The Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire has announced changes to its entry requirements for travelers, Caribbean Journal has learned.
The new rules, which take effect Dec. 22, mean travelers need to show proof of a negative PCR test result taken and received within 48 hours before departure to Bonaire.
The rule applies to all travelers 12 years of age and up.
Upon arrival, all travelers will receive a free self-test, which they must use at their hotel or villa on their day of arrival.
If a traveler tests positive, they must go into isolation and report at the Department of Health for a PCR test.
Additionally, after five days on the island, all travelers 12 years of age and up need to take a PCR test.
The Delfins Beach Resort in Bonaire.
Bonaire is also requiring all unvaccinated travelers from countries like the US and the Netherlands (so-called high-risk and very high risk countries) to undergo a mandatory five-day self-quarantine after arrival — that can be done at a hotel or villa.
After five days, they must take a PCR test and get a negative result to leave quarantine.
The changes impact travelers from countries like the United States and the Netherlands, Bonaire’s two biggest source markets.
They come as the global tourism industry responds to the uncertainty over the “Omicron” variant of Covid-19.
It’s the perk of having your own peninsula: every day you can choose a different beach.
Because here on the St James’s Club and Villas’ 100-acre property in the southeastern corner of Antigua, it’s all about the water.
It’s about mornings swimming off the white sands of Coco’s Beach, then afternoons paddling the calm waves of Mamora Bay.
It’s about spending the day with Mamora Bay Divers, Antigua’s top diving operation, and experiencing one of the Caribbean’s great undiscovered scuba spots.
Or there’s kayaking, paddle boarding or even pedal boats; Mamora Bay is an endlessly serene corner of Antigua, with water that’s still enough for paddling, but with the breeze you need for a Hobie Cat.
A vacation here becomes a daily aquatic ritual, with every day a different adventure on the water.
And in the new age of travel, it’s everything travelers want: the natural environment, the joy of being outdoors; and, perhaps most importantly, privacy.
And that’s what you get on your own peninsula; St James’s really does feel more like it’s your own private club than just a resort; where each day you get to know your fellow guests — a group of active, energetic travelers seeking the authentic Caribbean.
And Elite has turned the beach vacation into something of art form.
Of course, there’s one more thing: it’s an all-inclusive, the concept that more and more travelers are seeking out, particularly in the Caribbean; that means all the convenience you want, the meals, the drinks, the waterfront dinners and afternoon tea, and even an on-site Cafe called Mamora Bay Coffee House, among other inclusions.
Yes, it’s your own private peninsula.
It all adds up to the quintessential island vacation, a break from cold winters, a portal to the Caribbean fantasy.
Isn’t that why we all come here in the first place?
One of the Caribbean’s leading luxury resorts reopened its doors in the Cayman Islands last week following an extensive refurbishment.
Marriott’s Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman officially reopened on December 15, the same date it celebrated its 16th anniversary.
Renovated spaces feature an updated color palette that highlights deep blues and shades of green inspired by the islands’ botanical gardens. The guest rooms and suites’ feature local artworks, fixtures and natural textures.
Also, the resort’s Silver Palm Lounge features completely new interiors and a custom-built hardwood cabinet, which will offer guests a collection of rare rums and premium hand-rolled cigars.
“Our forward-looking ownership group, Dart, invested heartily into our treasured property, the result of which will now be visible for guests to enjoy,” said Marc Langevin, general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman.
“Seeing the pause in travel as an opportunity,” he continued, “we are grateful that Dart took advantage of this time to expand the original renovation plan, manifesting a cohesive and modern property suited to the demands of today’s most sophisticated travelers.”
The nine-hole, Greg Norman-designed course at the resort.
In addition to the public spaces and guest accommodations, the resort’s meeting spaces were updated as well.
“The Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman will once again raise the bar for luxury in the Caribbean,” Tom Ludington, General Manager, USA att the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, told Caribbean Journal. “Now that the Cayman Islands have reopened our borders to vaccinated visitors, guests will be amazed at the refreshed splendor of this iconic property.”
An impressive collection of commissioned and collected local artwork fosters a deeper connection with the culture, history, and creativity of Cayman. Complementing the public art collection is The Gallery, the longstanding art exhibition space. The Gallery will continue to highlight Grand Cayman’s vibrant visual arts culture.
“The reimagined look and feel of the resort is an outstanding example of The Ritz-Carlton brand’s design ethos, which is to provide our guests with a refined and modern experience that is also reflective of what makes a destination unique,” said Donna McNamara, vice president and global brand leader for The Ritz-Carlton, in a written release.
