One of the tennis world’s rising stars just took home Puerto Rico’s first-ever gold medal.

The 22-year-old native of the Hato Rey area of San Juan defeated Germany’s Angelique Kerber on Saturday evening to take home the crown.

Puig won 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 to become the first athlete officially representing Puerto Rico to take home the gold medal.

“I think I united a nation,” Puig said following her win. “And I just love where I come from.”

“This is for [the people of Puerto Rico],” she said. “They’re going throught some tough times right now and they needed this and I needed this.”

— CJ Staff

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It’s one of the Caribbean’s top culinary events: the St Barth Gourmet Festival, now in its third year.

The festival brings together some of the best chefs in the world, with this year’s fete helmed by Michelin-star Chef Christian Le Squer.

Many hotels and restaurants in St Barth are pitching in for the festival, with a different Chef on hand.

One of the best is Arnaud Donckele, owner and Chef at La Vague d’Or, the only three-Michelin star restaurant in Saint-Tropez, who will be leading the celebration at the Cheval Blanc St-Barth Isle de France hotel on Flamands Beach.

Doncekele will incorporate his signature Provence-inspired taste into a special multi-course meal, with wine pairings available as well.

Prices will range from 95€ to 130€ per menu.

— CJ Staff

The post How This Hotel Is Celebrating the St Barth Gourmet Festival appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Norwegian Cruise Line is expanding its partnership with Margaritaville, the company announced this week.

The plan is to add two new Margaritaville at Sea restaurants onboard its Norwegian Getaway and Norwegian Breakaway cruise ships.

“Norwegian Cruise Line has been bringing guests to paradise for nearly 50 years,” said Andy Stuart, President and Chief Operating Officer for Norwegian Cruise Line. “With the expansion of our partnership with Margaritaville to our Breakaway Class ships, our guests will now be able to enjoy the island lifestyle before the ship has even left port.”

Margaritaville at Sea will open Sept. 18 on Norwegian Getaway in the former Flamingo Grill, with the Norwegian Breakaway location set to open Oct. 9 in the former Uptown Grill.

“We are excited to expand our relationship with Norwegian Cruise Line, allowing even more guests to escape to the Margaritaville state of mind,” said John Cohlan, chief executive officer of Margaritaville. “Norwegian shares our philosophy that combines fun with exceptional service and we look forward to continuing to take this partnership to new sea levels.”

— CJ Staff

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JetBlue has officially launched its newest expansion of service in the Caribbean region.

The New York City-based carrier has begun operating two additional daily flights between Fort Lauderdale and Nassau, Bahamas.

The service, which launched at the beginning of the month, represents the latest addition for what has become the fastest-growing air carrier in the Caribbean.

Nassau

The new flights mean a total of five flights per day between Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Nassau’s Lynden Pindling International Airport, up from three flights a day previously.

The new flights include an early 7:52 AM outbound flight from Fort Lauderdale, which could significantly help connections to the Out Islands of the Bahamas through Nassau.

JetBlue’s 2016 Caribbean push has seen the addition of new Mint Cabin service on flights to destinations including Aruba, Barbados, St Maarten and Grenada, expanded service to destinations like Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic and new routes to destinations including Barbados.

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Puerto Rico-based regional carrier Seaborne Airlines is expanding its flights to the island of Anguilla.

The carrier will be expanding from three days a week to five days a week, along with two flights, including an evening flight, on both Saturday and Sunday.

The expanded service will begin Nov. 1.

“Anguilla is an important market for Seaborne, and we see tremendous potential for this destination,” said Fernando Vazquez, Managing Director of Airports for Seaborne Airlines. “We appreciate the cooperation we have received from the Anguilla Tourist Board, and we look forward to working closely to promote this service.  It is in all our best interests to ensure that our planes are flying full this winter.”

Schedule and fares for the new Seaborne Anguilla flights are currently being finalized, according to the Anguilla Tourist Board.

“This expanded service will make a significant and positive impact in enhancing connectivity from all our source markets,” said Mrs. Donna Banks, ATB Chairperson.  “The evening flight will facilitate connections from the West Coast of the US and from Europe, while the morning flight from Anguilla enables seamless connections for the return home. Improving access is a critical factor as we seek to increase overall tourist arrivals.”

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