By the Caribbean Journal staff

There’s a new seafood market in Turks and Caicos, with a famous name.

It’s called the Bubba Gump Seafood Market, and the market is the product of five decades of Turks and Caicos fishing experience.

The brainchild of Dameko Dean, the first location of Bubba Gump is located in Providenciales’ Grace Bay, offering everything from conch to lobster to fresh fish and more.

“Our boats go out every day and bring back fresh stock,” the market told Caribbean Journal.

Grace Bay’s Bubba Gump is located in the Alliance Business Center across the street from Providenciales’ Alexandra Resort.

The market, which gets its name from the popular film Forrest Gump, is not related to the United States-based Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

— CJ

The post Bubba Gump Comes to Turks and Caicos appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Alexander Britell and Guy Britton

It’s early in the afternoon and we need a stop at the local market.

We pull up to a small building in Chester’s without a sign.

“Why isn’t there a sign?” I ask Papa Chis.

“Because everybody knows where it is,” he says. “There’s only one.”

Chester’s is a tiny town on the North Side, a place that was bustling a century ago and now largely quiet, hidden away on Acklins Island, the far edge of The Bahamas.

This is the frontier. This is the island even some Bahamians don’t know exists.

This is the Bahamian Outback.

It’s about an hour by plane to get to Acklins from New Providence, at the far reaches of this 700-island archipelago, about as far away from Nassau as you can get and still be in the Bahamas.

There are sandbars everywhere.

It’s about as close to undiscovered as you can get these days, a Stealth Bomber on the travel radar, with a population of just a few hundred, depend on whom you ask.

But there’s a reason people travel from all over the world to come here. And it’s just beneath the surface.

“Papa Chis,” actually Julius Chisholm, is the proprietor, along with his wife Arnette, of the Chester’s Highway Inn Bonefish Lodge, so called because Acklins Island is home to some of the best bonefishing on Planet Earth.

“Elvis” is the number one bonefishing guide on the island.

It’s the sort of place where you don’t even need to take out a boat — you just walk right into the flats and find yourself seemingly surrounded by bonefish, in waters teeming with the tough little creatures.

Indeed, Julius and Arnette’s place is Ground Zero for bonefishing here, a hotel where you can just about walk out your door and wade right into the flats.

Chester’s Highway Inn Bonefish Lodge.

But Acklins is more than just bonefishing — it’s home to the sorts of sparkling sandbars and little cays you typically find in the waters of the Exumas – but without any crowds.

Arnette and Julius Chisholm.

There are miles of sand and beaches, the sort of brilliant turquoise you only find in The Bahamas and, well, the sort of secluded tranquility you don’t find anywhere.

The scenery is diverse; shimmering blues; wide flats; sprawling masses of sand and brush.

This is the Bahamas before it was the Bahamas, raw, unadulterated.

This is the edge.

And it’s time to discover it.

The post VIDEO: A Journey to Acklins Island, the Bahamian Outback appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Bermuda’s Willowbank hotel is set for a relaunch next month following a complete renovation of the property, according to the Bermuda Tourism Authority.

The Willowbank is located in Somerset on the western end of Bermuda, with a location boasting two beaches.

All of the hotel’s 50 rooms now include Wi-Fi, flat-screen televisions and mini fridges, while the property has also upgraded its pool, added a new basketball court and fitness center and children’s area, among other changes.

The Willowbank has also introduced complimentary shuttle service for its dine-around program, which includes a dinner package that covers five different restaurants.

Long one of the best values in Bermuda, the Willowbank has a mix of oceanfront, ocean view and garden view rooms.

The post Bermuda’s Willowbank Set for Relaunch appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

A new boutique hotel is coming to Bermuda.

The Azura Boutique Hotel and Residences is slated to make its official debut in early 2019, according to a statement from the Bermuda Tourism Authority.

The property, set at the former site of the Surf Side Beach Club, aims to have its first residence ready by this spring.

It’s located in the center of Bermuda’s South Shore Beach corridor, about 10 minutes from Hamilton and adjacent to the island’s Smith Nature Reserve.

The initial phase of the project will include a collection of 21 hotel residences, with up to 46 beds.

The post New Boutique Coming to Bermuda appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

The island of Dominica has long been one of the best-kept secrets in Dominica.

And now the island’s largest hotel is offering a way for divers to take advantage.

The hotel, which has served as a base for divers who want to explore Dominica’s marine life, is creating customized dive experiences for its guests with the assistance of a dedicated dive concierge.

“Diving is one of Dominica’s most championed attractions and we want to help visitors have the best possible experience exploring our waters,” said Marvlyn James, General Manager of the Fort Young Hotel. “We’ve enjoyed being a base for divers from around the world and look forward to continuing to serve the diving community as an expert resource.”

The concierge can coordinate diving locations, equipment, whale watching excursions and transportation to and from the desired diving sites, including the Soufriere/Scotts Head Marine Reserve.

With their rugged pinnacles, drop-offs and abyss depths that protected the marine life from Hurricane Maria, Dominica’s waters are “a paradise for divers,”

As divers hit 30 feet and continue a gradual descent, they’ll witness a seascape of forested coral gardens, sponge life, seahorses, frogfish, flying gurnards and more.

Dominica is also a home to a natural wonder in the form of Champagne Reef, so called because of the bubbles rising up through the sand from underwater hot springs, remnants of the island’s volcanic origins.

While the island’s volcanic craters have protected its reefs, the hurricane has served to cleanse the water and make way for new nutrients for all surviving reefs, coral, fish and pelagic creatures.

Additionally, with less water sports traffic, there has been a reported influx of whale and dolphin sightings off the Caribbean Sea.

The sky pool at the Fort Young in Dominica.

Fort Young Hotel reopened in January after completing its first phase of renovations following Hurricane Maria.

The hotel has 41 of its 72 rooms available for booking, and many of its core amenities, including the pool, jetty, the waterfront Warner’s Bar, food and beverage services, in-room spa services and one of its meeting facilities and operational.

The hotel is expected to fully reopen in October of this year.

Divers interested in booking a stay at Fort Young Hotel can reserve dates immediately.

The hotel is offering a package that includes: five or seven nights accommodations, daily breakfast, airport transfer marine tags and three or five days of two tank dives and all taxes.

Rates start at $1,256 per person, and for a special deal, groups of ten only pay for nine.

The post How to Take a Dive Vacation in Dominica appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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