Karisma Hotels and Resorts has officially opened its new Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Cancun resort in the heart of the Mexican Caribbean.

The Cancun-area all-inclusive, which is the first product of a partnership between Karisma and Margaritaville, received its first guests on July 1.

“The launch of the Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Cancun is our first of many Island Reserve resorts, with properties in Riviera Maya and Cap Cana [in the Dominican Republic] on the horizon for 2021,” said Bill Linehan, president of Premier Worldwide Marketing, the exclusive worldwide representatives for Karisma Hotels & Resorts. “Margaritaville Island Reserve is much more than an all-inclusive resort – it is the epitome of a Caribbean oasis where everything is included.”

The resort has a total of 148 rooms and suites, along with four eateries, six bars and an 8,000-square-foot spa. 

Notably, each room comes with its own “customizable” in-room bar, “complete with all the glassware and tools needed for true personalization,” according to Karisma. 

The launch of the resort comes with Karisma’s new “Peace of Mind” health and safety plan, which covers enhanced sanitization and social-distancing protocols for its resorts. 

The next Margaritaville Island Reserve in the pipeline, the aforementioned resort in the tony Cap Cana enclave of Punta Cana, broke ground last year, with plans for a 228-room property on Juanillo Beach. That property is slated to debut in 2021, according to Karisma.

It’s joined by a Riviera Maya resort also under construction.

The Mexican Caribbean officially reopened for tourism last month.

For more, visit Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Cancun.

— CJ

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The adults-only Pineapple Beach Club will reopen for business on July 10, 2020, according to Elite Island Resorts. 

The Antigua says that the health, safety and comfort of its guests are its top priorities.

Prior to travelers’ arrival, their guest rooms will be cleaned and sanitized using professional, hospital-grade electrostatic sprayers with an EPA-rated disinfectant.

This same process will be used throughout the resort’s restaurants, bars, common areas and facilities.

The resort’s staff is engaging in enhanced health and safety training and its “Clean Team Ambassadors” are ensuring that common touch surfaces are disinfected.

Guests will enjoy contactless check-in, more space between seats in dining rooms and more space for social distancing around pools and on the beach.

Antigua officially reopened for tourism in early June. 

For more, visit Pineapple Beach Club. 

— CJ

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The Bahamas is officially open for tourism. 

The 700-island destination reopened its borders for international tourism on July 1, part of a phased reopening that began with a reopening for boaters and private aviation on June 15. 

Most crucially, incoming travelers must present a COVID-19 RT-PCR negative test upon arrival (that’s the swab test). 

Those arriving from July 1 to July 7 must present test results no more than 10 days old. 

Those arriving after July 7 must present results no more than seven days old. 

The testing protocol does not apply for children under the age of two; children between the ages of 3 and 10, provided their state or country doesn’t administer tests for children under that age (a proof of testing restriction must be submitted). 

All travelers must also present an electronic Health Visa (you can find it here) prior to departure; travelers must upload their test results and provide contact information. 

There is no quarantine required upon arrival — but travelers who show symptoms of COVID-19 may be transferred to an area away from other passengers for further testing. 

The reopening means hotels and vacation rentals are now open to guests, with airlines relaunching their service. 

The first airline to return to The Bahamas is Southwest Airlines, which returns July 1 from Baltimore-Washington. 

On July 2, JetBlue will resume its daily service between New York and Nassau, as will Delta Air Lines from Atlanta, which is flying twice daily on that route. 

United will be relaunching its daily flights from Houston and Newark on July 6, while weekly Denver-Nassau service on Saturdays will resume July 11. 

And American Airlines will be launching daily flights from Charlotte to Nassau; Miami to Exuma and Miami to Eleuthera, all on July 7. 

Twice-daily flights from Miami to Nassau will also launch July 7. 

So what’s open? Resorts like the Warwick Paradise Island, Riu Palace Paradise Island and Island House all reopening on July 1, along with Nassau’s legendary Graycliff hotel.

That’s along with a number of Out Islands resorts like Fernandez Bay Village on Cat Island, the Kahari Resort and Staniel Cay Yacht Club in Exuma, Valentines Resort on Harbour Island and the Carriearl Boutique Hotel in The Berry Islands, for example. 

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Aruba has reopened its borders for tourists from Canada, Europe and the rest of the Caribbean (with the exception of the Dominican Republic and Haiti).

The Dutch Caribbean island had already reopened to travel from nearby Bonaire and Curacao. 

On July 10, Aruba will begin receiving travelers from the United States. 

Most notably, all visitors to Aruba need to present a COVID-19 negative test from a certified lab — with the test taken no more than 72 hours prior to departure. 

Aruba is also requiring the purchase of “Aruba Visitors Insurance,” which the country says “helps to protect you against medical and non-medical expenses incurred if you test positive for COVID-19 during your stay in Aruba.”

That costs $15 per person per day of the trip. 

Travelers also need to fill out an electronic ED form (here’s where to find it).

All passengers will still be screened with a short health status interview and a temperature check.

“Aruba’s sunny shores are welcoming visitors once again,” the Aruba Tourism Authority said in a statement. “Aruba’s diligent reopening will happen in phases, monitored closely by the Government of Aruba and the Department of Public Health.”

A number of the island’s resorts are reopening this month; the Renaissance Aruba and Boardwalk Boutique Hotel have already relaunched, while the Hilton Aruba, for example, is opening July 9.

The Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort never officially closed, having now completed a series of health and safety and cosmetic upgrades to the Eagle Beach-area property. 

— CJ

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