Le Carbet: that little corner of Martinique’s northwestern coast near Saint Pierre, a quaint fishing village that’s turned into one of the Caribbean’s coolest beach towns. 

And the place that largely kicked off Le Carbet’s renaissance was Guy Ferdinand’s Le Petibonum, a Mecca for beach bar lovers, a constantly-evolving destination for food, rum and French Caribbean cool. 

And what began as a beach bar has, in recent years, added everything from a Rhum Agricole tasting bar right on the sand to a full-fledged Pizzeria. 

And Le Petibonum’s latest creation solves what has long been the place’s only problem: having to leave at closing time. 

It’s called Le Petibonum Boat Hotel, and it means you can now spend all day at Le Petibonum and then spend the night right offshore — as many days as you want.  

The floating hotel is a souped-up Lagoon 45 S catamaran with four cabins, gourmet food and, naturally, the best rhum from Martinique.

It also includes your own ti’ punch bar on the deck (above). 

The hotel is under the full-time supervision of on-board skipper Anthony, with three meals a day served on board by Le Petibonum’s Chef, Bruno.

Because that’s, of course, the hotel’s greatest amenity: Le Petibonum itself.  

If you’re not staying at the hotel, there is an option of reserving private meals depending on availability, and the Boat Hotel is also offering stays as brief as one night. 

“It’s an amazing product,” Ferdinand tells Caribbean Journal. “You have rhum, fish, sun, sea, French food. It’s a dream.”

That sounds about right. 

You can see more in the video here: 

For more, visit the Petibonum Boat Hotel. 

— CJ

The post The Caribbean’s Newest Floating Hotel Is in Martinique appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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A pair of sister resorts in Belize have officially relaunched, Caribbean Journal has confirmed. 

That includes Ka’ana Resort and the Itz’ana Resort and Residences, both of which reopened their doors this month to travelers. 

The two resorts highlight two dramatically different worlds of Belize’s tourism offering: its rugged, adventurous jungle areas and its beachy Caribbean side. 

The boutique Ka’ana resort, set near San Ignacio in the heart of the country’s jungle, recently underwent a series of upgrade projects, including what the property is calling a “thoughtful redesign” of its villas and suites.

Ka’ana’s villas now include plunge pools and outdoor tubs, among other changes. 

Itz’ana, a residential resort in the increasingly hip coastal town of Placencia, has revealed some changes of its own, headlined by the addition of new two and three-room beachfront villas. 

Each of the 5,200-square-foot villas is set right on the sand, “perfectly situated for those seeking privacy and respite,” according to the property. 

Belize has been open for tourism since early October. 

For more, visit Ka’ana and Itz’ana. 

— CJ

The post Two More Belize Resorts Just Reopened appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Coconut. Calabash. Castaway.  

The names evoke the idylls of the Caribbean — a nap under a dancing palm; the soundtrack of the quiet froth of the sea. 

They just don’t make Caribbean hotels like this anymore. 

That’s because the first of these charming, breezy cottages, Coral, opened on the beach back in 1949, amid the post-war tourism boom to the island of St Croix. 

And it’s been owned by the same family, the Benedicts, ever since. 

“It’s the best-kept secret in St Croix,” Paul Benedict says.

This is Cottages by the Sea, a place that remains one of the little under-the-radar treasures of the Caribbean. 

It’s another reason why St Croix is emerging as a sought-after spot for in-the-know Caribbean aficionados; like the best destinations, it reveals more layers as you journey back. 

There are 27 cottages here, some with a view of the sand here on the outskirts of Frederiksted; others with a window to the palm trees. 

Most (25 of them, in fact) have their own kitchens; they’re all colorful, with a kind of cheeky-rustic aesthetic that will instantly take you back in time — and in the age of social distancing, they’re the perfect recipe for the needs of travelers right now. 

As for the amenities: there’s housekeeping; a gazebo a library; games and water sports and a yoga deck, along with free Wi-Fi and access to the adjacent Beach Side Cafe (set at the also terrific Sand Castle on the Beach hotel next door). 

And then there’s the greatest amenity: the island dream in its raw, unadulterated form, with nothing keeping you from the call of the beach. 

It’s what we all want right now, now more than ever — and there’s a very simple name for it: 

Caribbean. 

For more, visit Cottages by the Sea. 

— CJ

The post A Tiny Caribbean Beach Hotel to Try in St Croix appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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