The Caribbean has a new island destination: South Caicios.

The far-off, untouched island in the Turks and Caicos has seen the opening of a major new beach resort: Sailrock.

The resort, which welcomed its first guests last week, is a mix of beachfront villas and “ridgetop suites.”

Right now, the resort is offering rates as low as $419 per night on its ridgetop oceanview suites, and as high as $2856 for a four-bedroom beachfront villa.

The ridgetop suites include indoor-outdoor layouts, with wraparound terraces, expansive ocean views and small kitchenettes with wet bars. Bathrooms include double vanities, large soaking tubs and walk-in showers.

The property’s signature dining space is the Great House Bar & Restaurant, which has also made its debut along with select treatments at the resort’s Na Spa.

The resort is accessible via daily scheduled 25-minute flights on InterCaribbean Airways from Providenciales; South Caicos’ airport can accommodate private jets, however.

The debut of Sailrock, which also includes a residential component, represents a significant addition to the Turks and Caicos, which has been looking to push development beyond the traditional tourism hub of Providenciales (which itself just saw the opening of a new ultra-luxe resort called The Shore Club).

The post Sailrock Resort Opens in the Turks and Caicos Islands appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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There’s a new day trip option for travelers in St. Barth — a getaway to Saba.

Winair has announced the launch of a new direct route between the neighboring islands.

Operating once a week in each direction, the 15-minute flight departs St. Barth Friday mornings at 9:30 a.m., with the return flight back to St. Barth departing Saturday afternoon at 5:20 p.m.

The cost for the roundtrip flight averages about $210.

While the current route is geared toward a weekend getaway from St. Barth’s to Saba, the airline is considering a similar route for a weekend getaway from Saba to St. Barth’s.

“Building a stronger relationship with the islands in the region is one of the goals of our Tourism Action Plan, said Saba’s Commissioner of Tourism, Bruce Zagers. “I look forward to seeing the relationships between the islands progress towards a more sustainable connection.”

— Dana Niland, CJ Contributor

The post A New Flight From St. Barth to Saba appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — US Customs and Border Protection Director of Field Operations Marcelino Borges and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Ricardo Mayoral signed an agreement on January 20…

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It’s been five years since we first launched CJ’s annual Cool List of the Caribbean’s coolest hotels, and so much has changed in Caribbean hospitality. In our opinion, the region’s hotel offering has never been better, with a marvelous mix of top-flight luxury hotels, style-centric boutiques and everything in between.

So where do CJ’s experts suggest this year for all things cool?

The coolest hotels always have a personality, offering something more than just a place to stay.

Our 2017 edition largely focuses on hotels off the beaten path, taking you to some cool hotels you’ve likely never heard of, because there’s nothing cooler than discovering a closely-guarded secret. Here are the 20 coolest hotels in the Caribbean for 2017.

Tom Beach Hotel, St. Barth

While it’s set on the most famous beach in St. Barth, St. Jean, this tiny boutique beach hotel remains something of a secret. Home to one of the island’s hottest beach bars, Le Tom Beach is set in a garden and boasts bright, sleek guest rooms and great service. Click to Book Le Tom Beach.

The post The Cool List: The Coolest Caribbean Hotels for 2017 appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Jamaica is looking to get a boost in the luxury market, according to Jamaica Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett.

The Minister said he had been seeing new interest from luxury hotel investors — following n agreement with the Excellence Group to build two new hotels in Trelawny.

“This is only the beginning of things to come as in dialogue with some of the world’s top luxury brands while in Spain, the interest that they have in Jamaica is very high and to the point where more agreements will be forthcoming very soon,” he said.

Several other hotels are also coming on stream soon, including the new AMResorts property, the Zoëtry Montego Bay.

“There is also Finest, the top luxury brand in the Excellence Group, which is coming. When you look also at the planned renovation of Dragon Bay in Portland and the luxury style bungalows that have been introduced by the Sandals Group, then we can see why so many people are excited about Jamaica’s foray into the high end luxury market,” Bartlett said.

Jamaica has a stated goal of adding 15,000 hotel rooms overall in the next five years.

“The entry of these luxury groups to the Jamaican landscape will certainly broaden the options available to visitors and help to enhance our product offering,” he said.

The post Jamaica Has High Hopes for Luxury Hotel Sector appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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