The Dutch Caribbean island of Statia has officially discontinued its entry travel rules, Caribbean Journal has learned.
That means the island no longer requires pre-testing for travelers, effective May 11.
Statia, which is a short ferry or plane ride from nearby St Maarten, has also removed the requirement for travelers to fill out its EHAS health form prior to arrival.
The island is now open to both vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers, neither of whom need to test to enter Statia.
Statia.
Statia has also removed local health restrictions on businesses and hospitality enterprises.
Statia is the most recent Dutch Caribbean destination to remove its travel rules, following similar moves by Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao and Saba.
St Maarten still requires testing for unvaccinated travelers.
“The burden on the economy and the local health care system is the main reason that the local government drops the COVID-19 measures, combined with a low number of COVID-19 cases ,” the island’s government said in a statement.
The Old Gin House hotel in Statia.
The island has been experiencing new energy in recent years, buoyed by the recent launch of its first-ever luxury resort, the Golden Rock.
The move follows Marriott’s high-profile entry into all-inclusive, a move that instantly cemented Marriott a leader in the broader Caribbean.
For Hyatt, the move is particularly focused on loyalty; indeed, World of Hyatt members can earn and redeem points at 50 Inclusive Collection resorts in destinations like the Caribbean and Mexico.
The new Dreams resort in Cozumel.
“Inclusive Collection resorts enable guests to experience what it truly means to stay at an all-inclusive with one-of-a kind signature programs like Endless Privileges, Unlimited-Luxury, and Unlimited-Fun with benefits at select resorts, such as no check-in or check-out times, 24-hour room service, top-shelf cocktails, gourmet a la carte dining without reservations required and endless activities throughout the day and night,” said Erica Doyne, senior vice president of marketing & communications, AMResorts. “From spa treatments and locally inspired cuisine to rich cultural experiences that immerse travelers in the traditions of their destination, the Inclusive Collection brings one of the world’s largest portfolios of luxury all-inclusive resorts to travelers so they can connect with those that matter most and turn moments into lifetime memories.”
Hyatt now has four distinct hotel collections: the Timeless Collection; the Unbound Collection; the Independent Collection and the Inclusive Collection.
It’s all a nod to the growing import of all-inclusive in the Caribbean and the broader world of travel.
JetBlue is significantly ramping up its flight service to Montego Bay, Jamaica.
By July 2022, the carrier will have 40 percent more seats between the United States and Montego Bay than it did before the pandemic began.
The announcement come after a meeting between Jamaica Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett and JetBlue executives in New York.
Jamaica was one of the first tourism destinations to reopen after the onset of the pandemic.
The Goldeneye resort on the north coast of Jamaica.
“We continue to see positive signs of a strong recovery for Jamaica’s tourism and more seats mean more arrivals which ultimately will give us more earnings for the country,” Bartlett said. “Jamaica is perhaps the most connected destination in the region, and this has helped us to attract more visitors. We have been focused and always looking ahead even in the midst of the worst of the pandemic. We are now reaping the rewards.”
“We are grateful for our partners like JetBlue who will be integral in our recovery strategy, so this is very good news for the destination. JetBlue has reinforced its partnership with Jamaica as a core part of its Caribbean operations. The airline also welcomed the lifting of pre arrival COVID testing and travel authorization which it says has helped with the increase in interest in Jamaica.” said Donovan White, Director of Tourism, Jamaica.
Jamaica has been one of the Caribbean’s best-performing destinations in the pandemic era, particularly of late, driven by strong performance from the United States market, which accounted for nearly 87 percent of visitors to the island last year.
“I don’t know, and I work here,” says Sheena Newbold, who is the heart and soul of the legendary bar at the Green Turtle Club on Abaco’s Green Turtle Cay.
“Some people call it the Turtle Bar, others call it the Green Turtle Club Bar, some people call it the Dollar Bar,” she says.
All would be appropriate.
There’s the Tipsy Turtle rum punch that’s the signature of the place; and then there’s the hallmark of the bar: the seemingly infinite, mostly American and Bahamian, one-dollar bills that have been ascribed to just about every corner of the bar, walls and ceiling alike, all signed by those who put them there, inscribed with messages and memories of the place they love so dearly.
The longer you spend here, and the more Havana Club 7 you drink, you might even be persuaded that it’s surely called Sheena’s Bar.
What can’t be argued, though, is that this little bar is the fulcrum of the Green Turtle Club, the tiny resort on tiny Green Turtle Cay that has carve out a rather large space in the consciousness of travelers for decades.
Sheena Newbold.
The Club’s story began back in 1963, when the English biologist Allan Charlesworth arrived on his yacht and believed the property where the Green Turtle Club now exists was the most beautiful location he had ever seen,” according to the hotel’s story.
The next year, he purchased the land and the club was soon born.
Room 7 at the Club.
Over the next six decades, it’s changed hands a few times, but the bright yellow main house and cottages on White Sound have remained, entrenched as one of the Caribbean’s true bucket-list destinations.
It’s hard not to immediately fall in love with a place called Green Turtle Cay, and you feel that when you come here; the travelers and boaters who make their way here know they have found someplace rare and special, that peculiar destination that gives visitors the feeling that they themselves have discovered it.
Indeed, Green Turtle Cay occupies a mythic space among travelers, particularly among connoisseurs of the Out Islands of The Bahamas; after all, you can only get here by boat, either your own or a brief ferry from nearby Treasure Cay in Abaco.
The ferry from Treasure Cay.
The hotel itself has 29 rooms, spread across cottages and villas (room seven is a must for its stunning view of the harbor), along with the aforementioned bar and waterfront restaurant, along with a number of club-style rooms in the main house perfect for light afternoon reading or endless evening conversation. (There’s also golf-cart rental on site, it being the exclusive mode of transportation on the island.)
It’s a simple formula here, one cultivated by the innumerable boaters who make their way to the island and stay in the marina that is the town square of the property.
Coco Bay Beach.
Mornings and afternoons on the beach (the nearby Coco Bay Beach and Ocean Beach are two of the best in the Out Islands) or out on the water; a late afternoon Goombay Smash (the drink was, after all, invented on the island); twilight strolls in downtown New Plymouth; timeless evenings at the bar; and delicious, intoxicating serenity all day long.
Because other than the evenings when the outstanding Island Spice is performing out near the dock, this place is wonderfully quiet, the sort of place where you could spend a month writing a novel.
It’s a place where you feel endless friendship and sanctuary; it’s your own private club in The Bahamas, where you know that you are at home.
One of the coolest new resorts in Jamaica has made a big change: it’s now offering all-inclusive vacations.
The S Hotel Montego Bay, the hotel that has injected new energy into Montego Bay’s famous “Hip Strip,” has rebranded as an all-inclusive.
The hotel, which is the sister property to the popular Spanish Court hotel in Kingston, has a new identity as a “boutique all-inclusive” hotel.
The property’s new all-inclusive program, includes a welcome drink on arrival, all meals and all beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. (It should be noted that premium spirits brands require an additional charge, according to the property).
The dining program includes a mix of Jamaican and international dishes created by the hotel’s Executive Chef.
Even better? The hotel is also including complimentary antigen return testing for American visitors who need to do so to head home.
It’s a different kind of all-inclusive for Montego Bay, meaning all-inclusive convenience in a hip, sleek package.
Indeed, the 120-room S Hotel, part of the Crissa Hotels portfolio, has been one of the hottest resorts in the destination since it first debuted back in 2019.
