By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor

Right now, with kids all over the country returning to school, many parents are realizing that summer’s come and gone and with all the focus on family fun they haven’t managed to squeeze in any grown-up getaway time.

But there is hope.

We’ve found a sweet deal on a vacation that’s strictly for adults and which just might be the perfect finale to a sun-drenched summer.

It’s at Temptation Cancun, an adult-focused playground that reopened just last month after almost a year of top-to-toe renovations.

The multi-million-dollar enhancement project was led by designer Karim Rashid and includes a new seven-story multicolor façade and features such as a “sexy pool,” BASH nightclub and an “aphrodisiac restaurant,” SHE.

The deal: A whopping 45 percent off rates (which start at $329), valid for travel September 17 through October 31, 2017.

The post How to Save on Your Next Cancun Couples Retreat appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor

Club Med may have invented the all-inclusive vacation, but Jamaican hotelier Abe Issa introduced the model to the Caribbean when he rebranded his 1949-built Tower Isle Hotel as Couples Ocho Rios back in 1978 and put the island on the path to becoming the modern all-inclusive mecca it is today. In the decades since, the classic brand has expanded to four resorts, including a pair in the resort town of Negril and one in nearby Ocho Rios. So which of these adults-only beachfront enclaves to choose? Truth is you can’t go wrong with any of them. But read on to find the Couples resort that may be a perfect match for you.

#1: Couples Negril About 90 minutes’ drive from Montego Bay you’ll find this 234-room retreat occupying pride of place on Bloody Bay. The vibe is playful and appropriately laidback at this playground in the “capital of casual,” with a trendy poolside scene, five restaurants to sate the appetite, and a raft of included activities (think basketball, golf, tennis and fitness classes) to help you work one up. Perks such as couples’ spa treatments and private dinners on the sand raise the romance bar and make this resort a great choice for beach-craving, fun-loving couples who want to vacation among like-minded souls. All around, it’s our favorite.

The post Couples Resorts, Ranked appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Even on Palm Beach, a morning can’t begin without a proper cup of coffee. It’s simply part of the routine, even when you’re on holiday.

And making great coffee is precisely the plan at the new Ritual Coffee Culture, a sleek new cafe at the Ritz-Carlton, Aruba.

The coffee house, with a Brooklyn-meets-the-Caribbean wood and stone decor, has a range of classic coffee drinks from espresso to macchiato along with favorites like cold brew, nitro coffee, cold drip and even a selection of frozen coffees.

That’s joined by options like pastries, fruit and sandwiches for the traveler on the go.

Even better? Ritual Coffee Culture also has its own gelateria, with a perfectly manicured selection of classic gelato flavors, from pistachio to stracciatella.

Whether you’re staying at the Ritz-Carlton or simply passing through, there’s no better place to start the day.

– CJ

The post Ritual Coffee Culture, Aruba’s Newest Cafe appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Norwegian Cruise Line’s new Norwegian Bliss ship will have a Margaritaville at Sea.

The company announced the offering as part of a host of new amenities on the ship, which will include everything from a two-level race track to a hibachi steakhouse.

But that will include the floating Margaritaville, a concept that first debuted on Norwegian Escape before opening aboard Norwegian Getaway and Norwegian Breakaway in 2016.

And yes, the open-air eatery will serve the famous Cheeseburger in Paradise.

– CJ Staff

The post Norwegian’s New Ship Will Have a Margaritaville at Sea appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Alexander Britell

From Jamaica’s Half Moon to a grotto in the Exumas, globetrotting spy James Bond always seems to find himself in the Caribbean, the perfect jet-set location for the globetrotting 007.

But it’s also because the Caribbean is where the idea for Bond was born.

Ian Fleming, the legendary author behind the Bond series, built his dream home, Goldeneye, in Oracabessa, not far from Ocho Rios, in Jamaica.

Indeed, it was at this bucolic estate that he first had the idea for Bond and wrote all 14 of his novels at the same desk at Goldeneye.

In 1976, another British legend, Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, purchased the property from the Fleming estate, turning it from Fleming’s original villa into the luxury resort it is today.

But in recent years, the 52-acre Goldeneye has become something more: a place you can actually buy a home.

It began with 21 villas on offer, scattered across the lush grounds, a number that has unsurprisingly dwindled to three.

The surge in demand is not a surprise to Coldwell Banker Jamaica Realty’s Sandy Tatham, who is marketing the new Goldeneye properties.

“I think it’s the interest in this end of the island — we’re within 7 minutes of an international airport, and I think it’s the variety of terrain Goldeneye offers — it’s got cliffs, it’s got white sand beach, it’s got lagoon, it’s got tropical rainforest,” she tells Caribbean Journal. “And then there’s the whole historical side of Ian Fleming, and all driven by a visionary like Chris Blackwell, who has brought his own unique flavor to bear on it.”

But now a new wave of development is happening at Goldeneye, with a total of 10 new “lagoon cottages,” set to build out in 2018, with a starting price of $2.5 million.

More importantly, that will be joined by the “East of Fleming” villas, which will be a collection of four large villas built on the original Fleming property, where Fleming built his original villa — villas that will be built in the style of the original Fleming house.

“They’re a little more exclusive, a little more private,” Tatham says.

The East of Fleming villas will be priced in the $5 million range.

It’s a chance to live on the original Fleming property, to live as Fleming did in one of the most beautiful places in Jamaica.

And who knows? You may dream up the next great spy novel. Or at least enjoy some martinis on the lagoon (shaken, of course).

The post How to Move to Goldeneye appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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