Caribbean Hotels and Resorts For the Whole Family

Travelers hoping to find the lap of luxury need look no further than the Ritz-Carlton. Backed by the aquamarine waters of Palm Beach, the resort’s 320 rooms are generously sized, with cheery turquoise-and-yellow color schemes and balconies overlooking the ocean. Leisure pursuits can be as easy as a daytime doze in a poolside cabana or as strenuous as a catamaran sailing trip complete with diving lesson. Need a break from all that sun? Indoor facilities include a spa that specializes in island-inspired treatments (think full-body massages with local aloe and divi-divi tree oil) and a state-of-the-art gym that’s open 24 hours so guests can sneak in early-morning workouts. Before you roll your eyes, consider the four on-site restaurants (BLT Steak, from noted chef Laurent Tourondel, is a favorite). For an even more memorable experience, staff can arrange a private sunset dinner on the beach to the tune of a serenading violinist.

Why we love it: A stunning eco-resort where style meets sustainability

Highlights:
- Villas attendants who double as adventure concierges
- A treehouse-style spa
- A reputation for balancing nature and luxury

The Review:
An award-winning boutique resort, Secret Bay serves exquisite style, service, and seclusion just a 10-minute drive from Portsmouth on Dominica’s northwestern coast. The luxury property has no communal spaces, beyond the decks, beaches, a riverside yoga pavilion, and the Zing Zing restaurant. Instead, guests retreat to six elegant villas and bungalows, fully stocked with their choice of goodies. Conceptualized by Venezuelan architect Fruto Vivas, villas fuse high design, local craftsmanship, and sustainably sourced materials like Guyanese hardwood. Guests can look forward to plunge pools, gourmet kitchens, pillow hammocks, and furniture carved from red cedar, along with high-tech touches like Apple TVs and Sonos Bluetooth speakers.

Committed to sustainability, owner Gregor Nassief helped site Secret Bay’s villas to preserve the rainforest and oversaw construction of the entire resort without any heavy machinery. The property also plants vetiver to strengthen its cliff location and has applied to create a marine reserve in the waters below, where parrotfish flit among the coral. Explore them with the complimentary kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, snorkeling gear, dry bags, and GoPros on offer, or head to the treehouse-style spa, which gazes down on the cove and offers treatments like massages with custom-blended local oils. Guests can also opt to create their own culinary masterpieces or have the chef’s choice delivered by their attendant, who also serves as their housekeeper and adventure concierge.

Over the next few years, Secret Bay will slowly expand to 50 villas, hidden among the neighboring 27-acre valley and ridge. In the meantime, swim to the resort’s waterline cave or paddle a kayak to the soft, golden Secret Bay beach. Though open to the public, like all Dominica’s coast, the beach sees very few visitors, meaning you might very well be the only one there.

Located on a craggy cliff jutting between Meads Bay and Turtle Cove Beach, Malliouhana has views of the glittering aquamarine sea that will hypnotize guests from the moment they arrive to its chic porte cochere. The bright, cerulean open-air lobby with mirrored mosaic-tile flooring tumbles out to a deck where tiered infinity pools are punctuated by ruffled yellow umbrellas, and a cliffside restaurant serves fresh seafood and farm-to-table fare. Built in 1984, this is Anguilla’s original luxury resort, which reopened in December 2018 after a complete restoration following Hurricane Irma. While guests may find it hard to take their eyes off the dazzling Caribbean, the 46-room boutique hotel’s interior design offers its own portal to the sublime with an aesthetic that can best be described as tropical eclectic. Guest rooms are painted sorbet yellow or robin’s-egg blue and feature white lacquer four-poster beds, mural panels by Haitian artist Jasmin Joseph, Venetian glass lamps, and sea-green marble bathroom vanities. All of this somehow swirls together for a look that’s both regal and untamed. Beyond the rooms, guests can look forward to an extended pool deck with fresh cabanas, as well as the new Bar Soleil, which offers a prime spot to watch Anguilla’s famous sunsets. In early 2019, the resort plans to unveil a brand-new beachfront bar, a two-bedroom villa on Turtle Cove Beach, 11 beachfront and garden suites, and an expanded Auberge Spa with six new treatment rooms and an ocean-view pool.

This eco-friendly property is unlike anywhere else in the Caribbean. A 400-acre working farm built within a sustainable community on Mount Liamuiga, the low-key luxury resort has St. Kitt’s requisite gingerbread trim and banana-plant landscaping. Here, however, signs tell guests when the fruit is ripe enough to pick—even the golf course is designed to be harvested. Belle Mont’s 84 clapboard cottages have open-air baths and wrap-around verandas that look out on the neighboring islands of Saba and St. Eustatius, but the resort’s real draw lies in its six farm-to-table restaurants, where guests can enjoy global takes on West Indian specialties (think papaya lamb stew and wine-braised pork with coconut, pumpkin, and chocolate) under the stars.

The famous Hotel St-Barth Isle de France officially became a Cheval Blanc property in 2014, reopening as the Cheval Blanc St-Barth Isle de France. In 2018, after a renovation made necessary by Hurricane Irma, the property also debuted a design concept by architect Jacques Grange, complete with 19 new rooms, freshly landscaped gardens, and one-of-a-kind artwork by Jean-Michel Othoniel. In addition to two gourmet restaurants overlooking the ocean, the resort features the only Guerlain spa in the Caribbean, staffed by Cheval Blanc’s trademarked “alchemists”—employees whose sole purpose is to tailor-make memorable experiences for guests. While Cheval Blanc is always popular with couples, its clientele shifts depending on the time of year. Around the holidays and spring break, families come for offerings like the “Pour les Bébés” menu of homemade baby food. In the late spring and summer, honeymooners are drawn by poolside champagne tastings.

A laid-back beachy vibe with a compelling overlay of French style is the hotel’s hallmark. Comfy rattan furniture is offset by a palette of blues and light shades, and rooms are stocked with custom Leanor Greyl products to protect from salt and sun.