San Juan’s cruise port is getting new boarding infrastructure, upgraded terminals and rehabilitated piers — and its operator is already outlining another major expansion.

Global Ports Holding says its initial modernization program, expected to exceed $200 million, is targeting completion in the fourth quarter of 2026. Beyond that work, the company has proposed a new homeport terminal and a separate reconstruction of historic Pier 1 in Old San Juan.

The update came during a presentation and facilities tour tied to the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association’s annual conference in Puerto Rico.

What’s Changing Now

The current program covers structural rehabilitation, berthing improvements, terminal upgrades and changes to port operations. GPH assumed operations in February 2024 under a 30-year public-private partnership with Puerto Rico’s government and Ports Authority, a transition we covered when the modernization began.

At the Pan American Piers, a newly arrived passenger boarding bridge will complement the first bridge installed in 2025. The equipment is intended to improve passenger boarding, safety and operational flexibility.

The improvements continue a program we tracked as San Juan’s port investment advanced, addressing the infrastructure used both by visiting ships and vessels beginning their sailings in Puerto Rico.

A Proposed New Homeport Terminal

The next phase could bring a new cruise terminal at Piers 11 and 12, representing more than $200 million in additional construction investment.

GPH envisions financing that proposed terminal through private capital. It would expand San Juan’s homeport infrastructure, with modern passenger facilities and improved embarkation and disembarkation capabilities.

That’s the part of the plan most directly connected to passengers starting and ending a cruise in San Juan: facilities designed to handle the check-in, boarding and arrival process.

Another Project in Old San Juan

A separate initiative would demolish and reconstruct historic Pier 1 in Old San Juan. The estimated $114 million project is expected to receive funding primarily through federal CDBG-MIT and FEMA resources, in coordination with Puerto Rico government agencies.

Both developments remain proposed projects, separate from the modernization program now underway.

Together, they outline the next potential expansion for a port serving two distinct roles in Caribbean cruising: a stop for exploring Puerto Rico and a departure point for sailings across the region.

The post This Caribbean Cruise Port Is Getting a $200 Million Upgrade — With a New Terminal Proposed appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

The rooftop pools. The flower-covered balconies. The evenings spent walking between plazas inside the old city walls. Cartagena offers a different kind of Caribbean vacation, with centuries-old architecture and small hotels at the center of the experience.

Now Frontier Airlines is adding a new nonstop route to the Colombian coastal city, with service from Orlando International Airport beginning December 19, 2026.

The New Flights

Frontier plans to operate the Orlando–Cartagena route once weekly, flying into Rafael Núñez International Airport. The service was listed as subject to government approval when the airline released its schedule.

The December debut puts the route on the calendar for the winter vacation season. With only one flight each week, checking both outbound and return dates should come before choosing your hotel.

The Cartagena service is part of Frontier’s first expansion into South America, alongside new Orlando flights to Medellín and Bogotá. Cartagena is the Caribbean option: a coastal city where you can spend the morning exploring the historic center and the afternoon beside a hotel pool.

Three Hotels to Try

Start with Nácar Hotel Cartagena, Curio Collection by Hilton, the former Tcherassi Hotel + Spa. We covered its arrival in Hilton’s portfolio, and it remains an option for pairing a boutique setting with Hilton Honors benefits. The 49-room property occupies restored historic architecture, with a pool and terrace bar overlooking the city.

Then there’s Casa Carolina, the boutique hotel we reported on when it opened. Set in a restored 16th-century mansion inside the Walled City, it has just 15 rooms, Ayurvedic spa treatments and a rooftop pool. Its rooftop cocktail program comes through a partnership with Cartagena’s El Barón, giving you another reason to head upstairs before dinner.

Our third pick is Casa San Agustín, a luxury boutique hotel spanning three historic houses. Choose it for a stay centered on Cartagena’s colonial architecture, with rooms and suites in the historic quarter and dinner at its Alma restaurant. It’s another reason to make the old city your base.

About That $129 Fare

Frontier introduced the route with one-way fares starting at $129, but that promotion required purchase by September 16. It covered selected departures from January 14 through April 5, 2027, with blackout dates. That sale has ended, so check current pricing for your dates before booking.

