Four Seasons has a new Caribbean opening on the calendar: mid-2027, when its first resort in the Dominican Republic is scheduled to welcome guests on Playa Esmeralda in Miches.

The upcoming Four Seasons Resort and Residences Dominican Republic at Tropicalia will have 95 rooms, including 21 suites, along with 25 residences. The latest details outline a beach resort with eight restaurants and lounges, three pools, a substantial spa and excursions that take you into the surrounding forests, onto the water and out to a working farm.

That combination puts a relatively small hotel at the center of a broad vacation experience. You’ll have fewer than 100 rooms, with enough planned dining, recreation and wellness options to fill a week without repeating the same daily routine.

A Four Seasons Debut in Miches

The arrival adds another major luxury name to a destination we’ve been following closely. Miches has already attracted Hilton’s Zemi Miches resort, while JW Marriott and Autograph Collection hotels are planned as part of a $500 million development.

Tropicalia brings a different scale to that expanding hotel map. Its 95-room count gives you a useful sense of the experience Four Seasons is planning, particularly alongside a coastline the company describes as having miles of secluded beach.

The resort’s address is Playa Esmeralda, with the beach central to both the property and its planned activities. Complimentary ocean recreation will include kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and water bikes, giving you several ways to get offshore between swims.

Eight Restaurants and Lounges

Four Seasons is planning eight restaurants and lounges, although the current overview does not yet name the venues or detail their individual menus. One specific connection is already clear: La Querencia, the Cisneros family’s farm.

Ingredients grown at La Querencia are expected to appear on tables throughout the resort. You’ll also be able to participate in farm experiences and activities, taking that connection beyond what arrives on your plate.

It’s one of the more intriguing details in the plan. A visit to the farm can give you a closer look at Dominican agriculture, then carry into dinner through the ingredients the kitchens use. The food program will be something to watch as restaurant concepts and chefs are revealed.

Three Pools and a Spa

The resort will have three pools, adding several alternatives to a beach day. The wellness facilities include eight spa treatment rooms, two of them designed for couples, along with a yoga pavilion.

A racquet sport center is also planned, while hiking, mountain biking and guided nature exploration will take you into the surrounding landscape. You could spend a morning on a coastal trail, return for a swim and leave the afternoon open for a treatment.

That mix gives the forthcoming Dominican Republic resort a clear outdoor focus, with activities extending well beyond a lounger.

A Family Resort With More to Explore

Families will have a Kids For All Seasons center and a separate teen center, providing dedicated spaces for different ages. Alongside the pools and ocean activities, those facilities make children and teenagers a clear part of the resort’s plans.

Four Seasons is also outlining guided marine experiences, including snorkeling, sailing and excursions focused on the surrounding waters. Its overview highlights humpback whales and sea turtles, although individual encounters will depend on season and conditions.

On land, planned experiences include guided exploration and cultural exchanges connected to Fundación Tropicalia. The resort describes conservation and community stewardship as central to its approach.

The opening window remains mid-2027, with an exact debut date still to come. For your next Four Seasons trip, the draw is already taking shape: Playa Esmeralda, a 95-room resort and days that can stretch from a farm visit to a paddle along the coast.

The post The Dominican Republic Is Getting Its First Four Seasons, With 95 Rooms and Three Pools in an Under-the-Radar Destination appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

You arrive by boat, crossing the water from Great Exuma to a stretch of Stocking Island where bungalows face the beach and a peninsula holds an infinity pool. At Baymahni, the last leg of your journey puts you directly into the setting you came to the Bahamas to find: white sand, shallow turquoise water and a room close to both.

The new resort occupies the former Kahari property, introducing a fresh identity to one of the most distinctive places to stay in Exuma. Its footprint combines intimate bungalow accommodations with a beach club, Bahamian restaurants and access to the surrounding water.

