The hotel industry in the Caribbean has been booming, with new hotels coming on the scene every week. Not only are new hotels being built in tourist hot spots like Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, but developers are also building in smaller islands like Dominican and St. Martin. 

Here are 15 Caribbean hotels that are either newly opened or will be opened in 2020.

Eclipse at Half Moon – Jamaica

The opening of Eclipse at Half Moon is the most exciting hotel opening in recent years and will be located in Montego Bay. There will be 57 rooms and located on the coast. 

The hotel will be opened on March 1st, 2020. 

Canopy by Hilton Cancun La Isla – Mexico 

Mexico has been seeing an abundance of new hotels popping up but Canopy by Hilton Cancun La Isla will bring something different to the table. The hotel will have a co-working space, rooftop pool and will be in close proximity to prime shopping in Cancun. 

The Morgan – St. Maarten

This luxury hotel will have 124 rooms and suites, a rooftop deck, an infinity pool and access to Maho and Simpson Bay beaches. 

The Morgan will start taking reservations in February. 

Planet Hollywood Cancun – Mexico 

Another opening in Cancun, Planet Hollywood will be making its debut this spring. There will be 648 rooms and the decor is inspired by movies. 

Club Med Miches Playa Esmeralda – Dominican Republic

This location is the first-ever Exclusive Collection hotel by Club Med to open in the Caribbean. 

Located in the serene area of Miches, the hotel has 335 rooms and opened last month. 

Radisson Aruba – Aruba

Radisson left Aruba four years ago but is now making a comeback this year. The hotel will have 208 suites, ranging in size from 1,000 to 2,000 square feet. 

Noni Beach, a St Thomas Resort – St. Thomas

This hotel will be opening in late 2020 but is the most anticipated opening on the island in years. Noni Beach will be a boutique hotel will 94 rooms. 

Paradisus Playa Mujeres – Mexico 

Opening this summer in Cancun is this mega hotel with 498 rooms, 10 dining areas, a fitness center, and a spa. 

Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana – Dominican Republic 

This Punta Cana resort will have 500 suites and a water park located in the Macao area of the city. The hotel will have an emphasis on being family-friendly and all-inclusive. 

Margaritaville Beach Resort, Nassau – The Bahamas

The Margaritaville Beach Resort is set to be a major addition to Nassau and will be opening this year. 

Cabrits Resort & Spa Kempinski – Dominica

Dominica’s brand new luxury hotel opened at the end of 2019, drawing more interest to this under-the-radar island. The hotel has 151 rooms and is located near Cabrits National Park. 

Hotel Barriere Le Carl Gustaf – St. Barth

Opening in the first quarter of 2020 is the highly anticipated luxurious Hotel Barriere. The hotel will have 23 rooms in the heart of St Barth. 

Hammock Cove – Antigua

The recently opened Hammock Cove is a boutique all-inclusive, with all the rooms having their own private plunge pools. 

Secrets – St. Martin

Opening in the first quarter of 2020 is this all-inclusive hotel with 258 rooms and located on Anse Marcel. It is the first brand-new resort to open in Saint Martin and is anticipated to increase tourism to the island. 

Alaia Belize – Belize

Alaia will be opening towards the latter part of 2020 and will have a spa, art gallery, rooftop pool, and dive shop. 

Written by: Arielle Gray

You don’t tame the sea. You learn how to ride it the way birds take to wind. 

This concept is a way of life in the Caribbean. The Bahamas is a place where ships wrecked on the rocks and reefs, an inevitable, lush green stop on the Trans Atlantic slave trade. 

Many view the islands as a beautiful getaway but the spirit of resistance, a spell turned solid at Junkanoo or in the villages and towns crafted by freed slaves, is why anyone learning more about the history of the African Diaspora should visit.

It’s a story of living within the reach of God’s hand. Of springing life back out of the sea. 

I went to the Bahamas in the last week of August. It was a trip myself and my best friend spent months and months planning and saving for. We had five sun drunk days in Nassau and somehow managed to get out on a flight that skirted the oncoming winds of Hurricane Dorian. 

Wanting to learn more history, we were lucky enough to connect with the Ministry of Tourism before we left. The audacious spirit of revolt is stamped across the African Diaspora. If you’re Jamaican like me, you know Queen Nanny, the black woman who organized freed slaves in an ongoing series of revolts against the British. Haiti made global history when they revolted against the French, establishing the first free Black nation in the Americas. 

Our first stop was the Educulture Museum and Resource Center in Nassau. Founded by Arlene Nash Ferguson in 2000, the museum serves as a physical space that embodies the spirit and history of the Bahamian Junkanoo festival. The building, on a parcel of land her great-grandfather bought in 1900, houses bursts of color in the form of Junkanoo costumes. Many of them belong to Ferguson herself, who has participated in the Junkanoo festival since she was four years old. 

