The best hotels in the Caribbean
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It's estimated there are over 250,000 hotel rooms dotted across the Caribbean Islands. Many of these fall into the supersized resort trope, where sprawling pools and buffet lines attract the winter sun crowds just looking to flop and drop. But there are diamond addresses scattered along these golden shores too, some secretive boltholes that are kept hush-hush by loyal fans. Others are grand dames with names that are recognised and revered around the world. For a shortlist of the top stays, these are the best hotels in the Caribbean to know about.
How we choose the best hotels in the Caribbean
Every hotel on this list has been selected independently by our editors and written by a Condé Nast Traveller journalist who knows the destination and has stayed at that property. When choosing hotels, our editors consider both luxury properties and boutique and lesser-known boltholes that offer an authentic and insider experience of a destination. We're always looking for beautiful design, a great location and warm service – as well as serious sustainability credentials. We update this list regularly as new hotels open and existing ones evolve. Find out more about our editorial standards and how we review hotels.
More recommendations for the best hotels in the Caribbean:
John Athimaritis/Six Senses La Sagesse GrenadahotelFirst in: Six Senses La Sagesse Grenada
It's on one of those secluded beaches called La Sagesse that the much-awaited Six Senses property has come to roost. Centred around a natural saltwater lagoon and spreading radially across 38 acres of undulating terrain, the eco-luxury resort is designed to blend in, letting views of the curling ocean take centre stage. And there are two sets of those vistas on offer: a more dramatic Atlantic ocean on one end and a calm-as-a-milk-pond Caribbean cove on the other side. Perhaps the most striking aspect of the design here is the sense of spaciousness – there’s plenty in every direction. There are panoramic decks, comfy patios, cosy beachfront corners, and beautiful winding pathways to meander through. The hotel’s 71 rooms, suites, and villas are built into the slopes around the lagoon and across a bluff. In the thatched beachfront suites where I stayed, each room (including the bathroom) is designed to offer direct access to a private pool and the ocean shore. A step above, the panorama pool suites offer knockout views and outdoor living space. There are two main restaurants here: Callaloo, an all-day cafe, and Seafire, a picturesque sea-front restaurant centred around a fire pit filled with sink-in cushions. An on-site garden supplies basic vegetables and herbs, but Six Senses works with community farmers to source seasonal ingredients. In fact, you can arrange to tour some of their operations, including a local women's farming cooperative, and trace the food on your plates back to the fertile Grenadian soil that produced it. Arati Menon
Eleven ExperiencehotelEleven Bahama House, The Bahamas
More like a home-from-home, this Bahamas bolthole offers plenty of privacy, with adjoining rooms acting as apartments with private shared living spaces and spacious sun decks. The dreamiest hangout is the shared swimming pool at the centre, surrounded by sun loungers, frilly umbrellas, and plenty of bright green tropical foliage. The only other time you’d see guests is at the open-air bar where bartender Chris makes a mean rum punch – or during breakfast under the wooden pergola. There are just 11 double bedrooms, each with an individual style. Some have four huge wooden poster beds, and others have colourful upholstered headboards. White marble bathrooms come with all the amenities and a spacious double-headed shower to rinse off stubborn sand. The minibar is stocked with coconut water, local beer, juices, and chocolate-covered pretzels, and it is restocked every day free of charge – a touch we love. One of the reasons one would pick Eleven would be for the unique experiences the in-house team plans around your stay. A deep sea fishing adventure where you’ll return with your catch for dinner. Water sports, sunset horse rides along the beach – the list goes on. However, if you only go for one, make it the half-day island tour on the hotel's private Scorpion boat, where you’ll swim and snorkel with turtles, stingrays, starfish and the infamous pigs before devouring lunch on a dazzling sandbank and swinging from a rope into the pristine waters. Sophie Knight
Silversands Beach HousehotelSilversands Beach House, Grenada
Featured in our Hot List of the best new hotels in the world 2024