A Different Side of Stocking Island

Stocking Island sits across Elizabeth Harbour from George Town. You can see the town from the island, but staying here changes the practical rhythm of your vacation: boats become your connection to Great Exuma, and the beach becomes the center of your day.

Baymahni’s arrival route starts at Exuma International Airport, followed by a taxi to the Exuma Yacht Club and a complimentary resort water taxi. That gives you access to George Town while keeping your accommodations across the water, on an island the resort describes as having no vehicles.

It’s the most exciting new hotel in the Out Islands in years.

Bungalows With Room to Stay Outside

The accommodations include beach, beachside and lagoon-facing choices, with king beds, air conditioning and interiors incorporating natural materials, locally made furnishings and handwoven details. The distinction between categories is worth considering: your view and proximity to the sand are part of the room choice.

One particularly interesting option is the Beach Bungalow with Extended Veranda. It pairs 370 square feet of interior space with a 301-square-foot veranda, giving you almost as much room outside as inside. A king bedroom is supplemented by a ladder-accessed loft with a full-size bed, designated for children ages 7 to 16. Connecting options also give families another way to stay together.

That generous outdoor space is a reason to look closely at this category. You can spend the morning on your veranda, head down to the beach and return without making the room feel like a place reserved only for sleeping.

A Beach Club on the Peninsula

The Beach Club is Baymahni’s focal point, occupying a peninsula with a 180-degree sweep of turquoise water. An infinity pool shares the setting with dining and cocktails, giving you a place to move between a swim, lunch and an afternoon in a lounge chair.

It adds another option to Stocking Island’s collection of beach bars and waterfront stops. Here, the combination is especially convenient for overnight guests: your bungalow and the beach club belong to the same resort.

Bahamian Dining and Frozen Daiquiris

The dining lineup includes the Beach Club and The Beacon, a restaurant centered on Bahamian culinary traditions. The Beacon currently lists dinner service Wednesday through Sunday, with reservations required, while the Beach Club serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.

There’s also the Daq Shaq, a beachfront bar serving frozen daiquiris and specialty drinks. In-room dining provides another option when you want dinner delivered to your bungalow after a day on the water.

Getting Out on the Water

Baymahni lists complimentary kayaks, paddleboards and water bikes, along with snorkeling and coastal and inland trails on Stocking Island. You can spend a day exploring nearby water, then trade the paddle for a walk without leaving the island.

The resort also offers dock space for boats up to 65 feet, subject to reservation. That makes it an option for travelers arriving with a vessel as well as those flying into The Bahamas. The central decision is how much exploring you want to do — and how much time you want to leave for that veranda.

The post A New Bungalow Resort Just Opened in The Bahamas, With a Peninsula Beach Club and an Arrival by Boat appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Marriott Isla Verde Beach Resort has completed a roughly $38 million transformation, bringing renovated accommodations, redesigned gathering spaces and updated dining to a beachfront hotel just minutes from Puerto Rico’s main airport.

The resort, formerly the Courtyard by Marriott Isla Verde Beach Resort, has also moved into Marriott Hotels, the company’s flagship brand. Unveiled in August, the change gives you a refreshed option directly on Isla Verde Beach, with private balconies, an on-site casino and a stay that can combine beach time with evenings in San Juan.

What Changed

The renovation extended across the accommodations, lobby and social spaces, along with enhancements to the culinary concepts, new service areas and infrastructure improvements. Local architects, designers, contractors, artists and suppliers participated in the project, according to the resort.

We first reported on the transformation in September. The distinction for returning guests is the combination of a physical renovation and a transition into a different Marriott brand, following more than two decades under the Courtyard name.

That gives you a reason to reconsider a familiar address. If you previously stayed here for the beachfront location, the accommodations and shared spaces are now part of a substantially updated property.

A Private Balcony Upstairs, the Beach Downstairs

The resort has 260 private balconies and direct beach access, two particularly useful details when you’re choosing a hotel for a beach vacation. You can spend time outside your room without heading downstairs, then make the shoreline your main destination for the day.