The post Frontier Is Launching New Nonstop Flights to Cartagena This December appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

The next stop is South Florida. Royal Caribbean’s Legend of the Seas is crossing the Atlantic for its first arrival in the United States, preparing to begin sailing from Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 8.

The world’s biggest cruise ship will open its Florida season with a three-night Bahamas sailing, giving passengers an early chance to experience the newest member of Royal Caribbean’s Icon Class without committing to a full week at sea. After its inaugural European season, Legend is bringing its waterpark, seven pools and eight onboard neighborhoods to a new homeport.

We’ve been following the ship since Royal Caribbean first named Legend of the Seas. Now the focus shifts to its first departures from the United States — and a Caribbean season that will reach as far south as Aruba and Curaçao.

What Happens on November 8

Legend’s first Fort Lauderdale departure is scheduled for November 8, 2026, on a three-night Perfect Day Getaway itinerary. The ship will leave at 8 p.m., call at Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas on November 9, spend November 10 at sea and return to Fort Lauderdale on November 11.

That opening itinerary puts the ship itself at the center of the vacation. There’s one island stop, followed by a full sea day to explore the decks, try the dining venues and find a favorite pool.

It also gives the debut a different format from the longer Caribbean sailings that follow. Passengers can sample the new ship over three nights, with a Bahamas beach day included, before Legend begins its broader regional program.

What’s On Board

Legend is the third ship in Royal Caribbean’s Icon Class, the lineup that introduced the company’s neighborhood approach to its largest vessels. As we covered in our earlier look at Legend of the Seas, the layout brings together dedicated areas for families, outdoor attractions and adults seeking their own poolside space.

The headline attractions include Category 6, billed as the largest waterpark at sea, and Crown’s Edge, which combines a ropes course, skywalk and thrill ride over the water. Seven pools give passengers several places to spend an afternoon between meals and shows.

Dining is another major part of the ship’s offering. Royal Caribbean lists 28 dining options, including Royal Railway–Legend Station, an immersive restaurant combining food, technology and entertainment, and Hollywoodland Supper Club, inspired by Hollywood’s golden age. The entertainment lineup also includes Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

The practical consideration is time. A three-night sailing offers an introduction to those venues; a longer itinerary leaves more evenings to try different restaurants and more afternoons to explore the outdoor decks.

Aruba and Curaçao Come Next

The opening Bahamas sailing is followed by longer Caribbean departures. Legend’s November 14 itinerary is an eight-night Southern Caribbean and Perfect Day cruise, with calls in Willemstad, Curaçao; Oranjestad, Aruba; and Perfect Day at CocoCay.

That sailing includes two sea days before Curaçao and another two after Aruba, giving passengers substantial time aboard alongside the three island calls.

Royal Caribbean’s broader Fort Lauderdale program includes six-night Western Caribbean and eight-night Southern Caribbean vacations. It adds another option to the Caribbean cruise calendar, with both shorter introductory departures and longer island itineraries aboard the same new ship.

The date to watch first is November 8: Legend’s first departure from Fort Lauderdale, and the beginning of its U.S. sailing season.

The post Royal Caribbean’s Biggest Cruise Ship Yet Is Coming to Fort Lauderdale, With First Sailings on Nov. 8 appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

The first decision in planning an Aruba vacation is usually the beach. Palm Beach, with its hotels, watersports and restaurants. Eagle Beach, with its broad sand and lower-rise surroundings. Or somewhere farther south, where the accommodations get smaller and the waterfront looks different.

But the hotel can tailor the vacation just as much as the address. A swim-up suite encourages an afternoon close to your room. A separate living area makes a week with children easier. An inland cottage gives you a reason to rent a car, buy groceries and spend more time exploring beyond the hotel coast — and find yourself in nature.

We’ve been covering both sides of Aruba’s accommodations story: the arrival of major luxury brands and the smaller properties that introduce a more personal version of the island. The choices have expanded, particularly with The Westerly’s arrival at Hilton Aruba and the debut of St. Regis.

These five options offer five different starting points for an Aruba vacation, from a full-service beachfront resort to a three-cottage countryside retreat.

