The tiny Caribbean island of Montserrat is now open to fully vaccinated visitors, albeit with a strict five-day quarantine requirement.
The island set southwest of Antigua officially reopened its borders at the beginning of this month.
So what do travelers need to know?
Fully vaccinated visitors need to quarantine for five days at their hotel or accommodation upon arrival. Between three and four days after arrival, visitors take a PCR test — if negative, he or she can leave quarantine on day five.
(If visitors want to stay fewer than five days they can do so).
Montserrat charges $150 for the on island test.
All visitors need to complete an Access Declaration Form within three days before traveling; all visitors need to show proof of a negative PCR test taken and received within five days before arrival on the island.
Children under five are exempt from the pre-testing requirement; however, all children over two must take the on-island PCR test before being allowed out of quarantine.
Montserrat had previously been open only to select long-term visitors.
For now, only Fly Montserrat and SVG Air are currently operating flights service to Montserrat.
And then Hurricane Irma came to the British Virgin Islands, and Virgin Gorda’s legendary Bitter End Yacht Club was no more.
But now, after four years of hard work, the Bitter End is rising again, heading toward a planned December reopening.
The BEYC has announced its highly-anticipated reopening, part of a multi-phased relaunch that will kick off with a new centerpiece destination for yachters and sailors.
The new Quarterdeck Marina.
The Hokin Family, which owns the property, is calling it Bitter End 2.0, and that’s precisely what it will be.
The hotel will be anchored by a new nautical village, all nodding back to the original resort; that includes the Clubhouse Restaurant, the Quarterdeck Marina, the Watersports Center and the Reeftique Boutique.
“We have taken everything that we’ve learned over five decades and incorporated it into the redesign to purposefully pay homage to our history. At the same time, we are elevating Bitter End’s amenities and hospitality offerings to create a world-class experience that will delight travelers for generations to come,” said Richard Hokin, patriarch of the family.
The initial phase will cater primarily to the private and charter yacht industries, the family says.
That means over 70 moorings balls, 25 marina slips and a new two-story, Quarterdeck Marina, open-air venue with an upstairs lounge and a wraparound terrace — with enhanced amenities like marina-wide Wi-Fi, among others.
There will also be several dining concepts: a new take on the iconic Clubhouse; an open-kitchen pizza and wine bar; and a sunken ship turned into what the Hokins call “the coolest beach bar in the Caribbean.”
All of the eateries will source produce from Bitter End Farms, an on-property producer of fruits, vegetables and more.
The new Bitter End Market will stock all manner of provisions, too.
“Thoughtful provisioning is key to a happy crew and successful voyage,” says Lauren Hokin. “We’re excited to introduce garden-grown produce, fresh-caught seafood, and an array of prepared dishes, topped off by Chef Winston’s world-famous key lime pie and fresh baked goods, made daily in Bitter End’s kitchens.”
And yes, the watersports fleet that was the signature of the resort is making a comeback, too.
So what about the resort itself?
Initially, the resort will offer a pair of overwater-bungalows called the Marina Lofts; initially, the resort will have just a pair of lofts.
“We are excited to welcome back our legacy guests and global watersports community to the reimagined Bitter End Yacht Club,” said Richard. “Over the last four years, the Bitter End Crew, alongside a team of architects and designers, engineers, highly-skilled craftspeople, and a set of salty spirits have collaborated to honor Bitter End’s legacy while launching an exciting new chapter in Bitter End’s story.”
In a major move for travelers, St Kitts has reduced its “vacation in place” hotel quarantine requirement to just 24 hours, Caribbean Journal has learned.
Within 24 hours upon arrival in St Kitts, travelers staying at an approved tourist accommodation will be tested.
The “vacation in place” requirement means travelers are free to roam their hotel properties as they await their test results, but cannot leave the hotel itself.
Upon receipt of a negative test, travelers will be able to fully integrate into the Federation.
The Park Hyatt St Kitts is one of the federation’s approved hotels.
That means dining in restaurants, liming at beach bars on “The Strip” or visiting historic forts and attractions.
Since May 29, only fully vaccinated travelers have been allowed entry to the Federation; that remains in place, with exemptions for children under the age of 18 accompanying fully vaccinated parents or guardians.
All travelers additionally need to submit proof of a negative PCR test within 72 hours before arrival, part of the required Travel Authorization Form (here’s where to find it).
The Royal St Kitts Golf Club.
There are seven hotels approved for international travelers in St Kitts, ranging from the celebrated Park Hyatt St Kitts to the Royal St Kitts Hotel., among others.
Travelers who wish to stay at a private villa or condo that has been approved as quarantine housing must contact info@stkittstourism.kn.