Marriott also lists complimentary Linus bicycles and the on-site Casino del Sol among the experiences available to guests. That gives the stay several different directions: a ride around the neighborhood, an afternoon on the sand or an evening at the casino.

The beachfront setting is the starting point. You’re choosing a resort where the ocean is part of the daily routine, with access to the restaurants and cultural attractions of the wider San Juan area when you want to venture farther.

What You Can Eat and Drink

The current dining lineup includes Meso, which serves Mediterranean cuisine at dinner, and Papaya Oceanfront Grill, listed for American fare. Café Colao provides a coffeehouse option, while the resort also offers breakfast at Meso, Veranda by Meso and in-room dining.

In the lobby, Destilado pairs cocktails with small plates. It gives you a place to settle in for a drink before dinner or spend an evening close to your room. Marriott also highlights oceanfront breakfast, bringing the Atlantic into the first meal of the day.

Those are useful specifics if you prefer some meals at your hotel while leaving room to explore Puerto Rico’s restaurants. You have several on-property choices without needing to plan every breakfast, lunch and evening around a reservation elsewhere.

Why Choose Isla Verde

The resort’s proximity to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport makes it a practical choice for a shorter Puerto Rico vacation. You can keep the arrival transfer brief and spend more of your first day at the beach. Marriott describes the property as minutes from the airport.

It also offers a different stay from the smaller hotels in the historic city. We recently covered Alma San Juan’s addition to Marriott’s Autograph Collection, a 56-room property in Old San Juan. There, the surrounding streets shape the trip; in Isla Verde, the beach takes that role.

The renovated resort adds another choice within Marriott’s Caribbean portfolio, particularly if you want to earn or redeem Bonvoy points. The property participates in the program, giving members another beachfront option for a Puerto Rico stay.

It’s also a big upgrade from what was once a Courtyard though, to be fair, we love Courtyards.

The post Marriott’s Isla Verde, Puerto Rico Resort Has a New Look, With a Buzzing Beach and a $38 Million Makeover appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Adults-only vacations usually begin when you reach the resort or step aboard the ship. JetBlue Vacations and Virgin Voyages are moving that starting line to the departure gate.

The two brands have introduced “Do Not Disturb,” a one-time getaway combining dedicated kid-free JetBlue flights with an adults-only cruise aboard Brilliant Lady. Everyone taking part must be at least 18, extending Virgin’s signature age policy to the flights and transfers surrounding the sailing.

The package goes on sale Oct. 21, with the four-night cruise departing Miami March 4 and returning March 8, 2027. You’ll visit Key West and Virgin Voyages’ Beach Club at Bimini, pairing a Florida Keys port call with a beach day in The Bahamas.

The Vacation Starts in New York

Your trip begins at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, with round-trip JetBlue flights to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. An onboard toast courtesy of Virgin Voyages marks the start of the getaway.

A limited number of participants will also receive access to JetBlue’s BlueHouse airport lounge in New York, available on a first-come, first-served basis. That benefit has a capacity limit, so it shouldn’t be treated as a guaranteed inclusion for every traveler.

Once you land in Fort Lauderdale, private transportation takes you to PortMiami, with luggage handling included. Round-trip transfers are part of the package, connecting the airport and cruise terminal at both ends of the trip.

It’s a particularly useful inclusion given the geography: you’re flying into Fort Lauderdale and sailing from Miami. You won’t need to arrange that connection separately.

Four Nights on Brilliant Lady

The sailing takes place aboard Brilliant Lady, Virgin Voyages’ newest ship. The onboard experience includes more than 20 eateries, entertainment and the line’s fleetwide adults-only atmosphere.

Package guests receive priority boarding through Virgin’s RockStar entrance, along with lounge access. Those are boarding privileges; the package description does not identify them as an upgrade to a RockStar suite.

There’s also a private welcome party with a dedicated Do Not Disturb cocktail, a $100 Bar Tab per cabin and additional in-cabin surprises. Ten travelers will receive a separate $50 onboard credit.