The Westerly at Hilton Aruba: A Palm Beach Vacation With a More Private Retreat

You want Palm Beach: the sand, the swimming, the ability to head out for dinner without organizing your entire evening around transportation. You also want a room that gives you a reason to spend time upstairs.

That’s the case for The Westerly at Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino, the 161-room-and-suite addition to one of the island’s landmark resorts.

The Westerly combines its own arrival experience and concierge service with access to the larger Hilton’s restaurants, beachfront and resort facilities. It’s a particularly good fit when you want the choices of an established resort alongside a more individualized stay.

The room category matters here. Oversized balconies add outdoor living space, while oceanfront accommodations put the water at the center of the experience. The adults-only swim-up categories offer direct access to semi-private pools, making them our starting point for a couple who expects to spend considerable time in and around the room.

Then there’s Terrace on 10, the adults-only rooftop retreat with elevated views of the coast.

One booking detail deserves attention: The Westerly itself is not entirely adults-only. That designation applies to specific accommodations and facilities. Choose it for a Palm Beach resort vacation with additional privacy and adult spaces, and confirm the exact room category before reserving.

The post Five Different Ways to Stay in Aruba, From Overwater Villas to an Adults-Only Vacation on Palm Beach appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

A berth on Barbados’ Platinum Coast. A pool and bar waiting back on shore. A private clubhouse furnished by RH, with space to gather after a day on the water. Pendry’s first yacht club is taking shape around a version of Caribbean membership that extends well beyond a place to dock.

Pendry Barbados has unveiled plans for Pendry Yacht Club, a private club combining a 110-berth marina with dining, boating services and a calendar of members-only events. The club will welcome members ahead of the resort’s planned 2027 opening, although a specific opening date for the yacht club has not been disclosed.

It adds another component to the first Pendry resort in the Caribbean, a project we’ve been following as the brand prepares to enter Barbados’ luxury hotel market.

A Marina With Services Beyond the Slip

The marina will accommodate vessels up to 80 feet, supported by dedicated dock management and concierge assistance for owners and crews.

The services will cover several of the practical details of spending time aboard: provisioning, excursion planning and private dining coordination. That means members will be able to arrange supplies for the boat, organize an outing or coordinate a meal through the club.

The marina has been a central part of Pendry’s Barbados resort plans. The new details give a clearer picture of how it will operate as a membership destination, with facilities intended to keep members on property after they step off their boats.

An RH-Furnished Clubhouse

The Clubhouse will anchor the shoreside experience, with RH furnishings, gathering areas, a game room and shower facilities.

Outside, members will have access to the Marina pool and sun deck. The Marina Pool Bar will serve cocktails, bites and shaved ice, adding a casual stop between time aboard and an afternoon by the pool.

Pendry also plans a calendar of cultural events and social gatherings exclusively for members. Specific programming has not yet been detailed, but the club’s plans place those gatherings alongside the boating facilities as a central part of membership.

It’s a broader approach than a marina with a restaurant attached: the clubhouse, pool and events will give members several reasons to return even on days when they aren’t heading out to sea.

Resort Access Will Follow in 2027

The next layer of membership will arrive when Pendry Barbados opens in 2027. Members will then receive privileged access to resort amenities including Spa Pendry, Compass Sports, Paintbox Children’s Club and the resort’s dining venues.

Pendry has outlined a culinary program combining Italian-inspired dishes, wood-fired cooking and Bajan flavors. Venues will range from beachfront bars to the dockside Marina Restaurant, with dining intended for hotel guests, residents, club members and locals.

As we reported when Pendry first outlined its Caribbean debut, the resort will include 80 guestrooms alongside its marina and residential component. The yacht club adds a membership option to that combination of hotel stays and private ownership.

A Residential Connection

The development also includes 46 Pendry Residences Barbados, ranging from two to five bedrooms. The homes will come fully furnished with bespoke RH interiors and waterfront terraces; select ground-floor residences will have infinity-edge pools.

Residential owners who join the yacht club will receive priority slip placement, subject to availability. Club membership is therefore a separate consideration from purchasing a residence, with the marina offering an additional connection between home ownership and boating.

