There’s a peculiar joy to finding that hidden-away hotel, the one you haven’t heard of, the one without a brand but with a personality.

There’s a feeling you get when you discover a hotel for yourself — one that soon develops a need to find more like it.

And the Caribbean is filled with the kinds of under-the-radar properties that invite just this kind of exploration, character-filled properties with fully developed identities that have that x-factor, that certain indescribable quality that makes them, well, cool.

Our popular Cool List is back for its seventh annual edition with a list of 20 properties from across the Caribbean, all cool in their own way, all waiting for you to discover them for yourself.

Secret Bay, Dominica The signature boutique hotel in Dominica is back and better than ever, including its spectacular Zabuco honeymoon villas with their private pools. Local hotelier Gregor Nassief’s villa resort remains one of the ultimate experiences in the Caribbean, with marvelously personalized service, a surfeit of adventure options and, well, some of the most spectacularly designed rooms anywhere. It’s modern, it’s luxurious, it’s elegant but it’s also impossibly cool.

The post The Cool List: The Coolest Caribbean Hotels for 2019 appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico

… and slamming portrait of Puerto Rican governor at food stamps … slammed a portrait of Puerto Rico governor Ricardo Rossello.
Iris … her released, according to Puerto Rican news outlet Noticel.
Unsatisfied … framed pictured of the Puerto Rican governor and flung it …

Powered by WPeMatico

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The biggest travel conference in the Caribbean is back again for 2019, this time on the white sands of Montego Bay in Jamaica.

The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s Caribbean Travel Marketplace is headed to the Montego Bay Convention Center Jan. 29-31.

This year’s CTM, which is produced by CHTA in collaboration with co-hosts the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association, the Jamaica Tourist Board and the Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, regularly brings together more than 1,000 delegates from 26 Caribbean countries — along with buyers from almost two dozen markets around the world.

The conference also brings together high-level executives and key decision makers; wholesalers and tour operators; online travel agencies and the media for thousands of meetings and appointments.

This year’s event, the 37th annual edition of the conference, comes as the region’s tourism imprint continues to grow globally and tourism prospects for 2019 are looking strong, according to Frank Comito, CEO of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association.

 “With new routes and upgraded aircraft announcements over recent months, market-savvy hoteliers are positioned to increase occupancy and generate additional business,” Comito said.

For more info visit Caribbean Travel Marketplace.

The post The Caribbean’s Biggest Travel Conference appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Jimmy Buffett’s first-ever residential resort in The Bahamas is making progress toward a highly-anticipated debut.

One Particular Harbour at The Pointe is set at the $250 million Margaritaville at The Pointe development in the heart of downtown Nassau.

Owners at the 126-unit development will access to all of the attractions and the amenities at the Margaritaville, which will be the second true Margaritaville resort in the Caribbean, along with the Margaritaville Beach Resort in Grand Cayman.

A rendering of the Margaritaville complex.

The project, of course, gets its name from Buffett’s popular song One Particular Harbour and the album by the same title.

One Particular Harbour at The Pointe just celebrated its topping off ceremony, a milestone that included the debut of the new Seven entertainment center at The Pointe, which includes in-house options like a movie theater, bowling lanes, a bar and a karaoke lounge.

The project combines oceanfront residences with preferred berthing rights for big boats and yachts at its on-site deep-water marina.

The units range from studios and to condominiums with one to four bedrooms.

Every unit has a “clear and unobstructed” view of the water from a private balcony.

A rendering of a unit.

It’s part of a wider renaissance happening in downtown Nassau, which has seen a remarkable transformation in recent years into a walkable, attraction-filled city with everything from art galleries and high-end eateries to charming boutique hotels.

New additions like the first-ever winery in the Bahamas, Bahama Barrels by Graycliff, have helped to transform the downtown area.

The Margaritaville resort is expected to start its phased opening in the middle of 2019, with construction set for full completion in 2020.

The resort will be managed by Aimbridge Hospitality.

“The Bahamas – one of the most beautiful places in the world – is an absolutely perfect location for a Margaritaville lifestyle destination,” said John Cohlan, chief executive officer of Margaritaville. “We’re excited to combine our casual-luxe brand with the local Bahamian culture, known for its warmth and hospitality, to create a one-of-a-kind paradise to vacation, visit, live or just kick back and relax. Nassau is an ideal destination for our lifestyle brand as we continue to expand our global hospitality footprint.”

— CJ

The post The Bahamas Is Getting New Margaritaville Residences appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico