By the Caribbean Journal staff

Southwest Airlines is making a major push in the Caribbean, with more nonstop flights in its portfolio.

Southwest has officially launched new daily flights to both the Turks and Caicos Islands and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic from Fort Lauderdale.

The new nonstop routes come as Southwest has helped turned Fort Lauderdale into an even bigger hub for Caribbean flights, following a big expansion push in June that included Grand Cayman, Montego Bay, Belize City and Cancun.

Punta Cana.

Fort Lauderdale saw another new route launch last week with Norwegian’s new flights to the French Caribbean island of Martinique.

“Three new routes bring Southwest’s needed value for Floridians hoping to hit the beach in Provo’s world-famous Grace Bay or have a carefree weekend in a resort in Punta Cana,” said Steve Goldberg, Southwest’s Senior Vice President of Operations & Hospitality who also serves as the carrier’s Executive Sponsor of Florida. “With convenient connections for Orlando, Tampa, and dozens of cities across our domestic network, these international destinations are now reachable on Southwest where there are no change fees and bags fly free.”

Southwest also launched flights this week between Fort Lauderdale and San Jose, Costa Rica.

“We’re investing in the Caribbean with an optimistic outlook on travel and tourism as our Hearts remain with those still facing significant challenges,” Goldberg said.

The post Southwest Airlines Launches Nonstop Turks and Caicos, Punta Cana Flights appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Belize is continuing to show seriously strong growth in its tourism sector so far in 2017, according to the latest data from the country’s tourist board.

Stayover visitors to Belize totaled 319,119 through the end of September, an 8.6 percent increase that’s among the fastest growth rates in the Caribbean.

That follows a boom in 2016 that saw Belize post a 13 percent increase in stayover arrivals over 2015.

The United States continues to be the strongest source market for Belize, though Canadian arrivals are set to jump with the recent debut of the new WestJet flights to Belize from Calgary.

The post Belize Tourism Continues 2017 Surge appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Alexander Britell

Can a rum have a terroir?

In Martinique, unlike the vast majority of rum-making regions around the world, rhum is made from the juice pressed from sugarcane stalks, not molasses, the latter of which is a by-product.

In the wine world, the terroir — that set of environmental factors from soil to climate to topography — impacts the grapes. In Martinique, the terroir impacts the cane. In both cases, the raw material matters.

What that means is that the kind of sugar cane, the quality of the sugar cane, the quality of the soil, the conditions of the estate, all play a role in the taste of the rhum.

The terroir is even more apparent in Martinique’s white rhums, whose raw, unaged flavors tell you so much about where they come from.

It’s something you can taste – raw, often vegetal, robust, sometimes floral, sometimes sweet, always loyal to their roots.

But what Martinique’s newest rhum distillery, A1710 at Habitation Simon in Le Francois, has recently done is something particularly special.

The Habitation du Simon in Martinique.

Last year, A1710 debuted its flagship La Perle white rum.

A1710 mastermind Yves Assier de Pompignan did an experiment: he grew two varieties of sugarcane: a “red” sugarcane variety called R579 and a “blue” sugarcane variety called B69-566, all on the same organic sugarcane plot. (The organic certification isn’t a bumper sticker – it illuminates a process that involves everything from hand-harvested cane to fertilizer from the plantation’s mules.)

He then produced two rhums in precisely the same fashion from harvesting to distillation, with only one differentiating factor: the sugarcane itself.

And the results were dramatic.

What’s remarkable is that the two rums are so strikingly different: the red muted but floral, with an aroma marked by tomato and earth, the blue fresh, bold and exotic, with notes of fennel and pure cane, a seriously robust expression.

The Blue is particularly exceptional. The expression is so pure, so faithful, that one almost experiences the feeling of chewing sugar cane stalks and extracting the juice.

Perhaps no rum I’ve tried better exemplifies that process from cane to rhum as this, showing so clearly why the rhums of Martinique are so unique and wonderful.

