The Best New Resorts and Reopenings in The Caribbean
Image: Hermitage Bay, Antigua
Global brands are planting flags on Caribbean shores that, until now, lacked ultra-high-end options. From a Six Senses debut on Grenada’s undiscovered coast to St. Regis injecting glamour into Aruba’s hotel strip, these new or newly reborn resorts aren’t just keeping pace with Mexico or the Med, they’re raising the bar. Each property below offers something truly special (and often long-missed in its locale), giving even the most jaded jetsetter a reason to pack their resort wear.
Below, we round up 13 of the most exciting Caribbean openings and re-openings, with an insider take on why each stay deserves a spot on your itinerary.
Images: Six Senses La Sagesse, Grenada
Six Senses La Sagesse, Grenada
Location: La Sagesse, Grenada
Tucked away on Grenada’s less touristy south-eastern coast, Six Senses La Sagesse brings the resorts’ famed wellness-focused luxury offering to the “Spice Island.”
The lagoon-front spa village is the core of the property, laid out like a small Caribbean fishing settlement with thatched roofs, open-air walkways, and water on all sides. The spa offers high-tech sleep diagnostics, and IV therapies, alongside ancient wellness rituals guided by in-house experts and visiting practitioners. Standout facilities include a biohacking recovery lounge, a panoramic sauna over the water, and hot and cold plunge pools.
Outside the spa, La Sagesse encourages you to move. Join local farmers to harvest produce and cook Creole dishes from scratch. Hike into rainforest interiors to reach waterfalls, or boat-hop along a rugged coastline you won’t see from the road.
Dining spans three restaurants, two bars, and a café-bakery. Overseen by Executive Chef Jason Miller, menus riff on Caribbean and South American cuisines while staying mindful of wellness with plant-forward options and fresh-pressed juices. Don’t miss the catch of the day prepared Grenadian–BBQ style on the beach, or the rum bar stocked with small-batch island rums.
Why We Love It
From the saltwater sound bath in the lagoon to guided sunrise meditations on a former sugarcane ridge, the spa and fitness programming is filling the wellness gap in the southern Caribbean, and it’s doing so with a serious line up of programming and in-house specialists.
Images: Salterra Turks & Caicos
Salterra, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa
Location: South Caicos, Turks & Caicos
Providenciales may get all the attention in Turks & Caicos, but the tiny island of South Caicos just hit the radar in a big way with the opening of Salterra. The first true five-star resort in this sparsely populated, nature-rich corner of the TCI archipelago. Opened in early 2025, Salterra is an oasis set on an island previously known mostly to divers and adventure travelers. If you’ve ever daydreamed about “the Caribbean 50 years ago,” South Caicos is about as close as it comes and booking out at rapid speed.
Architecture firm Edge of Architecture, led by Malcolm Berg, incorporated local coral stone and wood, painted in salt-flat whites and ocean blues as a homage to the island’s old salt mining industry. The aesthetic is airy, coastal, and upscale, but not at all ostentatious. Befitting an island where wild donkeys still wander the streets.
The resort sits adjacent to the Admiral Cockburn Land & Sea National Park, a protected marine sanctuary that offers some of the best snorkeling and diving in TCI. Guests can kayak from the beach into the mangrove shallows and encounter turtles and bonefish, or take guided boat trips to spot humpback whales passing by in season (South Caicos is on their migration route). The resort really emphasizes these nature experiences: there are tours of the historic salt pans where pink flamingos roam, and even a “coral reef restoration workshop” where you can help transplant young corals as part of the resort’s eco-initiatives.
When it comes to amenities, Salterra punches above its weight.
The Spa at Salterra is a highlight, with full hydrothermal circuit, Vichy shower, salt inhalation sauna, steam room, aloe vera bar, and a proper Turkish-style hammam, all arranged around tranquil water courtyards. Outside the spa, there’s a social pool with an in-water lounge area and an oceanfront hot tub where you can unwind to the sound of waves.
