Hilton is expanding its Caribbean Caribbean portfolio with a new all-inclusive in Curaçao, Caribbean Journal has learned. 

The new Mangrove Beach Corendon Curaçao Resort, Curio Collection by Hilton resort is slated to open in September 2021, the product of a conversion of the former Corendon Mangrove Beach Resort. 

It’s home to four pools, a private beach, and nine dining outlets, one that includes pool and beach bars, specialty eateries and a rum tasting lounge. 

That’s along with a fitness center and a waterpark with six waterslides. 

“As we continue to grow our all-inclusive portfolio throughout the Caribbean and Mexico, we are thrilled to partner with Corendon Hotels & Resorts and open the largest all-inclusive resort on Curaçao,” said Pablo Maturana, managing director of development, South America and Caribbean, Hilton. “With more than 35 spectacular beaches, Curaçao serves as an ideal destination for tourists looking for a pristine natural environment, and we couldn’t be more excited to offer guests yet another option when booking their travel to the Caribbean.”

The 399-room resort is part of a growing all-inclusive portfolio for Hilton in the Caribbean, one that most recently expanded with the new Yucatan Resort Playa del Carmen on the Caribbean coast of Mexico. 

It also marks a return to Curaçao for Hilton; Hilton had departed the destination in 2019 when the Hilton Curaçao was rebranded as a Dreams all-inclusive resort. 

“The signing of Mangrove Beach Corendon Curaçao Resort marks a major milestone for the brand as we add the latest all-inclusive property to Curio Collection, a growing portfolio of more than 100 one-of-a-kind handpicked hotels and resorts around the world,” said Jenna Hackett, global brand head, Curio Collection by Hilton. “Nestled in a protected nature preserve with a gorgeous private beach, this beautiful resort will boast stylish accommodations, elevated dining experiences and premier services and amenities, all coming together to offer guests a truly unique travel experience.”

Later this year, Hilton will opening another Caribbean all-inclusive with the new Hilton Cancun. 

“We are very pleased to partner with Hilton, a globally-recognized leader in hospitality, and benefit from Hilton’s global brand awareness and award-winning guest loyalty program,” said Atilay Uslu, founder, Corendon Group. “Starting September 2021, we look forward to welcoming Curio Collection by Hilton to the beautiful island of Curaçao. Our goal is to provide the very best service to our guests and Hilton Honors members and to show that Corendon’s hospitality is an added value for the Hilton brand.”

The property will participate in Hilton Honors, the company said. 

— CJ

The post Hilton Is Opening an All-Inclusive Resort in Curaçao appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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One of the premier all-inclusive resorts in Punta Cana is open again. 

The Paradisus Palma Real Golf and Spa Resort in the Dominican Republic officially reopened its doors this weekend, Caribbean Journal has learned. 

“Paradisus is back,” the resort, which is part of Melia Hotels International’s global portfolio, said in a statement. 

The all-suite all-inclusive has a total of 465 suites, ranging from junior suites to two-bedroom “master suites.”

That’s along with five swimming pools, seven whirlpools, a casino, a fitness center, a nightclub, 42,000 square feet of flexible event space and access to the nearby Cocotal Golf and Country Club, among other amenities. 

It’s a significant relaunch for a destination that has been performing very strongly even amid the pandemic, buoyed by its traditional strength in Punta Cana’s all-inclusive sector. 

The Dominican Republic has been open for tourism since the summer of 2020. 

For more on how to visit the Dominican Republic, see here. (They include random arrival testing of a selection of passengers).  

For more, visit Paradisus. 

— CJ

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Royal Caribbean will be officially restarting its Caribbean cruise operations in July with a special cruise to The Bahamas. 

The cruise giant will relaunch July 2 with a sailing of its Freedom of the Seas ship from Miami to the Perfect Day at CocoCay private island in The Bahamas. 

By the end of August, Royal Caribbean will be cruising with 12 different ships in The Bahamas, Caribbean and around the world. 

On July 3, Royal will set sail with its new Odyssey of the Seas ship, with six and eight-night Caribbean sailings out of Fort Lauderdale. 