The central draw, though, is the continuity. The same adults-only trip carries you from the flight to the transfer to the ship, with the transportation arranged as part of a single booking.

A Beach Day in Bimini

The Bahamian stop brings you to Virgin Voyages’ Beach Club at Bimini, the line’s beach destination close to South Florida. That gives the short itinerary a dedicated island day alongside its Key West visit.

We recently reported on the new Caribbean-focused menu coming to the beach club, with dishes including roti and snapper patties. The rollout includes Brilliant Lady ahead of this March sailing, adding another reason to look forward to lunch ashore.

Across four nights, the itinerary gives you two distinct stops without requiring a full week away. You can spend part of the trip exploring on land and leave the remaining time for the ship’s restaurants, entertainment and open decks.

When You Can Book

Reservations open Oct. 21 for the March 4–8, 2027 departure. JetBlue Vacations is packaging the round-trip adults-only flights, sailing, private airport transfers and accompanying perks together.

Travelers can earn TrueBlue points and tiles toward JetBlue benefits and Mosaic status, along with eligible rewards through Virgin Voyages’ Sailing Club.

Virgin already has an established place in adults-only Caribbean cruising. This partnership extends that experience to the journey before and after the ship — including the New York flight that gets you there.

The post JetBlue Is Adding Adults-Only Flights to a New Virgin Voyages Caribbean Cruise Getaway appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

A lakefront parcel at Bahía Beach offers approximately one acre within the island’s Four Seasons resort community.

The last undeveloped homesite in the Las Estancias enclave at Puerto Rico’s Bahía Beach is being offered for $3.9 million, according to Puerto Rico Sotheby’s International Realty.

The post A Lakefront Homesite at Puerto Rico’s Four Seasons Resort Community Just Listed for $3.9 Million appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Your private infinity pool faces Prickly Bay. Beside it, a broad sun deck gives you room to spend the afternoon outside, moving between a lounger, the water and a shaded dining table. When you’re ready for dinner, you have your own golf cart to take you down through the hotel grounds.

That’s the experience at the two new Hillside Penthouse Suites at Calabash, the family-owned boutique hotel in Grenada. Their completion brings the property from 30 to 36 suites, adding a more secluded option above the bay while keeping the hotel decidedly intimate.

We’ve long counted Calabash among our favorite places to stay on the island. These additions give you a new reason to consider it: a substantial private retreat with the restaurants, beach and personal service of a small hotel close at hand.

A Different Perspective on Prickly Bay

The hillside position is the defining feature. You’re above the main property, with a wide view across Prickly Bay and outdoor space designed for more than a quick morning coffee.

Each penthouse spans almost 3,000 square feet, according to the hotel’s introduction. The private infinity pool anchors the terrace, accompanied by loungers and a shaded dining area. You can swim before breakfast, have lunch outside and return to the same view after an afternoon at the beach.

Inside, open-plan living and dining areas give you room to spread out. The king bedroom has sliding doors opening to the terrace, keeping the bay in view when you retreat indoors. The bathroom includes a central soaking tub facing the water, along with a double vanity and dual rain showers. A bar and pantry area rounds out the accommodations.

The dedicated golf cart makes the hillside location easier to enjoy. You have a private perch above the grounds and your own way to move around the property when you want a change of scene.

Six New Suites, Still a Small Hotel

We first covered Calabash’s six-suite expansion last year. The project included four Superior Deluxe Suites alongside these two Hillside Penthouses, giving travelers different ways to experience the property.

The completed expansion adds just six accommodations to the hotel’s inventory. At 36 suites, Calabash remains a place where the scale shapes the experience: fewer rooms, a family-owned operation and a holiday centered on the beach, meals and time together.

The penthouses are particularly well suited to travelers who want generous outdoor living space and the option to spend much of the day in their own suite. You can make the pool terrace the center of your stay, then head down to the rest of the hotel whenever you please.

