Playa del Carmen has become one of the hippest beach destinations in the Caribbean in recent years, and a new Marriott hotel is about to up the cool factor in a big way.

Marriott International is adding to its Caribbean expansion with plans to open a W Hotel in the fast-growing city of Playa del Carmen in Mexico.

Marriott is partnering with Fibra Inn on what will be the first-ever W-branded hotel in the Mexican Caribbean, and what will be the only active W hotel in the wider Caribbean. (The W Vieques in Puerto Rico has been shuttered since Hurricane Maria).

The new hotel will be set on the ocean in Playa del Carmen, a beach town on the Caribbean coast that is in the midst of a development boom.

“We are excited to work with hotel developer Fibra Inn to open a cutting-edge W hotel in Playa del Carmen, a destination ready for the brand’s bold design, signature “Whatever/Whenever” service and innovative programming,” said Laurent de Kousemaeker, Chief Development Officer, Caribbean and Latin America for Marriott International. “This important signing underscores the impressive growth of our luxury portfolio in the region and across Mexico.”

Marriott said the 218-room hotel property was slated to open in 2023.

Amenities will include the W’s signature offerings: the WET Deck pool bar and lounge; the Away spa; a fitness center, a beach club and a rooftop bar, among others.

Playa del Carmen has been seeing a continued hotel investment in recent years, with a strong pipeline of new projects from big brands like Hilton and brands like Thompson.

Even as tourism growth has flattened of late in the Mexican Caribbean, it’s clear that investors continue to make big bets on the future of Playa, as it’s often known, both with branded hotels and, increasingly, condominium projects that double as residential resorts.

Fibra Inn has a portfolio of hotels across 15 different brands in Mexico, from Marriott to Holiday Inn Express, totaling 6,486 rooms.

“Our plan for the W Playa del Carmen is critical to our goal to diversify the beach destination’s lodging base, which currently lacks quality luxury lifestyle properties,” said Oscar Calvillo, CEO of Fibra Inn. “This project will elevate the offering in this prime destination with this fun and energetic brand.”

This will be its first W, however, and its second hotel in Playa del Carmen, joining the existing Wyndham Garden Playa del Carmen, which first opened in 2013.

The W Playa del Carmen will be one of just three hotels in the wider Caribbean Basin, along with the W Costa Rica and the W Panama. The latter opened its doors in 2018.

— CJ

The post Marriott Is Opening a New W Hotel in Playa del Carmen appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico

The latest Caribbean Photo comes from Caribbean Journal reader Andrew Harper, who sent in this lovely shot of horseback riding at Playa Limon in the Dominican Republic. 

Have you taken a great photo in the Caribbean?

Send it to news@caribjournal.com with CPOTW in the subject line, including your first and last name and the location of the photo. 

It could be the next Caribbean Photo of the Week!

— CJ

The post Caribbean Photo of the Week: Playa Limon, Dominican Republic appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico

For most people, rum is Bacardi. 

However you feel about the Puerto Rican rum brand, it’s what the average consumer thinks of when they think of rum – particularly in the United States, where Bacardi’s overwhelming — and often exclusive — ubiquity means few consumers ever even see other rum bottles at many restaurants and bars. 

Bacardi’s vast global influence has meant that it has long controlled the perception of rum — and what Bacardi does sends ripples throughout the industry. 

That’s why rum lovers long bemoaned the fact that, for years, the rum giant seldom put out any truly great rums. 

There was Bacardi 8, for many rum drinkers an entry point to the world of sipping rums, but never anything special. 

Things changed a bit half a decade ago when Bacardi released the small-production, ultra-premium Facundo line of rums, a series of expressions named after the founder of the company, Don Facundo Bacardi Masso. (There was also the wonderful Casa Bacardi, a hard-to-find expression that has since disappeared since launching a few decades ago. )

Last year, Bacardi made a further push with the re-blended Bacardi 8 — and the Bacardi 10, a more drinkable, more interesting rum, the latter part of a broader new series that also includes the Bacardi Cuatro. 

But for rum lovers, Bacardi still has its work cut out. 

Even in its home country of Puerto Rico, brands like Don Q and Ron del Barrilito (the latter actually the oldest brand in Puerto Rico) put out some stellar, often superior expressions. 

That brings us to Bacardi’s newest rum, Bacardi Gran Reserva, or as we call, it Bacardi 16. 

This rum, which for now is sold only in Duty Free stores, effectively replaces the Bacardi Reserva Limitada, a rum that was for years the brand’s flagship.

Bacardi says it’s aged for at least 16 years, although it’s almost certainly a blend. 

On a recent jaunt to the Caribbean, we purchased a Bacardi 16 at Miami International Airport, exceptionally curious to see how Bacardi’s recent efforts to premiumize its own expressions had fared. 

And the results are, well, special. 

Bacardi 16 has a lovely, harmonious aroma of vanilla and carambola. 

The flavor profile is, happily, an extension of the aroma, with notes of carambola and spice – and then it gets really interesting. This is not the Bacardi you’re used to – new whispers emerge of notes like white pepper and even cane stalk – raw, visceral murmurs you don’t often find in a Bacardi. 

This is a journey, a concerto, a carriage ride through a cane field. 

It’s a difference in kind than the terrific but sometimes overly sweet Facundo range – and a new standard for Bacardi. 

Here’s hoping that it’s the beginning of a new era – and that Bacardi is this rum. 

Rum Journal Rating: 95 Points

The post Rum Journal: Bacardi Has a New Rum and It’s a Major Step Forward appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico