Looking for an easy island getaway? Bermuda is offering some of its biggest savings of the year right now, with a host of places to stay.

Bermuda’s calling it a “Splash Sale,” with a 30 percent discount on your stay at Bermuda hotels, meaning extra rum swizzles and spiny lobster.

The Fairmont Southampton.

The sale lasts through Sept. 22, covering travel between now and April 30, 2018.

Participating properties include everything from the iconic Coco Reef to the famous Fairmont Southampton, with the latter offering a whopping 50 percent discount.

For more information, visit Bermuda Tourism.

— Caribbean Journal staff

The post How to Save Big on a Bermuda Getaway Right Now appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Hurricane Maria made landfall on the Eastern Caribbean island of Dominica on Monday night as a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 160 miles per hour, according to the NOAA’s National Hurricane Center.

The storm had already caused “significant damage to structures” in Dominica, according to ham radio reports.

Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit posted on Facebook that his home had lost its roof and then flooded, although he was eventually rescued.

“We do not know what is happening outside. We not dare look out. All we are hearing is the sound of galvanize flying. The sound of the fury of the wind. As we pray for its end!” he posted during the storm.

The storm brought immense winds and dangerous storm surges that could raise water levels by as much as 7 to 11 feet above normal tide levels, along with as much as 20 inches of rain.

Hurricane-force winds were spreading across neighboring Guadeloupe and Martinique.

Hurricane warnings were in effect for Guadeloupe, Dominica, St Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat, the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Culebra and Vieques.

Tropical storm warnings were in effect for Antigua and Barbuda, Saba, St Eustatius, St Maarten, Anguilla, St Lucia and Martinique.

The eye of Maria was expected to move over the northeastern Caribbean sea on Tuesday and then approach the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Some fluctuations are expected in the next day or two, according to the National Hurricane Center, but Maria is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous storm as it heads toward Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

The post Hurricane Maria Devastates Dominica appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

With several islands steel reeling from the destructive force of Hurricane Irma, another major storm is barreling toward the Caribbean: Hurricane Maria.

As of Sunday evening, Hurricane Maria was about 210 miles east-southeast of the island of Dominica, with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Hurricane Center.

The storm was moving north-northwest at around 13 miles per hour, with a decrease in forward speed expected through Tuesday night, expected to become a “major hurricane.”

The center of Maria is projected to move across the Leeward Islands on Monday night, and then over the extreme northeastern Caribbean Sea on Tuesday.

Hurricane warnings were already in effect for Guadeloupe, Dominica, St Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat and Martinique, with tropical storm warnings in effect for Antigua and Barbuda, Saba, St Eustatius, St Lucia, Barbados and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

A Hurricane Watch was in effect for the US and British Virgin Islands, St Maarten, St Barth and Anguilla.

Maria is expected to produce rainfall of between six and 12 inches, with isolated maximum amounts of 20 inches across the Leeward Islands, including Puerto Rico and the US and British Virgin Islands through Wednesday night.

The northern and central Windward Islands are expected to see rainfall of two to four inches, with potential for life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.

The post Hurricane Maria Heads Toward Caribbean appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Fast-expanding JetBlue had another traffic surge in August, according to the New York City-based carrier’s latest data report.

JetBlue tallied 4.42 billion revenue passenger miles in August, a 5 percent increase over the same period in 2016, while available seat miles rose by 5.4 percent to 5.077 billion last month.

Load factor in August rose by 0.3 percentage points to 87.1 percent.

For the year, the carrier’s revenue passenger miles are up 4.6 percent to 32.4 billion, while available seat miles are up 4.8 percent to 38.04 billion in the first eight months of the year.

JetBlue has been the fastest-growing carrier in the Caribbean for several years, though it’s not yet clear how Hurricane Irma will impact the company’s network in the Caribbean, particularly in the Virgin Islands.

“Our thoughts go to all those affected by Irma, including our crewmembers and customers throughout the Caribbean and in Florida who have been impacted,” Robin Hayes, president and CEO, JetBlue sait in a statement. “Our focus remains on deploying assistance to our crewmembers and resuming operations safely. We will update the market on the operational and financial impact of Irma in the coming weeks.”

The post Another Strong Month for JetBlue appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor

The appeal of swim-up suites ­– hotel rooms that open directly onto a private plunge or shared serpentine pool – is undeniable. Across the Caribbean, resorts with these room categories report that they’re consistently sold out, despite their premium price. And clearly guests love the water’s-edge cloisters, where they can literally roll straight out of bed and into the pool.

Many rave about the convenience of being able to bask in the sun even before breakfast is served. And most will cite the convenience of never really having to leave their room (or at least stray too far from it) to enjoy some pool time.

But there’s another advantage to these suites that’s often overlooked, one which we discovered during our recent stay at Barcelo Maya Caribe, a beachfront all-inclusive near Puerto Aventuras on the Riviera Maya of Mexico, where its swim-up suites are (unsurprisingly) in high demand.

The advantage is that swim-up suites offer the perfect (and private) way to end a full Caribbean day. How delightful to return to your roost, satisfied from a delicious dinner, and then be able to enjoy a soothing night swim under a tropical sky. If you’re lucky, your pool (like ours) will also have aqua loungers, offering semi-submerged relaxation and the perfect position for studious star-gazing.

And, if you’re luckier still, the patio of your suite (also like ours) will have a soaking tub.

So whenever you have a chance to book a swim-up suite, we recommend you do, but only as long as you remember this: Rolling out of bed and into the pool is an undeniably good thing. But emerging from the pool and then rolling pleasantly relaxed and droopy-eyed into bed is even better.

The post On the Riviera Maya, The Joy of the Swim-Up Suite appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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