World's Best

The Top 25 Resort Hotels in the Caribbean, Bermuda, and the Bahamas in 2020

Published on July 8, 2020

Best Resort in the Caribbean, including Secret Bay, Dominica, with villas perched on a lush hillside — Photo: Noe DeWitt

This year’s World’s Best Awards survey closed on March 2, just before widespread stay-at-home orders were implemented as a result of COVID-19. The results reflect our readers’ experiences before the pandemic, but we hope that this year’s honorees will inspire your trips to come — whenever they may be.

With the hurricanes of previous years in the rearview, the Caribbean was ripe for rebound in 2019. And while resorts on Turks and Caicos, St. Bart’s, and Jamaica — three perennially popular islands — account for nearly half of this year’s winners, we were pleased to see that hotels on Dominica, Anguilla, and Puerto Rico — all seriously affected by storms — also made the cut.

Every year for our World’s Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Hotels were rated on their facilities, location, service, food, and overall value. Properties were classified as city or resort based on their locations and amenities.

Related: The World's Best Awards 2020

One big trend to note when it comes to Caribbean resorts: small is beautiful. Each of the top 10 hotels is an independently owned boutique property with fewer than 60 rooms. Readers clearly place a premium on privacy and seclusion.

In Jamaica, 71-year-old Couples Tower Isle (No. 17), proves it’s still got it, with fans raving about its “excellent staff” and “great atmosphere.” Ditto for another of the island’s grande dames, No. 3 Jamaica Inn, which debuted in 1950 and was described by one respondent as “no better place on earth for a luxury quiet beach vacation.” Anguilla and Turks and Caicos put on strong showings this time around, with four resorts each in the rankings.

Your No. 1 pick, Secret Bay, is found on Dominica — an island that’s known for its rugged beauty and rustic accommodations, but that is now making a play for the luxury market with more polished options. Read on for the full list of the best resorts in the Caribbean, Bermuda, and the Bahamas.

1. Secret Bay, Portsmouth, Dominica

Villa at Secret Bay luxury resort in Dominica — Courtesy of Secret Bay

Score: 98.60

More information: secretbay.dm

The Nature Island’s lush rain forest and beaches feel channeled into this six-year-old oasis near Portsmouth. Secret Bay — described by one guest as a “rare gem” — melds a sustainable sensibility with luxurious amenities. Punctuating its cliff-top acreage are half a dozen villas, with four more set to debut this November. Each a modern house is made from local Guayanese hardwood, with amenities including a personal plunge pool and butler at guests’ disposal. Sample Dominica’s bounty with dinner on your villa’s deck or at the ocean-view restaurant Zing Zing, where “Chef Grant is a master.” Another reader enthused that “staff cater to your every need, and you leave feeling pampered, refreshed, and planning the next getaway.”