ANGUILLA
Phone and internet communications have been restored to most parts of the island. Many local restaurants have reopened; grocery stores are provisioned.
The Clayton J. Lloyd airport will open to commercial traffic Oct. 10. The runway will be expanded by the British Corps of Engineers by 600 feet from its current 5,400 feet. The airport will remain open to private and commercial aircraft during the planned expansion period.
San Juan-based Seaborne Airlines resumed limited service Oct. 3 to several Caribbean destinations. The carrier is operating three roundtrip flights to St. Thomas and two to Antigua Oct. 3. Flights to St. Croix, Anguilla and Nevis resume Oct. 5 and to St. Kitts on Oct. 7. Seaplane flights have resumed between the downtown areas of St. Croix and St. Thomas with three flights a day; the one-way, walk-up fare is $70.
Seaborne said that “before you travel to the San Juan airport (SJU), be sure you have confirmed your flight with your connecting carrier since the island is experiencing difficulties due to lack of power, communications, hotel availability and long lines at the airport.”
Passengers holding confirmed tickets through Oct. 5 and not able to reach Seaborne are advised to go to the airport counter for assistance. More information is available at www.seaborneairlines.com or reservations@seaborneairlines.com.
Ferry service between Blowing Point, Anguilla, and Simpson Bay Dock in St. Maarten is operating for residents of both islands. The terminal at Blowing Point will be demolished. Construction is slated to begin shortly.
A number of restaurants are in recovery and rebuilding mode and have not announced a tentative opening date. Others, such as Hibernia, plan to open by Nov. 1. Garvey’s Sunshine Shack is being rebuilt. Jacala, Geraud’s Patisserie and GrandVins survived; Picante is standing but requires repairs. Blanchards had moderate damage and Blanchards Beach Shack had minimal damage. They plan to reopen as soon as the major resorts reopen.
The following restaurants have reopened: B&D, Coconuts, Comer Bar and Pizza, English Rose, Ferryboat Inn, Flavours, Hall’s Bakery, Johnno’s, Karla’s Bar and Grill, Mary’s Bakery, Pit Stop by Ben, Roy’s, Tasty’s, Dad’s Bar & Grill.
Many villas are still in cleanup and recovery mode and plan to welcome guests for the high season.
Anacaona Boutique Hotel will not make its original opening date of Oct. 10, but will advise.
Belmond Cap Juluca was previously closed for planned renovations and still plans to reopen in late 2018 as scheduled.
Carimar Beach Club will reopen on Dec. 21.
CeBlue Villas & Beach Resort plans to welcome guests for the high season.
Covecastles was badly damaged. Builders said that rebuilding will take months.
CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa and The Reef by CuisinArt expect to re-establish connections to reservations systems this week (Oct. 1) to reach customers with existing reservations. The hotels expect closure through the summer of 2018.
Four Seasons and Residences Anguilla is closed until April 2018.
Fountain Anguilla is expected to open for the high season.
Frangipani Beach Resort plans to reopen in December.
Malliouhana plans to reopen April 2018.
Quintessence Boutique Resort, a new resort, will delay its proposed Nov. 1 opening date.
Zemi Beach House “held strong and will be able to welcome guests before long,” according to its statement.
Almond Tree Villa plans to reopen Dec. 1.
Anguilla Great House Beach Resort expects to have a partial opening in December and full operation in March 2018.
Carimar Beach Club will reopen Dec. 21 for new guests and in November for current reservations.
Fountain Resort Residences plans to reopen Jan. 8.
La Vue Boutique Inn will reopen Dec. 1.
Shoal Bay Villas is expected to welcome guests again Nov. 1.
Villa Alegria and Villa Kai plan to reopen in December.
BARBUDA
On the smaller of the islands that make up the nation of Antigua and Barbuda, prime minister Gaston Browne said 95% of properties suffered significant damage.
Hotel infrastructure was also damaged, but with less than 100 hotel rooms the overall effect on tourism as a whole is minimal, the CHTA said.
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
Bitter End Yacht Club is closed until further notice.
Heritage Inn & BananaKeet Cafe had significant damage and is closed until further notice.
Long Bay Beach Resort & Villas is closed until further notice.
Nanny Cay Resort & Marina is in recovery mode. No opening date at this time.
Richard Branson’s Necker Island was destroyed.
Scrub Island Resort, Spa & Marina had extensive damage and is currently closed, but will announce a reopening date as soon as a full damage assessment of facilities is completed.
The restaurant at the Sugar Mill Hotel on Virgin Gorda will be closed until
Thanksgiving; the hotel plans to reopen in mid-December.
Several charter companies will operate during the 2017/2018 season.
Opening in December: The Moorings, Marine Max Vacations, Festiva Sailing.
