caribbean: island by island 65
“Paradisus Palma Real in Punta Cana has launched a Family Concierge programme offering ocean-front family suites and added family facilities”
paradisus.com
hideaway island of Tortuga (Ile de la Tortue). Hilton is opening a Garden Inn property in the capital, Port au Prince. It will have at least 150 rooms and is scheduled to open in 2016. Marriott is to open a 175-room property in Port
au Prince in early 2015. The $45m hotel, funded by Digicel, will be the fi rst four-star property in Haiti.
Hot tip: G Adventures (
gadventures.com) has added a 10-day tour of Haiti to its 2015 programme. The trip starts and ends in Port au Prince and visits Cap Haitian to see Citadelle Laferrière, as well as small towns and villages so that travellers experience the local culture and cuisine. Prices from £1,599pp, B&B (with some lunches and dinners also included) but excluding fl ights.
Park for snorkellers, and world-class sailing. What’s new: The 30-suite Calabash Grenada (
calabashhotel.com) has reopened after a two-month refurbishment to the pool suites and Rhodes Restaurant, created by TV chef Gary Rhodes. All 12 rooms at the Gaudi-esque Mount
Hartman Bay Estate (
mounthartmanbay.com) have been refurbished as part of a makeover that has added a new al-fresco dining terrace.
Hot tip: Grenada is hosting its fi rst ever West Indies vs England Test next year, from April 21-25, after the First Test in Antigua and before the Third Test in Barbados.
Haiti On the western side of the island of Hispaniola, Haiti is rich in culture and history but has been off the tourist map for decades – a situation it is hoping to reverse as companies commit huge investment on forecasts it will become the Caribbean’s next big hotspot. What’s new: Carnival (
carnivalcorp.com) is building a $70m cruise port on Haiti’s former pirate
Jamaica In the north of the Caribbean, Jamaica is the region’s activity island, offering everything from zip-wiring to climbing Dunn’s River waterfall. Visitors can also ride a bob sleigh, go swimming with dolphins or just enjoy Jamaica’s laid-back vibe and white-sand beaches. What’s new: Sandals (
sandals.com) is opening fi ve over-water suites at the Royal Caribbean Spa Resort and Private Island next year. Each will have 1,600 sq ft of space, a personal butler and a glass fl oor in the living area so guests can sit and watch the fi sh – even at night. The 52- room Sandals Carlyle will be rebranded Grand Pineapple Montego Bay on January 15 2015.
Hot tip: Hyatt is opening the all-inclusive Ziva Rose Hall Hotel (
rosehall.ziva.hyatt.com) in Montego Bay in November. The property, which replaces the former Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall, has 387 rooms and suites.
Puerto Rico A territory of the United States, Puerto Rico is in the Greater Antilles, east of Dominican
Republic, and offers a blend of Spanish culture and American cool with the added attractions of beaches, rainforest and world-class golf. What’s new: Air Europa has launched Thursday and Sunday fl ights from Madrid to San Juan with connections from Gatwick to Madrid.
Hot tip: Disney Cruise Line’s (
disneycruise.com) Disney Fantasy will call at San Juan for the fi rst time this winter on seven-night voyages round-trip from Port Canaveral.
St Kitts This island, at the northern end of the Lesser Antilles, has beaches, history, rainforest and the only train in the Caribbean, built to transport sugar but now a number one tourist attraction. What’s new: Belle Mont (beautiful mountain) Farm, the fi rst phase of a new resort complex called Kittitian Hill (
kittianhill.com), opens on December 12 this year. It will have 84 guesthouses that have tablets in place of TVs and seven four-bed farmhouses for families and groups, and its two restaurants, The Kitchen and The Table, will serve food that is fi shed, farmed and foraged from the land around the farm. Rates start from $800 per night
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