The project is part of a changing Barbados hotel landscape we’ve been covering. Pendry’s next milestone will come on the waterfront, where its first yacht club is set to welcome members before the resort receives its first overnight guests.

The post Pendry Is Bringing a New Yacht Club to Barbados, With a 110-Berth Marina and a Private Clubhouse appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

The Christmas tree is in the suite. The beach is a short walk from the patio. And the butler has a special delivery: miniature milk and cookies for the family’s Scout Elf.

Beaches Resorts is bringing The Elf on the Shelf back to its Caribbean all-inclusive resorts for a fourth consecutive holiday season, with a new suite in Jamaica joining the returning themed accommodation in Turks and Caicos.

The program runs from November 27 through December 25, 2026, at Beaches Turks and Caicos and Beaches Negril, combining weekly parties, outdoor movies, scavenger hunts and holiday crafts. Families can bring their own Scout Elf along, carrying the familiar December tradition into their Caribbean vacation.

A New Christmas Suite in Negril

This year’s biggest addition is at Beaches Negril, where The Elf on the Shelf Caribbean Vacation Suite makes its debut on Jamaica’s Seven Mile Beach.

The suite accommodates up to five guests, with a king bed and a twin-size daybed with a trundle. Holiday decorations extend across the room, including a Christmas tree decorated with Scout Elf touches, along with themed games and storybooks.

A walkout patio adds outdoor space a short walk from the sand. The accommodation also comes with a dedicated Jingle Shell Butler, who handles personalized service and holiday surprises during the stay.

It adds a seasonal option at a property we’ve included in our guide to Negril’s best all-inclusive resorts, with the Christmas theme continuing inside the room after the day’s resort activities finish.

The Returning Turks and Caicos Suite

At Beaches Turks and Caicos, the returning suite occupies the Italian Village and accommodates up to seven guests.

Red-and-white decorations carry through custom wallpaper, themed bedding and festive collectibles, with a Christmas tree completing the setting. The children’s bunk room includes holiday storybooks, games and Scout Elf plush toys.

Outside, the walkout patio offers easy access to the Italian Village pool, with candy cane-inspired furnishings and more themed decorations. A dedicated Jingle Shell Butler is part of this suite experience, too.

The location is worth noting when choosing accommodations: the holiday suite is in the Italian Village, a separate section from the Treasure Beach Village addition we’ve covered.

Parties, Movies and Scout Elf Surprises

Families don’t have to reserve a themed suite to participate in the resort-wide holiday program.

Both properties will host the weekly Sweet Island Soirée featuring The Elf on the Shelf, with music, dancing, desserts, crafts and Scout Elf surprises. Weekly outdoor movie nights will feature films from The Elf on the Shelf Santaverse collection, accompanied by popcorn and festive treats.

Scout Elf Central serves as the activity hub, with programming that includes holiday scavenger hunts, arts and crafts, Christmas karaoke and Scout Elf storytime.

Guests in Butler accommodations have another option: adding their family’s Scout Elf to the V.I.E. list, short for Very Important Scout Elves. The Jingle Shell Butlers can arrange miniature milk and cookies, marshmallow baths, festive trail mix and other small surprises throughout the stay.

Two Different Sets of Dates

The resort-wide celebrations are scheduled for November 27 through December 25, 2026. The themed suites have a longer arrival window, from November 25, 2026, through January 3, 2027, subject to availability. A suite reservation outside the activity dates should therefore be considered separately from the full holiday program.

Beaches’ partnership with The Lumistella Company continues through the 2028 holiday season. This year, the new Negril suite gives families a second island option for a Christmas stay with their Scout Elf.

The post Beaches Has Created the Ultimate All-Inclusive Christmas Vacation in the Caribbean appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

The island occupies just one acre, with a location that puts you directly into the boating life of the British Virgin Islands. You can watch it from a restaurant table, join it on a snorkeling trip, or settle into a room overlooking the sound. Everything begins a few steps from the dock.

An Island Built Around the Water

Saba Rock makes particular sense in the North Sound of Virgin Gorda, where a boat ride can connect your hotel, your lunch reservation, and your next place to swim.