Dinner Is Part of the Reason to Come

Calabash’s food has always been a major part of its identity, something we’ve followed in our coverage of the hotel’s culinary program.

Rhodes Restaurant remains the signature dinner experience. Its current kitchen is led by Grenadian Executive Chef Nicholas Cherman, with menus drawing on local farmers, fishermen and producers, along with ingredients from the hotel’s L’Esterre Estate. The Beach Club offers another reason to leave your terrace for a meal beside the sand.

The new suites give you the space to linger over breakfast, swim in privacy and spend an unhurried afternoon overlooking the bay. Then there’s a restaurant reservation, a ride through the grounds and another side of one of the Caribbean’s small luxury hotels.

The post This Caribbean Boutique Hotel Just Added Two Penthouse Suites With Private Infinity Pools appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

Zoëtry Marina Cap Cana says it will be opening March 1, 2027, bringing an all-suite retreat to the waterfront in the Dominican Republic. Although it’s not taking bookings yet.

The boats are part of the view. So are the waterfront restaurants, the terraces facing the harbor and the Caribbean just beyond it. Hyatt’s next Zoëtry resort is coming to Cap Cana Marina, giving you a different setting for an all-inclusive vacation in the Dominican Republic.

Zoëtry Marina Cap Cana is scheduled to open March 1, 2027, with four restaurants, two swimming pools, direct beach access and a spa with hydrotherapy experiences. The emphasis is on wellness, spacious accommodations and a location that puts the marina’s dining and nightlife within a short walk.

It’s another addition to Hyatt’s expanding Caribbean all-inclusive portfolio, this time with the harbor at the center of the experience.

An All-Inclusive on the Marina

The setting is the first reason to take a closer look. Inside the gated community of Cap Cana, the resort sits where the marina meets the sea, with access to both the waterfront and the beach.

You can spend the afternoon by a pool, then head out on foot to explore the marina’s restaurants, bars and bistros. That proximity gives you an easy way to venture beyond the hotel between meals, spa appointments and beach time.

The surrounding marina has Mediterranean-inspired architecture, yachts at their slips and places to stop for a drink along the waterfront. If you like an all-inclusive but also want somewhere nearby to wander, this is a location to watch.

Suites With Balconies and Terraces

The accommodations will range from junior suites to a Presidential Suite, with natural materials and a subdued palette throughout. Every suite will have an expansive balcony or private terrace, with views of the gardens, the Caribbean Sea or Cap Cana Marina.

That makes the view an important part of choosing your room. A marina-facing suite puts the harbor in front of you; other categories look toward the sea or tropical landscaping.

Hyatt describes the Presidential Suite as a three-space accommodation. Across the lineup, the outdoor areas should give you room for breakfast outside, a quiet afternoon with a book or a drink before dinner.

Four Restaurants and a Beach Bistro

The resort will have four restaurants under Zoëtry’s Endless Privileges all-inclusive concept, along with personalized concierge service.

Among the dining venues is Raíz, an all-day beach bistro serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Its menu will combine international dishes with tropical influences and locally sourced ingredients, giving you a casual dining option near the water throughout the day.

There’s also the surrounding marina’s restaurant scene to explore. Those nearby venues add choices beyond the resort’s own dining program, although you should plan for separate spending when heading out to eat.

A Spa, Hydrotherapy and Two Pools

Wellness is central to the Zoëtry concept here, with spa treatments and hydrotherapy experiences planned alongside the two swimming pools and direct beach access.

The combination gives you several ways to spend a day close to your suite: a morning swim, time at the spa and an afternoon on the beach. The resort’s published description emphasizes restoration and personalized service, with the facilities to make a slower vacation the main event.

You’ll also have a fitness center on property if you want to keep your usual exercise routine between time outdoors.

