Carlisle Bay Hotel

Antigua, Caribbean

Special Offer

The lush countryside, the warm disposition of the people – these might be what distinguish Antigua from other Caribbean islands, but for Gordon Campbell Gray, the decision to invest in Antigua was swayed by the special beauty of Carlisle Bay. This natural harbour in the most remote corner of the island, defined by a fine crescent of sand, is straight out of an ideal Caribbean press release. Its emerald green waters are surrounded by forested mountains and plenty of swaying palms, Carlisle Bay is the only hotel in this idyllic location and, having negotiated title to the entire beach, he intends to keep it that way. The swimming pool tiles were brought in from Bali and a black-painted orchid pool with its flaming torches defines the entrance.
The all-suite hotel opened in late 2003 and the guest reaps the benefit of Gordon Campbell Gray's almost manic attention to detail in a wild and ruggedly natural setting.
From the lights that illuminate the garden at night, to the bleached grey stain of the outdoor timber, to the abundance of orchids, to the custom-made furniture and interiors designed by Mary Fox Linton – no detail large or small has escaped Gordon's magnificent obsession.

A natural harbour in the most remote corner of the island, defined by a fine crescent of sand, is straight out of an ideal Caribbean press release.

Photos of Carlisle Bay

Prices from:

£2,199 pp

Call our Travel Gurus for details on the fabulous Super Chill out offer

Mount Cinnamon Hotel

Grenada, Caribbean

... a collection of red-roofed villas tucked into the dense greenery of Mount Cinnamon. They each have a brilliant view of the bay that defines Grenada and of the starting point of Great Anse beach.

These are villas in the true domestic context of the word, they are houses with proper living rooms, kitchens, terraces, and completely separate bedrooms; houses that are perfect for people with children.

The rest of the hotel is just down the hill from the villas. It’s not huge, and that is its charm. It is all on a scale that feels cosy and comfortable. One thing is certain; the hotel has a great view, probably the best on the island, a great location, a two minute stroll from the beach, and a very comfortable scale.

Peter de Savary’s Mount Cinnamon is a new and fun boutique resort set on the beautiful Grand Anse Beach.

Photos of Mount Cinnamon

Prices from:

£1,399 pp

Free night offer available!

Necker Island

British Virgin Islands, Caribbean

Necker, Sir Richard Branson’s private island paradise, is situated in the British Virgin Islands, a stunning and unspoilt area of the Caribbean. At 74 acres, Necker sits in turquoise waters surrounded by coral reefs and fringed with beautiful white sandy beaches. The island can be hired exclusively or you can enjoy the Necker experience during selected Celebration Weeks when individual rooms can be booked by singles or couples to enjoy our fabulous island paradise ‘house party’ style. Guests are encouraged to treat Necker like their own home, and are welcome to help themselves to anything they want, any time.

Although Necker Island’s Great House was destroyed by fire in 2011, the vast majority of the island and its facilities were unaffected. There will be some renovations taking in place in early 2012 with some exciting enhancements for the re-opening in April. The Great House itself will take a while to restore to its former glory but in the meantime guests will be accommodated within the six refurbished Bali Houses, Temple House (Sir Richard’s Branson’s house) and also on board Necker Belle, Sir Richard’s luxury catamaran! Therefore there is plenty of exciting spaces to sleep up to 28 guests for all kinds of celebrations with friends and family.

Necker can become your own private hideaway; away from the stresses and strains of daily life.

Photos of Necker Island

Prices from:

£10,229 pp

Celebration weeks throughout the 2011

One&Only Ocean Club

Bahamas, Caribbean

In truth, it looks even smarter in real life: an unusually successful blend of shiny new world bling and colonial style class. It doesn’t come as a surprise to learn that it was once the private estate of Huntington Hartford II, heir to the A&P Supermarket fortune. It still has the feel – that “je ne sais quoi” – of old money. This beautiful house was built on the best location in the Bahamas, and no matter how much the estate has changed over the years, the foundation of discerning taste is still there.
What really stands out about One&Only Ocean Club is its ability to combine the casual beach chic that you would expect from the Bahamas with the polished formality of a summer house built on a Versailles scale.