Grenada is just 26 miles long, but it packs a punch: here you will find lush rainforests, nature reserves, spice plantations, the charming town of St. George’s, and beaches so perfect that they look photoshopped. For those seeking a serene island escape, the 28-room Silversands Beach House is the place. Time seems to stop here, a feeling that begins the moment you drive up the entrance and the turquoise waters of Porto Beach come into view. The rooms and suites are so lovely – private terraces, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the sea, calming shades of cream and light wood – that you may never want to leave, but the dreamy infinity pool and sandy beach just a few steps away make a great case for venturing out. The food at the upscale Mediterranean-inspired Azzuro restaurant is another highlight: pasta is made in-house, seafood is locally sourced, and the roasted vegetable pizza (plus addictive sorrel cocktails) is the perfect finale to a day spent on the water. There’s also plenty to experience nearby, and the staff will gladly guide you through activities, whether it’s touring the beautiful island with Garth or a rum tasting with Shanel and Lester. The vibes are unhurried, gracious, and sweet, and you’ll feel yourself slipping into island time along with everyone else. Pallavi Kumar
Courtesy Round Hill Hotel and VillashotelRound Hill Hotel and Villas
It’s easy to imagine that very little has changed at this 1950s-era resort since John F Kennedy absconded to Cottage 25 to chip away at his inaugural address and Oscar Hammerstein wrote The Sound of Music while taking in the killer ocean views. The green-striped awnings shading vast terraces and the interiors’ cream-coloured panelling offset by dark wood, along with the tea and sandwiches served at four sharp every afternoon, enhance that caught-in-time feeling. That in recent years Ralph Lauren had a major hand in the design is a delightful nonsurprise, with a playful preppiness on display at every turn, like the bar with its deep booth benches upholstered in navy and white stripes and photos of bygone guests, like Warren Beatty, covering the walls. Charlie Hobbs
Eden Rock - St BarthshotelEden Rock - St Barths
$$$Featured in our Gold List of the best hotels in the world 2024
You can become a little numb to beauty in St. Barts, but even after having been on the island for days, I think I squealed when I pulled into Eden Rock. It’s just so perfect – so chic, so glamorous, but in this easy, island-appropriate way. It’s the type of place where just being there makes you feel like the most glam, sun-kissed version of yourself. The hotel is almost entirely surrounded by calm, gin-bottle blue water that’s heavenly for a swim. There’s a diving platform a little ways out, and you can take out rafts and paddle around the point, and there’s a reef if you want to snorkel. The rooms are lovely and elegant, with a subtle Carib-meets-nautical vibe, at once bright and airy. When it comes to the food, rockstar chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten is in charge of the menu at the main restaurant, and the resort’s breakfast spread is insane in scope and quality; don’t miss it. Sure, you could have a delightful breakfast by your private pool, but the people-watching here is too good – you’d be missing an opportunity if you stayed in. It’s a pretty diverse crowd in some ways, but the common denominator, to tell it straight, is money. This place is not cheap, but it’s one of the rare hotels that is absolutely worth it. The setting is unparalleled and the food, service, and design are top of the top. There is no way you’ll go and not dream (maybe nightly) about going back – it’s that special. Rebecca Misner
Rock House Grace BayhotelRock House, Turks and Caicos
Featured on our 2023 Hot List of the best new hotels in the world
As one of the world’s most desirable winter destinations, the Caribbean has an abundance of resort options based on a familiar model. These are the expansive beachfront properties with grand entries, cavernous lobbies, and ostentatious styling featuring a plethora of palm trees, pools, and piña coladas. I’m not suggesting this can’t make for a fantastic getaway – but if this is what you desire, Rock House is not for you. Located in tropical Turks and Caicos but taking its inspiration from the Mediterranean, Rock House offers guests something refreshingly different. Elegant yet subdued, this is not a resort that overwhelms; instead, it whispers in your ear and asks you to dance. Opened in 2022, the property is the newest addition to the renowned Grace Bay Resorts brand and synthesises 30 years of luxury resort expertise into a modern European-style experience that satisfies the senses and nourishes the soul. Every detail at Rock House, from the painstaking dedication to preserving the native ecology surrounding it to the in-house phone app that enables you to effortlessly communicate with the guest experience team without leaving the beach or your private infinity pool, has been thoughtfully considered. Families are welcome, but Rock House may appeal most to lovers and those seeking a truly tranquil environment to relax and recharge. Caryn B. Davis
