Clients can now book JetBlue’s Mint class to Grenada, the fifth Caribbean destination where the airline is offering this premium service.
Mint-class service will launch on Saturday flights between New York/JFK and Grenada’s Maurice Bishop International Airport (GND) beginning in January 2017 and available through April 2017. The airline said that Mint has the longest fully-flat bed in the U.S. domestic premium market; the cabin includes four private suites, each equipped with a 15-inch flat screen HDTV with complimentary entertainment options. During the five-hour JFK-GND flights, travelers also enjoy signature cocktails, a tapas-style menu, fresh espresso, amenities from Birchbox, and Blue Marble and Mah-ze-Dahr Bakery desserts.
JetBlue’s other seasonal Mint destinations in the Caribbean are Aruba, Barbados, St. Lucia, and St. Maarten. The service to all of these destinations is offered on flights out of JFK, plus on flights from Boston to Aruba and Barbados. Mint seats start at $599.
Mint was rolled out in 2013 on flights between New York and San Francisco and Los Angeles, and initially expanded to the Caribbean in November 2015. The airline’s Caribbean markets are among the most popular destinations for U.S. travelers in the region, and all appeal to the kinds of high-end travelers who would be willing to pay a premium for the Mint cabin.
Grenada, for example, is home to the luxury boutique Spice Island Beach Resort as well as the 223-room Sandals LaSource Grenada Resort and Spa, one of the best upscale, adults-only all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean. Uncrowded and comparatively undeveloped, Grenada appeals to nature lovers who will thrill to the island’s rainforests and waterfalls, and those looking for chocolate and nutmeg flavored cultural immersion on the Caribbean’s “spice island.”
“This premier service is definitely something that was needed because of the type of properties that Grenada has,” said Christine Noel-Horsford, U.S. sales director for the Grenada Tourism Authority. “It’s a big boost for Grenada in terms off attracting an experiental kind of clientele that is interested in interacting with the local people and culture, not just to go and sit on the beach.”
Cooled by constant trade winds and offering a vast array of diversions to visitors — from pirate-themed snorkel adventures to horseback riding and ATV tours of the island’s desert outback — Aruba also has steadily moved upmarket. Mint-class travelers will find their vacation destination at resorts like the Ritz-Carlton Aruba, the Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa and Casino, the Renaissance Aruba Resort and Casino, and the boutique Bucuti and Tara Beach Resort.
Sizzling nightlife, great beaches for swimming and surfing, and some of the best rum distilleries in the world help define Barbados, the perfect blend of British colonial style and vibrant island culture. Clients willing to pay a 2X to 4X premium for Mint-class service to Barbados will also appreciate the island’s excellent dining scene — it’s the only island in the Caribbean with its own Zagat guide — as well as resorts like the exclusive Sandy Lane and other high-end properties including the Fairmont Royal Pavilion, The Crane Resort, The Colony Club, and The House.
St. Lucia’s dramatic twin mountains, the Pitons, provide an iconic image of welcome to this eastern Caribbean island, known for its lush rainforests, boating, an annual Jazz and Arts Festival that’s one of the top music events in the Caribbean, and a remarkable selection of excellent beach resorts. Honeymooners and romantics seeking a gate-to-gate luxury experience can pair JetBlue’s premium service with a stay at a couples-only resort like Rendezvous or Jade Mountain, Anse Chastenet, Ladera, Cap Maison, Sugar Beach, or BodyHoliday resorts.
The dual-nation island of St. Maarten/St. Martin offers many faces to upscale clients: the Dutch side of the island has the casinos, nightlife, and big properties like the four-star Westin Dawn Beach Resort, while French St. Martin is more laid back, with fine dining, boutique shopping, and the top-rated Belmond La Sammana resort on Long Bay beach. St. Maarten is also within easy reach (via ferry or charter plane) of neighboring islands like quiet Saba and the glittering gem of St. Barths, a villa-dotted mecca for celebrities and other well-heeled travelers.