Some people will recognise the legendary One&Only Ocean Club from the James Bond film Casino Royale. If ever there was a place perfectly suited to driving in with an Aston Martin, this is it.

Photos of One&Only Ocean Club

Prices from:

2,085 pp in low season

2,475 pp in high season

One & Only Hotel

Dubai and Beyond, Dubai

Here the scale is still old world, and harks back to a time when Dubai was a fishing village. One&Only has truly created an oasis, and to their credit they have made sure it is in an Arabic style.

A lot of thought has been given to the entertainment of the guests. That’s why the swimming pools are as large as lakes, and the Nina restaurant, a colourful Oriental number, serves Euro-Indian fusion food. Then there are the bars. The rooftop bar has a Bedouin tent-like interior on the roof to allow guests to enjoy a night time view of Dubai’s ever-changing skyline.

As a guest you feel special. And with this they have achieved the most genuine of all Bedouin traits, a natural sense of hospitality.

The One&Only Royal Mirage looks like a fantasy and works like a dream. An Oasis offering a genuine sense of hospitality.

Photos of One&Only Residence

Prices from:

£1,439 pp in low season

£2,365 pp in high season

Parrot Cay Resort

Turks and Caicos Islands, Caribbean

First and foremost it’s all about the beach. Parrot Cay’s beach is a long curving strip of blindingly white powdery sand - imagine a beach made of talcum powder and you’ll start to get the idea. Without exaggeration, it is probably one of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean.

As a guest you don’t just have the beach to yourself, you have the island to yourself. The relaxed ambience has a lot to do with the fact that here there are no distractions. Here you can focus on the worthwhile simple things, such as swimming in the turquoise waters, playing on the islands two tennis courts, checking into the spa for a bit of ‘me’ time, or dining alfresco by the swimming pool by candlelight at night.

Parrot Cay is the essence of what it means to get away from it all.

Photos of Parrot Cay

Prices from:

£2,499 pp in low season

£2,969 pp in high season

Round Hill Resort

Jamaica, Caribbean

Special Offer

Round Hill is where Jacqueline and JFK spent their honeymoon, where Rodgers and Hammerstein played chess, where Hitchcock got sunburned and where Noel Coward, if egged on enough, would sing for the guests.

After 50 years, Round Hill has a million stories to tell, but most impressive is how little it has changed. The place today offers the same blend of qualities that has always pulled the famous names and faces; namely a well-preserved slice of old Jamaica.

Today you still enjoy its stylish architecture and a predictably colonial pace of life, but with the added pull of an oceanfront spa and refurbished hotel rooms designed for beach living by Ralph Lauren, (perhaps whilst visiting his own villa at Round Hill).

A former pineapple plantation on the outskirts of Montego Bay, what is it about Round Hill that makes it such a magnet?

Photos of Round Hill

Prices from:

£1,399 pp in low season

£1,599 pp in high season

Sandy Lane Resort

Barbados, Caribbean

First opened in 1961, it was a success from the very start and in 1998 the property was rebuilt from scratch in order to provide for the modern standards of luxury demanded such as a world-class spa and championship golf. In rebuilding this famous hotel, the porches, the staircases, the walls, the symmetry, the columns -every characteristic Caribbean Georgian detail – were carefully adhered to. The end result is a hotel that looks like it hasn’t been touched on the outside but with a thoroughly modern hotel on the inside. The hotel is distinguished inside and out by its render of crushed coral limestone. It is unashamedly luxurious.

In the sleepy, laid-back Caribbean, Sandy Lane is almost a miracle. The place is a well-oiled machine that seems to operate without hiccup or glitch.

Focus on the many ways you can be spoilt. Because for the true hedonist, Sandy Lane is very hip indeed.

Photos of Sandy Lane

Prices from:

from £2,865 pp low season

from £3,355 pp high season

Spice Island Beach Resort

Grenada, Caribbean

Of all the hotels along Grand Anse Beach, Spice Island definitely has the best location. Tucked just behind the dunes, the whole resort is literally a stone’s throw from the beach.
Spice Island’s beach bungalows are the most sought - after rooms on the island. The terrace end of their open plan interior leads directly onto the beach; thirty paces from your bed. The same is true for the restaurants (there are two), the colonial bar and the pool.
It is considered the best hotel in Grenada, and deservedly so. It runs like clockwork, the service is personable and professional, and the style is a cool and contemporary version of a Caribbean classic, limestone colonial. A lot of effort has gone into creating a look that appears effortless. It’s a laidback place that makes running a hotel look easy.

