Top 10: most luxurious resorts in the Caribbean

Monday newsletters always feature top 10 travel lists to inspire.

Today (October 17, 2016): Top 10 most luxurious resorts in the Caribbean.

With an abundance of powder-soft sands, coconut covered hills, and lush valleys of sugar cane and bananas, it should come as no surprise that the Caribbean is the number one holiday destination in the Americas. With the cold and dark winter days rapidly approaching, some will start craving about a warm sea breeze, poolside cocktails and glorious beaches. To help you pick the right spot, I made a selection of my 10 favorite Caribbean luxury resorts, that rank among the most lavish in the world.

There is more information below the slide show. Think I missed one? Share your favorite Caribbean hotel in the comments section, or take my poll below!

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10. JUMBY BAY ISLAND, ANTIGUA

Nestled on a 300-acre private Caribbean island two miles from Antigua, Jumby Bay Island, an Oetker Collection property, is a secluded haven filled with lush landscapes, stately palm trees and three stunning white sand beaches. Reachable only by boat, with no hint of urban intrusions and no indigenous population in sight, this privately owned hideaway has remained largely unchanged for centuries. The resort features 40 tastefully decorated rooms and luxury vacation villas, that embody both the beauty of nature and the tradition of elegance with inspiring surroundings and simple sophistication.

• Hotel website: Jumby Bay Island
• Other accolades: Jumby Bay Island also features in my top 10 list of the world’s most exclusive private island resorts.
• Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, early check-in, late check-out, daily breakfast, and $100 USD spa credit).

9. ST REGIS BAHIA BEACH RESORT, PUERTO RICO

The Puerto Rico flagship of the Starwood Hotels group enjoys a romantic setting in a Caribbean coconut plantation, nestled between a lush national forest and the sparkling sea. Amidst verdant foliage, you can relax in one of 139 exquisitely furnished rooms, where private terraces lead to spectacular ocean views. Here, pleasure is a daily mantra, where you can tee off at the challenging Robert Trent Jones, Jr. golf course, succumb to exclusive Remède Spa pampering, savor Jean-Georges’ acclaimed cuisine, lounge at the pool esplanade or bask on the pristine, sandy beach.

• Hotel website: St Regis Bahia Beach
• Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily breakfast, early check-in, late check-out, and $100 USD resort credit).

8. NECKER ISLAND, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

Sir Richard Branson’s 74 acre private island is unquestionably one of the most idyllic place in Caribbean and now part of Virgin Limited Edition, Branson’s portfolio of unique retreats. There is a dedicated team of fabulous staff on the island plus more than 200 flamingos who are all part of the Necker family. If you’d like the whole place to yourselves (and 33 friends), then hiring Necker Island exclusively is the way to go. On selected weeks during the year you can also book an individual room as a couple, single or as a family.

• Hotel website: Necker Island
• Other accolades: Necker Island also features in my top 10 lists of the world’s most exclusive private island resorts and the world’s most expensive hotels.

7. EDEN ROC AT CAP CANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Think of the magnificent architecture along the French and Italian Rivieras. Add a touch of Spanish Colonial design. And now imagine an enclave of these storybook villas set among the dreamy landscape of the Caribbean. That’s Eden Roc at Cap Cana, where Milan-based architect Marina Nova has created the most alluring hotel design in the islands. It’s European glamour with a Caribbean twist. The 34 free-standing, all pool suites celebrate the beauty unfolding outside with expansive windows, verandas and patios, creating myriad spots to experience paradise uninterrupted.

• Hotel website: Eden Roc At Cap Cana
• Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily breakfast, early check-in, late check-out, $100 USD food and beverage credit, and roundtrip airport transfers).

6. PARROT CAY BY COMO, TURKS & CAICOS

Parrot Cay by COMO, a favourite among celebrities, is an award-winning luxury resort set on its own private island of 1,000 unspoilt acres with a mile-long powdery soft beach. This exclusive island hideaway delivers foot-in-the-sand luxury with COMO’s service ethic, holistic therapies, yoga, diving and world-class cuisine. All rooms and suites have whitewashed interiors furnished with soft, cotton-covered chairs, airy four-poster beds and teak furnishing. The real stars are the private villas, with their own pools, direct beach access as well as the 24-hour service of COMO’s acclaimed butlers.