A great rum should be more than a rum. It should be an event.
That’s true of any luxury product — whether a bottle of wine or a fine cigar; it should move you, make you feel special, that the moment is something extraordinary.
That brings us to the newest release by Papa’s Pilar, the Ernest Hemingway-inspired rum brand that continues to be among the most creative and cool rum brands on the market today.
Pilar, named after Hemingway’s prized fishing boat (and partially owned by the Hemingway Estate, which donates its proceeds to conservation-focused charities), is a blend of rums from across the wider region, stretching from Florida in the north to Venezuela in the south — including rums from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Barbados to boot.
And for years, it’s been releasing a continued wave of very fine rums, from its signature dark expression to its always-delightful sherry-cask finish.
The new expression is something different, though.
It’s called Papa’s Pilar Legacy and it’s a first for the rum industry — a premium rum finished in rye whiskey barrels, under the stewardship of master blender Ron Call.
It begins with Pilar’s World War II-era canteen shape, with a bronzed plaque, clothed in a rather lovely leather wrap around the bottle.
So what is it like?
The aroma is marked by toffee, key lime, oak and confectioner’s sugar.
The flavor profile includes notes of oak, the slightest hint of fennel; a whisper of cardamom; orange peel; and then there’s the rye, which is ever present but never overbearing — it adds a wonderful glow, rounding off the rum but also adding a different personality, too.
The finish is endlessly smooth, with a bit of vanilla.
It’s a rum that gets better with each sip, the more you try it, the more you understand it.
There’s a romance about this rum; it’s a rum that takes you somewhere, starting with the moment you unscrew the chained cap and pour it in your glass.
That’s a welcome departure from an all-too-unhappy trend in the rum world, where rum brands clothe their bottles in labels that reduce themselves to mere chemistry, reminding more of prescriptions than sugarcane spirits.
Legacy, on the other hand, is what a rum bottle should look like.
Papa’s Pilar gets it — that rum is something different, that rum is about romance — romance of the sort you just don’t find in other spirits.
As it turns out, Legacy is more than just an event — it’s an adventure.
For year’s there’s been a leader in the world of special cask-finished rum: Martinique’s Rhum HSE, which was ahead of the global curve in finishing its rums in a variety of different casks and remains the standard-bearer.
In the world of molasses rum, it’s a trend that largely began with Dos Maderas, a brand that has a special place in the hearts of many rum lovers.
Dos Maderas, or “Two Woods,” sent a big message to the rum industry more than a decade ago with its 5+5 rum, combination of Guyanese and Bajan five-year-old rums that was then sent to Jerez for another five years at Williams & Humbert for aging in ex-sherry casks.
In the decade to come, more and more molasses rum companies began finishing their rums in specialty casks, from Abuelo’s series of XV cask finishes in sherry, port and cognac casks to the continued diversification by Foursquare in everything from ex-Zinfandel to ex-port.
But now the Caribbean’s largest rum company has entered the fray.
Bacardi’s newest release is a sherry-cask finish of its Reserve Ocho rum, the one that’s always been Bacardi’s signature aged rum — the one that for years (and in certain American markets, remains) just about the only aged rum you could find on a shelf in an American bar.
Bacardi’s aged portfolio has since expanded — first with the premium Facundo collection and, more recently, with the addition of the Bacardi 10, part of what we hope is a continued push in the premium aged rum category.
And that’s in large part because Bacardi has more power than any other rum brand to change the perception of rum in the marketplace.
The average American consumer still thinks of Bacardi or Captain Morgan when you ask them about rum — and the more Bacardi gets into aged expressions – and markets them — the better it will be for rum’s growth as a premium drink in the United States market.
The Sherry cask is part of what Bacardi says will be a five-year collection, with new cask-finish release every year through 2025.
The company says it’s a blend of rums between 8 and 12 years old, initially aged in American oak barrels with a final three-month stint in Oloroso sherry casks.
So what’s it like?
The aroma has notes of stone fruit, orange peel, dried apricot and a hint of almond.
The flavor profile is marked by dried cherries, a hint of anise; the slightest note of marzipan and some nuttiness and toffee on the finish.
It’s a velvety, almost voluptuous rum, much fuller bodied than the Reserve Ocho; the sherry finish does manage to round off some of the edge that exists in the regular Ocho.
Interestingly — and happily — there isn’t an overly strong note of sherry on this rum, particularly on the finish. That’s a welcome development, diverging from the unfortunate style of a number of sherry-finish rums that have far too strong a sherry character, losing the rum in the process.
It’s a nice, well balanced rum, and a decided improvement on the Ocho.
