By the Caribbean Journal staff

St Maarten is primed for a major culinary event with the return this year of Chefs Night.

The four-day event, which will be hosted at the Sonesta Ocean Point resort in Maho, will last from Oct. 2-5.

This year’s culinary fete will feature appearances by Jimmy Stening, a barbecue pit master; Kin Lin, owner of St Maarten’s popular Alina eatery; Elisabeth Johansson, a celebrated pastry chef; Brian Bojsen, owner of a popular eatery in Hamburg; and Akis Amiras, the executive chef at the acclaimed SantAnna Mykonos Beach Club.

The schedule will kick off with an opening-night dinner at the Azul eatery at the resort; the following night will include a VIP candlelit dinner; Oct. 4 will see a “mingle with the chefs” event at the Point Pool Deck, while Oct. 4 will include another VIP rooftop dinner.

The closing night dinner at Azul will take place Oct. 5.

Chef Gorgen Tiden, along with Stening, will be hosting the event, which is “celebrating St Maarten’s comeback” and the 10th anniversary of Chefs Night.

For more, visit the Sonesta Ocean Point.

— CJ

The post A Must-Visit Culinary Event in St Maarten appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico

By the Caribbean Journal staff

A big new all-inclusive resort is coming to one of the fastest-growing hotel destinations in Jamaica. 

The first phase of the new all-inclusive Oceans By H10 Resort is coming to Jamaica’s Trelawny this November, according to Jamaican tourism officials.

That phase will include 513 rooms, a significant boost for Trelawny, a destination considered part of greater Montego Bay that has been seeing a boom in new hotel development in recent years from brands like Royalton.

What the lobby will look like at the hotel.

H10, which is based in Spain, is reportedly investing $250 million in the project, which will be called the Ocean Coral Spring Hotel.

Amenities at the Ocean Coral Spring will include two pools, a lazy river, 10 eateries, four bars, a coffee shop, an ice cream shop and a spa.

A rendering of the beach and the property’s exterior.

The 24-hour all-inclusive will additionally be home to a spa, a gym, two tennis courts, a theater and a bowling alley, among other features.

The family-friendly resort will also include H10’s “Privilege” level of rooms and services, which include everything from in-room amenities like Nespresso machines and nighttime turndown service to an exclusive section of the pool and the beach.

Event space will feature four conference rooms and a total of 840 square meters of flexible rooms – with capacity for up to 800 people, according to the company.

What a room will look like at the new Ocean Coral Spring.

H10 has been steadily growing its resort portfolio in the wider region, though this will be the company’s first-ever hotel in Jamaica.

Its other resorts are located in Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Mexico.

Jamaica’s Trelawny parish, particularly the corridor between Rio Bueno and Falmouth, has some 6,000 new hotel rooms in its development pipeline.

The newest in Trelawny is the Excellence Oyster Bay adults-only resort, which opened its doors over the summer.

For more, info, visit the Ocean Coral Spring.

The post Jamaica Is Getting a New All-Inclusive Resort appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico

… comes to the Springfield Puerto Rican Parade, everyone is Puerto Rican no matter where … as well as some from Puerto Rico.
Multiple Puerto Rican parades are held throughout … ” meaning that Puerto Ricans are united whether they live in Puerto Rico or here …

Powered by WPeMatico

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Antigua and Barbuda is one of the buzziest destinations in the Caribbean right now, according to the latest data from the twin-island country’s tourism authority.

Antigua and Barbuda tourism has seen a 10 percent increase in stayover visitor arrivals through September, according to provisional figures released by the country’s Ministry of Tourism.

That represents a total of 187,701 visitors for the year up to July, buoyed by a very strong summer that saw double-digit year-over-year increases in June and July as well.

Galley Bay in Antigua.

 “This healthy 10 percent uptake in the summer is significant,” said Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Minister Charles “Max” Fernandez in a statement. “It means that on top of the phenomenal growth we received from January to July 2018 of 171,147 visitors in comparison to the 159,764 in 2017, that the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority’s marketing strategy as well as other key factors, have really allowed us to steadily build arrivals, year on year.”

Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority CEO Colin C. James said the surge pointed to a broader trend: that Antigua and Barbuda was becoming a full-fledged year-round destination.

The sleek, modern South Point hotel is among the best places to stay in Antigua right now.

The numbers come as Antigua has launched a major campaign called “What Cool Looks Like.”

“We are changing the narrative,” he said. “Antigua and Barbuda is open year round. Our partners are communicating to us, that the campaign has made a huge difference and we are seeing it not only in increased arrivals, but in the increased ABST revenue coming into the country during the summer months.” 

Historic Nelson’s Dockyard in Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

“As we continue the campaign, the teams are working flat out on their various plans, and at this current run rate we are looking forward to a record year again in air arrivals,” James said.

Indeed, Antigua and Barbuda has become one of the Caribbean’s hottest getaways in recent years, led by a wave of new airlift and a pervasive focus on tourism development that includes an impressive pipeline of new hotel projects.

The beach at the Inn at English Harbour.

The latter features soon-to-debut resorts from brands like Waldorf-Astoria and Rosewood, among others.

For more, visit Antigua and Barbuda.

— CJ

The post Travelers Are Flocking to Antigua and Barbuda Right Now appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Regional Caribbean carrier interCaribbean Airways is launching a pair of new routes between the USVI and Tortola.

interCaribbean is launching new daily flights between Tortola and St Thomas and St Croix, the company said this week.

That will include two daily flights between St Thomas and Tortola and one daily flight between St Croix and Tortola.

The move is a big boost for the BVI, connecting the vast air networks to St Croix and St Thomas with Tortola in a new way.

“interCaribbean gives even more options to Tortola, BVI and the wider Caribbean than any airline.  These new routes brings to 8 nonstop destinations, and with some additional cities to be announced very shortly we could not be more pleased with the growth of the market, that comes as many of the resorts closed from the Hurricanes also are reopening this winter,” said Trevor Sadler, CEO for interCaribbean.  

For more info, visit interCaribbean.

— CJ

The post Two New Ways to Get to Tortola, BVI appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Powered by WPeMatico