Perhaps most impressive is Salterra’s dining options. They’ve packed six distinct dining venues into this remote resort, a big win for Caribbean luxury stays. Brine is the fine-dining star, doing a seasonal tasting menu that celebrates salt (“white gold”) as the central theme. It might sound gimmicky, but early guests rave about the 7-course chef’s table there, where everything from the local conch to dessert is elevated with creative saline touches (imagine a salted caramel souffle with hints of TCI sea salt). For more casual fare, Sisal is a stylish lobby bar that does tapas and cocktails highlighting island-sourced ingredients. Cobo Bar & Grill offers beachside Latin-Caribbean dishes, with craft rum cocktails on a deck by the sand. There’s also Regatta, a laid-back second-story venue for British-West Indian fusion (reminding you of TCI’s colonial ties). Sweet tooth or caffeine craving? Flamingo Café scoops homemade tropical fruit gelato and brews espresso, while Jack & Jenny’s food truck serves rotating island street-food bites (jerk chicken one day, conch fritters the next). Considering South Caicos previously had zero noteworthy restaurants, Salterra single-handedly creates a dining scene on the island.
A final note on sustainability, Salterra walks the talk. It runs on over 50% solar power, has its own desalination plant for water, and bans single-use plastics. They even invite guests to adopt pieces of the nearby coral reef to aid conservation.This ethos, combined with the genuine warmth of the mostly local staff, makes a stay here feel connected and responsible, not just indulgent.
Why We Love It
We’re impressed by Salterra’s drive to deliver a stand out Caribbean experience, instead of simply relying on the setting, like so many other luxury Caribbean stays. A seven-course menu themed on salt? It sounds quirky, but it works, giving guests dining experiences they genuinely can’t find elsewhere in the Caribbean. It’s a reminder that remote doesn’t have to mean rustic, worn, or bland.
Images: The Potlatch Club
The Potlatch Club
Location: Eleuthera, The Bahamas
If your Caribbean fantasies involve pink-sand beaches, and that feeling of having stumbled into a Slim Aarons photograph, The Potlatch Club on Eleuthera might just steal your heart.
Eleuthera has always been a bit of an under-the-radar destination, known for its 110-mile length of unspoiled beaches and lack of mass tourism. By reviving Potlatch, the owners resurrected a slice of 20th-century Bahamian lore. The walls are adorned with archival photos of the original club’s glory days, and you can even peruse through old guestbooks where Golden Age celebrities penned notes.
Originally opened in 1967 as a jet-set private hideaway (rumor has it Paul McCartney honeymooned here and scribbled lyrics on club stationery) Potlatch fell into obscurity for decades. Now, after a seven-year restoration by new owners with a passion for history, it’s back, and it’s easily one of the most charismatic boutique resorts in the Caribbean today.
Set on 12 acres of lush grounds fronting a deserted pink-sand beach, Potlatch is intimate, with just 11 cottages, and villas are scattered among the gardens. The accommodation is lovingly restored, mid-century structures with beam ceilings, whitewashed walls, clawfoot tubs, and outdoor gazebos. All have private terraces with manicured tropical foliage.
The Potlatch ethos is “life is beautiful” and to “just be” a refreshing rejection of high-strung resort programming.
That said, you won’t be bored. Wandering down to the pink sand beach (yes, the sand truly has a rosy blush in the morning light) for a swim in water so clear you can count your toes. The club provides kayaks and snorkel gear, or can boat you to a nearby reef. There’s a gorgeous freshwater pool perched above the beach, with a circular design harkening back to the 60s, perfect for a lazy float or a vintage-inspired cocktail moment.
Speaking of cocktails, The Sand Bar is Potlatch’s open-air lounge where sunset happy hour is a ritual. For dining, The Fig Tree restaurant has quickly gained a reputation as the best on Eleuthera. The chef does a light Asian-fusion take on Bahamian seafood with dishes like grouper carpaccio or lobster tail with a soy-lime glaze, alongside more traditional island comfort dishes.
Much of the produce and herbs are grown on-site or sourced from local fishermen and farmers. The setting is magical; on a terrace under a colossal fig tree (for which it’s named), with candlelight and the sound of waves in the distance. The club’s storied past peeks through in details like classic cocktails (try the house “Potlatch Punch”) and the dress code.
Eleuthera isn’t the easiest island to reach (most fly into Nassau and take a small plane over, or ferry from Nassau or Harbour Island), but that’s part of why it remains so unspoiled. And now, with The Potlatch Club, Eleuthera finally has a luxury retreat that matches its natural beauty. It’s already racking up accolades, Condé Nast Traveler put it on the Hot List 2025, and Time named it a World’s Greatest Place. One visit, and you’ll understand why. Potlatch is a step back in time to when travel felt romantic and free-spirited.
