Caribbean Journal scours the Caribbean for the best places to stay, the best beaches, the best food and the must-try experiences of the region, focusing on properties big and small and destinations both heavily visited and far under the radar. 

In the process, we also regularly produce travel films, featuring our favorite destinations and adventures across the Caribbean, produced by the CJ Video Lab led by EVP and managing editor Guy Britton. 

To close off 2019, we thought we’d share our favorite CJ travel videos from the calendar year. 

“Caribbean Journal’s videos always put the traveler first — we want to give you the experience of looking at a hotel, journeying across a destination, and show you what all of these places in the Caribbean really look like,” Britton said. “We’re excited to share our favorites from 2019, and even more excited about what’s in store for 2020.”

Little Cayman It’s still one of the best-kept secrets in the Caribbean, and the tiny gem of Little Cayman in the Cayman Islands remains one of the true bucket-list experiences for Caribbean aficionados, from its world-class diving to its hard-to-match castaway feel. 

A Journey Across Eleuthera, The Bahamas The island of Eleuthera in The Bahamas is a long, thin, ever-changing island, filled with warm people, diverse landscapes and jaw-dropping beauty. This was a look at what makes Eleuthera such a special place. 

An Essential Villa in St Barth The ultimate St Barth vacation almost always involves a villa. It’s the best way to experience the immense charm, culture, food and, well, livability of the island — and this WIMCO villa is a rather special escape in St Barth’s Anse des Cayes neighborhood near Gustavia. 

Belle Mont Farm, St Kitts Some hotels are hard to explain in words — and St Kitts’ Belle Mont Farm is precisely that. This film looked at the gorgeous, raw, lush scenes of this eco-luxe hotel in the hills of northern St Kitts — and conveys just how unique an experience a stay here can be. 

The Bahamas’ Blue Hole Capital Nowhere on earth boasts more blue holes than Andros in The Bahamas, and this film took a look at the mysterious world of blue holes on Andros. 

A Heavenly Villa in Anguilla Some villas are more than homes. They’re true destinations. And at Nevaeh in Anguilla, the destination is heaven. It’s a spectacular villa on an almost always empty stretch of Long Bay Beach, with incredible amenities (yes, there’s a golf simulator) to one of our favorite pools of all time. 

Red Rock Villa, Virgin Gorda There’s something mystical about a stay in Virgin Gorda. It’s almost as if the iconic Baths emit some kind of supernatural energy. And you feel it at Red Rock Villa, a striking estate set above The Baths with some rather uncanny views of Virgin Gorda and the surrounding BVI. 

A West Coast Adventure in Andros, The Bahamas Andros is a rugged, exciting island that remains largely undiscovered by most travelers — but that’s what makes coming here such an exhilarating adventure. This journey across the middle of the island was thrilling and gorgeous. 

The Caribbean’s Sexiest Hotel The Condado district of Puerto Rico is arguably the island’s hottest destination — with a range of top-level hotels. But none is sexier than the new OLV: Fifty Five, the second hotel from the husband-and-wife team of Loisse Herger and Fernando Davila, the design-forward hoteliers who have created a brilliant new hotel on the edge of the lagoon in Condado. 

Marigot Bay, Saint Lucia Saint Lucia has one of the more beautiful collections of hotels in the Caribbean, but it’s the Marigot Bay Resort that achieves the rare quality of being a destination in its own right. From its private ferry to the cay-style Marigot Bay beach to the bustling marina village to a terrific rum cave, it’s a must-visit resort for sure. 

A New Kind of Luxury in Grand Cayman Residential resorts are one of the biggest trends in travel, and this is the leading residential resort in Grand Cayman: a boutique-style collection of beautiful units with all of the amenities of the adjacent Kimpton Seafire — but the privacy and intimacy of your own home — whether you’re staying for a week or forever. 

Bonaire’s Premier Place to Stay Bonaire is quietly becoming a Caribbean hotspot, as a destination once known for its unmatched diving comes into its own as a complete destination, from a bustling food scene to a very cool little downtown. But if you’re heading to Bonaire, one hotel leads them all – the Harbour Village, Bonaire’s classic, iconic beach resort. 

Barbados’ Hottest Luxury Resort There hasn’t been as exciting a new resort in Barbados in years as Port Ferdinand, a luxury residential resort that has added a great deal of new energy to the lovable beach town of Speightstown in northwestern Barbados. There’s a bit of everything: a marina, a pair of eateries, a terrific spa and, oh yes — the only Nikki Beach in the English-speaking Caribbean. 

In St Barth’s Anse des Cayes, a Destination Villa Whether it’s the views or the pool or the location high on a hillside in St Barth, this villa simply took our breath away. 

The post From The Bahamas to Barbados, Our Favorite Travel Videos of 2019 appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Dominica’s historic Fort Young Hotel is getting bigger.

The premier place to stay in Roseau is unveiling 60 new rooms called the Fort Collection.

