The Caribbean @ flycaribbean.com

Going Our Way: Three Caribbean trip ideas for Turks and Caicos, Cozumel or Punta Cana

noreply@blogger.com (Anton Small) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:50:00 +0000

washingtonpost.com: "Bonaire, for example, is widely considered the best dive destination in the Caribbean, but if you're looking for miles of white-sand beaches, forget it. Turks and Caicos, another highly regarded dive spot, has a laid-back vibe and pretty beaches, but you'd have to scale back considerably on lodging to stay within your budget. Mexico's Cozumel boasts a winning combo of fantastic dive sites and more affordable all-inclusives, but the island isn't particularly known for its beaches. And in the Dominican Republic's Punta Cana, you can have your pick of fancy oceanfront resorts at affordable prices, but the diving isn't as dramatic."

Caribbean cruise, 7 nights, from $399

noreply@blogger.com (Anton Small) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:55:00 +0000

msnbc.com: "The Real Deal: Seven nights' accommodations in an inside cabin aboard the Caribbean Princess, all meals and nonalcoholic drinks, and nightly entertainment, from $399 per person—plus about $38 in taxes.

When: April 11, 25."

Caribbean, Antigua and Barbuda, Cruises, Trends-Research

noreply@blogger.com (Anton Small) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 03:56:00 +0000

Caribbean, Antigua and Barbuda, Cruises, Trends-Research: "The murder of a Star Clippers cruise passenger last month in Antigua has prompted the cruise line to cancel calls there and is also having an effect on land visitors as well, according to a major Caribbean tour operator.

We spoke to representatives of MLT Vacations, which manages both Continental Airlines Vacations and Delta Vacations, and learned that Antigua bookings have dropped significantly since the widespread media coverage of the murder has gotten bigger.

For MLT Vacations, bookings to the island were strong for this travel season with the two-week period of January 14- 28 representing the company’s two biggest booking weeks for the destination to date."

Jamaica, air/3 nights, from $539

noreply@blogger.com (Anton Small) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 08:39:00 +0000

Deals- msnbc.com: "The Real Deal: Round-trip airfare to Montego Bay on a major carrier; three nights at the Breezes Resort & Spa Rio Bueno; round-trip transfers; all meals, snacks, and beverages; nightly entertainment; water sports and other activities, including golf on a nine-hole course; fuel surcharges; and hotel taxes and fees, from $539 per person — plus about $113 in airport taxes and fees."

St. Lucia resort drapes itself in romance

noreply@blogger.com (Anton Small) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Metro "No surprise that more couples today are stealing away from hectic, stressful daily life to spend “time-out” side-by-side at a spa.
What better way to renew the spark and energy of a romance than with a little private “us” time for hands-on therapy. With V-Day just around the corner, hotels and resorts are ramping up the romance by bringing out the big guns: champagne, chocolate and roses."

Haiti earthquake: The latest news for travellers to the Caribbean

noreply@blogger.com (Anton Small) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:57:00 +0000

Mail Online: "Tourist boards and operators have moved to reassure UK holidaymakers bound for the Caribbean in the wake of yesterday's devastating earthquake in Haiti.
The Dominican Republic shares a border with the troubled country on the island of Hispaniola, and is a popular destination for Britons.
The magnitude 7.0 quake was felt in the Dominican Republic, but there were no reports of damage there."

What's better: Caribbean cruise or resort?

noreply@blogger.com (Anton Small) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 11:26:00 +0000

Philadelphia Inquirer | "With winter coming, an onslaught of new megavessels brimming with amenities and creative creature comforts again steams toward the Caribbean.
In fact, so spectacular are these new ships that they essentially are destinations unto themselves, boasts Andy Stuart, executive vice president of Norwegian Cruise Line.

But those big, brassy high-rise resorts at sea - many taller than the Statue of Liberty, some too fat to fit through the Panama Canal, and others so long they dwarf a football stadium - come with novelties, such as a New-York-styled Central Park and a Coney Island-like Boardwalk, and they arrive with heftier fares."

Barbuda: Dreamy days and starry nights in the Caribbean

noreply@blogger.com (Anton Small) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 12:07:00 +0000

Telegraph: "On Barbuda's Low Bay, we eat breakfast at the top of the 'lighthouse' – an open-sided, two-storey tower plonked in the middle of our resort – admiring the 360-degree view of the Caribbean. A frigate bird passes, but otherwise there's nothing in sight. At night, we return for cocktails. This time there are stars by the million above us, but we feel as if we're the only people on Earth. 'Look, there's Jupiter!' says Mo, the hotel manager, as if greeting an old friend. Son of a master mariner, he points his telescope at the inky sky, a mass of stellar wonder."