Why We Love It
With only 11 keys, every guest at Potlatch feels like part of a little secret society. Staff go above and beyond, whether it’s organizing a cliffside champagne toast for your anniversary or taking you on a spontaneous dive for sand dollars. Eleuthera has no stoplights and very few tourists, and that easygoing vibe infuses Potlatch delivering a level of relaxation that’s hard to replicate elsewhere.
Images: St Regis Cap Cana, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
The St. Regis Cap Cana Resort
Location: Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Punta Cana has no shortage of “luxury” resorts, but very few operate convincingly at the ultra-luxury end. The opening of St. Regis Cap Cana in spring 2025 changes that. This is not an all-inclusive, and that decision is deliberate. Instead, the resort positions itself as a full-service, high-service property within the gated Cap Cana community, fronting a wide stretch of Juanillo Beach just fifteen minutes from the airport.
All rooms come with St. Regis’s signature butler service, meaning you have a dedicated attendant to handle everything from unpacking to arranging your cabana at the beach. Pool service is predictably over-the-top. With evian mistings, fresh fruit kebabs, Kindle e-readers to borrow, etc. The beach is wide and calm, great for swimming and paddling. Watersports like kayaking and paddleboards are complimentary. The resort sits next to a nature reserve area too, early risers can join guided bird-watching walks where you might spot the endemic Ridgway’s Hawk or Hispaniolan parrots.
One of the St. Regis’s hallmarks is it’s impressive dining variety, and Cap Cana is no exception with nine distinct restaurants and bars. They brought in a star Peruvian chef, Diego Muñoz (formerly of Astrid y Gastón in Lima), to helm a contemporary Peruvian restaurant. Expect phenomenal ceviches, tiraditos, and Amazonian-influenced dishes, a refreshing departure from typical Punta Cana resort food. There’s a Mediterranean spot that could rival anything in Mykonos (fresh seafood and Greek mezze, with ocean views), a Latin tapas bar for sharing plates and sangrias, and of course the hallmark St. Regis Bar for cocktails and the local version of the Bloody Mary. At this St. Regis, the signature Mary is called the “Iguana Mary,” incorporating chinola (passionfruit) and a touch of Dominican mama juana spice, a fun twist that’s both potent and tasty.
Another standout is the cigar lounge, it becomes a scene at night with craft cocktails, catering to the younger luxury crowd that the DR has been attracting lately.
And of course any good vacation is well balanced. So recover from your cigars and rum cocktails with the St. Regis Spa. In the tropical hydrotherapy garden you can move through a series of pools and showers shaded by palm trees. Treatments fuse local ingredients (coffee scrubs, coconut oil massages) with high-end techniques. A cool offering is the “Mamajuana Retreat” that uses the famous Dominican herbal liqueur in a therapeutic massage and tonic, supposed to soothe muscles and, local lore says, boost vigor.
Cap Cana is also a golfer’s paradise, and St. Regis guests have access to the adjacent Punta Espada Golf Club, a Jack Nicklaus Signature course that’s routinely ranked #1 in the Caribbean. If golf’s not your thing, the resort concierge can arrange off-site adventures from cenote swimming and cave explorations to a day trip to Saona Island by private yacht. But many guests may not feel the need to leave.
Why We Love It
Punta Cana has always been popular, but St. Regis elevates it. We love that we can now recommend Punta Cana to Caribbean travelers without caveats. Dominican Republic's natural beauty (that water, those palms) finally has a hotel worthy of it. We think this is one of the best luxury resorts in the Dominican Republic.
Images: Four Seasons Resort and Residences Puerto Rico
Four Seasons Resort & Residences Puerto Rico
Location: Río Grande, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico’s boutique hotels and indie dining scene have long carried the island’s appeal. Ultra-luxury, less so, until now. Four Seasons’ new resort in Río Grande marks a clear shift, transforming a once-underutilised property into one of the Caribbean’s most compelling large-scale luxury stays.
Opened in late 2025, the resort sits inside the 483-acre Bahía Beach nature reserve, bordered by protected mangroves, freshwater lagoons, and two miles of palm-lined beach. You’re thirty minutes from San Juan’s bars and galleries, yet surrounded by a national park, birds everywhere, turtles nesting in season, and very little noise.