This development comes as part of the seaside resort’s 30th-anniversary celebration, which includes an expansion and enhancement plan.

“We are absolutely thrilled to finally give guests an opportunity to experience these new accommodations,” said José Abreu, the hotel’s general manager. “A significant part of our 30th anniversary is about honoring Fort Young’s dynamic history and what has been achieved through the decades, and celebrating our forthcoming enhancements — all the exciting elements that will continue to make Fort Young Dominica’s premier hotel and dive resort.”

In addition to the new Fort Rooms, in 2020 the hotel will unveil a state-of-the-art fitness center featuring eco-friendly equipment; business center; new bar and lounge; 200-seat conference room; 250-seat sun deck for weddings and other events; and, three new meeting rooms. 

“This includes new rooms with modern amenities and spectacular views that distinguish Fort Young Hotel and highlight its privileged waterfront location in the capital; the island’s largest conference room with the latest technology; terraces for weddings, meetings and other private events, and much more,” Abreu said.

The hotel will also refresh its 40 existing Oceanfront Rooms with upgraded furnishings, bathrooms and amenities, according to the property.

Upon completion, the Fort Young said it would officially become a 4-star property. 

It’s a major step for the hotel, which was instrumental in kicking off Dominica’s tourism comeback in the wake of Hurricane Maria in 2017.

For more, visit the Fort Young. 

— CJ

The post Dominica’s Historic Fort Young Hotel Is Expanding appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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“En Mi Viejo San Juan” is an unofficial anthem of Puerto Rico and the official anthem of San Juan. It evokes memories of the island for those who have left and a yearning on the island for those who are gone.

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In 2012, Caribbean Journal’s Rum Journal first launched the Rum Awards — a unique celebration of the best rums of the year. 

And after seven previous incarnations, the annual Rum Awards morphed into a full-fledged rum event in St Barth, the recently-concluded Caribbean Rum Awards, now an annual event on the Caribbean’s most exclusive island that will be held in Gustavia Nov. 10-15, 2020, held in partnership with the Saint Barth Rum Festival.

But the tradition of marking our favorite rums of the year remains, now called the Best Rums of the Year, part of our quest to celebrate and elevate rum, a spirit that continues to change — both in the glass and in the minds of consumers. 

Indeed, it’s remarkable how much the rum world has evolved since we began the Rum Awards back in 2012 — there’s a new, welcome focus on premium and ultra-premium rums, on classification, on quality, and, perhaps most happily, an even greater appreciation for rhum agricole of the French Caribbean. 

Rum still faces an uphill battle — to win the hearts and minds of consumers who still think rum is best off drowned in sea of coke. 

But the size of that market is a declining one, as more and more people begin to appreciate the wonder of the Caribbean’s most famous export. 

This year’s edition of the Best Rums honors rums in a diverse range of categories, from the Best Rum and Best Rhum Agricole of 2019 to the coolest bottle design and the best rum bar in the Caribbean.

Our 2019 judging was conducted, as usual, at Empire Social in Miami, with a team of rum experts tasting an enviable group of world-class rums, whittled down from several hundred sampled by the Rum Journal team over the course of the year across the Caribbean. 

Here are the best rums of 2019. 

Rum of the Year 2019: Goslings Papa Seal Bermuda Rum Every year, it gets more difficult to choose our favorite molasses-based rum of the year. But this year, we came full circle, returning to the brand that first took home the crown in the inaugural Rum Awards back in 2012: Bermuda’s Goslings. The company’s newest ultra-premium expression is exquisite, a luxurious, hand-bottled expression that is the best rum Gosling’s has ever made. A mix of pot and column-still rums brought to the Atlantic region and aged in Bermuda for more than 15 years in ex-bourbon barrels, it’s simply a world-class rum, and a new triumph for one of the hemisphere’s most venerable rum brands. 

Double Gold: Ron Barcelo Imperial 30 Aniversario (Dominican Republic)

Gold: Zafra 30-Year Rum (Panama) 

Silver: Samaroli Caribbean  

Bronze: Chairman’s Reserve 1931 (Saint Lucia)

The post Rum Journal: The Best Rums of 2019 appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The island of St Croix in the US Virgin Islands is set for a big boost next summer with the launch of an additional daily flight on American Airlines from Miami. 

The new flight, revealed by USVI Tourism Commissioner Joseph Boschulte, will mean St Croix will have three daily flights from the Miami market. 

The new service will operate from June 4, 2020 and Aug. 17, 2020 on 172-seat Boeing 737 aircraft, Boschulte said. 

The commissioner said the new flights would help support the department’s strategy to “strengthen demand for St Croix by developing a distinctive brand for the island.”

St Croix has been in the midst of a tourism revival in the last few years since Hurricane Maria, from a booming food scene to the planned relaunch of two of its most popular resorts, the Renaissance St Croix and the Divi Carina Bay. 

— CJ

The post American Airlines Is Adding an Extra Daily Flight to St Croix appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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