After that, Royal Caribbean will be launching cruises on its Allure, Symphony, Independence and Mariner of the Seas ships in the coming weeks. 

“This is it. Vacationers can finally plan to take their precious time off this summer and truly get away after what has been a challenging time for everyone. I would like to sincerely thank our guests and travel partners for their incredible patience and understanding during this very difficult period. Thanks in large part to the successful rollout of vaccines, the world of adventure is beginning to open up, and we are all excited to start delivering great vacations to our guests, who have increasingly told us they are getting vaccinated,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. 

So far, about 90 percent of all booked Royal Caribbean passengers are either vaccinated or planning to get vaccinated in time for their cruise, according to the company. 

Royal said all of its crew members would be vaccinated. 

While the company says it is “strongly recommending” all passengers to set sail fully vaccinated if they are eligible, Royal Caribbean said it would require other testing and protocols for unvaccinated travelers, with those protocols set to be announced “at a later date.”

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The first Caribbean cruise in more than a year officially set sail this weekend in St Maarten. 

Celebrity Millennium kicked off a seven-night sailing from the Port of St Maarten on Saturday, a return for the cruise industry in the Caribbean after 15 months — and the first cruise in North America in the same period.

Notably, all passengers have been fully vaccinated, part of a broad new set of health and safety protocols for cruise pasengers amid the new realities of travel. (Celebrity calls them “Healthy at Sea”).

“I am truly overwhelmed with pride and emotion. The hard work and dedication that went into making this happen is indescribable. Everyone from our crew and shoreside teams to partners in St Maarten and throughout the Caribbean played a vital role,” said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, CEO of Celebrity Cruises. “This is indeed a cause for celebration, not only for our teams and guests, but for all the businesses, large and small, that support our operations around the world. As I’ve continued to say during this difficult and unprecedented time, “the comeback will be stronger than the set-back.’”

It was also a significant milestone for the Port of St Maarten, long one of the most active cruise ports in the Caribbean but one that is now finding itself in a different position — homeport. 

This weekend’s sailing of the 2,200-passenger Celebrity Millennium is the largest home-porting operation St Maarten has ever seen, officials said. 

“The homeporting of cruise ships out of St. Maarten is an integral part of the country’s efforts in collaboration with Port St. Maarten and the Princess Juliana International Airport in promoting fly-cruise from the country,” said St Maarten Tourism Minister Ludmila de Weever. “The continual development of homeporting marks another significant milestone in our destinations longstanding and valuable relationship with the cruise industry. St. Maarten is well-positioned to further develop more fly-cruise deployments, serving as a hub for the region in the North Eastern Caribbean.  We will continue to work diligently with our partners both local and abroad in building sustainable growth and provide further opportunities for our cruise and hospitality workers.”

The St Maarten sailing comes as the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has maintained a a no-sail order, although that is likely to change in the next month.

Celebrity Millennium will be operating two different seven-night sailings out of its St Maarten homeport: one will stop in Aruba, Curacao and Barbados; the other will stop in Tortola, Saint Lucia and Barbados. 

This initial sailing is the former, with stops in Aruba, Curacao and Barbados. 

It’s a major step forward amid the pandemic for the region, with destinations working to prepare for the return of cruising. 

Destinations are requiring pre-testing for cruise calls. 

Barbados, for example, is requiring passengers to have a valid negative PCR test three days prior to arrival. 

“There is testing that is going to be taking place on board the ships that will make sure that people are continually kept safe, but there are multiple different scenarios, and we want to spend some time just talking you through what that looks like,” said Barbados Tourism Minister Lisa Cummins. “So everybody’s comfortable that we have been robust and rigorous in the assessment of what the parameters need to be, what the risk is going to be, what risks are going to be posed, and what measures need to be put in place.”

Celebrity Millennium makes its Barbados stop on Monday. 

The launch comes ahead of another significant launch early next month, when Crystal Cruises debuts its first-ever sailings out of The Bahamas.

For more, visit Celebrity. 

— CJ

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