Golf and More Around Cap Cana

Beyond the marina, Cap Cana gives you access to Punta Espada, the Jack Nicklaus-designed championship golf course with eight holes along or overlooking the Caribbean Sea.

Other nearby options include Scape Park for outdoor excursions, El Dorado Water Park and Los Establos equestrian center. They give you reasons to set aside a day away from the pools during a longer Dominican Republic stay.

The scheduled March debut adds another choice to the area’s extensive all-inclusive collection. At Zoëtry Marina Cap Cana, the particular draw will be having a beach, a spa and a walkable harbor in the same vacation.

A Brand We’ve Long Loved in the Caribbean

We’ve long loved Zoëtry Agua Punta Cana, the brand’s existing resort in the destination. It’s the intimacy we keep coming back to: the tropical gardens, the thatched roofs and the way the resort brings you close to the beach. It’s always felt like a particularly personal version of the all-inclusive vacation, with more attention to the quiet corners and the time you spend in them.

We’ve also loved Zoëtry Marigot Bay in Saint Lucia, where the hillside setting and yacht-filled harbor give the stay a strong connection to its surroundings. That’s part of what interests us about this new Cap Cana resort. The marina gives it a setting of its own, with boats outside your balcony and somewhere to walk after dinner. We’ll be watching to see how that translates when the doors open in March.

The post Hyatt Is Planning to Open a New Caribbean All-Inclusive With Marina Views and Two Pools appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

You can sleep above the water in Buccament Bay, have dinner on a private jetty on Canouan, or spend an afternoon drinking rum punch beside Friendship Beach in Bequia. Across St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the hotel you choose can send your vacation in an entirely different direction.

That’s what makes this such a compelling Caribbean destination for 2027. Sandals has brought its overwater villas to the main island, Canouan pairs two very different luxury hotels, and Bequia retains the allure of a small island where beach bars are essential stops. There’s a new Palm Island retreat on the horizon, too. These are the five hotels on our list.

Sandals Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

The green hills are a big part of the reason to book at Sandals Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The resort occupies a sheltered coastal valley, giving you a beach vacation with St. Vincent’s volcanic landscape rising behind it.

The rooms to know are the Vincy Overwater Two-Story Villas: 1,248 square feet above the sea, with an overwater daybed downstairs and a rooftop deck for looking across the cove. Behind you are the forested slopes surrounding Buccament Bay; in front, the water that gives this adults-only all-inclusive its strongest aesthetic.

Dinner deserves some planning. Buccan serves meats and vegetables cooked over open flames, Scrimshaw concentrates on seafood, and Three Jewels is the rum-bar stop. Between meals, you can take out a Hobie Cat, paddleboard or kayak, while certified divers have scuba included. There are even suites with separate exercise rooms, although we’d be more tempted by that rooftop deck.

The post This Caribbean Hotspot Is Booming — Here Are Our 5 Hotels to Try in 2027 appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

This is the kind of fare we like to see heading into the Caribbean travel season: $312 on Delta from Newark to Nassau, with travel Nov. 9–16. That puts a week in The Bahamas on the radar just before the Thanksgiving travel rush.

It’s an encouraging sign for anyone who has been checking Caribbean flights and waiting for a more appealing number. One fare doesn’t establish a regionwide decline, but it does give you a concrete option to consider for a November escape.

The Fare

The fare we’re highlighting is Newark to Nassau on Delta for $312, departing Nov. 9 and returning Nov. 16, 2026.

Check the full itinerary before purchasing, including connection times, fare category and baggage allowances. The lowest price deserves a closer look alongside the total travel time and any additional charges.

Why It Caught Our Eye

The dates give you a full week away, with departure and return before Thanksgiving. If your November plans are flexible, this is a useful fare to compare against other dates and departure airports.

It’s also a reminder to search specific travel windows. A Caribbean trip that looks expensive on one set of dates can look considerably more appealing when you shift your departure or return.

What to Know Before Booking

Airfares can change quickly, and the $312 price may disappear as seats sell. Confirm the final total for both directions and review the ticket’s change and cancellation terms before paying.

