Hotels + Resorts Best Caribbean Hotels By Kathryn O'Shea-Evans Kathryn O'Shea-Evans Kathryn O'Shea-Evans writes about design, travel, and food from her home base in Colorado's Front Range. Her work is frequently published in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and numerous other publications. She is a former associate editor at Travel + Leisure. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Published on January 30, 2012 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Beachgoing travelers know the truth: not all Caribbean hotels are created equal. And during a long winter, when all you crave is warm sun and soft, colorless sand, you want to know that you’ve picked the right spot. To help you make the best choice, T+L asks readers each year to score their favorite hotels on rooms, location, service, restaurants, and value. The top-ranked hotels in the Caribbean, Bermuda, and the Bahamas run the gamut from affordable boutique hotels to clubby all-inclusives. But what they share is excellence—and a stamp of approval from thousands of travelers. World's Best Boutique Hotels 01 of 20 No. 1 Nisbet Plantation Beach Club, Nevis Peter Frank Edwards Unlike at other Caribbean mega-resorts, at this 36-room inn—the Caribbean’s only historic plantation hotel set right on the beach—you’ll get true peace and quiet. Wicker-furnished cottages (all without televisions) are spread among palm trees filled with green vervet monkeys and beachfront hammocks that swing in the breeze. Hoping to see more of the island’s sugar plantations? The hotel will be happy to put you in touch with Reggie Douglas, Nevis’s reigning cycling champ, for a two-hour bike tour. See the full results of the World’s Best Awards. 02 of 20 No. 2 Couples Tower Isle, Jamaica Courtesy of Couples Resorts The concept of a romantic adults-only resort with everything included—food, beverages, activities—began when Couples Tower Isle was launched in 1978 in Tower Isle, an island getaway dating back to 1949. In 2009, the resort reopened after a major renovation that included 20 new rooms (bringing the total to 226), a dive pool, and 10 spa treatment rooms. See the full results of the World’s Best Awards. 03 of 20 No. 3 Couples Swept Away, Jamaica Courtesy of Couples Resorts A recent $7 million expansion added an infinity pool to this 27-acre all-inclusive, all-suite hideaway for adults only, where the 312 airy wood-and-tile rooms and suites are spread out over 17 acres of gardens along Negril’s Seven Mile Beach. On the sand, sunbathers enjoy flag service for cocktails, fruit kebabs, and cold towels. See the full results of the World’s Best Awards. 04 of 20 No. 4 Hotel Saint-Barth Isle de France, St. Bart’s Courtesy of Hotel Saint-Barth Isle de France Travelers choose the 39-room Hotel Saint-Barth Isle de France for its location—it’s right on Baie des Flamands, the island’s longest, widest beach. Whitewashed rooms are decorated in vintage French fabric and translucent voile, but in the end, the hotel is all about the coast. Even the restaurant makes the most of its location, serving lunches of lobster spring rolls or iced pea soup at tables set in the sand. See the full results of the World’s Best Awards. 05 of 20 No. 5 Couples San Souci, Jamaica Courtesy of Couples Resorts This adults-only, all-inclusive resort is Couples’ most intimate, with only 150 rooms on a cove-side cliff in Ocho Rios. Rooms have a British colonial vibe, with fretwork-railed terraces, and are brightened by white tile floors and blue-and-white-striped upholstery. Those looking to break a sweat can take advantage of complimentary tennis lessons, plus unlimited golf at the Sandals Upton just a couple of miles away. See the full results of the World’s Best Awards. 06 of 20 No. 6 Ladera, St. Lucia Courtesy of Ladera, St. Lucia While the open-walled rooms and mountainside perch are not for the faint of heart, this 32-cottage resort has some of the most astonishing vistas of any resort in the Caribbean. You’ll wake up to St. Lucia’s twin Piton hills—massive green mounds that emerge 2,400 feet high from the teal ocean—and you’ll dine eye level with them, too, at the excellent Dasheene restaurant. Every room is open air, cooled only by breeze and ceiling fans. And with no televisions or phones, this is an escapist’s dream. See the full results of the World’s Best Awards. 07 of 20 No. 7 [tied] Eden Rock–St. Barths, St. Bart’s Courtesy of Eden Rock – St Barths Whether it’s the rocky promontory of its setting, above the sunbathers on St. Jean beach, or the likelihood of rubbing elbows with Cameron Diaz or Matt Dillon in the Sand Bar, Eden Rock is a perennial epicenter of style on celebrity-studded St. Bart’s. Each of the 34 rooms is unique and may include idiosyncratic details such as a rock wall or a Philippe Starck–designed bathroom. See the full results of the World’s Best Awards. 08 of 20 No. 7 [tied] Regent Palms, Turks and Caicos Courtesy of Regent Hotels & Resorts The only Regent in the Americas, this 72-room hotel occupies 12 square miles on coveted Grace Bay beach. Sizable suites—starting at 640 square feet—are furnished with four-poster beds, massive armoires, and nautical landscape watercolors. The effect, combined with in-room washer/dryers and kitchenettes, is thoroughly residential. See the full results of the World’s Best Awards. 09 of 20 No. 9 Curtain Bluff Resort, Antigua Courtesy of Curtain Bluff Resort A dream Antigua location straddling two beaches—a protected swimming lagoon on the Caribbean side and a wilder, white-sand stretch along the Atlantic—has made Curtain Bluff a favored getaway since 1962. A clubby, old-world atmosphere pervades: the classic, colonial-era aesthetic also suffuses the resort’s 72 rooms and suites, outfitted with rattan and sea-grass furniture, tiled floors, and wide, white-louvered windows. See the full results of the World’s Best Awards. 