Air France is launching a new airline.

The company plans to debut “Joon,” aimed at young working millennial travelers, this fall with medium-haul flights out of Paris Charles de Gaulle.

That will be followed by the launch of long-haul flights in the summer of 2018.

Joon will not be a low-cost airline, however, offering products and services “that reflect those of Air France,” the company explained.

“Joon is a lifestyle brand and a state of mind,” the company said in a release. “Short, punchy and international, the name Joon is designed to address a worldwide audience.”

“We started with our target customer segment, the millennials, to create this new brand that means something to them. Our brief was simple: to find a name to illustrate a positive state of mind,” said Caroline Fontaine, VP Brand at Air France. “This generation has inspired us a lot: epicurean and connected, they are opportunistic in a positive sense of the word as they know how to enjoy every moment and are in search of quality experiences that they want to share with others.  Joon is a brand that carries these values.”

The new airline will be joined by Jean-Michel Mathieu, who will serve as Joon CEO.

“The creation of a new airline is a historic moment in many ways. Joon is another step in the deployment of the Trust Together strategic project. Its creation will improve the pro tability of the Air France Group, enabling it to reduce its costs and ensure the sustainability of its business model. Jean-Michel Mathieu, who has taken part in the development of this new airline since the start, today becomes its CEO. With all the Group’s teams, we are concentrating our energy on the successful launch of Joon,” said Franck Terner, CEO of Air France.

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Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas cruise ship is returning to St. Lucia.

The ship had previously been unable to dock at the Pointe Seraphine port in Castries due to harbor depth concerns.

Saint Lucia.

Now, following a successful dredging operation, the ship will be returning to Port Castries every three weeks, government officials said this week.

The 310-meter-long Voyager-class ship, which was first built in 2001, can accommodate up to 3,114 guests and 1,185 crew.

— Caribbean Journal staff

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The year’s most anticipated luxury hotel opening in the Caribbean has a new opening date.

The long-awaited Park Hyatt St. Kitts, the brand’s first foray into the Caribbean, has announced plans to open on Nov. 1.

That comes after the hotel announced it would begin taking bookings for festive season, or the latter half of December.

The hotel’s Web site showed that the opening dates had already been sold out.

Either way, the Range Developments resort will be a boon for St. Kitts, which has been waiting for a major “halo” hotel for some time.

The Park Hyatt will include 78 rooms and 48 suites, all of which will overlook Banana Bay in the Christophe Harbour development on the island’s southeastern peninsula.

“We are honoured to be so warmly welcomed into the St. Kitts & Nevis community and are strongly committed to being a key partner in the growth of this exciting destination,” says Julian Moore, General Manager of Park Hyatt St. Kitts. “We are delighted to introduce our guests to the unique Park Hyattexperience that embraces the vibrant culture, history and people that define the Federation of St. Kitts & Nevis.”

It will include three signature restaurants, a spa and wellness center, indoor and outdoor event spaces and a series of “journeys” aimed at exposing guests to the island’s culture and history.

Also on hand will be “The Island Fort by Camp Hyatt,” aimed at offering educational activities for younger guests.

The property had been slated to open its doors earlier this year, but a delayed opening is not exactly an unforeseen occurrence in the Caribbean.

St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Timothy Harris made a visit to the project over the weekend.

“I feel satisfied that the target date of November 2017 for the official opening of this facility is realizable with hard work,” he said. “I want to commend the over 800 workers who have been engaged on this property at various periods of activity on this site. Construction, plus all the sub-contractors who had become involved, and I gather that at one point it reached a high of about 60 sub-contractors.”

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While Jewish history in Jamaica dates back more than half a millennium, the island has never had a true kosher restaurant. Until now.

Jamaica’s first-ever kosher eatery, the Kosher Hot Spot, has officially opened its doors in Montego Bay.

The restaurant, which is the brainchild of the Chabad of Jamaica and Rabbi Yaakov Raskin, is located on the “Hip Strip” in the heart of Montego Bay, featuring a menu of falafel, french fries, tehina and, you guessed it, “Jerk Falafel.”

In other words, it’s a completely vegetarian restaurant, another major addition to the city.

The Kosher Hot Spot also offers take out service for travelers and others in the area. For more information, visit Chabad of Jamaica.

— CJ Staff

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Dunmore Town is the first thing you see on the water taxi to Harbour Island, the colorful roofs and the old cottages, the greenery and the golf carts.

It just might be the prettiest little town in the whole Caribbean, a remarkable mix of lovingly restored and charmingly forgotten old homes, dotted with little shops and bars.

It’s the heart and soul of what has made this island one of the best kept secrets in the Caribbean, reserved for knowing travelers who prize its exclusivity, safety and beauty.

Downtown Dunmore Town.

And if you take a short walk up the edge of Bay Street, you’ll find the island’s most complete resort: Valentines, the boutique resort and marina that’s the best way to experience the island.

The 41-suite property is a perfect mix of traditional Bahamian architecture and modern design, with wonderful, large units, a terrific pool and the island’s largest marina, taking ships up to 160 feet.

“It’s a village within a town.”

But the most thoughtful thing about the design of this place is that it’s turned a resort to a different level: a village within a town.

The marina opens into Valentines’ multi-purpose complex, including a restaurant, bar and boutique, golf cart rental outpost, a meeting point for everyone on the island, whether you’re enjoying an espresso at Cocoa, taking a goombay smash at the Rooster Tail or enjoying one of the regularly-scheduled farmers markets.

And then there’s the truly excellent food by executive chef Josef Swoboda, onetime executive chef at Sandals Royal Bahamian, whose continental-meets-Bahamian menu features, among other things, some of the best cracked conch in the whole Bahamas.

The pool at Valentines.

Of course, the resort also boasts a reserved section of beach at the legendary Pink Sand Beach, one of the world’s most beautiful beaches.

Pink Sand Beach, from above. Yes, it’s actually pink.

It all adds up to a balanced, full-service property that gives you the best of Harbour Island: a spot in the heart of Dunmore Town, a seat on Pink Sand Beach and a gateway to an authentic Bahamian vacation.

See more in the latest CJ video at the top of the page.

For more information, visit Valentines Resort.

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