A new luxury eco-resort is set to open this month on the island of Dominica, Caribbean Journal has learned.
It’s called Coulibri Ridge, and it’s a significant addition to the southern coast of Dominica.
The resort is a dramatic design, set on a hillside with spectacular views of the Caribbean Sea and the neighboring island of Martinique.
Coulibri Ridge has a total of 14 rooms, ranging from studios to duplex suites, all of which have views of Martinique and custom kitchens and furnishings. (Three of the suites have their own private plunge pools).
The property is set on a 200-acre site, with two pools, two dining rooms, a spa, a yoga pavilion, a conference room and property-wide, complimentary Wi-Fi.
It’s the brainchild of Daniel Langlois, a Canadian native who has been conceiving of the project for years;
Langlois, a software entrepreneur, was responsible for some of the biggest developments in animation and special effects in the modern film industry, with his technology being used in films like Jurassic Park, among others.
The project has been in conception for several decades, with the idea of creating a self-sustainable, green resort.
And sustainability is the essence of the project.
Most notably, the resort is completely off the grid, using solar energy as its main source of power.
Three of the rooms come with their own private plunge pools, above.
That’s along with touches like the use of pure rainwater, filtered on site and stored in underground cisterns and even the urge of certified recycled teak furniture and kitchen cabinetry in all of the rooms.
Coulibri Ridge the latest addition to Dominica’s growing portfolio of luxury hotels, one that now includes Secret Bay, the Cabrits Kempinski and the Pagua Bay House, among others.
It’s something you just don’t find that often at many resorts anymore: that intimacy with the ocean; the feeling of being right at the beach’s edge, or perched directly above the waves, of being able to take just a few steps (or a single one) and put your toes right in the sand.
But they’re still out there, those resorts designed precisely around the beach, where many rooms open right out to the sand, or are perched right above it.
There’s no barrier, no long walk to get to the ocean, no sprawling poolscape between you and the sea, where a five-minute stroll to the beach can feel like an hour.
They’re the Caribbean’s toes-in-the-sand resorts. And here are our favorites.
Galley Bay in Antigua.
GalleyBay, Antigua It’s the ultimate toes-in-the-sand resort, set on one of the most beautiful beaches in a destination home to 365 of them. And the beachfront, ground-floor rooms at Galley Bay are as good as it gets in the Caribbean, where you literally slide open your door and are immediately immersed in the beach. This is as beautiful a property as there is in all of the Caribbean — where it’s all about being in nature; that begins with your room.
The Coral Beach Club in St Maarten.
Coral Beach Club, St MaartenThe best-kept secret in St Maarten, this private villa resort is home to a collection of 31 rooms, many of which are set right at the edge of the beach (and home to their own private plunge pools to boot). Here, it’s all about the sensory experience of the sand; it’s almost impossibly serene, a sandy sanctuary at the edge of Oyster Pond.
Spice Island Beach Resort, Grenada This luxury all-inclusive in Grenada sets the standard for high-end beach resorts, marvelously taking an elegant vision of Caribbean luxury and molding it for the barefoot chic experience.
Les Ilets de la Plage, St Barth It’s set right on St Jean, one of the most spectacular stretches of sand in St Barth, with a lovable group of bungalows at the edge of the sand. It’s an ode to another time in St Barth, an unpretentious, friendly, endlessly charming place to stay.
Caerula Mar Club, The BahamasYou may know it as the resort from the popular Renovation Island television show, but it’s also one of the most charming, well-run resorts in all of the Out Islands of The Bahamas, anchored around 24 suites and villas, all within a few steps of sublime Andros beachfront.
Pine Cay in Turks and Caicos.
Pine Cay, Turks and CaicosIt’s a toes-in-the-sand resort with a gourmet feel. This Relais & Chateaux set on Pine Cay in the Turks and Caicos Islands is a mix of beachfront rooms and a pair of beachfront cottages; the former are just lovely, coming with their own private thatched-roof tiki huts; and the latter especially tailored for the toes-in-the-sand experience (and the privacy of surrounding gardens).
Anse Chastanet, Saint Lucia This sister resort to the renowned Jade Mountain is perched on a rather magnificent stretch of beach on the western coast of Saint Lucia, with a mix of hillside rooms and direct beachfront rooms and a breezy, carefree, wonderful ambience across the property.
Cottages by the Sea, St CroixIt’s quietly made its home on the west cost of St Croix since 1949, a tiny collection of cottages right on the sand outside of Frederiksted. And it’s a true throwback, where all you hear are the clacks of plates, the crash of waves and the smiling conversations of fellow travelers who’ve discovered a cherished, well-kept secret.
Sorobon Beach ResortIt’s set on Lac Bay, Bonaire’s most energetic beach (and the Caribbean capital of windsurfing), with a surf-town ambience and 34 rooms, all with a lovable Robinson Crusoe-meets-the-Dutch Caribbean castaway feel.
Fernandez Bay Village on Cat Island.
Fernandez Bay Village, Cat Island, The BahamasThis family-owned historic hotel on still-undiscovered Cat Island is a hidden gem, with 18 rooms, all of which are direct beachfront. There’s an excellent three-meals-a-day restaurant, exceptionally warm service and an impossible-to-match Out Islands authenticity.