10 of 20 No. 10 Couples Negril, Jamaica Courtesy of Couples Resorts This colorful, 234-room all-inclusive, adults-only Couples resort captures the vibrant spirit of Jamaica. Unlike at many other all-inclusive properties, where dining options are spread out, the five restaurants here are located in a central cluster. For something more intimate, call the Romance Concierge to book a private candlelight dinner on the beach. See the full results of the World’s Best Awards. 11 of 20 No. 11 Jade Mountain, St. Lucia Courtesy of Jade Mountain Near the west coast town of Soufrière, at the highest point of the island, Jade Mountain wraps around a hillside, its exterior all curves and rough stone. Inside, each of the 28 suites is unique, but they all share impressive features: infinity pools or Jacuzzis, 15-foot ceilings, and loftlike architecture. Walk into the living room and it seems as if you’ve walked into the Pitons: suites have only three walls, offering open-air, panoramic views. See the full results of the World’s Best Awards. 12 of 20 No. 12 Jalousie Plantation, Sugar Beach, St. Lucia After a $100-million renovation, this former sugar estate of freestanding villas will relaunch in the fall of 2012 as the Tides Sugar Beach. In the meantime, it remains open, and the newly redone Tides villas—the best choice by far—are being added gradually. Head to the fantastic new treetop spa for a Sulphur Seduction treatment, which ends with a full-body massage. See the full results of the World’s Best Awards. 13 of 20 No. 13 Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman Forty years ago, the island of Grand Cayman was transformed into a world-class financial center—the Switzerland of the Caribbean. With its 365-room beachfront hotel, the Ritz-Carlton has gotten a jump on the destination. The 144-acre high-end playground introduces a who’s who of branded amenities: Jean-Michel Cousteau nature tours, a Greg Norman–designed golf course, and five restaurants, including two run by acclaimed chef Eric Ripert. See the full results of the World’s Best Awards. 14 of 20 No. 14 One&Only Ocean Club, Bahamas Courtesy of One & Only Resorts More exclusive than cousin Atlantis (the properties lie adjacent on the north coast of Paradise Island and are both part of developer Sol Kerzner’s empire), the Ocean Club is the resort of choice for visiting divas like Salma Hayek and Sharon Stone. The 105 guest rooms and suites here epitomize understated opulence, with gleaming hardwood floors, king-size carved beds made up with Frette linens, and spacious marble baths. See the full results of the World’s Best Awards. 15 of 20 No. 15 Sandy Lane, Barbados Courtesy of Sandy Lane Long the chosen Caribbean retreat of the silk-cravat and shih tzu–in-a-satchel set, this Palladian-style palace uses its house Bentley to transfer guests to and from the airport. With its three golf courses, extensive children’s program, beach assistants ready to clean your sunglasses, a five-bedroom villa, and 112 marble-floored rooms—with plasma-screen televisions, no less—what more could you want? See the full results of the World’s Best Awards. 16 of 20 No. 16 CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa, Anguilla Courtesy of CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa A cluster of low-lying sugar-white villas and the island’s largest spa (16 treatment rooms, including VIP and couples suites, and dual hammams) are tucked into a crystal-blue bend on Anguilla’s Rendezvous Bay, offering unobstructed views of St. Martin and the sea. In late 2011, the resort put the finishing touches on room upgrades, with new furnishings, bedding, curtains, rugs, and flat-panel televisions. See the full results of the World’s Best Awards. 17 of 20 No. 17 Anse Chastanet Resort, St. Lucia Courtesy of Anse Chastanet Resort This series of 49 open-air rooms is situated along a verdant tropical hillside above a semi-private volcanic sand beach. Within each nature-centric Sanctuary suite—some with the fourth wall removed—warm trade winds obviate the need for air-conditioning, and one look toward the panoramic Piton views will make it clear why flat-screen TVs were never installed. See the full results of the World’s Best Awards. 18 of 20 No. 18 Rockhouse Hotel, Jamaica Courtesy of Design Hotels At this ultrahip hangout, most of the 34 so-called rock houses are outfitted with private patios or sundecks; a few have private ladders leading right down into an aquamarine cove. With four-poster beds made of local timber and covered in the softest linens, soaring ceilings, and giant windows facing the sea or gardens, the rooms encourage ordering breakfast in bed before venturing out for snorkeling. See the full results of the World’s Best Awards. 19 of 20 No. 19 Jumby Bay, A Rosewood Resort, Antigua Courtesy of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts The recently redone Jumby Bay, situated on a private 300-acre island 10 minutes by boat from Antigua, is still the standard-bearer of Caribbean luxury. Following a $28-million reconstruction, 28 new suites have ocean views and outdoor bathtubs in lush private courtyards. The most exciting addition is the property’s first-ever spa, Sense, an open-air facility with a garden just 50 feet from the beach. See the full results of the World’s Best Awards. 20 of 20 No. 20 Grace Bay Club, Turks and Caicos Courtesy of Grace Bay Club One of the original sirens of the Turks and Caicos, this Mediterranean-style resort is set on 11 acres of the island’s famously powdery beaches. Renovated in 2010, the 82 suites clock in at 600 square feet or larger and sport a clean, contemporary look (sleek, dark-wood furniture, a white-and-cream palette). The resort complex also has family-friendly villas and an eco-conscious kids’ program. See the full results of the World’s Best Awards. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit