Four Seasons is continuing its Caribbean expansion.

Just a month after opening its new Anguilla resort, the company’s new Puerto Rico project has broken ground.

The Four Seasons Cayo Largo officially launched work in the area of Fajardo.

The $230 million hotel project, which is slated for a debut at the end of 2018, will have 140 rooms and will generate 400 permanent jobs (along with 400 construction jobs), according to Puerto Rican officials.

“Today Cayo Largo is reborn,” said Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla.

Puerto Rico’s government is supporting the project through tax credits from the Department of Finance and the Hotel Development Corporation.

The hotel would be Four Seasons’ third property in the region, along with the aforementioned Anguilla resort (which was formerly a Viceroy) and its flagship resort in Nevis.

The formerly stalled project will reportedly include a hotel and an 18-hole golf course and a residential real estate component.

The post Four Seasons Resort Breaks Ground in Puerto Rico appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The Maya Beach Hotel and Bistro in Belize has expanded with the addition of three new suites.

The hotel added three brand-new suites, bringing the hotel’s room count to 13 units, ranging from standard one-bedroom rooms to beachfront cabanas to three-bedroom apartments.

“We’re thrilled to offer even more private, relaxing options to our guests,” said Ellen Lee, co-owner of the property. “At Maya Beach Hotel, we embrace the natural beauty and cultural identity of Belize and the Placencia Peninsula. Our rooms are simple, comfortable and accessible to all the amazing adventures that await our guests.”

The boutique hotel is home to a pool, a bar and a signature restaurant, Bistro.

— Caribbean Journal Staff

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Despite Puerto Rico being the hub of the United States’ naval response to the German blockade of the Caribbean, there is very little published scholarship on the island’s heavy involvement in the global conflict of World War II. Recently, a new generation of scholars has been compiling…

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The Caribbean’s food scene continues to get better, with a renewed focus on honoring local styles and ingredients and a growing slate of world-class restaurants. And 2016 was an eventful year for the region’s restaurants, with several stellar debuts like St. Croix’s Balter but also the sad closing in December of one of the Caribbean’s greatest restaurants, La Cave a Vins in Martinique (although the owners are reportedly moving to a new location on the outskirts of Fort-de-France.)

With our fourth annual 50 Best Caribbean Restaurants list, we again seek to highlight the diversity and quality of the world of Caribbean food, using our three pillars of evaluation: food, service and ambience. Because as we like to say, the most important thing about a restaurant is how it makes you feel. And the best restaurants tick all three boxes.

Here are this year’s 50 best restaurants in the Caribbean.

Le Pressoir

Chef Franck Mear has achieved a masterwork with Le Pressoir, a truly exceptional restaurant set in an old Creole house in the heart of Grand Case, St. Martin. It boasts impeccable service, wonderful Brittany-meets-the-French-Caribbean cuisine and a kind of rarefied but relaxed ambience that makes for an instantly memorable meal. It is, in many ways, the perfect Caribbean restaurant.

The post The 50 Best Restaurants in the Caribbean – 2016 appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Silversea’s latest refurbishment

By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor

It took 7 days and millions of dollars and now Silversea’s 382-passenger Silver Whisper has emerged from dry dock in Freeport, Bahamas with several enhancements to its suites and public areas.

In a move to bring visual uniformity across the line’s eight-ship fleet,the vessel’s 194 suites were upgraded with new carpeting and marble-floored bathrooms. Restaurants La Terrazza, Le Champagne, and The Restaurant all received new wall coverings, upholstery and re-polished wood floors. In the Observation Lounge, new wood cabinetry, an enlarged bar and navigational monitor were added; the gym now boasts a wood floor and refrigerated refreshment center; and a pair of whirlpools were added on the pool deck.

“Our goal with this refurbishment was to refresh Silver Whisper‘s signature style and honor her superb legacy of hosting our iconic world cruises by revitalizing the onboard experience for our guests,” said Roberto Martinoli, Silversea’s CEO.

Silver Whisper’s next Caribbean sailing is on November 2, 2017, when it departs New York on an 11-day cruise with stops at destinations including St. Maarten, St. Barth, Antigua and St. Lucia.

It is the fourth Silversea ship to be refreshed in a $170-million fleetwide project scheduled to be complete by the end of 2017.

The post Silversea Completes Renovation on Silver Whisper Ship appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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