By the Caribbean Journal staff

With several islands steel reeling from the destructive force of Hurricane Irma, another major storm is barreling toward the Caribbean: Hurricane Maria.

As of Sunday evening, Hurricane Maria was about 210 miles east-southeast of the island of Dominica, with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Hurricane Center.

The storm was moving north-northwest at around 13 miles per hour, with a decrease in forward speed expected through Tuesday night, expected to become a “major hurricane.”

The center of Maria is projected to move across the Leeward Islands on Monday night, and then over the extreme northeastern Caribbean Sea on Tuesday.

Hurricane warnings were already in effect for Guadeloupe, Dominica, St Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat and Martinique, with tropical storm warnings in effect for Antigua and Barbuda, Saba, St Eustatius, St Lucia, Barbados and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

A Hurricane Watch was in effect for the US and British Virgin Islands, St Maarten, St Barth and Anguilla.

Maria is expected to produce rainfall of between six and 12 inches, with isolated maximum amounts of 20 inches across the Leeward Islands, including Puerto Rico and the US and British Virgin Islands through Wednesday night.

The northern and central Windward Islands are expected to see rainfall of two to four inches, with potential for life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.

The post Hurricane Maria Heads Toward Caribbean appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor

The appeal of swim-up suites ­– hotel rooms that open directly onto a private plunge or shared serpentine pool – is undeniable. Across the Caribbean, resorts with these room categories report that they’re consistently sold out, despite their premium price. And clearly guests love the water’s-edge cloisters, where they can literally roll straight out of bed and into the pool.

Many rave about the convenience of being able to bask in the sun even before breakfast is served. And most will cite the convenience of never really having to leave their room (or at least stray too far from it) to enjoy some pool time.

But there’s another advantage to these suites that’s often overlooked, one which we discovered during our recent stay at Barcelo Maya Caribe, a beachfront all-inclusive near Puerto Aventuras on the Riviera Maya of Mexico, where its swim-up suites are (unsurprisingly) in high demand.

The advantage is that swim-up suites offer the perfect (and private) way to end a full Caribbean day. How delightful to return to your roost, satisfied from a delicious dinner, and then be able to enjoy a soothing night swim under a tropical sky. If you’re lucky, your pool (like ours) will also have aqua loungers, offering semi-submerged relaxation and the perfect position for studious star-gazing.

And, if you’re luckier still, the patio of your suite (also like ours) will have a soaking tub.

So whenever you have a chance to book a swim-up suite, we recommend you do, but only as long as you remember this: Rolling out of bed and into the pool is an undeniably good thing. But emerging from the pool and then rolling pleasantly relaxed and droopy-eyed into bed is even better.

The post On the Riviera Maya, The Joy of the Swim-Up Suite appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Fast-expanding JetBlue had another traffic surge in August, according to the New York City-based carrier’s latest data report.

JetBlue tallied 4.42 billion revenue passenger miles in August, a 5 percent increase over the same period in 2016, while available seat miles rose by 5.4 percent to 5.077 billion last month.

Load factor in August rose by 0.3 percentage points to 87.1 percent.

For the year, the carrier’s revenue passenger miles are up 4.6 percent to 32.4 billion, while available seat miles are up 4.8 percent to 38.04 billion in the first eight months of the year.

JetBlue has been the fastest-growing carrier in the Caribbean for several years, though it’s not yet clear how Hurricane Irma will impact the company’s network in the Caribbean, particularly in the Virgin Islands.

“Our thoughts go to all those affected by Irma, including our crewmembers and customers throughout the Caribbean and in Florida who have been impacted,” Robin Hayes, president and CEO, JetBlue sait in a statement. “Our focus remains on deploying assistance to our crewmembers and resuming operations safely. We will update the market on the operational and financial impact of Irma in the coming weeks.”

The post Another Strong Month for JetBlue appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

The island of St. Kitts is “ready to welcome visitors” after escaping the wrath of Hurricane Irma.

The island’s airport, cruise port and all tourism providers are “open and resuming normal operations,” the island’s tourist board said in a statement.

St. Kitts was “fortunate to be virtually unscathed by Hurricane Irma,” officials said.

American Airlines has already resumed its Saturday flights from JFK, while Seaborne Airlines was set to resume its daily nonstop flights from San Juan on Saturday.

“All hotels and resorts are fully operational and the Park Hyatt St. Kitts remains on scheduled to debut Nov. 1,” the tourism board said.

“We are thrilled to get back to business as usual and ready to welcome visitors,” said St. Kitts Tourism Minister Lindsay Grant. “For those who planning to travel to island, we look forward to providing a world-class experience and all the warm Kittitian hospitality for which we have become known.”

Cruise lines have also resumed port calls to St. Kitts, with four ships set to dock at Port Zante in the coming week.

The post St. Kitts “Ready to Welcome Visitors” appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Alexander Britell

It’s a short drive on a dusty road from the Gold Mine Ranch to Balanushri, where a century and a half ago they used to take mined gold and process it here.

Today it is but a stony ruin, holes and crevices just across from the furious froth of Aruba’s eastern shores.

The road is surrounded by cacti, pale green in the hot summer, a landscape you’d expect to find in Arizona, not at the edge of the Caribbean Sea.

This is Aruba’s frontier, the Wild East, home to vistas foreign and breathtaking, another planet entirely, better traversed on a Rover — or at least an ATV.

The dry silence and the empty wilderness have a calming effect, giving travelers the feeling that they have journeyed far longer than half an hour from the stunning white-sand beaches of the west coast.

It is wild and wonderful terrain, home to exotic beaches and craggy coastlines and even an Ostrich Farm.

And if you’re looking for a fascinating, transformative day trip, it’s, well, a gold mine.

The post VIDEO: Exploring the Wild East of Aruba appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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