There’s a new place to hang on the beach in Curaçao: Koko’s.

The latest addition to the ever-expanding Jan Thiel Beach is a throwback, wooden-construction beach bar, it offers a menu of street food, fresh smoothies, healthy shakes, juices, cocktails and beer.

The menu includes everything from pulled pork on flatbread to slider trios.

It’s open every day from 9:00 AM until sunset.

Jan Thiel Beach, set on the southern coast of the island, is home to six culinary options, including Zest Mediterranean, Zest Beach Cafe, Zanzibar Beach Curaçao, Restaurant Tinto and Dulce Ice Cream Shop.

— CJ Staff

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One of the Caribbean’s greatest luxury resorts (and one of the leading St Barts hotels) is getting bigger.

The island’s Hotel Le Toiny will open eight new villas on Dec. 15, the property announced this week.

The debut of the new villas coincides with the hotel’s 25th anniversary, marking its first room expansion since opening its doors in 1992.

The hotel completed a full redesign in 2015 by London-based Lady Bee Osborn, which updated its aesthetic to contemporary coastal chic, and added the Toiny Beach Club to its secluded beach.

Once again overseen by Osborn Interiors, the construction of these eight new villas represents the final phase in the hotel’s renovation.

Nestled into the hillside overlooking Toiny Bay, the expansion will include four one-story One Bedroom Villas, three two-story One Bedroom Villas, and one two-story Two-Bedroom King Villa.

True to Hotel Le Toiny’s signature style, all of the new accommodations will be fully secluded and freestanding, with private infinity pools and terraces overlooking the Caribbean Sea.

Each one-bedroom villa includes a spacious master bedroom with en suite bath featuring a soaking tub, shower and double vanity, as well as a separate sitting area, kitchenette and large terrace with private infinity pool.

The two-story villas will feature these same elements, with the sitting area and kitchenette on the first floor and two master suits on the upper level, offering incredible views from private open-air balconies.

The one-bedroom villas will sleep up to three guests with 1,184 – 1,400 square feet of indoor and outdoor living space.

The two-story villas will sleep up to six with more than 2,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space.

The post Hotel Le Toiny Is Expanding appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Above: Gordon “Butch” Stewart accepts the award at the JW Marriott Marquis 

MIAMI — Sandals Resorts International Chairman and Founder Gordon “Butch” Stewart won one of the Caribbean’s most prestigious awards in a ceremony in Miami on Thursday.

Stewart received the Lifetime Achievement Award from at the CHRIS Caribbean Hotel & Resort Investment Summit in Miami, for a career among the most celebrated in the history of Caribbean tourism.

Stewart, who was joined by his son, Sandals and Island Routes CEO Adam Stewart and a large family contingent, was presented with the award by James E. Burba, president of the Burba Hotel Network.

Sandals operates properties across the Caribbean, including in Jamaica, St. Lucia, Antigua, the Bahamas, Grenada and Barbados, along with Beaches-branded resorts in the Turks and Caicos Islands and Jamaica.

— Alexander Britell

The post Sandals’ Gordon “Butch” Stewart Wins Lifetime Achievement Award appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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There’s just something different about a small hotel. Maybe it’s the intimate service you get, or the way the design vision of the owner seems to manifest itself better in the decor. Maybe it’s the little quirks, or the warm, honest service. Small hotels are just a special way to experience the Caribbean.

Our latest look at some of our favorite small hotels in the Caribbean is a trip around the region, from larger islands like Barbados and Aruba to off-the-radar spots like Little Cayman and Harbour Island.

Here are 15 small hotels we think you’ll love for your next trip to the Caribbean.

Valentines Harbour Island is one of the most charming islands in all of the Caribbean, a Bahamian outpost that expertly blends the casual and the chic. And one of the island’s best places to stay is Valentines, a wonderfully-designed boutique with historic-inspired architecture and a marina, too.

The post 15 Small Caribbean Hotels to Visit Right Now appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The Scuba Lodge & Ocean Suites resort in Curaçao has completed a major renovation project.

The upgrade included the addition of six new Superior Rooms, raising the hotel’s stock to a total of 28 rooms.

The renovation comes after the hotel had already added three new suites at the end of last year.

The property, which is located within walking distance of downtown Willemstad and the Queen Emma Bridge, also upgraded its guest check-in and reception area.

True to its name, the hotel offers a host of different dive packages, aimed at everyone from first-timers to advanced divers.

— CJ

The post Curaçao’s Scuba Lodge Completes Renovation appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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