• Hotel website: Parrot Cay by COMO
• Other accolades: Parrot Cay by COMO also features in my top 10 lists of the world’s most exclusive private island resorts and luxury hotels loved by celebrities.
• Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, early check-in, late check-out, daily breakfast, and $100 USD hotel credit).
• Review: read here my review of Parrot Cay.

5. DORADO BEACH, A RITZ-CARLTON RESERVE, PUERTO RICO

Somewhere between idyllic and perfection sits a Puerto Rico resort of such intimate luxury and rare character, it calls to those who believe every journey should be a voyage of discovery. Once a 1,400-acre sugar plantation, Dorado Beach caught the eye of visionary Laurance Rockefeller, who transformed the lush landscape into Puerto Rico’s most exclusive luxury resort. With its serene coastline, private residences, spa sanctuary, and a harmonious sense of place that blends masterfully into the natural surroundings, Dorado Beach, invites guests to arrive spellbound, and depart speechless.

• Hotel website: Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve
• Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, early check-in, late check-out, daily breakfast, and $150 USD hotel credit).

4. HERMITAGE BAY, ANTIGUA

Hermitage Bay is a natural paradise – a perfect retreat for anyone wanting to escape the stresses and strains of a busy life. The privately owned, luxury, all-inclusive, 5-star boutique hotel is located in a perfect bay on the west coast of Antigua. The 27 individual suites nestle on the beach and hillside in beautiful tropical gardens, in the perfect seclusion offered by the surrounding 140 acres of lush, undeveloped land. Reclining in a plantation chair on your verandah, you feel transported back to Antigua’s colonial era – with all the conveniences of an upscale hotel.

• Hotel website: Hermitage Bay
• Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily breakfast, $100 USD resort credit, early check in, late check out, and roundtrip airport transfers for stays of 3 nights and more).

3. JADE MOUNTAIN, ST LUCIA

Its impressive design, with individual bridges leading to exceptional infinity pool suites and rugged stoned-faced columns reaching towards the sky, makes Jade Mountain one of the Caribbean’s most mesmerizing resort experiences, especially for honeymooners. With the fourth wall entirely absent, Jade Mountain’s 29 suites (called “sanctuaries”) are stage-like settings from which to embrace the full glory of  St Lucia’s twin peaks, the Pitons World Heritage Site, and of course, the eternal Caribbean Sea.

• Hotel website: Jade Mountain
• Other accolades: Jade Mountain also features in my top 10 lists of hotel rooms with the best views, the world’s best luxury hotels, the world’s best honeymoon resorts, and the world’s best resorts with private plunge pools.
• Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily breakfast, $100 USD spa credit, early check in, and late check out).
• Review: read here my review of Jade Mountain.

2. AMANYARA, TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS

Set on the beautiful island of Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands, Amanyara is a secluded haven embracing the best elements of the Caribbean. Bordering the pristine reefs of Northwest Point Marine National Park, acclaimed for some of the world’s best wall and reef diving, the ultraluxurious resort is managed by Aman – the world’s most exclusive hotel brand – and blessed with a magnificent sugar-white beach.  Offering 40 timber-shingled guest pavilions tucked along the coast, the resort enjoys a contemporary layout and design, open to the sights and sounds of the crystal clear turquoise sea.

• Hotel website: Amanyara
• Other accolades: Amanyara also features in my top 10 lists of the most beautiful hotel beaches in the world, the best Aman hotels in the world, the most beautiful overwater bungalows in the world, and the world’s most expensive hotels.
• Tip: enjoy exclusive VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. upgrade on arrival, daily continental breakfast, one a la carte lunch for 2 persons, early check-in and late check-out).
• Review: read here my review of Amanyara.

1. AMANERA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Nestled within more than 2,170 acres of pristine Caribbean jungle,  Amanera overlooks the ocean from Playa Grande, whose golden sands make it one of the region’s most beautiful beaches. Presenting the first fully-integrated Aman Golf Course, the resort is located alongside the lauded fairways and greens of Playa Grande. Amanera has 25 free-standing Casitas, that all come with ocean views from an expansive terrace, as well as a private garden and biodiverse roof that seamlessly blends with its surroundings. Thirteen casitas have a private pool.

• Hotel website: Amanera
• Other accolades: Amanera also features in my lists of the 40 hottest luxury hotel openings of 2015, the 10 best Aman hotels in the world, and the 10 best honeymoon resorts in the world.
• Tip: enjoy exclusive VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. upgrade on arrival, daily continental breakfast, one a la carte lunch for 2 persons, early check-in and late check-out).

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