To be a guest at Spice Island Beach Resort, is to live in elegant luxury on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

Photos of Spice Island Beach Resort

Prices from:

£2,379 pp

Perfect for families

The Caves Hotel

Jamaica, Caribbean

Perched on craggy cliffs thirty feet above a translucent emerald green sea, this hotel is unique in the Caribbean. The sea caves are filled with the inhabitants of the coral reef: eels, parrot fish and rays. Some of the caves are large enough to take boats into, and of course it's a paradise for diving and snorkelling. Snorkelling equipment is all included in the room rates; all you have to do is launch yourself into the twenty-foot waters below.

The caves are just part of an experience that is totally Jamaican. From the hand-made wooden furniture to the colourful fabrics and local works of art. The food is wholesome, with an emphasis on fresh fish, Jamaican-style vegetables and tropical fruit. Reggae and blues are played in the thatched cliff-side pavilion where meals are served. There are no televisions; evening entertainment consists of lively conversation enhanced by rum cocktails.

It is a small jungle-clad retreat of thatched timber huts that literally sit on and between some of the most spectacular sea caves in the world.

Photos of The Caves

Prices from:

£2,199 pp

For a week's All Inclusive stay

The Cotton House Hotel

Mustique, St Vincent & Grenadines, Caribbean

In 1959 Lord Glenconner bought the entire island for £45,000, a small fortune then for an island without buildings, services or water. He created the hotel to encourage guests to visit and purchase land – to this day this exclusive island is privately owned by those who chose to be homeowners on this earthly paradise.

Today the restored remains of the plantation including the windmill and warehouse form the core of the Cotton House hotel, the dining room, the ballroom, and the popular Monkey Bar, and guests are accommodated in individual houses of their own each with a view. It has the best location on this man-made Eden, on a promontory that divides windswept L'Ansecoy Bay from the calm green waters on the other side.

Cotton House is a collection of individual “residences” dotted around a lush old sugar plantation estate.

Photos of The Cotton House

Prices from:

£1,919 pp in low season

£2,075 pp in high season

The House

Barbados, Caribbean

Special Offer

With only 34 rooms and suites, the proprietor’s chose the name to suggest the ambience of renting a villa as opposed to staying in a hotel. Only, in this adults-only villa, they serve up complimentary Champagne breakfasts, afternoon tea, evening canapés and a 30 minute jet-lag massage. Ambassadors are ever-present to cater to guests' every whim!
On a design front its combination of smooth lines of teak, curved lanterns and modern lighting to set the mood, is suitably exotic. It's a beautifully intimate place with plenty of privacy for romantic dining. For food lovers The House may be one of the best hunting grounds on the island, because the most acclaimed addition to the Barbados restaurant scene is the adjacent Daphne’s. Located bang on the beach, this satellite of the famous London restaurant, is regarded by many as better than the original.

The House is the beachside version of a hip downtown hotel.

Photos of The House by Elegant Hotels

Prices from:

£1,699 pp in low season (May-Oct)

£1,499 pp in high season (prices include up to 35% savings for bookings by 30th April)

The Oberoi Resort

Mauritius, Mauritius

Late availability (January)

Of the top three hotels in Mauritius, The Oberoi is all about the beach and its intimate beach coves. Apart from its setting in 20 lush acres, its dominant feature is its more than half a kilometre of beachfront. Located in the less touristy northwest corner of the island along the Baie aux Tortues or Turtle Bay. The hotel offers a comprehensive selection of spa treatments for those looking to indulge in a bit of R&R, with guests raving in particular about the hotel’s signature paillasson (coconut) massage.

The main restaurant features a soaring roof of palm-thatched timbers and offers panoramic views across the Indian Ocean. As all the food is excellent, the main choice you have to make is whether to dine inside among the pillars, or outside under the stars.

The Oberoi is a beach resort for people who have no intention of roughing it.