Our take: this is a promising November find — and a reason to keep watching Caribbean fares as you plan your next trip.

The post We Found a $312 Roundtrip Fare Between Newark and Nassau appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

You can spend an evening following an art trail, stopping for local wine tastings along the way. You can make a West African mask, bind your own notebook or paint beside the sea with a cocktail within reach. Then there’s the Jam Bull, bringing Antiguan history and folklore into a week that moves between galleries, studios, public spaces and the beach.

That’s the appeal of Antigua and Barbuda Art Week, returning Nov. 11–18, 2026. The pleasure is in the combination: the chance to see art, meet the people creating it and try something yourself, with the island becoming part of the experience.

We can’t think of another Caribbean event quite like it.

An Opening Night in Redcliffe Quay

The week begins Nov. 11 with Symphony of Colours at Redcliffe Quay, bringing music, cuisine, art and performances into an evening that introduces the range of the programme.

It’s also your first chance to encounter a preview of the Jam Bull performance from the Roots Krokus Collective. The group’s “Out of the Krokus Bag” series at Makŏ Fine Art Gallery will bring together exhibitions, dance, poetry, workshops and performances, sharing Caribbean stories through several different forms.

The Art Week program we’ve been following gives you reasons to keep exploring throughout your stay, with individual artists and independent spaces contributing their own experiences.

Art Begins at Arrivals

Your first encounter may come before you leave the airport. From Nov. 11, arriving passengers will see winning entries from the Rising Stars of Art student competition, along with “Dual Thresholds,” a public art installation featuring artist-designed doors in the arrivals hall.

We previously covered the doors project’s place in this year’s Art Week. It’s a particularly appealing introduction: an everyday object transformed by an artist, greeting you as you enter the island.

The Tourism Authority’s main Art Week exhibition moves this year to the new E.T. Henry Gallery in Redcliffe Quay. More than 30 artists from Antigua and Barbuda will be represented, giving you a central stop from which to explore the wider programme.

A Chance to Make Something

Some of the most intriguing experiences ask you to take a seat and participate. At the Art and Cultural Village at Julees, multidisciplinary artist Iyaba Ibo Mandingo will lead West African mask-making and puppet workshops, alongside “Puppet Village.”

“Bind Your Story” offers personalised notebook-making. Good Humans 268 will host a sustainable art activity using recycled and repurposed materials. These are opportunities to spend time with a process, ask questions and leave with something you made during your trip.

Fashion enters the programme, too. Shem Henry will open the Henré Designs studio for “BE,” an intimate fashion and art experience. At the Barracks Gallery, Stephen Murphy and Amaya Iztueta will present an exhibition of art by Maria Ross Iztueta.

After Dark, and Beside the Sea

The new Art After Dark tour on Nov. 17 pairs evening art encounters with local wine tastings. It follows a daytime Art & Culture bus tour on Nov. 13, giving you two different ways to explore participating spaces around Antigua.

You can also follow the trail independently. Guides will be available at the main exhibition, with an Art Trail challenge encouraging visits to as many galleries as possible and a vote for your favourite artist.

Nov. 14 brings another compelling pairing: a live painting showdown at Art Battle at Bay Gardens Caribbean Village, and Flavours & Canvas at Dennis’s Beach Bar and Restaurant. The latter combines guided painting with tapas, cocktails and music.

That’s the day we’d be especially tempted to plan around. A painting session beside the water belongs naturally on an island holiday, and this week gives it a connection to the wider creative community.

Limited-capacity experiences warrant advance reservations. Tickets for the Tourism Authority’s Flavours & Canvas and Art Trail bus tours will be available through the TickeTing app.

Leave time for the beach, of course. Just leave room in the week for a studio visit, an evening gallery stop and a notebook you bound yourself.

The post In the Caribbean, an Art Week Unlike Any Other appeared first on Caribbean Journal.