The government of the Bahamas is launching an “ambitious” solarization program over the next five years, Bahamas Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis said this week.

Through its Sustainable Nassau Project, the government will better integrate smart technology to ensure that Bahamians use less energy in public buildings, schools and street lighting.

“As a low-lying nation chain, our development strategies must be smart and sustainable,” Minnis said. “Eighty percent of the landmass in The Bahamas will be threatened by a one meter rise in the sea level.”

“Even as we urge the larger nations of the world to reduce their enormous carbon footprint, and to help Small Island Developing States to mitigate the effects of climate change, we must play our part in developing sustainable energy,” he said.

“Climate change is a global challenge that does not respect national borders,” U.N. Officials report. “Emissions anywhere affect people everywhere. It is an issue that requires solutions that need to be coordinated at the international level and it requires international cooperation to help developing countries move toward a low-carbon economy.”

These officials points to affordable, scalable solutions available to enable countries to reach cleaner, more resilient economies.

Among these options are renewable energy and a range of other measures that will reduce emissions and increase adaptation efforts.

“We should be diligent in putting in action, plans for renewable energy and energy efficiency from the sun, wind, the oceans, rivers and lakes,” Minnis said.

— Dana Niland, CJ Contributor

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By Alexander Britell

The Bahamas’ Atlantis resort has delayed the planned debut for its relaunched Coral Towers resort.

The Coral, which had been slated to debut July 16, will now be opening its doors later this summer, a spokesperson confirmed to Caribbean Journal.

“Our first guests to The Coral will be welcomed later this summer and the new Coral Pool will be opening this fall.  Guests already booked into The Coral this summer will be offered a complimentary upgrade [to The Cove or to The Reef], our luxury Oceanside property,” the company said in a statement. “Later this summer and until the fall opening of The Coral Pool, we will be offering reduced rates at The Coral while we complete the final renovations and construction needed to finalize the relaunch of this incredible new hotel.”

The much anticipated relaunch of one of the hotel’s older wings (it first opened in 1994) is part of a wider rebranding for Atlantis, which is seeking to reorient itself around more authentic Bahamian experiences.

That’s joined by a new campaign to highlight the resort’s Bahamian identity called “Come to Life.”

The Coral redesign will be accompanied by a similar transformation of Atlantis’ Marina Village, one that “will allow our guests to connect with Bahamian culture,” according to a release by Howard C. Karawan, President and Managing Director of Atlantis, Paradise Island.

The Coral’s relaunch also includes a major pool component designed by noted architect Jeffrey Beers and a new lobby lounge with features like an ice cream parlor and a bakery, along with “redesigned” rooms and suites.

It is an estimated $20 million renovation, the company said last year.

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If you’re lucky, if you’re there at just the right moment before dusk takes its evening bow, you can see a glimmer of something wonderful.

A flock of scarlet ibis birds flashes out of nowhere, a speckling of bright red in the green mangroves of Trinidad’s Caroni Swamp.

It’s a daily moment in Trinidad, an hour and place that bring visitors from around the world.

It’s not too far from here that Italian Luca Gargano found something on a trip to the island in 2004: the last glimmer of some legendary Caribbean rum.

A little more than a year after the old Caroni rum distillery had closed its doors, Gargano discovered that inside the old-state owned facility were hundreds of barrels of Caroni’s aging “heavy” rum, some dating back three decades.

Gargano, the owner of Velier, a specialty spirits importer that has made an art form of discovering rare and seemingly unobtainable old spirits (including rum), was able to acquire the rums and eventually bottle them, a treasure trove of rum archaeology.

Rum Journal was lucky enough to obtain a bottle, which is available in limited supply on the global market, including in the United States.

RJ tried the Caroni 17-year Old Rum, a 1998 vintage rum bottled at the end of 2015.

Housed in a beautiful bottle with a replica of a 1940s-era rum label, the 17-year has an alluring amber color and a funky, robust aroma of caramel and dried apricot and a hint of smoke; the moment you smell it you know you’ve found something very, very special.

The flavor profile is at first quite spicy before quickly rounding off into notes of dried mango, citrus peel, apricot and banana. Then come smoky suggestions of black pepper and oak.

The luxurious finish is perhaps the most remarkable quality: it seems to go on forever, somehow hinting at permanence.

Bottled at 55 percent ABV, this is no ordinary rum.

With each sip, the legend grows. But more special is the notion that this is truly a limited rum — it is the unearthing of a lost rum that will never be made again.

It’s the kind of thing that should be enjoyed every day, just at the edge of dusk.

That is, until it’s gone forever.

— CJ

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Hyatt has opened its first-ever Hyatt Centric in Guatemala.

The Hyatt Centric Guatemala has a total of 138 rooms and suites in the heart of Guatemala City’s Zona 10, or “Zona Viva” upscale commercial neighborhood.

The hotel is the product of a partnership between Hyatt, LATAM Hotel Corporation and GHL Hotels.

Each room has floor-to-ceiling vies of Guatemala City or the hotel’s atrium, with features including vintage artwork and free Wi-Fi.

“This hotel is a prime destination in Guatemala City, allowing guests to begin their journey of the country’s economic, governmental, and cultural center,” said George Vizer, vice president of franchise operations, Hyatt. “We are confident Hyatt Centric Guatemala City will deliver on the brand’s commitment to put guests in the middle of the action and inspire them to explore Guatemala’s capital city.”

The hotel has a main restaurant called Zamat, along with Zielo, a rooftop restaurant with a central open kitchen; also on offer are a bar and espresso shop.

“We are delighted to open Hyatt Centric Guatemala City, which will set a new standard for hospitality, service and facilities in Guatemala City. Hyatt Centric is a globally recognized brand, and whether traveling for leisure or business, our guests will have the opportunity to explore a full service lifestyle hotel and have a wonderful experience,” said Jorge Londoño, president of GHL Hotels.

It’s the first in the Caribbean Basin for the Hyatt Centric brand, which is also slated for development in Barbados.

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By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor

If you think staying at an all-inclusive resort means enduring endless uninspiring buffets, it must have been a while since you’ve stayed at one! Today’s generation of all inclusive resorts is leaving the old buffets-and-wristbands model in the dust, elevating the category with elegant dining in refined restaurants that feature cuisine not just from the Caribbean but from all over the world. Now going to dinner doesn’t mean simply traipsing to a cafeteria-style room and gorging on forgettable food. It means truly dining, seated in beautiful spaces and feasting on a la carte options that appeal to all the senses. And these 9 Caribbean gourmet all-inclusives set the standard as the top all inclusives for food right now.

Grand Velas Riviera Maya, Mexico Still the Caribbean’s leading all inclusive for food, this Mexican institution has eight restaurants, each featuring different cuisines from around the world.. Start with a hearty traditional Mayan breakfast at Chaká; exquisite gourmet Mexican at Frida; and don’t miss the tres magnifique brioche stuffed with blue cheese and walnuts at French restaurant, Piaf.

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