Island Hoppers, Pack Your Passports

By Gary Lee
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, March 4, 2007

Hot to explore the next big thing in the Caribbean? During the past year, a beach bag full of new lodging, flights and other attractions has popped up across the region.

The most significant development has been the new regulations requiring that all non-nationals entering Caribbean countries, Bermuda and the Bahamas by air have a passport. The rules, which went into effect Jan. 23, have sent many Americans scurrying to apply for passports; similar requirements for visitors arriving by land or sea will be phased in by Jan. 1.

Not surprisingly, travel to Puerto Rico -- which U.S. citizens can enter without a passport -- has increased sharply, according to tourism officials. It's too early to tell the exact levels visits have risen islandwide, but the Sheraton Old San Juan has reported a 30 percent uptick in occupancy during January. At San Juan's Westin Rio Mar Beach Golf Resort & Spa, bookings were up 17 percent in January. Other properties have cited similar figures.

"With all the passport confusion, people are going with what's comfortable," said Drew Toth, the Westin's director of marketing.

Flight and hotel bookings in the U.S. Virgin Islands, also accessible without a passport, have shot "way up," according to Henry de Lagarde, director of tourism for North America for the U.S. Virgin Islands. "Some visitors have told us they chose the Virgin Islands specifically because they didn't have to deal with the passport hassles," he said.

Islands where passports are required are fighting to attract customers. For instance, tourism officials in the Bahamas will reimburse U.S. travelers the cost of their passports: $97 for adults and $82 for children. (Restrictions apply; see the Web site for Bahamas tourism, http://www.bahamas.com/ for details.)

Not to be outdone, several resorts in Jamaica are also offering travelers discounts on meals and other attractions up to the price of their passports. For info, check out http://www.visitjamaica.com/.

Airline News

Getting to Montserrat is easier than ever, as Air Montserrat (664-491-6728, http://www.airmontserrat.com/) now has flights between the tiny outpost and nearby Antigua and Nevis. Schedules vary; check with your airline for availability. Keep in mind that the U.S. State Department ( http://travel.state.gov/) posted a public announcement in January alerting travelers to increased volcanic activity on the island. The announcement expires April 9.

To make island-hopping easier in other parts of the region, Air Jamaica is featuring new flights out of its hub at Montego Bay, including daily service to Barbados.

New routes from U.S. cities have put both popular and less-traveled islands within easier reach. United starts nonstop service March 12 between Dulles and Montego Bay, Jamaica, on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Delta has several new flights, including nonstop service from Dulles to Cancun on Saturdays and service four days a week from the Washington area to Port of Spain, Trinidad, via Atlanta; in December flights will be offered from Washington airports to Tobago, via Atlanta.

(For an overview of what airlines offer nonstop service from the Washington area to the islands, see Page P9.)

British West Indies Airways, meanwhile, has changed its name to Caribbean Airlines (800-920-4225, http://www.caribbean-airlines.com/). The airline still flies from JFK in New York to various places, via Trinidad, but all its routes from Dulles have been canceled.

Spirit Airlines (800-772-7117, http://www.spiritair.com/) is launching service from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Port au Prince, Haiti. The flights will start three days a week on March 22 and step up to a daily schedule in May. But travelers to the long-troubled region should beware: The State Department has reissued a warning, expiring July 9, against travel there, citing continued violence and kidnappings.

Hotels

The accent in new hotels is on luxury: honeymoon-worthy haunts with up-to-the-minute amenities and views that bring you close to fainting. Here's a sampling of what's new; rates quoted are per night, double occupancy, and for low season, which usually starts after Easter.

· Antigua. Hermitage Bay (268-562-5500, http://www.hermitagebay.com/) has 25 ocean-view cottages, all decked out with iPod dock stations, flat-screen TVs and hardwood floors. From $570.

· St. Maarten. The 317-room Westin St. Maarten Dawn Beach Resort & Spa (800-228-3000, http://www.westin.com/) has a full-service spa and casino, and its Opal Ultra Lounge is an edgy nightspot. Introductory rates of $302 available until April 16 for stays of four nights or more.

· Turks and Caicos. The Somerset on Grace Bay (649-946-5900, http://www.thesomerset.com/) has 53 suites, lawn croquet and such neat touches as swimming pools equipped with underwater stereo music. From $450.

· Dominican Republic. The 55-suite Sivory Punta Cana (809-552-0500, http://www.sivorypuntacana.com/) is a refreshingly calm haven -- no limbo contests here -- with its own beachfront. From $290 (all-inclusive rates available).

· Grenada. The 64-room Spice Island Beach Resort (800-448-8355, http://www.spiceislandresort.com/) has reopened following an overhaul after Hurricane Ivan. Included in the revamp: a 5,600-square-foot spa. From $635.

· Guadeloupe. Club Med La Caravelle (888-932-2582, http://www.clubmed.com/) has reopened after a nine-month renovation, with two upgraded French restaurants and other new features. All-inclusive rates per person start at about $1,200 for seven nights or about $180 a night.

· Grand Cayman. The 365-room Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman (800-241-3333, http://www.ritzcarlton.com/) features a half-dozen restaurants, a nine-hole golf course and a prime address on Seven Mile Beach. From $349.

Spa Scene

Spas have become major pampering destinations in just about every corner of the Caribbean. "Gone are the days in which island spas were a tiny room with one massage table," said Cheryl Andrews, whose Florida public relations firm promotes travel to several Caribbean resorts. "They've become as impressive there as in any part of the world."

On Aruba, the 13,000-square-foot Larimar Spa (011-297-526-6050 http://www.larimarspaaruba.com/) at the Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino opened in September. The spa, touted as the island's largest, features an aloe vera and rum massage ($175 for 80 minutes).

In the Riviera Maya, near Cancun, Mexico, El Spa (888-923-2722, http://www.iberostar.com/) in the Iberostar Paraiso Maya is a 32,000-square-foot facility with thalassotherapy pools, hammam steam rooms and a 6,000-square-foot saltwater pool. The Golden Paradise Treatment (a one-hour massage using cosmetic gold, $130) has received glowing reviews.

Half Moon (866-648-6951, http://www.halfmoon.com/), the deluxe resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica, is planning to unveil a 68,000-square-foot sanctuary spa later this year. It will be outfitted with indoor/outdoor treatment rooms and a yoga pavilion.

On Cofresi Beach in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, the Spa (809-970-3364, http://www.sunvillagebeachresort.com/) has opened at Sun Village Resort. Spread over 17,000 square feet, it features an outdoor bamboo shower and offers a coffee jade wrap treatment using 100 percent green coffee ($65 for 25 minutes).