Because in Martinique, rhum is a gateway to the land, a portal to the cane fields that wave along so many roads on this island.

Because here, rhum is about the raw material, about where it’s grown, about the journey.

Here, rhum has a terroir — and rhum has an integral ingredient: Martinique itself.

La Perle Rare B69-566

Rum Journal Rating: 95 Points

La Perle Rare R579

Rum Journal Rating: 93 Points

The post Rum Journal: In Martinique, a Tale of Two Rums and Terroir appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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It all started on Tortola’s Cane Garden Bay, with Andy Morrell and Fran Samuels’ journey that turned from pure exploration to building a truly authentic Caribbean clothing brand.

Today, British Virgin Islands-based HIHO is an in-the-know product for Caribbean aficionados (see: Caribbean Journal readers), a maker of clothing that’s all about the kind of tropical relaxation that is the core of the Caribbean dream, from linen shirts to active wear.

But one of their latest products has particularly stood out — HIHO’s SPF shirt.

HIHO’s Suntek shirt is the perfect shirt for the active Caribbean traveler: it dries quickly, it breathes and, most importantly, it’s got the SPF protection you need for long days spent on the water — with SPF 50 protection.

What really stands out is the comfort and the lightness — this shirt feels like a kind of second skin. After a few hours out in the sun, you’ll feel like you’re not even wearing a shirt.

They’re available for both men and women.

We love HIHO’s Suntek shirts, and you will too (especially the 2018 Painkiller Cup jersey).

It’s the best SPF shirt we’ve tried in our Caribbean travels.

Fore more information, visit HIHO.

— Guy Britton

The post The Best SPF Shirt You Can Buy appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Alexander Britell

The perfect Caribbean vacation often includes at least one lobster meal featuring some of the freshest, tastiest lobster in the world.

But what if you could travel somewhere where lobster is on every menu, at every restaurant, all day long?

This is Anegada, the beach-filled outpost in the British Virgin Islands that’s making a quick rebound from Hurricane Irma — and playing host to its annual Anegada Lobster Festival that’s become a magnet for foodies and lobster lovers from all over the world.

While Anegada did not escape damage from the storm, its recovery has begun in earnest, and officials thought it important to hold the annual festival as planned this year.

That means that if you head to this year’s festival, you aren’t just coming for an unforgettable culinary experience — you’re also helping contribute to the island’s recovery. Who can argue with that?

The Anegada Lobster Festival will go ahead on Nov. 25 and 26.

“We felt it was important to hold the Anegada Lobster Fest, one of the BVI Food Fete’s signature events, to announce to repeat guests and prospective guests throughout the region and internationally, that the BVI is open for tourism business even as we recover from Hurricane Irma, one of the most destructive hurricanes in recorded history” said British Virgin Islands Director of Tourism Sharon Flax-Brutus.  “Additionally, since Anegada was not as impacted as the other main islands, we felt it would be a good idea for Anegada to ring in the tourism high season as we begin to welcome visitors.”

There are seven restaurants participating in this year’s Anegada Lobster Festival, “putting their unique spins on our most popular crustacean for all guests to sample,” the tourist board said in a statement.

There will be live entertainment and several opportunities to explore the island, home to sparkling turquoise water and some magnificent beaches like the white-sand Loblolly Bay.

So where to stay? Right now, accommodations are admittedly limited — but local charter yacht companies like Marine Max and Sunsail can provide accommodations and options for the event.

Indeed, the BVI yachting sector began welcoming visitors on Nov. 1.

There will also be daily ferry transportation to and from Tortola.

As in past years, visitors to the festival will be able to win special prices from the BVI Tourist Board if they visit all of the participating restaurants and visit the island’s main historic attractions.

In other words, the more lobster you eat, the better.

That’s a wonderful thing.

Fore more information, visit the Anegada Lobster Festival.

The post The British Virgin Islands Is Hosting the Caribbean’s Best Lobster Festival appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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