hotelSunset Reef, St. Kitts
Featured on our 2023 Hot List of the best new hotels in the world
You’d never know it takes just 10 minutes to drive from the airport to get here. After turning off the main road in the village of Trinity, expect to trundle down a bumpy side road shrouded by palms and little else – this level of seclusion will soon reveal itself to be one of the highlights, and what makes Sunset Reef feel a little unique on an island where most of the luxury offerings are resorts. Between the clifftop location and a number of rooms (just seven renovated suites), you can pretend to have the whole place to yourself until it’s time to trot off for lunch by the pool or down to the pocket-size bar, Sandbar, to watch the sunset and spot the other guests. There is a tailor-made concierge service available to arrange activities for guests depending on how adventurous they’re feeling, from a rainforest walk with local operator Greg’s Safaris to a rum tasting at family-owned Old Road Rim distillery. And for days when you’re more interested in staying on property, there’s a yoga deck, as well as opportunities to use requisite beach amenities like kayaks, paddle boards, and electric jet skis. Lara Kramer
hotelCambridge Beaches Resort & Spa, Bermuda
$$Featured on our 2023 Hot List of the best new hotels in the world
Bermuda is generally divided into two parts, east and west, with the capital of Hamilton somewhat in the middle. Most luxury resorts reside in Hamilton or on the east end, but one historic hotel is found on the quieter west end. Celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, Cambridge Beaches recently completed a full revamp, thanks to new owners Dovetail + Co (the hospitality group behind the Urban Cowboy and Wayfinder brands). The resort’s iconic pink cottages, four bars and restaurants, two-tiered pool, and expansive grounds that include four private beaches have been brought into the 21st century—no small feat since some architectural details date back to the 1600s. The 86 cottages are newly chic, with a tropical-inspired coral and seafoam green colour palette, dark wood statement beds, quirky rattan chairs, and boldly patterned textiles. Vintage-inspired pastel-coloured scalloped umbrellas and cushy lounge chairs now populate the refurbished pool area and its accompanying bar and restaurant, which also sports a magnificently detailed shell-encrusted back bar. A highlight is the brand-new Sunken Harbor Club (an outpost of the same-named Brooklyn bar), which is decorated with shipwreck treasures rescued by the late Bermudian diving legend Teddy Tucker. Bermudian-rooted cuisine is on offer, with dishes like shark hash and plantain-stuffed wild boar to complement classic island cocktails and new creations by barmaster St. John Frizell. A revamp of the spa and indoor pool is planned for this year. Devorah Lev Tov
Nick SmithCobblers Cove, Barbados
This family-owned boutique hotel’s trump card, besides the photogenic striped pink scalloped umbrellas, is its quarter mile of powder-soft beach in a sleepy cove. Pastel-hued suites are dotted around tropical gardens festooned with palms and banana leaves and a terracotta pool terrace, which feels suspended over views of the bay like a theatre seat. Tastefully dressed in subdued fabric of hand-printed corals, whitewashed rattan and bamboo, rooms spill onto terraces framed by bougainvillaea, inhaling the salty breeze. Camelot and Colleton are the hot-ticket turreted rooms of the coral-washed Great House, with their rooftop terraces and romantic bay views. The main spaces read like a British country pile, with a drawing room and cavernous hall, just with exotic pinks and greens and plantation shutters – a blend that reflects the island's rich (and often chequered) history.
Mornings at Cobblers Cove recall country clubs of yore, where a genteel breakfast din is occasionally interrupted by the pop of tennis serve or Champagne cork. Sedate afternoons typically slump between sunlounger and the balmy sea, where guests can paddle out in search of turtles or gently part the calm, glassy on a paddle board. When not leaning into the hotel’s afternoon tea tradition or its phenomenal spa, sailing and water skiing sessions take place every day, and guests can now join local fisherman Barker on his ‘catch of the day’ adventures. Bajan chef Jason Joseph ensures Camelot preserves its status as one of the island’s top restaurants (an elegant white table cloth affair), while weekly buffets and barbecues show off local dishes in a more buttoned-down setting. Rosalyn Wikeley
For more options, see our pick of the best hotels in Barbados.