The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman offers 369 rooms designed by Champalimaud Design.
It includes the La Prairie spa, which offers a collection of treatments, while five restaurants present guests with a diverse array of dining experiences.
In addition to a Greg Norman-designed nine-hole golf course, the resort also offers golfers an indoor simulator using Trackman technology. The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman is also home to one of the island’s largest ballrooms in the Caribbean, as well as an interactive culinary studio.
Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ambassadors of the Environment family programming allows guests of all ages to discover the flora and fauna of Cayman. There is also the Starfish Cay water park, tennis and basketball courts, and an indoor game room.
It’s the only visitor we’ve had all day; but it’s not a stranger, regularly stopping by the window several times each day, curious as to the newest guests at the Maho Bay House.
We’re here in the green hills above Maho Bay beach in St John, at just about the only house in the entire valley, surrounded by and immersed in the Virgin Islands National Park.
It’s a rarity in this part of the world, an American national park covering nearly two thirds of the entire island of St John, a pristine natural wonderland at the edge of the Caribbean Sea.
And the Maho Bay House is smack in the middle of it.
There’s something magical about this place; you know it the moment you drive the Jeep up the hill and peer out; there’s just green and more green, trees on top of trees on top of a beach.
It’s impossibly quiet; even the nearby sands of Maho are silent from here, the water quiet; it’s a still life from every angle, a landscape painted fresh each morning.
And while it’s in the middle of a park, built seamlessly within its natural environment, the Maho Bay House is as spectacular as any luxury villa in the islands; from its magnificent chef’s kitchen to a cliffside infinity pool to the lovely fact that every standalone bedroom is a master bedroom.
It’s an inspired design by the St John-based Barefoot Architects, who created a modern-contemporary villa sheathed in an historic stone style.
And then there’s the four-minute walk to Maho Bay Beach, easily one of the most beautiful beaches in all of the Caribbean – and, some would argue, the best on St John.
“Maho Bay House is a very special villa,” says Shanna Dickerson, whose Blue Sky Luxury Travels’ portfolio includes the property.
And it’s true.
You feel the privilege of being here, of experiencing the Maho Bay House and the National Park.
You feel it when the sky darkens, and the solar torch lamps wave on their stone walls, and you feel that you’re in another time.
And then you look up at the sky and see a starscape uncorrupted by the built environment, unpolluted by light and modernity; the same sky they were looking at when the lamps weren’t powered by the sun.
And then you look around and you listen again, and you hear the evening orchestra of the forest.
And then you remember it wasn’t the deer who was the visitor.
NBA Hall of Fame Karl Malone’s love affair with the Dominican Republic kicked off when he crafted his own line of cigars with one of the country’s most prominent cigarmarkers: La Aurora, whose operations in Santiago date back to 1903.
That partnership led to Karl Malone Barrel Aged, a six-year-aged blend of La Aurora that spend six months aging in Dominican rum barrels.
Malone in Santiago.
And that’s when the rum journey began — when Malone discovered E. Leon Jimenes, the rum that gets its name from La Aurora’s founder.
The Dominican rum is made by arguably the company’s top producer, Ron Barcelo, an ultra-rare expression that’s aged for 10 years: first in virgin American oak barrels, followed by an additional two years in French Oak casks. It was first developed to celebrate La Aurora’s 110th anniversary.
After making E. Leon Jimenes a part of his cigar ritual, for Malone, the choice was clear: it was time to take E. Leon Jimenes from the sugarcane fields of San Pedro de Macoris to the American market, the perfect rum pairing with a fine cigar.
So that’s what the Mailman has done: the legendary power forward is now the sole US importer for E. Leon Jimenes, adorning each of the just 3,000 releases with “Bottled for Karl Malone.”
It’s a natural progression for Malone, who turned his interest into cigars in his playing days into his own cigar lounge in Ruston, Louisiana.
The idea, his partner Tim Basham tells Rum Journal, is for the ultimate rum to pair with a cigar.
So what’s the rum like?
E. Leon Jimenes has an aroma of brown sugar, plum, nutmeg and the slightest whisper of anise.
The flavor profile is marked by caramel, dried mango; citrus peel; walnut, cacao and white pepper and a nutty, delicately earthy tobacco note on the finish.
This is a luxurious, velvety rum; it’s exceptionally well balanced, and wonderfully reimagines the traditional finish of a Dominican rum into something more refined, more elegant.
It’s the best Dominican Republic rum on the market today, taking the essence of Dominican rummaking and raising it to another stratum.
And it’s one of the best rums you’ll be able to buy in the US when it rolls out its American launch early next year.
