Dominican Republic
Caribbean Cruise

Carnival Just Made Its First Post-Melissa Cruise Call to Jamaica

carnival cruise line jamaica

Carnival Cruise Line made its first official call to Ocho Rios on Wednesday as Carnival Sunrise arrived in port, marking the resumption of cruise visits to Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa. Local officials and community partners greeted the ship as operations continued to stabilize across the north coast — with cruise guests officially returning to the […]

Dominican Republic

Caribbean Photo of the Week: Playa Bavaro

The latest Caribbean Photo comes from Caribbean Journal reader Tawnya Silloway in Colorado Springs, Colo., who sent in this marvelous shot of Playa Bavaro in the Dominican Republic. Did you take a great photo of the Caribbean? Send it to news@caribjournal.com with CPOTW in the subject line. It could be the next one! — CJ

Dominican Republic

The Caribbean’s Fastest-Growing Economy

What’s the fastest-growing economy in the Caribbean region? Right now, it’s the Dominican Republic, which saw GDP growth of 6.6 percent in 2015, the highest rate in the region, according to new data from the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. The region’s second-fastest-growing economy was St Kitts and Nevis, which […]

Dominican Republic

A Major New Hotel Project Is Coming to Santo Domingo

hard rock santo domingo

Santo Domingo is getting a potentially game-changing hotel project. Hard Rock International has announced plans to develop a new 40-story hotel and casino in the Dominican Republic’s capital. The property, which will feature 400 hotel rooms and suites and a state-of-the-art casino, is slated to debut in late 2017. It will be the company’s second Hard Rock […]


The Caribbean’s Fastest-Growing Economy

Continuing a season of high-profile Caribbean vacations by celebrities, 12 Years a Slave star Lupita Nyong’o visited the Dominican Republic this week. The superstar, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for 12 Years a Slave and lent her voice to the character of Maz Kanata in the recent Star Wars: The Force Awakens, […]

A Very Strong Year for Dominican Republic Tourism

The Caribbean’s biggest tourism market is having another very strong year. The Dominican Republic is reporting an 8.5 percent increase in stayover tourist arrivals so far in 2015, according to data from the Caribbean Tourism Organization. The country received 4.22 million stayover visitors from January through September, according to the CTO data. That was buoyed […]

4.5-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Dominican Republic

A 4.5-magnitude earthquake caused weak to light shaking in the Dominican Republic on Saturday, according to the United States Geological Survey. The quake, which occurred at around 11:25 AM local time, struck at a depth of 12 kilometres. Its epicentre was about 3 miles north-northwest of Villa Vasquez in the Dominican Republic and about 101 […]

The Eden Roc Cap Cana Has a New Executive Director

A food-focused resort’s new top exec By Dana Niland CJ Contributor The Eden Roc at Cap Cana has appointed Stefano Baratelli as Executive Director. He is responsible for daily operations of the Relais & Chateaux resort, which is located in Greater Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (in the Cap Cana enclave) and will oversee the coordination […]

The Caribbean’s Newest Luxury Resort

Aman has officially opened its newest resort in the Caribbean. The ultra-luxury Amanera, the second Aman property in the Caribbean, includes 25 casitas on Playa Grande Beach in the Dominican Republic’s north coast. The property is set on a clifftop overlooking Playa Grande, surrounded by jungle and home to the Playa Grande Golf Course. “Amanera […]

Why Sammy Sosa and Other Baseball Greats are Coming to Casa de Campo

By Dana Niland CJ Contributor Casa de Campo Resort & Villas will host the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame in its seventh Induction Week, honoring the Class of 2016. Events will take place around the resort and in La Romana from Dec. 2-5, 2015. The long weekend will celebrate legends of Latino baseball with The Immortals […]

Queen Mary 2 Makes First Visit to Dominican Republic

Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 cruise ship has made its first-ever visit to the new Amber Cove port in the Dominican Republic. The ship arrived from Tortola in the British Virgin Islands; it was also the ship’s first-ever stop in the Dominican Republic. “It is an honour to bring Cunard guests to Amber Cove, and to […]

Sunwing Adds Gansevoort Playa Imbert to Portfolio

By the Caribbean Journal staff Canadian travel giant Sunwing has added the Gansevoort Playa Imbert in the Dominican Republic to its portfolio. That means the company will be exclusively offering the hotel for the winter season in its packages. The 48-room property includes one and two-bedroom lofts, or three-bedroom and four-bedroom apartments and penthouses. Sunwing […]