The white-on-white Moroccan fantasy of Cap Juluca curves along a sparkling white spit of sand that forms a gentle bay, dissolving like sugar into turquoise water. Why Moroccan? At this point, 18 years since the resort was conceived, who cares? It works, and has been widely imitated across Anguilla, where hoteliers have let loose their Mediterranean fantasies with only the rare nod toward traditional Caribbean architecture. Today, the resort's 12 two-story room-buildings and six villas are marked by arches and domes that are playfully romantic. And at night, from each balcony or terrace, lights from the other villas can be seen illuminating the nearly mile-long bay.
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Competition for the luxury travel market is fierce on Anguilla, where, in addition to several five-star resorts, you can stay at a number of new luxe villa complexes. But the Malliouhana Hotel & Spa has a singular advantage -- the best spot on the island, hands down. The white Mediterranean main building sits on a cliff at one end of its gorgeous beach, offering spectacular sunset views from the Michel Rostang-supervised restaurant. The resort's 26 acres are so lush that the aromas from the flowers, including three varieties of jasmine, can be dizzying.
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It's a rocky road from the airport, but once inside the property's 15 beach-bound acres, it's all about clean lines and minimalist chic. In this sister property of London's One Aldwych, Gordon Campbell Gray brings his contemporary aesthetic to the Caribbean and turns traditional island design upside down. You'll cross a Japanese bridge, where carp play in the waters below, to a vast entrance area, then inhale the scent of orchids artistically placed by the grand piano. Continue to the tropical gardens, where you'll find a leather-seated movie screening room and a cool library with Internet stations. Here, even the curved beach takes on a sleek look of its own.
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One of the pioneers of Caribbean pampering, Curtain Bluff has been around since the days when Kennedy was president, Elvis was king and The Beverly Hillbillies ruled the airwaves. Yet this upscale all-inclusive seems as fresh today as in 1962, when it was the only thing on Antigua's southwest coast. There still aren't very many neighbors, the seclusion assured by Curtain Bluff's location on a private peninsula. True to its name, the resort sprawls like a great muslin cloth along a golden beach and the adjoining rocky heights. Longtime owner Howard Hulford works hard to cultivate a chummy atmosphere for guests, partly by inviting them to his bluff-top home for a weekly cocktail fling. Hulford is also proud of the resort's copious cigar selection and a wine reserve that runs 25,000 bottles strong -- best cellar in the entire region.
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While it may not have invented the private island concept, Jumby Bay has clearly taken it to new levels of luxury and service. Reached by a scenic launch, Jumby Bay inhabits its own 300-acre island two miles off the coast of Antigua's "mainland" and 10 minutes from its main airport. With three spectacular white-sand beaches -- including one for nesting turtles -- hiking and biking trails; snorkeling the coral reefs lining nearby Bird Island; and a recent $6-million makeover of the rooms, suites and pool area, Jumby Bay has affirmed its status as one of the Caribbean's most exclusive hideaways. And since it's all-inclusive -- though as far as you can get from the "all-inclusives" made famous by firms like Sandals -- the only thing you need to carry around is a bottle of sunscreen.
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Back in the day, regulars would fly down from London on the Concorde and catch the Rolls-Royce shuttle from Grantley Adams Airport to their usual digs at Sandy Lane. The world's only supersonic passenger plane is now a museum piece. But the swankest resort on Barbados remains much the same -- a bastion of British ways and means on the shore of a former colony, patronized (no surprise in this) by a fair number of well-heeled Brits. Setting the tone is a Palladian-style "great house" that harbors both the lobby and the elegant l'Acajou restaurant, which in typical British fashion has French rather than Anglo-Saxon cuisine. Cognacs and caviar are fortes of the nearby Monkey Bar. And so it goes throughout Sandy Lane. You're never more than a few steps away from the main pillar of the bygone British Empire -- an uncanny sense of high style in a remote setting.
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Set on a cliff in Southampton Parish, overlooking a wide, coral-free crescent of beach, this resort is a slice of anti-Bermuda, where the vibe is relaxed, never stuffy. It's an attitude that works; this highly personal hotel -- somewhere between a cottage colony and a small resort -- has welcomed guests to Bermuda since 1947 and attracted a fiercely loyal following (and sizable repeat guest list). When new ownership took over the salmon-pink property in 2005, regulars braced for changes, but there have been few that they would object to; many of those favorite staff who have been here for 20-plus years remain, while public areas have been getting a freshening. Today it's an ideal place to enjoy the ocean: All rooms look out onto the ocean -- as does the infinity pool -- and the beach is just below, unlike other hotels that require a shuttle to reach the sand. It's just another way that the Reefs does things a bit differently in Bermuda.
