a touch of class n luxury caribbean
Typically tropical
escapes
For luxury with a laid-back feel, nobody does it better than Caribbean resorts – where you can live it up in style on private islands, be pampered in luxury allinclusive resorts and even enjoy a James Bond-style getaway in the former home of 007 creator Ian Fleming. Caribbean queen Sara Macefield explores the options s it any wonder that so many celebrities beat a well-trodden path to the Caribbean? Considered by many to be the ultimate sun, sea and sand escape, this collection of idyllic islands is famous for beautiful lush landscapes and pristine beaches, which regularly attract a long list of Hollywood Alisters and famous faces. Each winter, when normal mortals are shivering in the depths of a freezing British winter, the tabloid press are full of pictures of the glitterati lapping up the balmy charms of the beaches of Barbados or St Barths. They tend to stay in sumptuous hotels or plush villas where they know they will want for nothing and privacy will be assured. Those wanting to follow in their gilded footsteps can choose from extravagant casino resorts, luxury retreats oozing upmarket opulence or atmospheric boltholes where barefoot chic meets laidback luxury. The Caribbean was the birthplace of luxury all-inclusives and is home to two of the best-known resort chains:
I
Spring 2012
Sandals (www.sandals.co.uk) and SuperClubs (www.superclubs.com). Both companies have resorts across the main islands, notably Jamaica, Antigua, and the Bahamas. SuperClubs is also on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao. Sandals has resorts in St Lucia and has properties in the Turks and Caicos and Jamaica with its family-oriented sister brand Beaches (www.beachesresorts.co.uk). The resorts are big and bold, with quite a strong American flavour and offer plenty of activities, numerous restaurants, huge swimming pools, water sports galore and, in the case of Sandals and Beaches, the services of your own butler. Major hotel groups such as Marriott (www.marriott.co.uk), Ritz-Carlton (www.ritzcarlton.com), Westin (www.starwoodhotels.com), Fairmont (www.fairmont.com), Four Seasons (www.fourseasons.com) can be found, notably on Grand Cayman, Nevis and Barbados.
n Sandals Halcyon Beach, St Lucia Sandals
“The Caribbean was the birthplace of luxury all-inclusives”
tlm n the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk
51
a touch of class n luxury caribbean
Elegant Hotels' Colony Club, on Barbados
Elegant Hotels
n
n
Jade Mountain, St Lucia
Jade Mountain
However, there is a handful of minor Caribbean chains, comprising smaller, more niche properties. Barbados is home to Elegant Hotels (www.eleganthotels.com), which has five quite different establishments across the island. These include The House, a stylish escape where “service ambassadors” wait on the adult-only clientele, and the family-friendly, upmarket Colony Club set in lush gardens with an enticing rock-pool-style swimming pool. Both are on Barbados’s prestigious west coast. Almond Resorts (www.almondresorts.com) is another Barbados-based hotel group with three all-inclusive resorts, the largest of which is Almond Beach Village near Speightstown on the west coast, spread across 32 acres with 10 swimming pools, tennis courts, nine-hole golf course and spa. Elite Island Resorts (www.eliteislandresorts.com) is a collection of 12 resorts across seven islands. These include the eco and family-friendly Verandah Resort & Spa on Antigua, the wellness-orientated LaSource resort on Grenada, and Palm Island Resort in the Grenadines, which has 43 rooms housed in bungalows spread through the island’s 135 acres. Bringing a West Indian flavour is the collection of nine Island Outpost (www.islandoutpost.com) hotels and villas on Jamaica that range from GoldenEye, the former home of James Bond author Ian Fleming, to Strawberry Hill, an evocative former coffee plantation set amid the misty peaks of the Blue Mountains – and the place where reggae legend Bob Marley recovered after being shot in 1976. One of the Caribbean’s main USP’s is the breadth of independent luxury properties. Here’s a potted guide:
n
n
Pool at Jumby Bay, Antigua
LaSource, Grenada
Elite Hotels
Sandy Lane (www.sandylane.com): the most famous of the island’s hotels, noted for its opulent surroundings, sumptuous spa, two golf courses and lavish touches. Coral Reef Club (http://coralreefbarbados.com): a long-established family-owned property of understated elegance with 88 rooms, cottages and suites spread through 12 acres of gardens. Cobblers Cove (www.cobblerscove.com): classy and unassuming with 40 one-bedroom suites in English country-house style and an award-winning restaurant.
Island Outpost
barbados
Carlisle Bay (www.campbellgrayhotels.com): chic, stylish and sophisticated, this all-suite resort was founded by renowned hotelier Gordon Campbell Gray. Hermitage Bay (www.hermitagebay.com): set in a stunning private bay, this hotel comprises 25 suites in cottages bordering the beach and on the hillside, offering fabulous views. The Inn at English Harbour (www.theinn.ag): an old favourite that has been revitalised following refurbishment. Situated in pretty English Harbour, close to Nelson’s Dockyard, it has a house party atmosphere.