This is the sailing destination at the northeastern end of Virgin Gorda, with Bitter End Yacht Club nearby and a surrounding landscape of islands, coves, and anchorages. From Saba Rock, the water occupies most of your view. Boats arriving and departing give you something to follow from your seat, and the distances between shorelines make you want to get back out and explore.

You don’t need to be chartering a yacht to participate. Saba Rock welcomes day visitors alongside overnight guests, making it an easy addition to a Virgin Gorda vacation. Come across for a meal and you get a small taste of a trip organized around the sound: dock arrivals, waterfront tables, and another boat ride home.

A Very Good Reason to Come for Lunch

The restaurant is open-air and directly on the waterfront. You sit down with the North Sound beside you, close enough to the arriving boats that lunch comes with a continuing change of scenery.

The menu spans Caribbean and international cooking, with seafood, small plates, pizza, and enough variety to accommodate a group coming ashore after several hours on the water. You can make it a proper sit-down lunch or keep things casual with something to share and a cocktail.

There’s also a useful invitation built into a visit: you can stay after eating. The resort welcomes restaurant guests to spend time on its small beach or relax in a hammock. That makes lunch a starting point for an afternoon on the island, with very little planning required beyond arranging your return boat.

Stay for the Tarpon

One of Saba Rock’s best-known daily events takes place at 5 p.m., when the resort feeds the tarpon.

It’s a simple reason to be near the water late in the afternoon, and a particularly good one if you’re visiting with children. The fish gather beside the island, adding another stop to a day that might already have included snorkeling, lunch, and time on the beach.

As we’ve covered in our look at Saba Rock’s watersports experience, getting out on the water is a major part of a stay. Activities include diving, kiteboarding, kayaking, and paddleboarding. You can build an active trip here, using the island as your base between outings. Or you can spend much of your visit watching other people return from theirs, drink in hand, with your own plans limited to dinner.

You Can Sleep Here, Too

Booking a room changes the experience. You can stay through dinner, head upstairs afterward, and wake up with the North Sound outside your window.

We included Saba Rock in our collection of Caribbean beach bars with their own hotels for exactly this reason: the distance between your waterfront seat and your room is part of what makes the place work.

The resort currently lists 10 accommodations, retaining the small scale that makes sleeping on this particular island so interesting. Guest rooms have private balconies and a contemporary nautical design, with king beds, colorful interiors, and generous space for two.

The suites offer more room to spread out, with separate living areas and large outdoor terraces. Their views give you a reason to spend time in the accommodation itself: take a seat outside and you’re still looking across the same water you came here to explore. A few nights would let you alternate boat excursions with unhurried stretches on the island.

The Diving History Behind the Bar

Saba Rock’s connection to the sea goes back decades. Diving pioneer Herbert “Bert” Kilbride established his base here in the 1960s, along with the Pirates’ Pub, helping turn the tiny cay into a gathering place for people exploring the BVI by water.

The property was rebuilt after Hurricane Irma and reopened in October 2021. Its current design incorporates artifacts and salvaged materials from the earlier resort, preserving a connection to the place longtime visitors remember.

That history helps explain why Saba Rock remains such a natural stop on a sailing itinerary. People have been coming ashore here to dive, eat, drink, and meet other boaters for generations. Today, you can take part in that tradition with a comfortable room waiting above the waterfront.

How to Get There

If you’re staying on Virgin Gorda, the practical starting point is Gun Creek. Saba Rock offers resort guests a complimentary ferry crossing of approximately 10 minutes; coordinate your arrival and confirm the return schedule directly with the property.

Guests arriving at Virgin Gorda’s airport can take a taxi to Gun Creek before boarding the boat. Sailors can arrange marina or mooring access.

The short crossing is enough to give the visit its own sense of departure. You leave the road behind, pull up beside a tiny island, and step ashore within sight of your lunch table. Book a room, and your next departure can wait until tomorrow.

The post This Tiny Caribbean Island Resort Has a Waterfront Bar, Oceanview Rooms and Some of the World’s Best Kitesurfing appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

The swim-up rooms put a swimming pool just beyond your terrace. The oceanfront rooms give you a balcony facing the Caribbean, and the beach puts another swimming option a short walk from your room at TUI BLUE Curaçao.

