Another major Caribbean resort has reopened as the region’s tourism sector continues its relaunch: the Ritz-Carlton, Aruba, which began welcoming guests again this week.

The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba joins two other Ritz-Carlton resorts in the Caribbean that have reopened, along with the Ritz-Carlton, St Thomas and Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico is officially reopening for tourism next week).

The relaunch of Aruba’s top luxury resort comes as the destination just reopened its borders to tourists from America, part of a multi-phased reopening that began last month.

“The Ladies and Gentlemen of The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba are honored to welcome our valued guests back to our wonderful island,” Steven Redkoles, Area General Manager at The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba, told Caribbean Journal. “An inspiring journey awaits our guests and we are committed to serve them in a safe and comfortable environment where they can discover reimagined luxury.”

The Palm Beach-area property has made some changes, including newly-recrafted menus, the addition of carry-out options at restaurants, and a reopened casino that is now the “premier non-smoking casino in Aruba”

The property has a total of 320 guest rooms and suites, the aforementioned 24-hour casino, a club lounge and a spa with 13 treatment rooms and six eateries.

Those eateries include the signature BLT Steak, and Casa Nonna, the first Aruba outpost of the renowned New York Italian restaurant.

The resort has relaunched under parent company Marriott’s “Commitment to Clean,” a comprehensive series of measures that impact every facet of the guest experience, from social distancing in public spaces to the use of new cleaning technologies.

Aruba has reopened for travelers with a series of health and safety protocols ranging from required proof of negative COVID results prior to arrival to the purchase of a special “Aruba Travel Insurance.”

You can find more on Aruba’s protocols here.

For more, visit the Ritz-Carlton, Aruba.

— CJ

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Canadian carrier WestJet has returned to Cancun on the Caribbean coast of Mexico. 

WestJet officially resumed its flights from Toronto to Cancun on Saturday; the flights will be running once weekly on Saturdays. 

WestJet is operating the flights on Boeing was 737-800 aircraft. 

“Governments and Canadians from coast-to-coast are working together to lessen the impact of this pandemic and we are grateful that these efforts have put us in a position to add more options for travel this July,” said Arved von zur Muehlen, WestJet Chief Commercial Officer. 

Cancun is the first destination in the broader Caribbean region to see a return by WestJet since the beginning of the pandemic. 

The flight takes about four hours. 

— CJ

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There are some signature stops for those who love the Caribbean; some sought-after places that are more than just hotels. 

Since 1974, the beloved, family-run Bolongo Bay has been just that — from the iconic Iggie’s Beach Bar to the weekly “Snorkel Booze Hunt,” it’s been one of the region’s capitals of easygoing fun — and an exemplar for the authentic Caribbean hospitality experience. 

And now, following the US Virgin Islands‘ reopening of tourism last month, the resort is open again. 

The 75-room beachfront resort reopened its doors last week, with new health and safety protocols but the same fun-loving spirit. 

“If anybody can make this fun and goofy and happy, it’s Bolongo,” owner Richared Doumeng told Caribbean Journal. 

And a huge part of that has been the response by the staff to the new realities of travel in the COVID age, he said. 

“The staff has been unbelievable,” Doumeng told Caribbean Journal. “I realized from the get go that we had to make it as good for the people we work with as possible, and it’s working. If you make it worth it for your co-workers and you do a good job protecting them, eventually it works with the guests.”

And Bolongo’s layout is a natural fit for the kinds of socially-distanced, outdoor experience travelers are looking for right now, Doumeng said. 

“I am so happy we are an open-air facility,” he said. “The hallway is open-air, we have individual air conditioner — at dinner, at the pool, we are naturally spread out — we have a 900-foot beach with 75 rooms.”

While the hotel’s facilities are still closed to non-guests, on-property guests have access to all of the Bolongo signatures, including aforementioned “Snorkel Booze Hunt,” which sees staff hide bottles of rum out in the bay for guests to snorkel and find. 

The relaunch of Bolongo is a significant step for the US Virgin Islands’ tourism sector, which officially reopened for travelers at the beginning of last month. 

And as the hotel reopens, Doumeng said the formula remains the same —  the reason why the resort has become such a popular spot in the USVI. 

“People care about us because we care about them, and it really does work,” he said. “We’ve gotten so much kindness back and we know it’s paid off — it really is the human part of the deal, it’s the people.”

For more, visit Bolongo Bay. 

The post The Bolongo Bay Beach Resort in St Thomas Is Open Again appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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