What sets Four Seasons Puerto Rico apart from its local competitors is its line up of activities. The expanded Racquet Center covers tennis, pickleball, and padel, with pro coaching available. Next door, the Robert Trent Jones Jr.–designed Bahía Beach Golf Club runs through an Audubon-certified sanctuary, where egrets and iguanas regularly wander across fairways. The Boat House on the lagoon offers kayaks, paddleboards, and a surprisingly fun inflatable water park, while the beach team handles kitesurfing, windsurfing, and reef snorkeling just offshore.
Food and culture are treated with equal care. Concierge-led food walks in Old San Juan connect guests to the city’s street snacks and colonial history, while on-site dining is overseen by Puerto Rican chef Víctor Rosado. Ten venues give the resort range without repetition. El Bembé for live music and rum cocktails, Paros for Mediterranean-Caribbean plates (the mojito-marinated lobster is the order), Seagrapes for low-key seafood by the water, plus a pop-up sushi bar when you want a break from mofongo and ceviche. The hammock garden and nightly piragua cart, shaved ice spiked with local rum is perfect for a relaxed night of stargazing.
Families are clearly part of the equation. The Tortuga Kids Club goes beyond face painting, with vejigante mask-making, jungle treasure hunts, and mini zip-lining. Teens have their own lounge, while parents benefit from generous connecting room options, complimentary dining for under-fives, and on-call babysitters that make dinner reservations realistic.
The spa brings things back to neutral. Ten treatment rooms, locally inspired scrubs using island coffee and sea salt, Biologique Recherche facials, and proper hot and cold plunge facilities. Multiple pools, especially the adults-only beachfront infinity pool, make it very easy to settle into a beach cabana and stay there.
Why we love it
Fly straight in from Miami on a short domestic flight, and initiate holiday mode instantly. Need we say more. It’s the kind of place you can unpack and fully unwind, whether that means sunrise birdwatching with a nature guide or ordering cabana-side mojitos for the second afternoon in a row.
Hermitage Bay
Images: Hermitage Bay, Antigua and Barbuda
Hermitage Bay
Location: Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua’s west coast has no shortage of stunning resorts, but Hermitage Bay has long been insider’s boutique hotel pick. Still, even paradise can use a clean up on occasion, and in late 2024 Hermitage Bay re-emerged from a comprehensive renovation looking slicker than ever.
The hillside suites, each with private plunge pools and jaw-dropping ocean views, now sport expanded decks and new infinity-edge pools that blend into the bay. The interiors got new life with locally crafted furnishings (like hand-carved four-poster beds) and brighter textiles that mirror Antigua’s turquoise waters and coral blooms. The beachfront suites, which open right onto the sand, were upgraded with more spacious open-air verandas and new soaking tubs. Importantly, they’ve maintained Hermitage’s signature West Indies colonial bones, just polished up. White louvered windows, cool stone floors, and ceiling fans lazily spinning beneath vaulted ceilings.
A big focus of the renovation was wellness and gastronomy. Hermitage Bay’s Garden Spa got a facelift and expansion, now boasting a couple’s treatment suite, and a yoga pavilion with daily classes. They introduced organic products sourced from local farms and their own herb garden, like a nourishing sugar cane body scrub and coconut oil massages.
On the culinary side, Hermitage Bay has always been a foodie-friendly all-inclusive (no buffets; everything is made to order). Now they’ve leveled up by adding a second beachfront dining pavilion and a new rotating tasting menu concept. With fresh lobster caught that morning, garden-grown microgreens, Antiguan black pineapple sorbet for dessert. They’ve even started offering chef’s garden tours where guests can pick ingredients that will appear in their dinner. And for wine lovers, the resort’s wine list has been expanded with more biodynamic and sustainable wines, complementing that farm-to-table ethos.
And if you’re up for activity, complimentary watersports are still on offer, snorkel gear, paddleboards, Hobie cats, which now launch from a new watersports dock that makes it easier to hop on and sail away.
Why We Love It
The spa and wellness program now rival those of much bigger resorts, but in a bespoke way. A morning meditation facing the sea or a massage with local herbal oils at Hermitage feels connected to Antigua’s spirit, not generic. It’s the kind of mindful luxury that truly recharges you, and we can’t think of a better place for it than this secluded bay.