The new 297-room all-inclusive resort has begun welcoming guests in Groot Santa Martha, bringing a new place to stay on Curaçao’s western coast — and it’s taking bookings at rates starting at $268 for stays beginning November 16.

We’ve been following the new Curaçao all-inclusive⁠ through its development, from its collection of swim-up accommodations to its beachfront setting. Now the first guests have arrived, with the hotel introducing its facilities through a phased opening that began October 20.

The combination gives you a new option for an all-inclusive vacation in Curaçao: meals and drinks included, a beach at the hotel, and access to the coves, snorkeling spots and national parks of the island’s west.

An All-Inclusive Stay in Santa Martha

The resort is in Santa Martha, near Soto, with a white-sand beach and a setting surrounded by the western island’s hills. It occupies the former site of the Coral Cliff Hotel, later known as Sunset Waters Beach Resort.

You’re staying in a part of Curaçao where you can spend a morning driving between beaches, stop at a lookout over the bay, and return to the hotel for lunch and an afternoon beside the pool.

That location has been central to our coverage of TUI BLUE Curaçao⁠ from the beginning. The hotel adds a large all-inclusive property in an area with access to places like Cas Abao Beach, Christoffel National Park and the Blue Room Cave.

Willemstad is approximately 40 to 45 minutes away by car, according to the resort’s estimates. You can plan a day in the capital, then spend the rest of your trip exploring the western coastline from Santa Martha.

Rooms With Direct Pool Access

The accommodations give you several ways to organize your stay, beginning with partial ocean view, ocean view and oceanfront rooms. The ocean view rooms measure approximately 430 square feet, with a king bed, sofa bed, sitting area and balcony.

The swim-up rooms add a terrace connected directly to a shared swimming pool. You can step outside for a swim before breakfast or return to your own terrace after an afternoon at the beach.

Both the partial ocean view and ocean view swim-up categories carry a minimum age of 13. Families with younger children can look at the resort’s other room categories, including ocean view family rooms with a sliding partition separating the sofa-bed area.

The wider accommodation collection includes oceanfront swim-up junior suites and larger suites with private pools. Those premium categories are separate choices from the advertised starting rate, and availability will depend on your dates and the resort’s opening schedule.

What’s Included in the All-Inclusive Program

The resort’s published all-inclusive program covers meals, snacks and drinks, including cocktails, wine, beer, juices and soft drinks. During the opening period, dining includes daily breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets, complemented by rotating pop-up à la carte experiences.

IVO Beach Restaurant & Bar brings dining to the beachfront, while Thea’s Reserve serves coffee, drinks and light bites. Snack Court and Grab & Go add options between meals.

The full restaurant collection is set to include Culinarium, TUI BLUE’s signature à la carte concept, and Mesa Caribe, with grilled meats, seafood and meze. Additional restaurants are being introduced as the resort completes its opening phase.

That means the dining experience during a November stay will follow the opening-period program. Check which restaurants are operating for your dates, along with any reservation requirements for the pop-up dinners.

Beach Days Beyond the Hotel

An all-inclusive stay here also puts western Curaçao’s beaches within reach. The resort estimates approximately 15 minutes by car to Cas Abao and 20 minutes to Christoffel National Park.

You can make Cas Abao Beach⁠ a separate beach day, with time to swim before heading back to Santa Martha. Another excursion can take you toward the Blue Room Cave, known for the blue light inside its sea-level entrance.

A rental car gives you flexibility to combine those outings with time at the hotel. You can leave after breakfast, explore for a few hours and return for an afternoon swim without scheduling a full-day excursion.

What to Know About the Opening Phase

TUI BLUE Curaçao is operating while construction and finishing work continue in designated areas. Its October 26 update listed the Oasis swimming pool, Oasis Pool Bar, IVO Beach, Thea’s Reserve, Grab & Go, Snack Court and children’s playground among the available facilities.

In-room and beachfront massages were also available. The permanent spa and gym, Sunset Pool & Bar and children’s splash pool were listed as scheduled for completion in December.

The resort’s current opening-phase information extends through February 1, with facilities and operating hours introduced gradually. A November reservation means booking during that period, so confirm the current schedule before choosing your dates.

