• Venue Menu

  The 96-suite Aura Cozumel Resort Wyndham Grand Bay has opened in Cozumel. The adults-only, all-inclusive resort includes a lazy river pool, two restaurants, and a meeting room for up to 40 attendees.

• The 342-room, all-inclusive Hotel Marina El Cid Spa & Beach Resort has completed a $50 million expansion that added 150 suites, a 13,000-square-foot spa, and a convention center with 7,500 square feet of indoor function space and 5,382 square feet of outdoor function space.

• The $180 million La Concha, A Renaissance Resort, opened in November in San Juan. The 248-room resort offers nearly 16,000 square feet of meeting space.

• The Condado Vanderbilt Hotel is scheduled for a June 2009 opening. The 305-room hotel will offer 15,000 square feet of meeting space.

• The 500-room, $211 million Sheraton Puerto Rico Convention Center Hotel is scheduled to open in 2010 as the anchor hotel for the 580,000-square-foot convention center.

• The St. Regis Resort and Residences at Bahía Beach is under construction 16 miles from the San Juan airport. The 150-room resort is set on a private beach and is scheduled for a 2009 opening.

• The W Retreat and Spa, Vieques is scheduled to open in December. The former Martineau Bay property has received $30 million in renovations and will have 157 guest rooms and four meeting rooms that total 3,548 square feet in area.

• A $47 million renovation has been completed at the 180-room The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas. The project added 55 club suites as well as 15 one-bedroom executive suites and three two-bedroom presidential suites spanning 3,000 square feet. The project included the Caribbean's first Prada Spa and renovation of the meeting facilities spanning more than 10,000 square feet.

• Construction begins this spring on the 400-room Wyndham St. Croix Golf Resort and Casino, part of a $250 million complex that includes a new 43,000-square-foot conference center. The 294-acre property, scheduled to open in 2010, will feature a 25,000-square-foot casino, an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus signature golf course, and a 17,000-square-foot spa and fitness center.

• A high-speed catamaran now connects St. Thomas and St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The 300-passenger VI SeaTrans travels between the two islands twice daily Friday through Monday; the journey takes 90 minutes.

• A risk of malaria is present in Haiti and in the Dominican Republic, especially near the Haitian border and in La Altagracia Province, including Punta Cana and Bavaro. Antimalarial medication is no longer recommended for visitors to Kingston, Jamaica, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does advise extra precautions. Dengue has also been a problem in Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Puerto Rico.

• Kingston, Jamaica, continues to experience elevated levels of violent crime. The U.S. Embassy advises its staff to avoid inner-city areas of Kingston. In particular, the neighborhoods of Mountain View, Trench Town, Tivoli Gardens, and Arnett Gardens present danger.

Antigua and Barbuda Tourist Office
(888) 268-4227
www.antigua-barbuda.org
Departure Tax: $20
Hotel Tax: 8.5% room tax plus 10% service charge

Aruba Convention Bureau
(800) TO-ARUBA
www.aruba.com
Departure Tax: $37
Hotel Tax: 6% plus 12% service charge

Bahamas Ministry of Tourism
(800) BAHAMAS
www.bahamas.com
Departure Tax: $20
Hotel tax: 6% room tax

Barbados Tourism Authority
(800) 221-9831
www.visitbarbados.org
Departure Tax: $27.50
Hotel Tax: 7.5% room tax; some hotels may add 10% to 15% service charge

Bermuda Dept. of Tourism
(800) 223-6106, ext. 213
www.bermudatourism.com
Departure Tax: $25
Hotel Tax: 7.25% room tax, 10% to 15% service charge

Cancun Convention Bureau
(52) 998-8812-745
www.cancun.info
Departure Tax: up to $50 (fluctuates with exchange rate; includes Mexican International Departure Tax and Mexico Tourism Tax)
Hotel Tax: 12%; 15% service charge

Cayman Islands Dept. of Tourism
(345) 949-0623
www.caymanislands.ky
Departure Tax: $25
Hotel Tax: 10% room tax, 5% to 10% room service charge

Dominican Republic Tourist Board
(888) 374-6361
godominicanrepublic.com
Departure Tax: $20 plus $10 tourist card upon entry
Hotel Tax: 12% plus 10% service charge

Jamaica Tourist Board
(800) 233-4JTB
www.visitjamaica.com
Departure Tax: $37; may be included in cost of ticket
General Consumption Tax (in lieu of room tax): 15%

Puerto Rico Tourism Company
(800) 223-6530
Puerto Rico Convention Bureau
(800) 875-4765
www.meetpuertorico.com
Departure Tax: none
Hotel Tax: 7% (country inns), 9% (hotels without casinos), 11% (hotels with casinos) plus 8% to 15% service charge for some hotels

St. Vincent and the Grenadines
(800) 729-1726
www.svgtourism.com
Departure Tax: $14.80
Hotel Tax: VAT 15% plus 10% service charge

Trinidad and Tobago Tourism
(800) 748-4224
gotrinidadandtobago.com
Departure Tax: $100TT (currently about US$17)
Hotel Tax: 10% room tax plus 15% VAT plus 10% service charge

USVI Dept. of Tourism
(800) 372-USVI
www.usvitourism.vi
Departure Tax: $3
Hotel Tax: 8% plus service charge 10% to 15%

• Barbados' top visitor attraction has reopened after a yearlong renovation. Harrison's Cave features six new trams, including two wheelchair-accessible trams. A new Cave Interpretive Center features multimedia presentations for up to 40 guests. The cave is known for its extensive stalactite and stalagmite formations. (246) 438-6640; http://harrisonscave.com

• In Negril, Jamaica, the largest waterpark in the English-speaking Caribbean has opened. Kool Runnings Water Park includes 10 waterslides, a lazy river ride, and amusement rides, and can be booked by groups as large as 2,500 attendees. (876) 957-5400; www.koolrunnings.com

• The Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo can host 80 attendees for dinner or 150 for cocktails; lecture rooms accommodate 30 to 100 guests. The aquarium recently added a $1.7 million Natural History Museum focusing on Bermuda's geology and habitats. (441) 293-2727; www.bamz.org

• On St. Croix, Whim Plantation Museum, the oldest sugar plantation in the Virgin Islands, serves as a museum and private function venue. Whim dates to the 1730s and is filled with period furniture and exhibits on plantation life. In a detached kitchen, costumed docents prepare traditional johnny cakes. Twelve acres of grounds available for functions include a historic windmill and sugar factory ruins. (340) 772-0598; www.stcroixlandmarks.com

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