It’s one of the gems of the Caribbean coast of Mexico: the lovely fishing village called Puerto Morelos, halfway between Cancun and the Riviera Maya.

It’s a stunning stretch of Caribbean beach, with no corner more beautiful than that at the area’s best hotel, the Grand Residences Riviera Cancun.

Here’s what it’s like from one of the hotel’s Master Suites.

The post VIDEO: On the Beach in Puerto Morelos, Mexico appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association elected a new slate of Caribbean tourism officials at its Annual General Meeting held at the Hyatt Regency Miami this week.

The officers will serve with CHTA President Karolin Troubetzkoy, owner and executive director of Lucia’s Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain Resort, who started her term in January.

“I look forward to working with these individuals who have been instrumental in expanding tourism throughout the Caribbean. I am confident that together, we will expand our efforts to sustain the region as the world’s principal tourism destination. Their expertise and advocacy of the Caribbean strengthens the association as a leader of the Caribbean hospitality industry,” Troubetzkoy said.

The five vice presidents elected to serve for the 2016-2018 biennium include: Stuart Bowe, president of the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association and senior vice president and general manager of Coral Towers at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas; Karen Whitt, director of the Turks & Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association and general manager, Regent Palms Turks & Caicos; Patricia Affonso Dass, immediate past chairman of the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association and general manager of Ocean Two Resort & Residences, Barbados; Wayne Cummings, director of business processes and administration of Sandals Resorts International; and Pablo Torres, general manager of Caribe Hilton San Juan.

James Hepple, president and CEO of of the Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association, will serve as treasurer.

The announcements were made on the sidelines of the CHTA’s annual Taste of the Caribbean culinary competition and festival.

The festival was highlighted by the Taste of the Islands consumer event on Thursday, bringing together culinary teams from around the region to offer their top samples to the public.

— Dana Niland

The post The Caribbean’s Newest Tourism Officials appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Royal Caribbean is planning another major renovation on on of its ships.

The company is planning a $61 million revitalization project on the Adventure of the Seas ship.

The changes will include new “dual racer” waterslides called Cyclone and Typhoon, a FlowRider surf simulator and a new children’s waterpark called Splashaway Bay.

The ship will relaunch in November.

The ship will also see new eateries including Izumi Japanese Cuisine, Chops Grille, a steakhouse, and Boleros Latin Lounge.

The ship will also receive more than 100 new staterooms, along with a refresh of the existing staterooms and the addition of a Suites Lounge.

“We’re thrilled to debut an array of new enhancements to one of our guest’s most beloved ships,” said Michael Bayley, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “The name Adventure says it all; this ship is packed with action, featuring a mix of signature features and innovations, including thrilling new waterslides and VOOM, the fastest internet at sea.”

The ship will be sailing out of San Juan, Puerto Rico, to ports including Bridgetown, Barbados; Castries, St Lucia; St John’s, Antigua; Basseterre, St Kitts and Philipsburg, St Maarten.

Other features on the ship include the Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, three pools and a rock climbing wall, among other amenities.

The ship was last refreshed in 2014.

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ST CROIX, USVI — The US House of Representatives passed legislation on Thursday by a 297-127 vote to address Puerto Rico’s fiscal and economic crisis after several months of contentious debate. The bill, known as the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act…

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By Beatriz Torres Marin
CJ Contributor

“The place where you’ll change Uber for boat rides that will take you from island to island.”

A FRIEND and I wanted to go on a short getaway and do nothing but chill by the beach. Our friends suggested Bocas del Toro, Panama, which is a surfers’ paradise.

So we organized a 3 night stay in the island. But before getting there we flew to Panama and stayed the night at the historic quarter know as “Casco Viejo”. I was expecting to find old buildings and narrow streets but, to my surprise, the place is somehow really hipster.

The hotels, the houses and the art galleries might look old on the outside but once you go inside it really changes. Tántalo, our hotel, was super modern. The rooms and corridors have cool graffiti and paintings. And so have the rest of the hotels in the area. Most of the hotels have nigh time rooftops where you’ll be able to experience the contrast of being among huge graffitis while watching the old quarter buildings.

During our one day stay we strolled down the quarter’s colorful streets and markets. An afternoon is more than enough to walk around the area and visit a couple of art galleries.

You won’t see many tourists there and the locals are as picturesque as the buildings. Most of the buildings seem abandoned though.

The next morning we had an early flight to Bocas del Toro. We flew from a small airport in Panama and of course, once we got there all we saw where surfers from everywhere in the world. It was an hour long flight, so by 10 am we were at Bocas.

We went straight from the airport to our hostel, Selina. It’s a really affordable place with lots of young people. The hostel’s outdoor area is actually one of the island’s party places so don’t stay there if you are not ready to party and meet people.

Each morning, while you have breakfast, you’ll see all the surfers by the small deck in the hotel’s bar waiting for the boats to pass by and take them to the best surfing spots.

Each day, after the surfers were gone we went island hopping! We would also wait by the deck for a boat and agree on a price with the boat’s owner so that he would leave us on an island and then pick us up to go to the next one.

The first beach we visited was at Starfish Island. Yes, the shore is full of starfish. This was one of my favorite spots. It wasn’t really crowded and they have local food and juice bars by the beach.

That night we had dinner at one of the town’s restaurants, and then we had a couple of drinks. The crowd in Bocas is really young and the restaurants and bars are really casual. At the end of the day, it’s a surfer town! The next day, we jumped on a boat again and visited more islands. While on the boat, ask the captain to take you near the trees so that you can see the sloths! They come down the trees once a week so it might be difficult to see them.

Another one of my favorite islands was Isla Zapatilla. Really different from Starfish Island. This beach is really big and you can even hike around the interior of the island. What I liked the most were the horizontal palm trees as you can see in the cover pic of this post. Plus, no need to mention the turquoise waters. There weren’t many tourists and I have to admit we felt like castaways.

After a couple of hours, our boat driver picked us up to take us to Blue Coconut, a restaurant in the middle of the water. The food was good and did I mention you can chill with a drink in one of their hammocks inside the water?

The restaurant owner will offer you snorkel gear and even boards to do paddle boarding. Although you might have to share the board with one of her dogs.

To tell you the truth, after discovering Blue Coconut we didn’t wanna go anywhere else. So, we spent our last day there drinking amazing cocktails, meeting new people and chillin’ at the hammocks.

Beatriz Torres Marin is the editor of Las Sufridoras.

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