As a Jamaican, I’m familiar with the brightly colored costumes, the elaborate headdresses, and feathered embellishments of Carnival, Barbados’ Cropover, J’ouvert, or the many other Caribbean festivals celebrating emancipation and freedom. Junkanoo has a similar history. While there’s debate concerning the origin of the name, the celebration, which takes place between Christmas and the first of January, commemorates the days off that the slave masters would give their slaves for the holiday. The slaves used this respite to recreate festivals resembling those of their various homes in West Africa, like the Homowo Harvest Festival of the Ga people or the masked, robbed dancing of the Egungun in Benin. 

Junkanoo costumes didn’t start off as overtly colorful, elaborate affairs, however. Slaves had to source their materials from their environment and employed straw to create intricately woven costumes, crafted suits made from sea sponges and even made some from newspaper scraps. This was an additionally subversive statement as slaves weren’t allowed to read and could’ve been punished if found with newspaper. Today, modern Junkanoo participants craft costumes from crepe paper, using cardboard stencils, wire and supports to build pieces that can weigh over 100 lbs. 

Each year, Junkanoo jubilantly proceeds down Bay Street in Downtown Nassau.

Our next stop was the Pompey Museum of Emancipation and Slavery, which also sits right on Bay Steet. It’s at the Vendue House, an old site where slaves were sold or auctioned off. Now, the vividly painted exterior of the museum is a corporeal reminder of the Bahamian push against British colonialism.  

Here, we’re reminded of water. The curator of the museum points us to a diorama of the wreck of the slave ship, Peter Mowell, at Lynard Cay. The American owned ship was attempting to avoid what they thought was a Royal Navy Ship.

“Slavery was already outlawed in the British colonies by then,” he pointed out. “But the Peter Mowell, in an ironic twist of fate, struck the shore of Lynyard Cay. Bahamians helped those aboard get to shore. Almost 400 Africans, who would’ve been sold into slavery in the United States, found freedom in the Bahamas.”

Bahamians coming to the rescue of those on slave ships wasn’t an anomaly. Bahamian mariners were known to construct fake lighthouses and utilize other methods to urge slave ships to run ashore. Because of the Bahamas’ proximity to the United States, the islands were often seen as safe havens from the terrors of slavery, which wasn’t outlawed in the U.S. until 1865. “And then there’s the Creole,” the curator says. “It was transporting slaves from Virginia to New Orleans but they revolted and took control of the vessel. They knew about the Hermosa, another slave ship that wrecked on the islands at Abaco. They knew that sailing to the Bahamas meant freedom.” 

So that’s what they did. When the Creole landed in Nassau, the ship was boarded by the harbormaster and his crew who were all Black Bahamians. They told the slaves to evacuate immediately. They were free. Descendants of both the Creole and the Peter Mowell still live in Nassau and across the Bahamas. 

The water has always taken life. But somehow, the Bahamas has always been the receiver of it too. Our last stop touched on this point. Bahamian artist and sculptor Antonious Roberts carves figures from wood, all sourced from the islands. They rise from a rocky peninsula along the beach of the massive Atlantis resort on Paradise Island. Roberts walks along with us to the site. “These figures are carved from local wood, the Madeira tree,” he says. 

Roberts has a profound interest in the Bahamian environment and uses his art to tell a story of transformation and preservation. “I use the opportunity to gather the broken wood after storms,” he says. “I reuse them. That adds to the power of the work. The whole process is guided by the old belief that the spirit lives in all things. Wood is one of those things.”

The tall, elegant sculptures are feminine in form but represent Bahamian history and resilience and, perhaps most importantly, the give and take relationship the islands have with the sea. The wood is exposed to and weathered by water. But still, the space is sacred. 

While the beach is a getaway for Atlantis hotel guests, many locals, who work in the area or at the hotel, visit “Sacred Space.” Around the sculptures, stacked towers of white stone spring from the sand. 

When asked if these are also a part of his work, Roberts shakes his head. “No. But perhaps someone felt moved to put them here.” 

JetBlue is on a roll when it comes to flight deals and its latest sale will have you planning for travel this upcoming fall season.

One-way flights across the country are running for as low as $39 one-way.

Related Post: The 3 Flight Deal Websites Travel Addicts Are Obsessed With

The cheapest deal is from Las Vegas to Long Beach, California which will get to the above city for $39 one-way and vice versa.

A majority of the one-way flights are running for $59 one-way, including Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Richmond, Virginia; New York City to Boston, Massachusetts; and San Franciso, California to Long Beach, California.

