The pastel pink walls; the rolling green fairways; the graceful twilight steps of a Moko Jumbie. 

Since 1947, The Buccaneer resort in St Croix has been the essence of the St Croix vacation: the beauty, the culture, the sport. 

And now the resort is back, as the US Virgin Islands has reopened its doors for tourism. 

And the property has adapted to the new realities of travel with a host of new health and safety protocols. 

That includes masks or face coverings required when interacting with hotel employees, including upon entering at the main gate. 

The gate attendant will take temperatures of guests to check for fevers. 

And the resort has tapped an epidemiologist to help implement the new protocols on the property, from the provision of hand sanitizer across the resort to sanitizing and cleaning property-wide throughout the day. 

That’s along with features like downloadable menus, socially-distanced beach and pool chairs; a reduced capacity in the Grotto pool; and to-go food delivered to your door instead of room service (see the full list of COVID-19 protocols here). 

In other words, the travel experience has, for now, adapted for the times. 

Of course, what hasn’t changed is the endless beauty of the resort: the three spectacular beaches; the sparkle of the Caribbean sea; and what is one of the most beautiful golf courses in the entire Caribbean. 

You’ll have your Cruzan cocktails; your endless afternoons on the sand; your 18 holes of green hills edged by Caribbean water; your evening steel pan.

You’ll get the full Buccaneer experience. 

And that means you’ll get a full-fledged Caribbean classic, the kind of authentic resort that represents the best of the US Virgin Islands travel experience, one where you’ll understand what this beautiful chain of islands is all about. 

For more, visit The Buccaneer. 

And see the latest CJ Video below:

The post The Buccaneer, St Croix’s Legendary Resort, Is Open appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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One of the leading resorts in the Dominican Republic is reopening in July, Caribbean Journal has learned. 

The Casa de Campo resort in La Romana will be reopening for travelers on July 1, timed with the Dominican Republic’s official tourism reopening. 

The five-star resort, which has been closed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been working on a series of enhanced health and safety protocols called “Casa Cares.”

Those measures include temperature checks for all guests upon arrival; COVID-19 tests for all staff before returning to work and pre-shift temperature checks; the installation of 130 new hand-sanitizer dispensers across the property; new plexiglass screens for counters and reception areas; required masks and gloves for all staff; distancing floor markers throughout the property; and the encouraging of cashless transactions, among other protocols. 

““Since 1971, Casa de Campo has earned the loyalty and trust of guests from around the world. In the wake of COVID-19, we realize it is incumbent upon our team to take our focus on health and safety to an even higher level,” said Andres Pichardo Rosenberg, president of the Casa de Campo Resort and Villas. “We have been working diligently on a plan and are pleased to announce our ‘Casa Cares’ program. It highlights our new standard operating procedures and protocols to safeguard the well-being of our guests and the entire Casa de Campo community.”

The sweeping new protocols will also cover food and beverage outlets, which will have reduced capacities and digital and disposable menus; room service will be delivered in disposable packaging and left outside the door to avoid direct contact. 

Casa de Campo, long considered the leading golf resort in the Caribbean, has also made changes to its golf practices: that means golfers will be required to carry their own bags and clubs; the addition of a “touchless” ball retrieving mechanism; and PGA-guided physical distancing and sanitation protocols. 

On the beach, lounges, tables and umbrellas will be cleaned every day, while beach capacity will also be reduced. 

The changes are part of what is, at least for now, the new normal of travel; but the return of one of the Caribbean’s legendary resorts is a major boost for the Dominican Republic and the wider industry. 

For more, visit Casa de Campo. 

– CJ

The post Dominican Republic’s Casa de Campo to Reopen in July appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Aruba is officially reopening for tourism, with a phased plan that will see the return of its largest source market, American travelers, on July 10. 

On June 15, Aruba will first open its borders to travelers from nearby Bonaire and Curacao. 

On July 1, visitors from Canada, Europe and the Caribbean will be able to return to Aruba. 

And on July 10, visitors from the United States will be able to visit Aruba. 

The phased reopening makes sense — it’s a dramatically different travel landscape, and this will give the destination, its airport and travelers the chance to get used to the new protocols. 

Many top Aruba hotels will be reopening, from the recently-expanded Boardwalk Boutique Hotel near Palm Beach to the Renaissance Aruba Resort and Casino and the Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort. 

“There are no words to express how happy we are to reopen Renaissance Aruba,” said Paul Gielen, General Manager at Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino. “It is not just as a sign of reopening for the resort, but for our entire community and the industry that we love. While we realize there is a longer road ahead, this first step is monumental, and we look forward to welcoming our guests back to Aruba.”

The island’s hotels have had to shift their protocols, too, with new practices like at-home or in-room check-in, enhanced sanitation, social distancing and reduced capacity at eateries and the like. 

Even the island’s casinos are reopening with new protocols. 

The Wind Creek Crystal and Seaport Casinos, for example, will have maximum numbers of players at table games, slot machines with acrylic panels, required masks and “reservations” for play. 

Official opening dates for other markets like South and Central America “have yet to be determined,” officials said. 

“Aruba’s health and safety protocols will be revisited and reevaluated on an ongoing basis,” the ATA said. 

For more, visit Aruba. 

The post Aruba Is Reopening for Tourism in July appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Blue Diamond Resorts is set to open five of its Caribbean properties, Caribbean Journal has learned. 

That will include two resorts in Cancun and three in Jamaica. 

On July 15, the company will relaunch the Royalton Riviera Cancun Resort and Spa, Hideaway at Royalton Riviera Cancun, Royalton Negril Resort and Spa, Hideaway at Royalton Negril and Grand Lido Negril.

“With advanced safety protocols and superior cleaning measures, guests will be able to relax in paradise and rediscover the wonders of our host locales,” said Jordi Pelfort, president of hotels and resorts at Blue Diamond’s parent company, Sunwing Travel Group. 

The company said its new “Safety Assured Vacations” protocols would apply, meaning new health and safety practices like the use of personal protective equipment, intense cleaning measures and social distancing guidelines. 

— CJ

The post Blue Diamond to Reopen Resorts in Cancun, Jamaica appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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