Images: Belmond Cap Juluca, Meads Bay, Anguilla
ÀNI Anguilla Shoal Bay & Belmond Cap Juluca
Location: Shoal Bay & Meads Bay Anguilla
Anguilla has long been a connoisseur’s choice in the Caribbean, and one of our personal favourite islands. Tiny, low-key, and home to a handful of legendary beach resorts. The island has upped its game even further with spate of new developments in the works, and some recent renovations.
First, ÀNI Anguilla is expanding with a second private resort on the island’s idyllic Shoal Bay East. ÀNI’s model is unique, you rent out the entire 15-suite property as one enormous villa estate, with a full staff and every facility at your exclusive disposal. It’s essentially a mini high-end resort you and your invitees have all to yourselves. Perfect for reunions, celebrations, or just living out a private retreat fantasy.
ÀNI has operated a successful 10-room estate on Anguilla’s north coast for years, but this new Shoal Bay property takes things next-level. With 15 beachfront suites, a dedicated spa and tennis court, a private beach club pavilion, and panoramic views of one of the Caribbean’s best white-sand beaches. Everything from meals to spa treatments and custom excursions is included in the rate. For an island that doesn’t allow cruise ships or big crowds, ÀNI’s ultra-private concept is so Anguilla.
Meanwhile, on Anguilla’s famed Maundays Bay, the venerable Cap Juluca, A Belmond Hotel has added a new world-class spa in partnership with Guerlain. This marked the first real spa facility for Cap Juluca (which, amazingly, never had a full-service spa building until now). Set amid the resort’s tranquil gardens, the Cap Juluca Spa by Guerlain features treatment villas inspired by the island’s indigenous Arawak heritage. Guerlain, the storied French beauty house, brings its cutting-edge skincare and fragrances to the Caribbean for the first time, and Belmond smartly worked with them to create island-inspired therapies exclusive to Anguilla.
One signature is the Arawak Healing Massage, which blends Guerlain’s technique with locally infused oils and even sound elements. We also love that the spa ritual begins with a cleansing foot bath using Anguillan salt, a nod to the island’s once-important salt-picking industry. Cap Juluca’s new wellness offerings extend to weekly outdoor yoga on the beach, meditation sessions at sunset, and even seasonal “salt harvest” excursions where guests can wade into nearby salt ponds to experience how locals gathered salt for centuries. It’s an authentic twist that makes a spa day here more enriching than just a fluffy robe and a flute of champagne (though you’ll get those too).
Elsewhere, Cap Juluca remains one of the Caribbean’s most serene refuges for couples and families alike. Its powdery mile-long beach is still the showstopper, you won’t find a more idyllic or swimmable shoreline, and dining is a high point. From the toes-in-sand Italian trattoria to the refined Caribbean-Asian fusion at Pimms.
With new expanded family activities (the resort introduced kite-making classes and nature walks for younger guests, so parents can sneak off to Guerlain in peace, Cap Juluca has solidified its position at the top of Anguilla’s offerings. It’s the kind of hotel where repeat guests return for decades, and now new amenities ensure the next generation will be just as smitten.
Anguilla may be small, but with ÀNI and Cap Juluca’s enhancements, it’s proving it can compete on a global luxury scale, all while keeping that unspoiled, toes-in-sand charm intact.
Why We Love It
Between these two developments, and Savannah Bay marina in the pipeline, Anguilla continues to offer ultra-high-end experiences similar to a private island. The best part? The island’s appeal remains unchanged, no high-rises, no casinos, and that friendly local vibe. It’s next-level luxury without the tourist circus.
Images: Le Toiny Hotel, St Barths
Hôtel Le Toiny
Location: Anse de Toiny, St. Barthélemy
Located on the rugged Côte Sauvage (the wild southeastern coast), Le Toiny has always been St Barth’s secluded island hideaway, a favorite of privacy-seeking celebs and honeymooners who prefer ocean waves to see-and-be-seen beach clubs. In 2024, this Relais & Châteaux property emerged from a renovation that has it looking better than ever.
The owners brought in British interior designer Bee Osborn to reimagine the 22 villa-suites, and the result is airy, and organic. Gone are some of the heavier, Provencal-style touches of old; the new look introduces light oak floors, linen-draped walls, and colorful artwork. Each suite still has its own private pool and sun terrace, a non-negotiable feature at Le Toiny, but now the indoor living spaces feel lighter, more modern, and even more spacious.
