiki. 

But it’s the cocktails themselves that are the story — objectively, inarguably, and endlessly delicious, from classic daiquiris to more inventive cocktails like the Tia Dalma and the Sorobon Zombie – the latter “strong enough to put you in your grave, but tasty enough to bring you back,” as Trenidad says. 

And it’s a welcome addition to the region’s cocktail culture, heretofore largely devoid of tiki bars like this; it’s an internationally important bar, one that’s helps push the envelope for what’s possible at bars in the region. 

Plainly, Trenidad, who is one of the hosts for Bonaire’s upcoming Bonaire Rum Week in June (including an island-wide cocktail competition on June 16), has helped create a bar that instantly puts Bonaire on the cocktail map. 

It’s the work of an artist.

For more, visit Tiki & Co. 

& Co is a partner of Bonaire Rum Week, the Caribbean’s hottest new rum and culinary event. For more info, visit Bonaire Rum Week. 

The post The Caribbean’s Best Tiki Bar Is in Bonaire  appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Divi Resorts has officially opened its newest all-inclusive resort in St Maarten. 

It’s called Oceans at Divi Little Bay, and it’s a resort-within-a-resort at the company’s signature St Maarten property, Divi Little Bay. 

The new Oceans is an elevated experience, with three types of accommodations, VIP check-in and check out, “complimentary elite Wi-Fi” and touches like fresh robes, spa amenities and espresso machines in every room. 

The launch of Oceans at Divi Little Bay follows the recent debut of the first Oceans-branded resort at the Divi Carina Bay all-inclusive in St Croix. 

Oceans at Divi Little Bay has a total of 98 rooms, set next to the property’s “pureocean” pool and swim-up bar. 

Accommodations range rom king our double rooms to one-bedroom suites. 

The Oceans One-Bedroom Suites has a private bedroom with a king-sized bed, a fully-equipped kitchen, a dining area, a bathroom with two showers and an ocean-view balcony or patio. 

“We’re overjoyed that the launch of our new Oceans brand on St. Maarten is finally here after months of hard work and buzz amongst guests,” said Marco Galaverna, President & COO of Divi Resorts. “This exclusive offering is the epitome of Caribbean charm and ambiance with special perks and added amenities.”

Divi has a portfolio of seven resorts across the Caribbean in destinations including Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, St Croix and St Maarten. 

The new Divi joins a small portfolio of all-inclusive options in St Maarten and St Martin, headlined by Sonesta’s Maho-area resorts and the Secrets St Martin resort on the French side.

For more, visit Oceans at Divi Little Bay. 

The post There’s a New All-Inclusive in St Maarten appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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A pair of prominent hotels in St Thomas will begin welcoming guests this summer, Caribbean Journal has learned. 

One is a reconstruction of the 384-room Frenchman’s Reef Marriott Resort; the other, the new Noni Beach, a St Thomas Resort; the latter is a re-imagination of the former Morningstar Beach Resort. 

The new-look Frenchman’s Reef will have six eateries and lounges; three oceanfront pools; 72,000 square feet of event space and a 2,000-square-foot private dock. 

Noni Beach, with will be part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, with 94 total rooms including two suites, along with four eateries and lounges, an oceanfront pool; 13,000 square feet of event space and a beachfront lounge set on a quarter mile of sand. 

The combined rebuild is a $300 million project, which recently restarted earlier this year. 

Aimbridge Hospitality, which manages both resorts, said it was targeting to “fully open” both properties this fall. 

Both resorts will be opening for reservations this summer, according to Michael Lorenz, director of sales and marketing at Aimbridge Hospitality. 

“We look forward to welcoming you back to the new Frenchman’s Reef and Noni Beach,” Lorenz said in a statement to guests. 

The return of both resorts, located in one of St Thomas’ signature settings, will be a further boost for the US Virgin Islands, a destination that has seen sizzling tourism growth amid the pandemic. 

For more, visit Frenchman’s Reef and Noni Beach. 

The post Top St Thomas Resorts to Open This Fall appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The newest Marriott International resort has opened its doors in the Dominican Republic. 

The Ocean Club, a Luxury Collection Resort, Costa Norte is the first-ever Luxury Collection resort in the Caribbean. 

It joins one other Luxury Collection property in wider region, which is in Panama.

The Ocean Club, set near Sosua on the north coast of the country, has a total of 64 suites by French designer Nathalie Pain, ranging from one to three bedrooms, along with five four-bedroom penthouses. 

“Costa Norte is an ideal fit for our expanding footprint as we continue to offer our global explorers captivating home bases from which to explore all corners of the world,” said Philipp Weghmann, VP and Global Brand Leader for The Luxury Collection. “The Ocean Club will draw on the area’s natural wonders, and we’re delighted to offer our guests unique design and exceptional service as they discover this magical destination.”

Dining concepts include Baia, a signature eatery inspired by local produce; Agauzul, featuring Asian-Peruvian cuisine; Rock Bar and Grill, a Mediterranean-focused outdoor eatery, and a speakeasy called The Cellar. 

Amenities include three pools, two of which are adults only, along with beachfront whirlpools with firepits. 

That’s along with a beach with private wooden cabanas and beach service. 

The Ocean Club is also home to a L’Occitane-branded spa with four treatment rooms and two sauna rooms. 

“We are thrilled to formally introduce The Ocean Club, a Luxury Collection Resort, Costa Norte as Dominican Republic’s most extraordinary place to vacation, gather, dine and delight,” said Herve Humler, President of Ocean Club group. “The opening of this newest gem further diversifies the reinvention of the northern coast of the Dominican Republic.”

For more, visit The Ocean Club.

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