News

Saint Lucia Has a New Kind of Luxury Resort, With Beachfront Villas, Private Pools and Butler Service

sapphire sands luxury resort

Saint Lucia’s new Sapphire Sands Villas brings a villa-first luxury resort to Reduit Beach, with flexible beachfront accommodations, private plunge pools and around-the-clock butler service. Sapphire Sands Villas is now open on Reduit Beach in Saint Lucia, and the new property from Bay Gardens Resorts is something notably different for both the island and the […]

Riu Palace Aruba Reopens Following Renovation Project

Upgrades in Aruba By Dana Niland CJ Contributor Aruba’s Riu Palace hotel has reopened following a refurbishment project, the property announced this week. The upgrades took place over the spring and summer of 2015; they included renovations to the property’s buffet restaurant, pool bar, reception area and themed restaurants. The Aruba all-inclusive has also added […]

Cayman Islands Reporting Slight Increase in Tourist Arrivals

Increase in first six months of 2015 By the Caribbean Journal staff The Cayman Islands received 213,495 stayover arrivals in the first six months of 2015, according to the country’s department of tourism. That represented a 1.43 percent improvement over the same period in 2014, according to data from the government. The number was buoyed […]

An Ode to Jamaica’s Tastee Patty

In praise of the perfect patty By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon CJ Travel Editor Served piping hot in a brown paper bag, the Jamaican patty – a meat-filled pastry pocket similar to Brits’ Cornish pasty or Latins’ empanada ¬– is to islanders what the burger is to Americans: inexpensive, filling and utterly delicious comfort food. And on […]


Cayman Islands Reporting Slight Increase in Tourist Arrivals

A new way to rock in Curaçao By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon CJ Travel Editor It’s just over a month until Curaçao’s North Sea Jazz Festival, so if you haven’t booked a room yet, better hop to it! An option that just crossed our desk: Santa Barbara Beach & Golf Resort’s Rock & Relax package, which includes complimentary […]

Guyana’s New Small Business Drive

A new entrepreneurship drive in Guyana By Dana Niland CJ Contributor The government of Guyana has announced plans to promote small business and entrepreneurship opportunities throughout the country. Guyana Minister of Business and Investment, Dominic Gaskin (above), presented this plan this week at the launch of the Eleventh Berbice Expo and Trade Fair, under the […]

CARICOM and the Vatican Establish Diplomatic Relations

Another new Caribbean diplomatic partner By Alexander Britell CARICOM and the Vatican have officially established diplomatic ties, the two sides announced this week. CARICOM Secretary General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque accepted the credentials of the Vatican’s first-ever Ambassador to CARICOM, Archbishop Nicola Girasoli, this week. LaRocque said the accreditation “provided an avenue for the Vatican and […]

Chelsea Clinton’s Haiti Trip

Chelsea Clinton, Donna Shalala visit Haiti By Dana Niland CJ Contributor Clinton Foundation Vice Chair Chelsea Clinton and Clinton Foundation President Donna Shalala traveled to Haiti this week to visit the foundation’s initiatives that are supporting Haitian agriculture, health and women’s entrepreneurship. Above: Chelsea Clinton with Yve Car Momperousse of Kreyol Essence, an eco beauty product […]

Trinidad Is Seeing a Surge in Tourist Arrivals

A tourism boom  By the Caribbean Journal staff Tourism to Trinidad and Tobago is surging. The country reported 222,946 stay over tourist arrivals in the first six months of 2015, up 9.3 percent compared to the same period in 2014. That was one of the highest rates of tourism growth in the Caribbean in the first […]

Copa Launching Flights to Belize

A new destination for the rapidly-growing carrier Above: the Cayo Espanto resort in Belize By Dana Niland CJ Contributor Starting this December, Copa Airlines will be offering its first-ever service to Belize. The Panama-based carrier will be operating two weekly direct flights between Panama City and Belize City. With this addition, Copa Airlines is now covering […]

The 10 Best Adults Only All-Inclusive Resorts

“Take me to an adults-only resort.” It’s something you probably find yourself saying all the time, whether you’re looking for a getaway or just a hotel that’s a little bit more tranquil. And while there are great inclusions at all-inclusive resorts around the Caribbean, sometimes a little exclusion is the greatest luxury. Often, if you don’t have […]

In Nevis, a Uniquely Caribbean Collage

In Nevis, the art of collage By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon CJ Travel Editor NEVIS — I take great pride in my shopping skills and my ability to sniff out a “shopportunity” when I travel. So I was more than a bit concerned when, waking up on my last day of a week’s stay in Nevis, I […]