GoldenEye, Jamaica
Far from the tourist hustle and bustle of the northwestern coast, Jamaica’s smartest and arguably most famous address is located on the northeastern coastline of Oracabessa – a small town jewel of about 5,000 people, with a thriving community of creatives. Writer Ian Fleming became so enamoured with Oracabessa while on assignment with the British Navy during World War II, that he returned to buy a property, building GoldenEye, where he would go on to write all thirteen James Bond novels during his winter stays. In 1976, Bob Marley became the owner, latering selling it to Chris Blackwell – founder of Island Records, who expanded the property to include a range of private huts, cottages and villas dotted around the tropical 40 acre grounds. The tropical beachside hideaway is home to four restaurants and bars, including the laidback bamboo bar which served Jamaican Jerk BBQ right on the sandy Low Cay beach front. Ruth C. White
Coulibri RidgehotelCoulibri Ridge, Dominica
Featured on our 2023 Hot List of the best new hotels in the world
Combining eco-sensitive best practices with true luxury, this sleek eco-resort is a model for Dominica and the wider Caribbean, demonstrating that you needn’t sacrifice creature comforts to have a sustainable holiday. Coulibri Ridge was built with environmental consciousness at its core – a construction process that took the Canadian-Dominican owners a whopping 15 years (including a five-year delay after the devastating passage of Hurricane Maria in 2017) to complete. Now, what was once a colonial-era citrus plantation has been transformed into an eco-sensitive hillside retreat, which aims to be self-sufficient. The 285-acre property is completely powered by the sun via solar 225 panels and 288 recyclable non-lithium batteries; two communal pools are solar heated and kept clean not with chlorine but by using a copper ioniser to kill algae and fungus. But if you think the resort is more functional than fancy, think again. Guests are treated to modern studios, lofts, and penthouses with sweeping views of the water, tropical and bountiful breakfasts (included in the rate), and a spa with open-air treatment rooms. Caryn Davis
Courtesy Jumby Bay IslandJumby Bay Island, Antigua
Featured on our 2023 Gold List of the best hotels in the world
Colourful is the best adjective for Jumby Bay. Emerald-green lizards dart up white-washed walls, tortoises come with red legs, iridescent hummingbirds hover over pink Mexican creepers, and yellow-chested bananaquits search for crumbs on breakfast tables. There are blindingly white sands to cross and turquoise waters to slip into for a world of plump orange starfish, yellow-tailed snappers, rays, and blue tang. All still vivid in my memory. Beneath all this shifting colour is the lush 300-acre private island that remains one of the most exclusive in the Caribbean. Its “no cars, no keys” policy brings a feeling of intimacy to the three restaurants, spa (think Tata Harper), 40 rooms and suites and 14 villas that make up the hotel, all of which offer luxury as dazzling as the island’s colours. The generously sized suites come with a little entrance courtyard where a wicker chair swings, suspended, in the warm breeze. Terraces overlook the sea or are inset with a pool. Some bathrooms spill outside with vast tubs waiting under palm fronds. Step outside your room to enjoy Taittinger on tap (part of the inclusive rates, which also offer limitless water sports) or sip Antigua black daiquiris made with local black pineapple. Food served at the Estate House, once part of the original sugar plantation, brims with a sense of place. But the best experience has to be a rum tasting with the barman, Jimmy, which leads to serious Caribbean contentment. From about £1,888 per night. Mary Lussiana
Courtesy Cheval Blanc Isle De FranceCheval Blanc St-Barth, St Barts
Featured on our 2023 Gold List of the best hotels in the world
In a hidden corner of St Barts, down a steep and winding mountainous road, you come to a Gauguin-like canopy of lush green vegetation, beyond which the half-moon sandy perfection of Flamands beach reveals itself and the Cheval Blanc Isle de France reigns supreme. Low-built and quietly sprawling, the property was elegantly renovated following Hurricane Irma by Parisian design supremo Jacques Grange, whose interiors speak to a chic European aesthetic of quiet indulgences: linens and ikat prints; palettes of pale greens, blues, and pinks; and raffia, bamboo, and stone accents. The atmosphere is almost Parisian (Bulgari hosts a fashion show here, and there’s a Guerlain spa on the premises) but with a devil-may-care attitude. Young French culinary star Jean Imbert’s Creole-inspired menu at La Case (and laid-back beach restaurant La Cabane) is light but gastronomic, and the cocktails are sublime. I spend my lunches with feet in the sand at La Cabane, watching a parade of Birkin bag–carrying Upper East Side ladies power-walking along the beach, moguls on their phones doing business, and boho French girls running into the waves in tiny Eres bikinis. It reminds me of St.-Tropez’s Plage Pampelonne, but a lot less frenetic, and with an ambience that’s both relaxed and indulgent. My assigned butler WhatsApps me when my room is done or a spa appointment is due. But it’s my private yoga sessions in the garden’s pagoda with the late Alber Elbaz’s personal instructor, Nicolas Legrez, that I won’t forget in a hurry. From about £637. Vassi Chamberlain
Ken HaydenRosewood Little Dix Bay, British Virgin Islands
Featured on our 2021 Gold List of the best hotels in the world
When Little Dix Bay opened in 1964, it was to a glittering three-day party of New York’s elite. The host was Laurance Rockefeller (grandson of oil tycoon John D Rockefeller), whose dream was to create a smart hideout based on the simplicity of a beachcomber lifestyle. An early advocate of conservation, he envisaged the hotel blending unobtrusively into the landscape, giving nature centre stage. Fast forward to today, and an eye-watering £140 million rebuild following Hurricane Irma, and that philosophy remains unchanged – despite the addition of every mod-con and a fleet of boats for easy access to neighbouring islets and deserted beaches. While starry guests continue to roll up, the laid-back vibe is worlds away from the glitz of Barbados.