More cruise ship passengers descend on St. Kitts

noreply@blogger.com (Anton Small) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:59:00 +0000

Sun St. Kitts "Over 21,000 sun and fun seeking cruise passengers visited St. Kitts in the past five days, according to the St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA).

SCASPA said over 17,000 passengers are expected between Tuesday and Saturday.

Six thousand passengers visited on 26 Dec., 5,793 on 27 Dec., and 4,619 on 25 Dec.

On 24 Dec., the 2,500-passenger Norwegian Dawn arrived from Barbados with 2,693 passengers and 1,071 crew and departed for Florida."

AirTran Airways Continues Island Expansion Caribbean gets new flights to Aruba

noreply@blogger.com (Anton Small) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:14:00 +0000

eTurboNews.com: "AirTran Airways launched new service between Atlanta and Aruba today, offering one nonstop flight each week. On January 9, 2010, the airline will also introduce weekly nonstop flights between Orlando and Aruba."

US Airways launches service to Jamaica

noreply@blogger.com (Anton Small) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 07:48:00 +0000

Phoenix Business Journal:: "US Airways Group Inc. will launch a seasonal route from Phoenix to Montego Bay, Jamaica, on Friday morning.

US Airways CEO Doug Parker and Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon are scheduled to be at Terminal 4 of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport at 8 a.m. to commemorate the new service."

Enjoy St Lucia's natural beauty on a Caribbean cruise

noreply@blogger.com (Anton Small) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:09:00 +0000

Enjoy St Lucia's natural beauty on a Caribbean cruise: "The Caribbean island of St Lucia is known for its spectacular natural scenery - so why not look up some cruise deals and book a break in this part of the world?

Some 19,000 acres of rainforest lies in the heart of the island, with almost 30 miles of trails running through this area.

Here you can find a variety of rare plants and birds, including the Amazona Versicolor or the Jacquot, as it is also known, which is St Lucia's national bird."

Savouring Jamaica's feisty food from roadside stands to resorts

noreply@blogger.com (Anton Small) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 10:02:00 +0000

Calgary Herald "'A white man can jerk!' chef Walter Staib says with glee, a grin spreading across his bearded face at the launch of our four-day culinary tour of Jamaica.

At first the stocky, white-haired, German-born restaurateur, who speaks with a thick accent even though he has long resided in Philadelphia, seems an odd choice to lead a group of foodies around this verdant Caribbean island, best known for its fiery jerk, not wiener schnitzel."

World's Most Dangerous Airports: Dominica's Cane Field

noreply@blogger.com (Anton Small) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 13:47:00 +0000

Jaunted: "Now, Cane Field is one of two airports on this small island, the other being Melville Hall. However Cane Field is the smaller of the two, mainly used for island hopping, private jets, and the like. With a runway only 3,100' long, it's easy to see why. You will catch the occasional American Airlines or LIAT planes landing at the nearby Melville Hall, but it's Cane Field that holds the most suspense for incoming flights."

Adventure and a workout in Jamaica

noreply@blogger.com (Anton Small) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 13:20:00 +0000

The Boston Globe: "I spent 30 minutes working out with Rosa Young on a nice little patio at the Coco Le Palm resort on Negril’s Seven Mile Beach in Jamaica and it damn near killed me. Seven days with her in the jungle, hiking up waterfalls or running on the beach? Well, maybe if I were younger. OK, and not such a wuss.

Young and her partners are hosting a workout adventure a tad on the unusual side for Jamaica and definitely well off the beaten path. They are calling it Jamaica’s ultimate Eco Trek, scheduled for Jan. 17-24, and it takes place in the form of adventure exercise excursions to Royal Palm Reserve, the Negril lighthouse, Paradise Park, and Mayfield Falls"

The Caribbean Under Canvas - A Camping Resort on St. John

noreply@blogger.com (Anton Small) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 12:44:00 +0000

NYTimes.com: "Our destination was the island’s original and most celebrated campsite. On a prime chunk of tropical real estate on the northern shores of St. John, just before the coastal road cuts a wobbling arc toward the island’s interior, the Maho Bay Campground is a mini-city of tent cottages, established somewhat unintentionally in 1976."