Opening in January 2018, Horizon Yacht Charters.
“Tortola Pier Park’s cruise and shopping facility has a targeted date of Nov. 1 for at least 50% of retail, food and beverage stores,” said Mark Vanterpool, minister of communications and works.
BVI ferry companies (Road Town Fast Ferry and Native Son) have resumed operations between BVI and St. Thomas.
The Terrence B. Lettsome airport at Beef Island on Tortola resumed daily flights Oct. 2 from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, according to Denniston Fraser, BVI Airports Authority managing director. Cape Air is offering three daily flights to/from Tortola to San Juan. Liat is running flights to/from the eastern Caribbean, and Seaborne will relaunch flights on Oct. 11, according to its website
The Moorings yacht charter company had extensive damage to its fleet and marinas. The 2017 Interline Regatta, scheduled for Oct. 10-17, has been canceled.
The seaports are open to receive humanitarian aid and supplies.
Power should be restored to the most populated areas within three to four months and water restored to residents within 45 days, according to Vanterpool, in a statement to the BVI Beacon.
A curfew remains in effect from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
DOMINICA
The island has massive damage and its many of its 72,000 residents are in need.
The air and sea ports are functional. The Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority cleared the Douglas Charles Airport for operation for relief supplies and manpower. The smaller Canefield Airport is open, although the tower has been impacted and traffic management is operated by hand-held radio.
The Woodbridge Bay Seaport is open to receive cargo and ferry boats.
Fort Young Hotel, Secret Bay Dominica and Rosalie Bay Resort are closed until further notice.
PUERTO RICO
The resumption of normal flight operations at Luis Munoz Marin airport in San Juan is delayed due to radar limitations affecting the number of arrivals and departures. The airport is operating from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. for a maximum of 12 commercial flights daily from American, Delta, JetBlue and Spirit.
Operational limits have resulted in overcrowding conditions and delays. The Puerto Rico National Guard is on-site distributing food and water. Travelers without confirmed flights should avoid going to the airport. Reservations are not being managed at the airport. Passengers must reconfirm reservations directly with the airline before going to airport to check in, according to the Puerto Rico Tourism Co. (PRTC).
Other airports are operating on a limited basis, including Aguadilla, Ponce,
Ceiba, Isla Grande and Vieques.
Ports are open on a limited basis for relief supplies in San Juan, Fajardo, Culebra, Vieques, Guayama, Salinas.
El Canario by the Lagoon is closed until power and water are restored.
The following hotels are closed and are not taking reservations until further notice: Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve; W Retreat & Spa in Vieques; Melia Coco Beach; Coral by the Sea; St. Regis Bahia Beach Resor; Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Beach Resort & Spa (plans to reopen by the end of the year).
The following hotels are open but not taking new reservations prior to Oct. 15: Hyatt Place San Juan; Hyatt House San Juan; Verdanza Hotel; Hyatt Place Bayamon. (The Verdanza Hotel was serving as a home base for first responders and representatives from local and federal agencies, according to Ricky Newman, general manager.)
The following are open but not taking new reservations prior to Oct. 22: Hyatt Hacienda del Mar Dorado; Hotel El Convento; Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino; Condado Vanderbilt; AC Hotel by Marriott San Juan Condad; La Concha Resort; InterContinental San Juan in Isla Verde; San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino; The Wave Hotel; Holiday Inn Express San Juan Condado; Canario Boutique Hotel; Coral Princess Hotel; At Wind Chimes Boutique Hotel; Best Western Condado Palm Inn & Suites; Comfort Inn San Juan; Hotel Miramar; Hotel Villa Montana & Spa.
Properties not taking reservations or accepting arrivals through Oct. 31 include the Condado Plaza, Hilton Ponce Golf & Casino Resort, El San Juan Hotel, Caribe Hilton, Embassy Suites by Hilton Dorado, Embassy Suites by Hilton San Juan, Doubletree by Hilton San Juan and Hilton Condado Lagoon Villa.
El Conquistador Resort, a Waldorf Astoria Resort, will not take reservations or arrivals through Dec. 31. Cancellation fees will be waived for reservations from Sept. 19.
InterContinental San Juan, La Concha Renaissance and San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino are not taking reservations before Oct. 22.
St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort is currently closed.
Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Puerto Rico Golf & Beach Resort is closed through the end of the year.
ST. BARTS
The island was damaged in Hurricane Irma.
Oetker Collection’s Eden Rock will reopen next summer, following repairs from Hurricane Irma. The resort will undergo extensive rebuilding, will renovate its 34 rooms, suites and houses. The Eden Rock Villa Rental program, which includes 80 properties, will be available next month. Most of the villas escaped major damage.