Arrival by catamaran from Tortola airport shows off the wide bay in which hawksbill turtles feed, the half-mile of powder sands and the gardens throughout which 80 rooms are scattered. The beach is never more than a few steps away. But the heart of the property remains the Pavilion, whose irregular conical roofs have withstood every hurricane for 57 years. A well as the coppery bar and its display of 107 rums, it is home to two of the three restaurants – and this is where Rockefeller’s founding principle is most tastily expressed in produce from Little Dix’s own farm and other local ingredients conjured into Caribbean curries and seafood pots. As pioneers of eco-chic hospitality go, this grande dame has lost none of her mojo. Teresa Levonian Cole
Belmond Cap Juluca, Anguilla
Featured on our 2021 Gold List of the best hotels in the world
Rainbows appear frequently on Anguilla, more so than anywhere else in the West Indies, which is why locals call it Rainbow City. So it comes as no surprise that Linda and Charles Hickox called their hotel Cap Juluca, named after the rainbow spirit of the indigenous Arawak people (who actually did find gold in these parts). It gained a loyal following throughout the 1980s and 90s; guests were seduced by the private villas dotting the shore – it’s the only place to stay on this mile-long stretch of pristine sand. When Belmond took the reins in 2017, the group knew it was on to a good thing. What it didn’t bank on was the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma just a few months later. But a top-to-toe renovation has seen the hotel restored to its former glory, and new spaces have been seamlessly integrated with the charm of the original. Greco-Moorish architecture in open-air living rooms and palm-lined terraces neatly frames views of the bay. At Maundays Club, turquoise mosaics lining the pool reflect the ocean, while the tables under the arches at Pimms restaurant are so close to the water’s edge that the red snapper could almost leap right onto the plate. And Rottet Studio’s design sees local heritage included on every surface, from the stone quarried at cliffs where petroglyphs left by the Arawaks were uncovered to the chairs that showcase traditional weaving styles. Every detail is considered here. Not exactly a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but not far off. Catherine Martin
Bronwyn KnightSandals Curaçao, Curaçao
Introduced into the Sandals vision by the late Founder Gordon "Butch" Stewart, Sandals Royal Curacao is the newest addition to the Sandals collection and the first to inhabit the C of the ABC islands. Formerly the Santa Barbara Resort Curaçao, the spot was renovated in 2021 and reopened for its official debut as an all-inclusive Sandals property in June 2022 with the party of a lifetime. A celebration of the rich and colourful culture of Curacao, the launch was an introduction to a new ‘island-first’ approach to hospitality, including dining incentives with local restaurants and the opportunity for guests in certain rooms to explore the island in a MINI Cooper.
With this in mind, the minutiae of luxury and the island’s heritage can be found in every inch of the 44 acre estate; from the colourful architecture – a nod to the capital of Willemstad – to the fusion of traditional Curacao flavours experienced at one of the eight restaurants or three food trucks on site. The 351 rooms and suites have been categorised by experience, most with unencumbered sea views or access to private pools. Opportunities to experience the island fully are there for the taking, though it's hard to resist staying put on the white sands of the private Santa Barbara beach or lounging under coconut leaf parasols. Megan Morris
Saba Rock, British Virgin Islands
Featured on our 2022 Hot List of the best new hotels in the world
It may be a tiny speck on the map, covering just one acre and with only nine rooms, but Saba Rock gained our editor's attention as one of the hottest new hotel openings in the Caribbean for 2022. Following the devastation wrought by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the beloved island property was brought back to its former glory with nautical designs, fresh Caribbean flavours, wellness experiences, and water sports galore. Rooms here follow a faultless formula – big picture windows and sliding glass doors overlooking swaying palms and turquoise water. If you can swing it, the two spacious suites are well worth the splurge for their sprawling terraces, picturesque panoramas, and deep-soaking tubs. Rooms from £440. Sallie Lewis
Rosewood Le Guanahani St Barth's
Featured on our 2022 Hot List of the best new hotels in the world
Sprawled along an 18-acre peninsula overlooking Marigot Bay on the so-called ‘other side’ of the island, the recently reopened Rosewood Le Guanahani is a wonderfully secluded slice of St Barth's. Cottages are discreet with private entrances, while many of the suites have private pools. All are enveloped by lazily drooping palm trees and other local fauna, with an endless breeze wafting across the beachside infinity pool and into Beach House St. Barth, a relaxed restaurant where Caribbean flavours are given a Mediterranean twist. This is still the best hotel on the island for watersports, from stand-up paddle-boarding to deep-sea fishing and kitesurfing (especially from December to June during the alizé wind).