Perched in the rugged mountain above St. Lucia’s leeward shore, Ladera breaks the mold on tropical island escape, a resort that proves beyond a shadow of doubt that sea and sand aren’t the only things that guests crave. They also dig funky decor, incredible cuisine, sublime service and views that really do take your breath away—from the altitude, if nothing else. Ladera blows your mind from the get-go, situated so high in the sky it’s like you’re looking down on the island from an airplane. The tradeoff is not having the beach right outside your door. (The nearest strand is Jalousie Bay, about 15 minutes by road straight down the mountain.) But there’s plenty going on at the resort, along with tons of excursions. Or you might well spend a full day just pondering a view that has few equals—in the Caribbean, or for that matter, the entire planet. READ FULL REVIEW »
The 40-minute drive from the airport to Amanyara culminates on a bumpy, gravelly road bordered by dust-coated scrub brush. Just when you start to seriously believe that your driver has taken a wrong turn, the gravel ends and you arrive. There are no manicured rows of colorful flowers or gushing fountains to greet you. Instead, you step into the uncluttered entry pavilion with white stone floors, a soaring wood-framed roof, and a grand reflection pond. Designed by architect Jean-Michel Gathy, Amanyara, which derives its name from a combination of the Sanskrit word for peace and the Arawak Amerindian word for place, is a hideaway dedicated to quiet—a place for the over-stimulated to unplug and disappear. READ FULL REVIEW »
One of the pioneers of Caribbean pampering, Curtain Bluff has been around since the days when Kennedy was president, Elvis was king and Gilligan’s Island looked exotic to many Americans. 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. READ FULL REVIEW »
Occupying the catbird seat in one of the Caribbean’s most luxurious drawing rooms—St-Jean Bay—Eden Rock is St. Barth’s oldest hotel, but also its most youthful. It’s a former mayor’s residence dating to the 1950s, which then evolved into a very casual inn and the island’s social hub. English couple David and Jane Matthews bought the quartzite promontory in 1995 and rebuilt and upgraded the entire facility, respecting original architectural lines. The result is a world-class operation primped with sumptuous whims. One drawback for some: The location stays busy from dawn to dusk. Then again, here, ?busy? also describes a daily parade of young, blonde and bronzed. READ FULL REVIEW »
Just one of two Four Seasons in the region, this gem spreads across 350 acres at the foot of soaring Mount Nevis, and offers 800 feet of silky beach spotted with umbrellas and palm trees. There’s a wide range of outdoor options for couples and families alike—a tough 18-hole golf course and 10 tennis courts are part of the sprawl—but many guests end up in the cozy Library Bar in the Great House. A coffee-colored wooden building with eggshell gingerbread trim, dark woods, crystal chandeliers and masses of fresh flowers, it’s the epitome of understated good taste—which is what the Four Seasons Nevis is all about. READ FULL REVIEW »
This is the place that put the Turks & Caicos 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. READ FULL REVIEW »
Spread over 400 acres of coastal wetland and two miles of private beach on Jamaica’s north coast, Half Moon—with its fleet of nimble golf carts and plethora of sporting facilities—has the feel of a tropical country club. Built in 1954, the original resort was the brainchild of Radio City Music Hall architect Donald Deskey and his pals. The original bungalows have undergone successive Colonial-style renovations and additions, each one progressively more luxurious than the last. Even today, with the dramatic columned portico entrance, rigid dress code for some restaurants and local piano legend Winston tinkling the ivories in the lobby most nights, the resort still manages to evoke an era when the Rat Pack ruled the airwaves and the biggest dilemma was how to take your martini. READ FULL REVIEW »
The rugged west coast of Puerto Rico is known for having the best surf in all of the Caribbean, and the pounding waves on the sand—steps from your private balcony—provide a romantic, swept-away ambience. Solitary by design, the most exclusive resort on the island is housed in low, stark white, colonial-style Haciendas, semi-unplugged (no TV) and serene; no children under 12 are allowed. Lush tropical gardens, two pools, a spa and wellness center and the French culinary delights of the hotel restaurant ensure you need only leave the grounds to explore nearby Rincon. With flights arriving direct to Aguadilla Airport, just 20 minutes away, you can avoid the chaos and wilting humidity of San Juan entirely. READ FULL REVIEW »
This is ground zero for star-sighting on an island well-known for its rich and famous visitors. So many big names come here that even when Salma Hayek or Jon Bon Jovi shows up, there’s hardly a double-take. Then there are the clusters of Creole-styled cottages in M&M colors and gingerbread trim nestled in tropical gardens on a private 16-acre peninsula. It’s truly a place to escape, with two long expanses of beach (one on a lagoon and the other separating a coconut grove from the moody Atlantic) abutting a rocky outcrop where guests climb and join sunning iguanas. READ FULL REVIEW »
It can be easy to forget there was once a kinder, gentler time in Jamaican tourism. Back before it became a Spring Break haven, the island was full of places like the Jamaica Inn, which ooze old-school charm and low-key sophistication. Mellowness comes with maturity, and this hotel, Jamaica’s best resort, has been around since the days when Harry Belafonte (not 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 READ FULL REVIEW »
This grande dame of Saint-Martin is perched on a cliff at the southern end of a 55 acre-crescent of tropical bushland, sugary sand and Tiffany-blue water. Built in 1973, La Samanna has hosted successive generations of movers and shakers from Nixon to JFK Jr. and Donald Trump. Beyond the chilled Caribbean vibe and whitewashed Mediterranean-inspired architecture, the French food and impeccably chosen wine list continues to position La Samanna as the place where powerbrokers play. READ FULL REVIEW »
Who else but Sir Richard Branson would see a barren, rocky 74-acre island in the British Virgin Islands and imagine a Balinese fantasy vacation-compound of thatched-roof, open-air pavilions filled with hard-carved furniture, shimmering silks and batiks? That’s what he did in 1982, followed by another splash two years later 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. READ FULL REVIEW »
Living up to its name, Ocean Club boasts the one and only 12th-century Augustinian cloisters in all of the Bahamas, and the only garden modeled after Versailles. All of which makes a wonderful sideshow—especially at night when the ancient pillars and statues are discreetly illuminated. But the main attractions are sand, sun and sea in a marvelous location along one of the Bahamas most striking shores. Once the posh private estate of Swedish tycoon yachtsman Axel Wenner-Gren, the resort straddles Paradise Island, the Atlantic on one flank and Nassau Harbor on the other, the rooms, restaurants and sports facilities scattered through wondrous tropical gardens. The club stared alongside Daniel Craig in Casino Royale, the lobby transformed in the movie casino and James Bond himself sipping a martini at the resort’s beachfront bar. READ FULL REVIEW »
Set on a cliff in Southampton Parish, overlooking a wide, coral-free crescent of beach, this resort is truly relaxed and 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. 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 freshened up. 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.READ FULL REVIEW »
The swankest resort on Barbados remains much the same as it was back when regulars would fly down from London on the Concorde and catch the Rolls-Royce shuttle from Grantley Adams Airport. A bastion of British ways and means on the shore of a former colony, Sandy Lane continues to be patronized 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.READ FULL REVIEW »