Le Toiny’s location means no direct beach access from your suite (the coastline here is dramatic cliffs and crashing surf). But they’ve turned that into an advantage, the hotel runs its own private Beach Club down the hill on Toiny Bay, accessible by a fun open-air safari jeep. Shaded daybeds line the toes-in-sand restaurant grilling fresh lobster, with a DJ spinning laid-back tunes on weekends. It’s chilled, more St. Tropez 1975 than Nikki Beach. You can snorkel or even surf (Toiny’s waves are among the few surf breaks in St. Barth), then sip a chilled rosé with your feet in the sand and just a handful of fellow guests around.
The hotel’s fine-dining restaurant, Jarad (helmed by Chef Jarad McCarroll), has become a destination in its own right, serving an ambitious tasting menu that blends French techniques with Caribbean ingredients, like guinea fowl with local christophine squash, or line-caught mahi-mahi with a passionfruit beurre blanc. Thanks to the renovation, Jarad’s now also boasts a refreshed open-air design, with candlelit views of the starry sky and sea. Many argue it’s the best dinner on the island, and it’s certainly among the most intimate.
Why We Love It
Every room at Le Toiny is essentially a standalone villa with its own pool, loungers, and ocean panorama. You could skinny dip at midnight under the stars and not worry about a soul watching. In the age of social media, that level of privacy in St. Barth’s is gold.
Images: Belmond La Samanna, St Martin
Belmond La Samanna
Location: Baie Longue, St. Martin
For over 50 years, La Samanna has been the grande dame of St. Martin. A resort synonymous with French-Caribbean style. Set on a pristine white crescent of sand (Baie Longue) on the island’s tranquil western tip. In the aftermath of 2017’s hurricanes, La Samanna underwent repairs, but it’s the recent updates unveiled for the 2024 season that truly caught our attention.
The headline change: Two-Michelin-starred Chef Marcel Ravin has come onboard as Culinary Director. This is a huge get, Ravin is originally from Martinique and made his name in Monaco, blending French haute cuisine with Caribbean flavors (he earned those Michelin stars at the Monte Carlo Bay’s Blue Bay restaurant). At La Samanna’s main restaurant L’Oursin, he’s already making waves with a menu that might feature island-spiced foie gras or locally caught red snapper in a Creole curry sauce, finally, St. Martin has dining to compete with its neighbouring islands. The beachfront grill has similarly been elevated with his oversight, turning out perfect accras (cod fritters) alongside Provençal rosé. In short, La Samanna is suddenly a foodie destination. A welcome development on an island that, while known for good food, lacked true fine-dining at its resorts.
On the design front, La Samanna’s multi-bedroom villas got a top-to-bottom restyle by the acclaimed Rottet Studi. These cliffside villa estates now sport a fresh look inspired by the island’s elements. Interiors with splashes of botanical prints, and new original artwork by local St. Martin artists. The villas feel like private modern beach houses, very appealing for families or groups of friends who want space and luxury with hotel perks.
One could argue that St. Martin (especially the quieter French side) hasn’t had a true ultra-luxury resort experience outside of La Samanna, and Belmond’s refresh is a statement that they intend to keep this crown, with The Setai St. Maarten set to open in 2028.
The resorts identity remains intact, shaped by architecture that evokes a 1970s Riviera sensibility rather than contemporary resort gloss. Arched lines, breezeways, and the open-air Baie Longue Bar anchor the atmosphere, giving the property its social centre and sense of continuity. Days revolve around the beach, soft as talc, and often nearly empty, with water sports available but nothing so noisy as to disturb the peace. A new addition we love, the wine cellar tour experience, where guests can descend into La Samanna’s cavernous wine cellar (one of the largest in the Caribbean, with over 12,000 bottles) for tastings of rare vintages and cheese pairings. It underscores La Samanna’s identity as French-Caribbean to the bone, here, it’s about joie de vivre in flip-flops.
With neighboring islands like St. Barths often stealing the limelight, it’s gratifying to see La Samanna remind everyone that St. Martin can do luxury too. As 2025 approaches, La Samanna stands not just renewed, but re-energized, ready to wow a new generation of travelers who might have otherwise overlooked St. Martin for flashier spots.
Why We Love It
Baie Longue is arguably one of the best beaches in the entire Caribbean. A half-mile of white sand and calm, gin-clear water, and La Samanna has it virtually to itself. No crowds, no beach bars (except the resort’s own). It’s the kind of beach you dream about in office meetings. Now pair it with Belmond service (they’ll bring sorbet to your lounger) and life is good.