Keyonna Beach Resort, AntiguaThis boutique all-inclusive on the south coast of Antigua has 29 rooms and cottages, none of which is more than a step or two to the sand. Our favorites are the Beachfront Sanctuary Pool Cottages, which offer direct proximity to the sand and lovely private plunge pools.
Bolongo Bay Beach Resort, St Thomas It’s the quintessential Caribbean beach resort, one of those legendary places to stay, a must-visit for any Caribbean aficionado. And every room is either right at the sand or perched directly above it, a place where you can spend all day just looking at the froth of the waves from your balcony.
It seems that every year in the Caribbean we say it’s been a year like no other — but in the age of the pandemic, that’s a guarantee. And if 2020 was defined by the ongoing question of the tourism reopening, much of 2021 was defined by abundant tourism success.
Even amid this unprecedented global circumstance, the vast majority of the Caribbean roared back in 2021, highlighted by a summer that was, for most destinations, the highest-volume tourism season in history, with skyrocketing visitor numbers, surging hotel rates and even higher revenues. It was a bold statement to the rest of the world that the Caribbean isn’t just the world’s leading warm-weather destination; it’s also unquestionably the most resilient place on earth.
The Caribbean cannot be defeated — taking every challenge: storms, pandemics and rising waves and using their energy to power a new future.
With this 2021 edition of the Caribbean Travel Awards, its eighth annual edition, selected by the Caribbean Journal Editorial Staff, we celebrate the people, places and properties that exemplified the best of this magnificent region. — Alexander Britell, Editor and Publisher, Caribbean Journal
The stunning sandbar at White Bay in Exuma.
Caribbean Destination of the Year: The Bahamas The Bahamas is hot. Blessed with as layered and nuanced a tourism industry as there is in this Caribbean, from the impressive large resorts of Nassau to rugged Out Island outposts, the country has skillfully navigated the seemingly endless speedbumps and challenges of the pandemic, turning its challenges into world-class tourism performance — a trend that, by all accounts, seems poised only to strengthen in the year ahead with a dynamic new energy.
It’s become one of the biggest hassles in travel: the return test.
For nearly a year, the CDC required all returning American travelers to show proof of a negative test (antigen or PCR) within 72 hours of coming back to the US.
Earlier this month, the CDC tightened that rule, meaning all returning travelers have to show proof of e negative test within one day of departure — meaning a test the last day of their trip.
In the US Virgin Islands, however, the rules do not apply — meaning travelers can forego the return test since they’re already in the United States to begin with.
Honeymoon Beach in St John.
“We are an American overseas territory, and as such, travel to St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas or Water Island is within the United States’ domestic jurisdiction,” said US Virgin Islands Tourism Commissioner Joseph Boschulte.
“We recognize that with new travel mandates, there can be a lot of misunderstanding of the rules,” he said, adding that it is very important for tourism industry stakeholders to continue educating the traveling public that “we are part of the United States.”
What it all means is that as much of the Caribbean scrambles to increase testing capacity (and turnaround times), travelers in the US Virgin Islands can spend the last days of their vacations in peace.
The Buccaneer in St Croix.
Of course, while returning travelers don’t need to test, American travelers over the age of five coming to the US Virgin Islands need to show proof of a negative PCR or antigen test, taken and received within five days of travel to the USVI.
The US Virgin Islands has led one of the best-managed tourism reopening in the wider Caribbean, anchored around its Travel Screening Portal (you can find it here).
That’s led to one of the strongest tourism industry rebounds in all of the region.
It’s getting easier than ever to visit St Kitts and Nevis.
The twin-island federation has removed its one-day “Vacation in Place” quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated travelers.
The move, which took effect this weekend, also included the removal of an on-arrival test requirement.
The country has also implemented a new rule requiring children 12 and older to be fully vaccinated in order to visit the country.
That joins an existing requirement that all adult travelers be fully vaccinated in order to enter the country.
Children under 12 accompanying fully vaccinated parents or guardians are exempt, however.
“The end of our Vacation in Place protocol for Air Travelers and Free Flow for Cruise passengers are major achievements in our phased approach to tourism recovery in the Covid 19 Pandemic,” said St Kitts Tourism Minister Lindsay FP Grant. “We will maintain all tourism protocols through Travel Approved Certification for both air and cruise passengers.”
St Kitts and Nevis also requires all tourism stakeholders to be vaccinated in order to operate taxis or tours; excursions, work in restaurants or bars or provide vendor services.
“We are confident that our continued focus on a phased reopening will enable a meaningful rebound of the industry,” Grant said.
The Golden Rock Inn in Nevis.
So what else do travelers need to know?
All travelers need to show proof of a negative PCR test within 72 hours before arrival in St Kitts; and fill out the country’s Embarkation Form (you can find it here).
St Kitts and Nevis hotels that are currently open to international travelers include the Golden Rock Inn, Montpelier Plantation and Beach, Oualie Beach Resorts and Paradise Beach Resort in Nevis.
In St Kitts, approved hotels include the Park Hyatt St Kitts; Royal St Kitts Hotel; St Kitts Marriott Beach Club; St Kitts Marriott Resort, Four Seasons and Timothy Beach Resort.
“The evolution of our protocols and the end of our Vacation in Place quarantine will make St. Kitts and Nevis even more competitive for travelers planning trips for 2022,” said Racquel Brown, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. “With seamless integration into the Federation, travelers can enjoy our quintessential Caribbean experiences that engage the senses.”