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Founded by Laurence Rockefeller in 1958, Little Dix is a haven of understated elegance, sitting on just 100 of its 500 acres, with the remaining Virgin Gorda landscape left wild. Little Dix's grounds, groomed with orchids and bougainvillea, tumble down to a half-mile of ecru crescent beach, while the lush, untamed terrain climbs up gentle hills to a height of 1,359 feet. The beach backdrop of thick vegetation punctuated by thatched umbrellas seems stolen from a Hollywood flick, perfect for couples, while a wealth of activities attracts families as well.
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Never one to shun a spotlight, Richard Branson made a splash in 1982 when he bought a barren, rocky 74-acre island in the British Virgin Islands and built a vacation compound, a Balinese fantasy of thatched-roof, open-air pavilions filled with hard-carved furniture, shimmering silks and batiks. He made another splash in 1984 when he began to rent it out, turning Necker Island into one of the first private island resorts and allowing similar spotlight-seekers to escape the heat of popping camera flashes. Except for two annual "Celebration Weeks," the rest of the year only one individual or group (up to 28) can stay at any time. Branson's "mi casa, su casa"; spirit means they have the run of the place and its three freshwater pools, snooker table, dinghies, tennis courts, library, bar, the works -- all included in the hefty price of admission.
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Of all the private island resorts in the Caribbean, Peter Island -- one of the British Virgin Islands -- is one of the largest. It's also one of the most democratic: This is not simply a retreat for lovers or for CEOs (although they would feel perfectly at home); the all-inclusive resort also appeals to families and outdoor lovers of every sort. With its 1,300 acres, a stay here is not just about the sand (although there are five private beaches) or surf (there are moorings for yachts and every water sport alive); the undeveloped interior also attracts hikers, bikers and bird-watchers.
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With all the hoopla over all-inclusive resorts and spring-break shenanigans, it's easy to forget there was a kinder, gentler time in Jamaican tourism -- with places like the Jamaica Inn that ooze old-school charm and low-key sophistication. Mellowness comes with maturity, and this hotel's been around since the days when Harry Belafonte (rather than Bob Marley) was this island's most celebrated singer. Nearly everyone who passed through Ocho Rios in those days slept, ate (or drank) at Jamaica Inn -- Errol Flynn, Winston Churchill, Katharine Hepburn and Claudette Colbert, just to name a few. But the hotel also has its modern-day habitués, jet-setters like supermodel Kate Moss who leave their party face at home in favor of a laid-back Jamaican sojourn.
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The only thing remotely Neanderthal about The Caves is the burly security at the front gate, whose task it is to keep the paparazzi and hoi polloi at bay. Despite its prehistoric moniker, this ritzy Jamaican resort is all about postmodern pampering of the type that attracts a steady stream of devotees from music, movies and modeling. Secreted behind high walls and set on limestone cliffs at Negril's western extreme, the resort often feels like an island unto itself -- secluded, serene and wildly romantic. Despite continuous upgrades, The Caves retains much of the hippie chic that first made Negril a household name among jet-setters in the 1970s.
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Grace Bay wasn't the first resort in the Turks & Caicos, but this is the place that put the sandy archipelago on the jet-set map. It certainly helps being on what many people consider the most beautiful beach in the Caribbean -- 12 miles of talcum-powder-soft white sand set against dabs of turquoise and sapphire sea. But it's the little things that set Grace Bay apart from the other resorts on Provo island: sorbet on the beach, champagne by the pool, chilled towels whenever you please and an attitude that nothing is beyond the realm of possibility.
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Christine Ong's exclusive resort occupies an otherwise deserted 1,000-acre island in tropical Turks & Caicos, 35 minutes by boat from the main town of Providenciales, where untamed nature is at her sexy best. Fortunately, guest rooms and public spaces don't compete for attention: The look is understated tropical chic, with bleached woods and little embellishing to get in the way of the island brush and deserted beaches. The only thing that may steal the spotlight is the service.
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Caneel Bay has the manners of a well-bred country club, yet with a rustic soul and, of course, Caribbean breezes. Spread over some 170 acres folded into the protected grounds of the 5,000-acre Virgin Islands National Park, this Laurance Rockefeller legacy began its life offering luxury camping. That green mentality continues today, its buildings blending into the park landscape, with no phones or TVs in the rooms; the underlying philosophy is a complete disconnect from the jangle of urban life. Assisting in that effort are the resort's seven separate beaches.
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