Images: St Regis Resort Aruba
The St. Regis Aruba Resort
Location: Palm Beach, Aruba
Aruba’s Palm Beach has no shortage of big-name resorts, but until now, it lacked that ultra-lux pedigree that the St. Regis brand delivers. Enter the St. Regis Aruba, opened January 2025 as the island’s first true high-end luxury hotel. This newly built resort commands a prime spot at the north end of Palm Beach. The sunset views facing west are phenomenal, and you can even see the kite-surfers at Hadicurari Beach in the distance adding color to the horizon.
The hotel’s design subtly weaves in Aruban cultural motifs, you’ll notice patterns reflecting the facades of Oranjestad’s colorful buildings, and local art pieces like hand-painted ceramics in the rooms.
Dining includes a rooftop Japanese-Korean restaurant by Chef Akira Back, a Michelin-starred chef known for his inventive takes on sushi and sizzling bulgogi. On the ground level, Eskama celebrates Caribbean flavors, with jerk-spiced meats, tamarind-glazed fish, and island-inspired tapas, served over live calypso or reggae.
Of course, as a St. Regis, they haven’t forgotten the brand traditions. The St. Regis Bar off the lobby is dark, clubby, and perfect for a pre-dinner martini. There, you can try the resort’s local take on the Bloody Mary, the “Bon Bini Mary”, spiked with Aruban papaya, lime, and a touch of hot pepper for island kick. And every evening at sunset, the bar performs the St. Regis champagne sabering ritual, giving a celebratory touch to the end of each sun-soaked day.
Guests can spend their days lazing in the two oceanfront infinity pools with ultra-plush cabanas and attendant service (cooling face mists, fresh fruit skewers, sunglass cleanings). The beach area is similarly pampering, private cabana bookings come with a dedicated butler who will refill your champagne flute as often as you like.
The St. Regis Spa menu has island-inspired treatments like the “Desert Bloom” massage using local aloe vera and cactus flower oil. It’s not huge, but each treatment room is a suite in itself, and the post-treatment relaxation lounge has a view of a tranquil reflecting pool. There’s also a modern fitness center and a lovely Children’s Club with supervised activities (treasure hunts, Papiamento language lessons for kids) to keep little ones engaged.
For Aruba, this hotel is a gamechanger, bringing a level of service that the island’s loyal fans have often sought elsewhere in the Caribbean.
Why We Love It
Because it gives Aruba a credible luxury stay, and a much needed new build. For travelers who love the island’s beaches but previously looked elsewhere for higher-end stays, the St. Regis finally makes staying put an easy decision. The trickle-down effect? We suspect overall service on the island will step up, making the entire destination more appealing to luxury travelers.
Image: Peter Island Resort and Spa, British Virgin Islands
Peter Island Resort & Spa
Location: Peter Island, British Virgin Islands
After seven long years of silence following Hurricanes Irma and Maria, Peter Island Resort in the BVI is back, and it’s a triumphant return for one of the Caribbean’s original private-island resorts. Spread across a sprawling 1,800-acre island of its own, this resort was once the stuff of Caribbean legend, and its December 2024 reopening has managed to rekindle that magic with a modern spark. They didn’t increase the room count, but they did dial up the luxury and amenities across the board.
Five beaches ring Peter Island, each one worthy of a postcard. The half-moon perfection of Deadman’s Bay (the main beach) to the hidden honeymoon-worthy White Bay on the quiet side of the island. The rebuild took advantage of this picturesque coastline, all guest accommodations are now beach-facing, and many are literally steps from the sand.
Two new two-bedroom beach villas cater to families, and then there are the estate homes for the mega-luxe. Falcon’s Nest (a six-bedroom hilltop mansion with a 360-degree view, its own pool, and butler service) and Hawk’s Nest Villa (a three-bedroom villa with a hot tub and its own little slice of beach).
One of the most exciting new additions is the oceanfront spa.Sitting right above the water on Big Reef Bay, the spa features open-air treatment rooms where you can hear the sea (they wisely kept that feature) plus an array of new wellness amenities. There’s a yoga deck for sunrise classes, a meditation garden, and a seaside jacuzzi that’s quickly becoming Instagram-famous. Treatments draw on Caribbean ingredients, like a hot stone massage using locally harvested salt stones, or aloe and lemongrass body wraps to soothe sun-soaked skin. With seven treatment rooms and added relaxation lounges, it’s now one of the premier spas in the BVI by size and setting.