International trips are not excluded from the one-way flight sale. Cuban cities Camaguey, Havana, and Holguin are all accessible through this deal from Fort Lauderdale for just $94 one-way.

Nassau, Bahamas and the Grand Cayman are also available from Fort Lauderdale for less.

Related Post: 48-Hour Escape To The W Fort Lauderdale

If you are planning to book a flight with JetBlue, there are a few things you should consider.

The first thing is that the sale ends on Aug. 14 at 11:59 ET. Travel must take place between Sept. 4 and Nov. 20. There are a few blackout dates with this deal, including Sept. 28 through Oct. 1; Oct. 1 through Oct. 14; and Nov. 6 through Nov. 12, according to the company’s website.

Related Post: Here’s How To Tell If A Cheap Flight Is The Real Deal

The tickets are also classified as Blue Fare, which means there no checked bags, a carry-on bag is included, and same-day changes to your flight will cost you.

Nassau Bahamas is mostly known to cruisers as they come into the city for a day or two. While many never step past the “touristy” areas, the capital city offers more than what meets the eye.

Native Nate McKinney gives us his perspective on where to go to enjoy an authentic and mostly black-owned Nassau experience.

Rent a scooter to get you around

If you are coming in on one of the cruise ships, stop by Virgo Car Rental just outside the port gates to rent a scooter or ATV for the day. Nate suggests that by renting a scooter, you have the freedom to get to places faster and cheaper than taking a taxi or using a car service or tour company.

Photo courtesy of DeAnna Taylor

Sit down for a homecooked breakfast at Shoal Bistro

Nate suggests heading to Nassau Street to get a great meal at this hidden gem. Shoal Bistro is known to the locals as one of the best places for breakfast, as well as some of the best seafood Nassau has to offer.

Photo courtesy of DeAnna Taylor

Lay out on one of the more peaceful beaches

Since Nassau is an island, you have your share of beaches all around. Most people head to Junkanoo beach, Cable beach, or even Paradise Island to get their fix of sun and sand. However, all of the beaches on the island are open to the public, and you can relax in peace just by choosing a different one. Nate suggests going to any of the beaches along West Bay Road once you cross the Sandy Port bridge. These beaches are clean, not crowded, and offer stunning views.

Photo courtesy of DeAnna Taylor

Related: How To Spend A Day In Black-Owned Miami

Head back to Nassau Street to pick up lunch

After getting your tan just right and working up an appetite for lunch, head back over to Nassau street to the local’s favorite takeout spot. Bamboo Shack is the place to get your taste of Bahamian favorites fast food style. The prices are also very affordable.

Photo courtesy of DeAnna Taylor

End your day with cocktails on the beach

Junkanoo beach always packs a crowd since it is right next to the port. What many don’t know is that the most popular spot for drinks on this beach is black-owned. The Tiki Hut sits right on the beach and offers some of the best cocktails, local beers, and bar bites around. The owner started the company with only a few dollars and now brings in millions. Now that is a success story to support.

Photo courtesy of DeAnna Taylor

An increase in crime has prompted Royal Caribbean to issue a warning to its passengers about traveling in Nassau, Bahamas.

A letter was reportedly sent to passengers aboard Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas urging guests to be aware of nonviolent crimes such as theft of personal items.

According to a report from Cruise Radio, the letter signed by Captain Srecko Ban advises passengers to:

• Leave valuables and irreplaceable items inside your stateroom safe.
• Avoid wearing obviously expensive jewelry.
• Carry only the cash or credit cards that you will need on each outing.
• Use discretion when handling cash publicly.
• Keep your belongings, especially expensive cameras or phones, secure and in sight.

The letter from the captain continues by stating how “thousands of visitors have routinely traveled to Nassau without incident” and that visitors to Nassau, like visitors to all major foreign cities in the world today need to be mindful of their personal safety.

Lastly, the letter points out that if anyone happens to be confronted by a criminal, to note that money and valuable can be replaced.  The letter reminds tourists that “your safety and security, and that our crew members, is always foremost in our minds.”

While there’s an increase in nonviolent crimes,  Cruise Radio is reporting that the Bahamas has seen a decrease in violent crimes.

A total of 89 murders were reported in the Bahamas this year, down from 122 during the same period last year.

Armes robberies are down 16 percent compared to last year, and shootings are down 20 percent compared to 2017.

The last travel warning from the State Department was issued earlier this year when officials warned tourists to “exercise increased caution in The Bahamas due to crime.” According to the travel advisory, violent crimes, such as burglaries, armed robberies, and sexual assault were common in tourist areas.