Montserrat!

noreply@blogger.com (Anton Small) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:55:00 +0000

The New York Post Between the rampant Guinness chugging, green-hill-rinse-repeat topography and a St. Patrick's Day that's been deputized a federal holiday, you can barely tell the difference between Montserrat and Ireland, where its first Catholic settlers hailed from. Er, except it's sunny, the people are tan and there's an active volcano.
The only hiccup is accessing this leprechaun-sized Leeward island of just over 5,000 people. While there are no direct flights from the US, and probably never will be, you can get to Montserrat in a couple of different ways from Antigua, which American nonstops it to out of Miami.

Jumby Bay Resort in Antigua Reopens After Renovation

noreply@blogger.com (Anton Small) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:50:00 +0000

Jumby Bay Resort in Antigua Reopens After Renovation: "Jumby Bay, a Rosewood Resort in Antigua, reopens its doors today after closing in June 2008 for a $28 million renovation. The new face of the resort includes Sense, A Rosewood Spa, 28 new suites, a new open-air Verandah and bistro-style restaurants and two new Estate Homes."

Caribbean resorts roll out deals to lure travelers back to the islands

noreply@blogger.com (Anton Small) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:13:00 +0000

USATODAY.com: "ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands — Ocean-view rooms steps from the sand at Bolongo Bay Beach Resort are selling for $265 on a mid-November Monday. But this one costs just 25 cents daily, plus tax, in a special deal."

Healthy Reefs Buoy Haitian Hopes for Tourism Revival

noreply@blogger.com (Anton Small) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:40:00 +0000

NYTimes.com: "There was a time when Haiti was known as the 'Pearl of the Antilles,' a Caribbean vacation destination as famous as Jamaica or Puerto Rico are today.

Haiti's sandy beaches and coral reefs lured tourists by the boatload. Its 1,100 miles of coast offered playgrounds for scuba divers, yachtsmen and cruise ships. And the tourism trade until the early 1990s provided solid incomes for Haitians."

St. Bart's: Tiny Caribbean Jewel for Food, Fashion

noreply@blogger.com (Anton Small) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:38:00 +0000

ABC News: "The island is a haven for the chic and the hip. Cutoffs rarely meet the dress code, unless they're designed as such and topped off by a fabulously sexy top — for men or women.

St. Barthelemy has a couple of pet names. Americans tend to say St. Bart's, while the Francophiles declare the nickname is St. Barth, though still prounonced 'bart.' The capital is Gustavia, a port town resembling a Mediterranean village with stucco buildings and colorful decor. The world's top designer boutiques, including Hermes and Roberto Cavalli, line the streets, along with a myriad of restaurants and cafes."

Try the Southern Caribbean

noreply@blogger.com (Anton Small) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:09:00 +0000

SGVTribune.com: "Breathing room, salon specials and a nap are tempting to enjoy while the ship is in port, but when beaches are this pristine and inviting, and the shore excursions this intriguing, how can anyone remain onboard while docked in Barbados?

The easternmost of the Caribbean islands and the southernmost port of the cruise, Barbados (www.visitbarbados.org) offers some of the best beaches in the world, all open to the public by law. Two of the best, Brandon's and Brighton beaches, are actually just a half-mile walk west from port. A 10-minute drive the other direction takes you to the southern tip of the island, and this is where I finally lost my surf virginity.

Freights Bay is one of the top surf spots on the south coast, and it's easy to see why. A sheltered bay, favorable swells and waves breaking in about 4 feet of water where the bottom is mostly sand and reef make this the perfect classroom for lessons."

Ed Bartlett, Minister for Tourism, Jamaica

noreply@blogger.com (Anton Small) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:17:00 +0000

Montserrat, back from the ashes

noreply@blogger.com (Anton Small) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:52:00 +0000

Travel | The Guardian: "A mountain chicken that's actually a frog; a half-snake, half-lizard creature called a galliwasp; and an avian Dr Dolittle ... this is the stuff of a children's fantasy, or perhaps a particularly vivid hallucination. In fact I was deep in the rainforest of Montserrat, discovering the bizarre local wildlife."

Air Jamaica Wins “The Caribbean’s Leading Airline” Award

noreply@blogger.com (Anton Small) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:40:00 +0000

South Florida Caribbean News: "MIAMI – For the twelfth consecutive year, Air Jamaica has been named “The Caribbean’s Leading Airline” in the World Travel Awards. This year’s award ceremony, held in London, was the culmination of voting by thousands of travel industry professionals in more than 190 countries."