Peter Island was always beloved by the sailing crowd, and the relaunch doubled down on that with a brand-new Yacht Club & Marina complex. It has a full-service marina for those arriving by yacht, complete with a captain’s lounge, provisioning services, and the Drunken Pelican beach bar & restaurant. The casual eatery sits right on Great Harbour and is already drawing boaters from around the BVI for its conch fritters and painkiller cocktails. They’ve also added pickleball and bocce courts by the marina, giving guests (and visiting sailors) a reason to hang around for sunset.
For toes-in-sand meals, the Beach Club on Deadman’s Bay does island BBQs and themed buffet nights (don’t miss the Wednesday Caribbean buffet with live steel pan music, a resurrected tradition) And of course, private beach dinners under the stars can be arranged, which was always a Peter Island forte.
For the British Virgin Islands, the reopening of Peter Island is symbolic. The BVI were hit hard by 2017’s storms, and while sailing rebounded, the top resorts took longer. Peter Island’s return and being better than before, signals that the BVI are back in the ring. David Van Andel, whose family owns the island, was there on opening day, tearfully welcoming back staff and guests alike. That personal touch permeates the experience, many of the staff are second-generation, having parents or relatives who worked here in the ’80s and ’90s.
Why We Love It
If you’re into yachting or even just boat day-trips, Peter Island is unbeatable. It’s centrally located in the BVI, so you can day-sail to Jost Van Dyke or Virgin Gorda easily. The new Yacht Club and the laid-back Drunken Pelican bar give the resort a fun marina vibe too. You don’t have to be a sailor to enjoy it, but it adds a dash of adventure-romance to the atmosphere (think evening strolls looking at gleaming yachts under the stars).
Images: Montpelier Plantation & Beach Resort
Montpelier Nevis
Location: Nevis, St Kitts & Nevis
In the quiet sister island of Nevis, a historic boutique hotel has been born anew. Montpelier Plantation (now branding simply as Montpelier Nevis) is a beloved 19th-century sugar plantation-turned-hotel that recently completed a multi-year renovation to herald its 60th anniversary. The result is a refreshed Montpelier that brilliantly bridges past and present.
The renovation, unveiled fully in late 2025, was spearheaded by LA-based designer Liz Wilson, who has personal ties to Nevis. Walk into a refreshed Montpelier room and you’ll see vibrant prints, palm greens, mango yellows, coral pinks, in everything from throw pillows to custom wallpaper, all drawn from Nevisian landscapes. Each room still has no TV (a deliberate choice to encourage unwinding), but they did add in-room tech upgrades like better Wi-Fi and Bluetooth speaker.
The hotel’s public spaces also got a facelift. The heart of Montpelier’s social scene, The Great Room bar & lounge, is now adorned in a show-stopping banana leaf print (a custom pink version of the famous Beverly Hills Hotel wallpaper) set against the estate’s original stone work The Pool Bar has new tropical mural accents and neon-hued barstools.
Beyond aesthetics, they’ve also enhanced the guest experience. The boutique spa cabana was refreshed and more wellness classes (like guided meditation in the garden) have been added. The hotel’s beach club, set on the island’s famous black sand, has new loungers, a small beach bar for cocktails and picnic lunches, a welcome upgrade for those lazy days by the waves. Montpelier’s unique Mille Fleurs experience – a private dinner in the property’s 300-year-old sugar mill – remains a bucket-list romantic memory for guests (nothing needed to change there, it’s timeless as ever). Breakfast stretches late into morning on the terrace, and afternoon tea (a Montpelier tradition) is served daily with scones and local guava jam.
Nevis, as a whole, is shining lately, the local government has improved infrastructure, and there’s a new energy with young chefs and historians offering tours. But it still has no malls, no fast food, and one main road that circles the island, which is precisely why we go there.
Why We Love It
The staff at Montpelier are Nevis’s best ambassadors. Want to know which hiking trail has the secret waterfall, or how to make the perfect rum punch? They’ll tell you, or even take you. This hotel has always excelled at connecting guests to Nevisian culture (an art gallery here, a cooking demo there), and now with Nevis trending upward, Montpelier is the gateway to discover it.
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