It’s the hottest thing in the Caribbean travel industry: all-inclusive. 

The concept has never been more popular, with more and more big brands entering the space, from Hyatt’s high-profile purchase of Apple Leisure Group to the broad new offering by All-Inclusive by Marriott. 

And now another brand is going all-inclusive: Wyndham. 

Wyndham has announced the launch of a new all-inclusive brand, Wyndham Alltra, through a strategic alliance with Playa Hotels and Resorts. 

The news “combines Wyndham’s robust distribution capabilities and award-winning loyalty program with our highly acclaimed all-inclusive expertise. Together, we are launching a new experience in the upper-midscale resort segment to reach more first-time all-inclusive guests,” said Bruce Wardinski, chairman and chief executive officer, Playa Hotels and Resorts.”

Alltra, the company’s 22nd brand comes from what Wyndham promises as “All-Inclusive Travel for All.”

Its entry to the Caribbean all-inclusive market will begin with a pair of resorts: the 458-room Wyndham Alltra Cancun, and the 287-room Wyndham Alltra Playa Del Carmen, both on the Caribbean coast fo Mexico. 

The Cancun resort will be set in the heart of the Cancun Hotel Zone, while the Playa Del Carmen resort will be set right near Fifth Avenue. 

The Wyndham Alltra Playa Del Carmen will be an adults-only property, the company confirmed. 

Both resorts are set to undergo renovations, with plans to debut “in time for the holidays in December 2021,” according Wyndham. 

“Wyndham Alltra will introduce many of our over 150 million annual guests to our first all-inclusive brand,” said Geoffrey A. Ballotti, president and chief executive officer of Wyndham Hotels and Resorts. “Partnering with a leading owner, operator and developer of all-inclusive resorts in prime beachfront locations, will create immediate access for our customers and our over 80 million Wyndham Rewards members to a fabulous, all-inclusive guest experience – members who will be able to redeem their Wyndham Rewards points for a new all-inclusive vacation experience at Wyndham Alltra resorts, and earn points for their stays.” 

For more, visit Alltra.

The post Wyndham to Open All-Inclusive Hotels in Cancun, Playa Del Carmen appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Antigua and Barbuda’s new travel rules have officially taken effect, so here’s what travelers need to know. 

As of Oct. 1, all arriving passengers to Antigua and Barbuda will need a negative PCR test taken and received within four days of their flight. 

Children below the age of 5 do not require a test. 

Crucially, all arriving passengers 18 and over must have received at least one dose of a two-dose World Health Organization-approved vaccine, or one dose of a single-dose vaccine like the Johnson & Johnson. (Approved vaccines include AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, among others). 

Children below the age of 18 are exempted from this requirement. 

All passengers must additionally fill out a Health Declaration Form which will be distributed on their flight; they’ll also be subjected to screenings and temperature checks upon arrival at VC Bird International Airport. 

It’s part of a growing trend toward vaccination requirements by Caribbean destinations; Turks and Caicos, Anguilla and St Kitts and Nevis all require vaccinations for entry, among others. 

The move comes shortly after Antigua and Barbuda’s biggest hotel company, Elite Island Resorts, announced a vaccination requirement for all guests 16 and over. 

It’s part of what has been a model tourism reopening for Antigua and Barbuda, which was among the first Caribbean destinations to reopen back in June 2020.

For more, visit Antigua and Barbuda Tourism. 

— CJ

The post How to Travel to Antigua and Barbuda Right Now appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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One of the most popular all-inclusive resorts in Saint Lucia is back, Caribbean Journal has confirmed. 

The St James’s Club Morgan Bay resort is officially open once again. 

The property, just a short drive from both Rodney Bay and Saint Lucia’s capital, Castries, has a total of 345 rooms.

 

Amenities include six restaurants; six bars; four pools, including two beachfront pools, one with a swim-up bar; and a special adults-only hilltop pool. 

The family-friendly resort is part of the Elite Island Resorts portfolio, which includes properties in Antigua, Barbados, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Panama and Saint Lucia. 

The resort “is open and better than ever,” the property said in a statement. 

As per Elite Island Resorts’ company-wide policy, all guests at the St James’s Club Morgan Bay resort ages 16 and over must present proof of vaccination upon check-in. 

That means a written CDC card, NHS vaccination report, pass or a certificate or official vaccination receipt from Canada. 

For more on Saint Lucia’s entry protocols, see here. 

For more, visit the St James’s Club Morgan Bay Saint Lucia. 

— CJ

The post This Saint Lucia All-Inclusive Resort Is Now Open appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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You’re perched above the dunes at the edge of the Caribbean, just you and the breeze and the frothing waves. 

This is Anegada, the frontier of the British Virgin Islands and the island that’s the most closely-guarded secret in an archipelago full of them. 

It’s a place for beach lovers, for those searching for a Caribbean that doesn’t really exist anymore, for a sandy dream; a place for mopeds and jeeps, rum punch afternoons on Loblolly Bay and lobster dinners at the water’s edge. 

The latter can quickly become a daily ritual — this being the Caribbean Capital of Lobster.

And here on the dunes you’ll encounter the pinnacle of the Anegada experience. 

This is the Anegada Beach Club, the island’s leading hotel, a bucket-list destination that’s always drawn in-the-know travelers to a place beyond what you know of the Caribbean. 

And it’s the most unique luxury hotel in the BVI, a destination that has no shortage of high-level resorts. 

There’s just something different about this one; whether you’re spending your days at Tommy Gaunt’s on-site kitesurfing school or going toes-in-the-sand with a painkiller all day, there’s always a sense of adventure, of energy. 

Even as the luxury abounds, there’s no pretense here — it’s all about authenticity, the feeling of being connected to this untouched corner of the Caribbean. 

There are two options here: sleek, crisply designed hotel rooms; and a collection of beachfront “palapa retreats,” the ultimate in Caribbean clamping. 

And in the age of social distancing, this is the zenith, where you’ll practically have the whole beach, the whole island to yourself. 

In these breezy, chic, endlessly romantic oceanfront rooms, you’ll be closer than ever before to the beauty and magic of the West Indies, with a raw, visceral experience married to all of the comforts of luxury design. 

You can travel all around the Caribbean and never find anything like this. 

And that’s a wonderful thing. 

For more, visit the Anegada Beach Club. 

— CJ

The post In Anegada, Finding the British Virgin Islands’ Bucket-List Hotel appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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