52 tlm n the travel & leisure magazine
www.tlm-magazine.co.uk
n Cocktail time at Palm Island, in the Grenadines
Spring 2012
Elite Hotels
antigua
n
Dine with a view at LaSource, on Grenada
Elite Hotels
a touch of class n luxury caribbean
n
Solitude: Peter Island resort
Peter Island
st lucia
island hideaways Travellers looking for the ultimate escape will find island resorts scattered across the Caribbean. The most famous is Necker Island (www.neckerisland.com) in the British Virgin Islands owned by Virgin tycoon Richard Branson, which reopens in April following last summer’s fire. Also in the BVIs is Peter Island (www.peterisland.com), a luxurious island resort of 1,800 acres that promises complete solitude along with five beaches, tennis courts, a swimming pool and spa. Nearby is Little Thatch Island, which is smaller and more rustic with just one place to stay – Seagrape Cottage (www.seagrapecottage.net), on its own beach with a dining deck over the sea. The Grenadines boasts archetypal retreats such as Young Island (www.youngisland.com), where guests stay in charming wood-framed cottages, or Petit St Vincent (www.petitstvincent.com), a castaway spot with just 22 cottages. There are no phones, but if guests want service, they simply hoist a flag outside their room. More sophisticated luxury hideaways include Jumby Bay (www.rosewoodhotels.com), on its own 300-acre island off the coast of Antigua, and the understated, but quietly luxurious Parrot Cay (www.parrotcay.como.bz) in the Turks & Caicos islands, which attracts celebrities wanting privacy.
Spring 2012
Anse Chastanet (www.ansechastanet.com): in a fabulous location by the islands’ famous Pitons with 49 individually-designed rooms, most of which cling to the hillside offering views to die for. Jade Mountain (www.jademountain.com): located above Anse Chastanet, this sister property is famous for its wow factor with stunning vistas and unforgettable suites that have just three walls to capitalise on the views and infinity pools. Windjammer Landing (www.windjammer-landing.com): a family-friendly beach resort with charming whitewashed villas giving it a Continental feel.
jamaica Jamaica Inn (www.jamaicainn.com): dating from the 1950s, this atmospheric hotel is full of charm and history. Round Hill (www.roundhill.com): a classy tuckedaway retreat containing a hotel and beautiful villas. Half Moon (www.halfmoon.rockresorts.com): a large resort with an impressive range of facilities including a golf academy and equestrian centre, but it maintains a boutique feel.
bahamas Ocean Club (www.oneandonlyresorts.com): very upmarket and classically classy. This hotel was the setting for Bond movie Casino Royale. Atlantis (www.atlantis.com): a mega-resort comprising six hotel and apartment complexes, a huge marine waterscape containing water rides and sea-life lagoons, plus more than 10 swimming areas and at least 40 lounges, restaurants and bars.
tlm n the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk
53
a touch of class n luxury caribbean
Nisbet Plantation
plantation house hotels
n Nisbet Plantation's Great House is the only original plantation house on Nevis
dominican republic
luxur y caribbean facts
Tortuga Bay (www.puntacana.com): a secluded escape located in the Punta Cana Estate with a Six Senses spa among its outstanding facilities. Zoetry Agua (www.zoetryresorts.com): a peaceful retreat of 53 sumptuous suites and villas in a secluded beachfront setting.
A number of tour operators offer luxury getaways in the Caribbean. Here are a few samples:
Sara Macefield first visited the Caribbean more than 20 years ago and has been back countless times since, drawn by the warm tropical welcome of these engaging islands.
www.tlm-magazine.co.uk
Peter Island
Anguilla is known for opulent n Beach at Peter Island villas and upscale hotels including Cap Juluca (www.capjuluca.com) and Ku (www.ku-anguilla.com), while the British Virgin Islands boast established favourites such as Biras Creek (www.biras.com) and Rosewood Little Dix Bay (www.rosewoodhotels.com). As you would expect, the French Caribbean is big on chic haunts with Eden Rock (www.edenrockhotel.com) on St Barths and La Samanna (www.lasamanna.com) on St Martin, while Grenada boasts the plush Spice Island Beach Resort (www.spiceislandbeachresort.com), set on stunning Grand Anse Beach.
n
Verandah Resort, Antigua
Caribtours offers a week at the Jamaica Inn, Jamaica, from £1,570 per person on room-only basis, including flights, private transfers and use of a private lounge at Gatwick. www.caribtours.co.uk
Elite Hotels
packages
smaller islands
54 tlm n the travel & leisure magazine
Some of the Caribbean’s most distinctive and atmospheric properties can be found on the sister islands of St Kitts and Nevis; known for their plantation house hotels which often sit amid the ruins of former sugar mills. The family-run Hermitage Plantation (www.hermitagenevis.com) is built on the mountainous slopes of Nevis with pretty gingerbread houses surrounding its Great House, dating from around 1670 and believed to be one of the oldest houses in the Caribbean. Another is 18th century Montpelier Plantation (www.montpeliernevis.com), also on Nevis, which was the idyllic setting for the wedding of a certain Horatio Nelson to Fanny Nisbet. Her former home, Nisbet Plantation (www.nisbetplantation.com), lays claim to being the only original plantation house on Nevis. On St Kitts, Ottley’s Plantation (www.ottleys.com) is full of colonial-style furnishings, while its spring-fed swimming pool nestles against the remains of the old sugar factory; and Rawlins Plantation (www.rawlinsplantation.com) stands amid the remains of the abandoned 17th century mill that once stood there.
Prestbury Worldwide Resorts offers seven nights at Tamarind by Elegant Hotels, Barbados, from £1,080 per person, B&B, including flights and private transfers. www.prestburyworldwideresorts.co.uk Virgin Holidays offers seven nights at the Sandals Halcyon Beach resort, St Lucia, from £1,639 per person on an all-inclusive basis, including flights and transfers. www.virginholidays.co.uk Tropical Sky offers a week at the Colony Club, Barbados, from £1,049 per person, B&B, including flights and transfers. www.tropicalsky.co.uk Golden Caribbean offers a week at the Hermitage Bay hotel, Antigua, from £2,549 per person, on an all-inclusive basis, including flights and transfers. www.goldencaribbean.com
Spring 2012