You know how in the movie Jerry McGuire, Renee Zellweger turns to Tom Cruise and says, “You had me at hello?”
Well, something like that happened to me the very moment I arrived in St Thomas, USVI, at the newly remodeled Frenchman’s Reef resort – specifically, The Westin Beach Resort & Spa. I exited my car, took one look at the two huge white terry-cloth-covered daybeds gorgeously floating below in the blue waters of the Caribbean – and I was hooked. I knew it was a signal of great things to come.
The Westin Beach Resort & Spa at Frenchman’s Reef is now open and welcoming travelers to become immersed in its warm waters – and in a quintessential island experience.
The opening signals the completion of an extensive $425 million rebuild project at Frenchman’s Reef, which debuted its sister resort, Morningstar Buoy Haus Beach Resort at Frenchman’s Reef, Autograph Collection, this past May. These are two hotels that are interconnected, offering you two distinctive experiences and signing privileges at both.
The new resort is the latest to join Westin Hotels & Resorts – part of Marriott Bonvoy’s global portfolio of 31 extraordinary hotel brands and a global leader in hospitality and well-being for more than a decade. The Westin experience comes to life through the brand’s Six Pillars of Well-Being – Sleep Well, Eat Well, Move Well, Feel Well, Work Well, and Play Well – allowing guests to personalize their stay and engage in programming that best meets their needs.
This rarefied resort is a sanctuary of wellness that harmoniously blends exploration with relaxation – and both explore and relax I did.
Let’s start with one of the best parts of this resort – the cuisine. Fine dining is a staple of this property, and one of my favorite experiences was dinner at Luna Mar. This restaurant offers a refreshing take on Mediterranean cuisine, serving steak, seafood, pastas and pizzas that are centered on authentic cooking. My favorite meal? It started with delicious homemade hummus and pita bread, followed by a hearty farro salad lovingly embraced with Green Goddess dressing, and some of the very best grilled shrimp I have ever eaten. Just out of the ocean, they were coated in a delicious blend of herbs and seasonings and grilled to perfection. Trust me – those were some upper-crust crustaceans. I was so enamored of this meal that we went back a second night to eat the very same thing – it was that good.
I must say something here about our waiter – he was hilarious, and made my and my husband Bill’s evening very memorable. I asked for a very specific drink – a diet limeade (with tailor-made instructions) and he meticulously wrote them down, then paused a moment, looked at me, and said, “The lime? Right-hand-squeezed or
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A new flight connection calls for a landing ovation – and a new set-jetting package for Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts guests – as the first-ever U.S. commercial flight descends upon majestic Ocho Rios, Jamaica on February 24th. In homage to the swift and seamless journey directly into the Caribbean Riviera, Sandals’ and Beaches’ new “Love and Let Fly” package transcends traveler wanderlust from the silver screen to the golden Jamaican beaches coveted for decades by film producers and vacationers alike. MORE TIME TO ‘BOND’, LESS TIME IN TRANSIT
Our Megatrends series continues today as Skift Editor-in-Chief Sarah Kopit is joined by Skift Travel Technology Reporter Justin Dawes, and Colin Nagy, a Skift contributor and host of The Skift Ideas Podcast, to tackle three of Skift’s Megatrends for the year.
With a plethora of uninhabited islands, chilled Caribbean vibes on one side and monster Pacific swells on the other, Panama sits poised to deliver the very best of beach life.
We’re in the final stretch of winter, which means it’s time to start planning Spring Break trips and summer vacations. If you’re in need of some inspiration, Tripadvisor just released its 2024 Travelers’ Choice Award for the world’s best beaches.
Desron ‘Lava Man’ Rodriguez is a person of few words, but those he does utter can stop you in your tracks — for this mild-mannered, softly spoken Vincentian can detail what it’s like to climb an erupting volcano. “I didn’t want anyone else telling me how it was up there,” he answers to the inevitable question: why? “I had to witness it with my own eyes.”
Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced the expansion of the company’s Hyatt’s Inclusive Collection portfolio in Mexico with plans for a Breathless Resort & Spa branded property to open next year in Puerto Vallarta.
Travelers looking to complete their Global Entry interview at the airport now have a new option, thanks to a program just launched by Customs and Border Protection.
Imagine taking off for a vacation, and having no idea exactly where you are going. Scandinavian Airlines, a Sweden-based carrier, commonly known as SAS Airlines, offered just that, by recently introducing a special mystery flight called “Destination Unknown.” SAS sold tickets for the flight exclusively to members of the airline’s frequent flyer loyalty program, EuroBonus. Instead of money, travelers needed to redeem 30,000 miles for a seat. The trip will depart from Copenhagen on April 5 and return back to Copenhagen on April 8. Travelers are only provided a clue that the flight will last “a few hours”, and the exact location of the destination will be revealed at some point during the flight through an announcement. “The prospect of embarking on an adventurous and mysterious journey with fellow enthusiasts, finding new connections and friendships along the way, is truly exciting,” SAS’s Chief Commercial Officer and Executive Vice President Paul Verhagen said in the news release. Over 1,000 people submitted interest in joining the flight, and the airline is no longer accepting reservations, a spokesperson shared with Travel + Leisure. Due to the limited quantity of seats on the plane, tickets for the April trip will be distributed randomly to the travelers who signed up. SAS operates flights around the world to 125 destinations, and currently has flights from the US (Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, and Washington) to destinations in Scandinavia and across Europe. The concept of “surprise” travel has taken off as travelers seek new experiences. Lufthansa, a German airline, offers a program called ‘Lufthansa Surprise’ where travelers select their home airport, and a general theme of what type of vacation they want (such as arts, outdoors, or shopping). Once the trip is paid and ticketed, the airline reveals the destination to the traveler. The surprise bookings cannot be changed or canceled, and the 24-hour flexible booking policy also does not apply.