The $268 Starting Rate

Rates start at $268 for stays beginning November 16, giving you a new price point to consider as you compare Curaçao all-inclusive resorts. Confirm the room category, occupancy, taxes and cancellation terms attached to the rate before reserving.

The debut comes as the island continues adding all-inclusive options, including Marriott’s new adults-only Pyrmont resort in Willemstad⁠. TUI BLUE adds a family-friendly choice in Santa Martha, with swim-up rooms and western Curaçao excursions close by.

You can plan your stay around the beach outside your hotel, then leave room for another one tomorrow.

The post This New Caribbean All-Inclusive Just Opened, With Swim-Up Rooms, a White-Sand Beach and Rates From $268 appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

You can now book Avelo’s Puerto Rico flights into spring 2027.

The airline has extended its flight schedule through April 20, 2027, including San Juan and Aguadilla — its two Puerto Rican destinations — in the expanded booking window. The extension covers winter vacations and spring break planning, according to Avelo’s August 26 announcement.

The Aguadilla service adds another option for reaching Puerto Rico’s west coast directly. Avelo has announced nonstop flights from New Haven, Connecticut, beginning November 19, and Lakeland, Florida, beginning November 18. Both routes were announced with twice-weekly service.

That gives you a different arrival point from San Juan when planning a Puerto Rico trip. You can choose the capital or build your vacation around an arrival in Aguadilla, without starting with a drive across the island.

Avelo also serves San Juan nonstop from New Haven, giving Southern Connecticut passengers a choice between the two Puerto Rico destinations.

The schedule announcement’s advertised $42 one-way fare does not apply to Puerto Rico. That promotion covered select Lakeland–Nashville flights in March 2027 and required booking by September 9, 2026. The release did not specify a Puerto Rico fare for the extended booking period.

When comparing flights, check the total with your bags and seat selection included. Avelo charges separately for carry-on bags, checked luggage, assigned seats and other optional services.

The post Avelo Extends Puerto Rico Flight Bookings Through April 2027 appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Courtyard by Marriott Mexico City Airport has completed a comprehensive renovation, bringing updated guestrooms and redesigned public spaces to a hotel built around one particularly useful feature: staying close to your next flight.

The modernization covers both the overnight stay and the hours you spend outside your room, with changes to the lobby, restaurant, bar and meeting spaces. Marriott confirmed the completed project in its latest roundup of hotel updates across Mexico and the Caribbean.

What Has Changed

Gensler Mexico designed the public-area renovation, which includes the reception desk, lobby, restaurant, bar, crew lounge, retail area and conference rooms. A new boardroom is also part of the project.

The redesigned lobby incorporates areas for working, meeting and relaxing, with furniture and layout separating different uses throughout the space. You can sit down with your laptop between flights or meet a colleague without spending those hours in your room.

Lighting company Estiluz, which supplied fixtures for the project, says its Volta and Circ designs appear throughout the renovated public spaces, adding warmer lighting to areas intended for longer stays.

The Overnight Experience

Marriott says the guestrooms have been renovated, although its announcement does not specify the new finishes or individual room changes.

The hotel lists soundproof windows among its existing room features, along with plush mattresses and in-room Wi-Fi. Kitchen & Bar serves an international menu with local dishes, while 24-hour room service gives you another dining option after a late arrival. A fitness center is also available.

Another Mexico City Hotel Update

The project adds to the hotel changes we’ve been following across the capital, including the major redesign at The St. Regis Mexico City and the opening of Hyde Mexico City Reforma.

At the Courtyard, the consumer proposition centers on the airport stay: an overnight connection, a late landing or an early departure when proximity helps simplify your itinerary.

Planning Your Stay

The property lists a complimentary airport shuttle available on request. Standard check-in is at 3 p.m., with checkout at noon; confirm arrangements directly if your flight schedule requires access outside those hours.

The renovation is complete, so you’re booking the updated property now. Rates vary by date and room category, and breakfast is not included as a standard complimentary amenity.

The post This Marriott Hotel at Mexico City’s Airport Just Got a Makeover appeared first on Caribbean Journal.