By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor

It’s hard to imagine a beach more perfect: Sand as white and fine as confectioners’ sugar. Water the same transparent turquoise as a Tanqueray gin bottle. Near constant breezes that straddle the line between blissfully warm and blessedly cool.

But apart from these obvious physical qualities, White Bay, the most popular of seven beaches on the 850-acre private-island resort, Guana Island, has another, less obvious but equally attractive asset.

It’s not the swimming platform that bobs seductively in the distance, offering Guana’s maximum of 40 guests a handy floating tanning table.

Neither is it the little white beach bar on its casuarina tree-shaded sands, where Guana Mojitos (made with organic mint and Key limes from the island’s orchard, naturally), are served with pleasing regularity.

Rather, it’s the lightning-fast WI-FI that extends from that bar almost to the beach’s water line, making envy-inducing Instagram posts and boastful Facebook status updates as easy as pressing “Share.”

Because, trust us: When you’re lucky enough to be on Guana Island, you want everyone to know.

The post VIDEO: White Bay, Guana Island appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Southwest Airlines is making moves in the Caribbean.

The carrier officially launched new daily nonstop service to four Caribbean destinations on Sunday, all out of its growing Caribbean-network hub in Fort Lauderdale.

The carrier has launched daily nonstop service from Fort Lauderdale to Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Belize City, Belize; and Cancun, Mexico.

The Half Moon resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Also Sunday, Southwest launched two other new Caribbean routes: one between Cincinnati and Grand Cayman and the other between Chicago-Midway Airport and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

The new flights are the latest part of a major regional expansion for the low-cost carrier, which earlier this year launched service between Denver and Belize.

Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman.

Southwest had already been operating daily flights between Fort Lauderdale and Nassau, Bahamas, along with a number of flights to destinations in Cuba.

Nassau, Bahamas.

The new flights represent the first significant challenge to competitor JetBlue’s fast-growing Caribbean network, as rival American Airlines seems to have slowed its expansion in the Caribbean.

—Alexander Britell

The post Southwest Airlines Launches Wave of New Nonstop Caribbean Flights appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The floating cities that are today’s cruise ships definitely have their place in the Caribbean, of course. But sometimes we long to experience the simple pleasures of sailing: the thrill of dropping anchor in a small, out-of-the-way port and leisurely discovering its ins and outs for ourselves. But since we’re still waiting for Aunt Doris to bequeath us that 150-foot yacht, we’ll make do by booking passage on of one of the specialty cruise lines that ply the region, carrying mere hundreds (as opposed to thousands) of passengers to untrammeled ports. CJ Travel Editor Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon brings you the Caribbean’s best small small-ship cruises.

Seabourn You’ll explore petite ports such as Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands; Vieques and Gustavia in St. Barths aboard this fleet of luxurious ships with a maximum capacity of 600 passengers. We’ve got our eye on Seabourn Odyssey’s 20-day sailing, which departs Miami on December 17 and calls at islands including Guadeloupe, Virgin Gorda and Mayreau.

The post The Top 5 Small Ship Cruises in the Caribbean appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Norwegian Air is resuming its service from the U.S. to Guadeloupe this winter season for the third year in a row.

The European low-cost carrier will offer nonstop flights from New York, Fort Lauderdale and Providence, Rhode Island this year, beginning Oct. 29.

“We look forward to touching down in Guadeloupe again for the winter season 2017/18. This hidden gem in the Caribbean will now have 11 flights from the US every week, more than any airline has ever operated before. With three such great catchment areas like New York City, Providence/Greater Boston/Connecticut and Fort Lauderdale/Miami/South Florida, we are opening up the Guadeloupe Islands to so many American travelers looking for a unique Caribbean experience,” said Thomas Ramdahl, Chief Commercial Officer, Norwegian Air.

New York will see six weekly flights, while Fort Lauderdale and Providence will be served by three and two weekly flights, respectively.

— Caribbean Journal staff

The post Norwegian Resuming Guadeloupe Flights appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The US Coast Guard on Friday offloaded approximately 1,100 kilograms of cocaine in San Juan, Puerto Rico, following a May 25 interdiction in international waters off the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The seized cocaine is estimated to have a wholesale value of…

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