Hotel Christopher St. Barth sustained damage and no reopening date has been announced.
Isle de France has not announced its reopening date.
Le Guanahani will reopen in summer 2018.
Le Toiny is closed until further notice.
Tradewind Aviation now is operating daily scheduled flights between San Juan and St. Barts. Private charter flights also are available. Scheduled flights between Nevis and St. Barts will resume Dec. 15. Tradewind also will add more flights between Antigua and St. Barts.
Winair resumes commercial flights Oct. 6 between St. Barts, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Kitts.
ST. MAARTEN/ST. MARTIN
The island suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Irma.
Princess Juliana airport in St. Maarten will reopen to commercial flights on Oct. 10. “We will be back in business,” minister of tourism and economic affairs Mellissa Arrindell-Doncher told the Daily Herald newspaper. Although the airport is reopening, the minister said there will be changes in terms of passenger movement and security within the terminal building to allow for repairs to continue.
KLM plans to fly twice weekly to Princess Juliana Airport from Amsterdam with a stopover in Curacao beginning Oct. 29.
Local carrier Winair will resume service from St. Maarten to Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Barth and St. Kitts on Oct. 6. In addition, Winair will offer special commercial and repatriation flights to and from Curacao and St. Maarten on Oct. 5, 7 and 10.
Most resorts are closed until further notice. The Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa and Coral Beach Cloub and Oyster Bay Beach Resort are currently closed.
The Sonesta Maho Beach Resort, Sonesta Ocean Point and Sonesta
Great Bay were devastated and are closed. Sonesta has begun a refunding process for 2017 reservations and will continue to issue refunds until March 31, 2018.
Coral Beach Club & Oyster Bay Beach Resort are currently closed. Westin St. Maarten Dawn Beach is closed.
The Royal Islander Club La Plage & La Terrasse will be closed through 2017.
The Facebook message on Sept. 26 from Steve Wright, general manager at Grand Case Beach Club: “We have been hard at work, removing debris and assessing damage. We are still without reliable communications, and internet at the hotel is presently just a memory. Our administrative offices were not just damaged, they simply blew away, leaving a clear concrete slab where they once were. My office has never been so tidy in 20 years!
“Basic necessities such as food, water and shelter are still far from assured. The electric system is slowly but surely being restored. We hope to have some manner of administrative presence by mid-October. When we have access to our banks (presently we do not), the refunding process will take place.”
Belmond La Samanna will reopen in April 2018.
Alamanda Resort will open in the fall of 2018.
ST. CROIX
In the U.S. Virgin Islands, new curfew hours announced by Gov. Kenneth Mapp, effective Oct. 5, are 8 p.m. to 9 a.m. on St . Croix and 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. on St. Thomas and St. John.
Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty said that cruise lines have requested a status report on beaches.
The Henry Rohlsen airport on St. Croix reopened Oct. 5. American Airlines will operate daily service from Miami, while intra-Caribbean carrier Seaborne will offer flights departing twice per day to St. Croix from its hub in San Juan.
The Buccaneer will resume regular operations on Nov. 1. The resort has been functioning as a command center for FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers. Until the airport reopened on Oct. 5, relief workers had arrived by helicopter landings on the resort’s golf course. The Buccaneer’s 22nd annual St. Croix Coral Reef Swim will take place as scheduled on Nov. 5.
Caravelle Hotel & Casino is accommodating relief workers.
Club Comanche Hotel St. Croix reopened Sept. 26; it was housing first responders.
Cottages by the Sea is doing repairs and cleanup and said that all reservations after Oct. 1 were secure.
Frederiksted Hotel is accepting guests.
Divi Carina Bay is closed through the end of the year.
Hotel on the Cay is housing relief workers and is not accepting reservations through Nov. 30.
Sand Castle on the Beach, no reservations being taken until essential services are restored.
Palms at Pelican Cove is closed until further notice.
Renaissance St. Croix Carambola Beach Resort & Spa is closed until further notice.
ST. JOHN
Estate Lindholm will reopen on Dec. 1.
Gallows Point Resort plans to reopen by Thanksgiving and be fully operational by Dec. 24.
Westin St. John Resort & Villas is closed through Dec. 31.
Caneel Bay Resort is closed through 2017. Further updates for 2018 will be announced when available.
ST. THOMAS
Cyril King airport on St. Thomas reopened to limited commercial flights on Sept. 28 with American and Delta offering flights to the mainland U.S. Seaborne Airlines has resumed limited seaplane service between downtown areas of St. Thomas and St. Croix with three flights a day and walk-up, one-way fares of $70.
Bluebeard’s Castle Resort continues to assess major damage.
Emerald Beach Resort will not take reservations until mid-November; it’s currently housing FEMA staff.
