The legendary Curtain Bluff resort in Antigua has officially reopened, Caribbean Journal has learned. 

The historic, all-inclusive destination resort has long been one of the Caribbean’s signature places to stay, and is one of a now-growing number of Antigua resorts that are open and welcoming back travelers. 

“It has been a long and difficult time for our Curtain Bluff employees. We reopen our doors exactly seven months to the day since our forced closure, March 24th, due to COVID-19 to begin our 59th season,” Rob Sherman, Managing Director of Curtain Bluff, told Caribbean Journal. “I must say how thrilled everyone is to be re-opening.  We need the optimism after all of the uncertainty. Antigua has, through all of this, been basically COVID free, as our Government did place strong restrictions on the country. With our fresh air, cool breezes, open air dining, bars, two beaches Curtain Bluff is the perfect resort to enjoy a holiday.”

The resort’s new health and safety measures range from enforced physical distancing to frequent disinfecting of high-touch surfaces to enhanced sanitization of all of the property’s rooms and suites. 

The 72-room-and-suite property is set on the beautiful southern coast of Antigua.

In recent years, the property has completed a dramatic upgrade project. 

“Our guests have always received professional, warm, genuine service and hospitality,” Sherman said. “But believe me, even with the COVID protocols in place, our guests will see the biggest smiles, even behind the masks!”

Antigua was one of the first Caribbean destinations to reopen when it did so in June, now a model for reopening tourism in the Caribbean. You can find the destination’s visitor protocols here.

For more, visit Curtain Bluff. 

— CJ

The post Curtain Bluff, the Legendary All-Inclusive Resort in Antigua, Is Open Again appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Sustainability certification body Green Globe just gave the world’s first-ever perfect score to a resort in Aruba. 

The Dutch Caribbean island’s Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort, long one of the Caribbean’s greenest hotels, is also the region’s first-ever carbon net-zero hotel. 

Green Globe’s certification is a “structured assessment of the sustainability performance of travel and tourism businesses and their supply chain partners.”

Until 2020, Bucuti’s highest score was 97; this year, the property added more green practices, from improving landscaping techniques with organic fertilizer and rodent control; to using PVC-free key cards to installing motion sensor urinals in employee bathrooms, among other additions. 

“It is with the greatest admiration that Green Globe can announce the first 100 percent certification score in the 25-year history of our sustainability program,” said Guido Bauer, CEO of Green Globe. “We acknowledge the dedication of all the staff and management, who have taken a personal interest in doing the very best they can when it comes to contributing to the protection of the environment, economic reward for community and celebration and preservation of local culture and heritage. A special accolade must also be sent to Bucuti & Tara Resort Owner/CEO Ewald Biemans, whose understanding of the importance and value of sustainability has created a management culture that extends the hospitality conveyed to guests to a mindfulness that cares for this precious destination on the island of Aruba.”

For more, visit Bucuti. 

— CJ

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One of the Caribbean’s most glamorous hotels has officially reopened its doors, Caribbean Journal has learned.

The iconic Eden Rock St Barths officially began welcoming back guests on Oct. 22, WIMCO confirmed.

The St Jean-beach institution, which first opened its doors in the 1950s as one of the first true hotspots of the jet-set age, has relaunched with a series of new health and safety protocols in place amid the new realities of travel.

“An exciting new season awaits with the complete reopening of our brilliant and brand-new hotel accommodations, all-together for the very first time,” said Fabrice Moizan, General Manager and Jean-Alexis Costa, Operations Manager in a statement. “Our dedicated teams are trained, ready and eager to make your stay healthy, safe and delightful, with detailed sterile protective measures fully deployed.”

The aforementioned protocols range from the latest sanitization technologies like ozone air treatments to physical distancing within the hotel and an Eden Rock app called InsidER for hotel information.

The Eden Rock St Barths had actually kept open its famous beach bar over the summer; with the relaunch of the hotel component, the property is also welcoming back guests to Sandbar and Remy’s Bar as well.

And just last year, the property had completed a dramatic reconstruction and transformation in the years following Hurricane Irma.

St Barth reopened for tourism in June, with a system focused on the requirement of a negative PCR test result within 72 hours of arrival on the island.

For more, check out the Insider Guide to St Barths Hotels.

— CJ

The post The Eden Rock St Barths, a Caribbean Icon, Is Open Again appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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