Bolongo Bay Beach Resort will remain closed through May. Guests who wish to rebook will receive an extra 20% credit towards their deposit for a future stay. For questions, email reservations@bolongobay.com. The resort has established a fund to assist employees who face difficult times in the aftermath of Irma and Maria. Details are at www.gofundme.com.
Club Wyndham Reservations’ four St. Thomas resorts (Margaritaville Vacation Club, Bluebeard’s Beach Club, WorldMark St. Thomas and Elysian Beach Resort) are closed through mid-October.
Frenchman’s Reef & Morning Star Marriott Beach Resort and the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas are closed until further notice.
Lindbergh Bay Hotel & Villas continues to assess damage.
Point Pleasant Resort canceled all reservations through Nov 15.
Secret Harbour Beach Resort is waiting for power and cell service.
Sugar Bay Beach Resort & Spa and Windward Passage are closed until further notice.
Islands with moderate damage or fully reopened
ANTIGUA
According to the CHTA, “Antigua was impacted minimally by Hurricane Irma with the VC Bird International Airport opening on Sept. 7, and all hotels have re-opened by Sept. 13. Some hotels were closed for refurbishment, and all of these have reported that they are still on schedule to re-open as planned.”
BAHAMAS
According to the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation, southern islands that sustained damage ranged from minor in places such as Crooked Island, Inaugua and Mayaguana, to more severe damage on Ragged Island and Acklins Island. However, it emphasized that the Bahamas’ major tourism centers were minimally impacted and are operating as usual.
CUBA
There was some damage along the Malecon seawall in Havana and flooding in parts of the city, but hotels are open, the airport is operating, the resorts in Varadero are welcoming guests and ports are open in Havana, Cienfuego and Santiago de Cuba.
The U.S. State Department issued a Cuba travel warning in September, advising U.S. citizens about the risks of travel to Cuba while the island is recovering from Hurricane Irma.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
All hotels and airports open.
GUADELOUPE
Pointe-a-Pitre Airport has resumed all air traffic.
“Hotels are up and running and suffered only minor damage,” said Daniel Arnoux, CEO of Des Hotels et Des Iles Group.
La Toubana Hotel & Spa had no damage but is currently closed for renovations and will reopen on Oct. 31 as planned.
BwaChik was closed for the off-season, had no damage, and reopened Oct. 2.
Beaches have been cleared on the nearby island of Marie-Galante and tourism infrastructure is intact.
Les Saintes will be fully operational by mid-November.
ST. KITTS & NEVIS
Robert L. Bradshaw Airport in St. Kitts is open as is the Vance W. Amory airport in Nevis.
The new Park Hyatt St. Kitts remains on track to debut in November.
Four Seasons Resort Nevis will reopened Sept. 29.
Montpelier Plantation & Beach in Nevis reopens Oct. 8.
Nisbet Plantation Beach Club on Nevis sustained damage to its beach and bar and reopened Oct. 4. There was no damage to the Great House (circa 1778) and guest cottages.
TURKS AND CAICOS
Grand Turk had significant damage to its infrastructure and communications. The cruise port is closed.
On Providenciales, Gansevoort Turks & Caicos will reopen on Oct. 5.
Amanyara Resort will reopen on Dec. 15.
Club Med Turquoise will reopen on Nov. 26. The resort is not accepting new bookings for stays from Nov. 26 to Feb. 3, 2018, due to the high number of bookings during the winter months.
Beaches Turks and Caicos is closed until Dec. 14. Guests are being reaccommodated at Beaches resorts in Jamaica or at any available Sandals resort.
The Palms, The Sands and The Shore Club reopen Sept. 30.
The Somerset on Grace Bay welcomes guests with reservations though Oct. 14 and will take new reservations as of Oct. 15.
Seven Stars Resort & Spa had no damage from storms, is open and accepting guests.
Gansevoort Turks & Caicos is scheduled to reopen Oct. 5; Alexandra Resort reopens Nov. 15; Beach Enclave, Oct. 12; Blue Haven Nov. 1; COMO Parrot Cay, Nov. 19; East Bay Resort, Dec. 15.
Amanyara, Grace Bay Club and West Bay Club, The Palms, The Sands and The Shore Club have reopened. .
Ocean Club West reopens for the season as scheduled on Oct 12, and Ocean Club will follow shortly thereafter.
Undamaged islands
The following islands were outside the paths of Irma and Maria and suffered little or no damage from the storms:
Aruba
Barbados
Belize
Bonaire
The Cayman Islands
Curacao
Guyana
Grenada
Haiti
Jamaica
Martinique
Saba
St. Eustatius
St. Lucia
St. Vincent
Suriname
Trinidad and Tobago