ABSOLUTE DREAM VACATIONS

The Best Caribbean Beach Hotels

Sure, there is the food and the rum and the culture and the people. But the primary draw, the siren song beckoning us to the Caribbean, is the beach. We have long acknowledged that there is something about millions of grains of sand massaged by waves that simply and totally intoxicates us. But in a region full of great beaches and great hotels, it is not always easy to find the right ones, the ones that have the perfect mix of beach and hotel quality. Perhaps the hotel is great, but it’s in the hills; or the beach is great but the hotel, less so. With this piece, we set out to gather the best “beach hotels,” or, as we see it, the top combination of a great beach (or beaches) and a great hotel. So here they are — the best beach hotels in the Caribbean.

Cap Juluca, Anguilla 

We’ll be clear — it’s hard for any beach to be better than the sugar-white Maundays Bay in Anguilla, and it’s equally hard for any hotel to be better than the beautiful, Moroccan-styled Cap Juluca. This is a perfect union between beach and hotel, with an uncrowded, sweeping stretch of sand on ultra-calm water and the pinnacle of Caribbean luxury.

The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman

The story here begins with the world-class Seven Mile Beach, full of white sand and crystal-clear water that somehow always feels warm, any time of year. And it continues with this hotel, home to what’s almost certainly the best level of service of any hotel in the Caribbean, with plush rooms, several standout eateries (including one by Eric Ripert) and a lovely spa.

Caneel Bay

St John’s best hotel is set on a 170-acre peninsula. The historic former Rockefeller estate, which is dotted with the ruins of an 18th-century sugar mill, is a throwback to the Caribbean as it once was, high on relaxation and low on bustle, with a pervasive elegance. And then there are the beaches — seven of them, meaning you’ll always be able to find your own beach hideaway

One & Only Ocean Club

Here, it’s about Cabbage Beach, a simply perfect beach on the end of Paradise Island in the Bahamas. The sand is soft and talcum-white, the water laps just so, and the hotel is a work of art, from its famous Versailles gardens to service that makes you feel like a billionaire.

Tortuga Bay

Punta Cana is home to one of the most miraculous stretches of beach in the Caribbean. And while it’s filled almost completely with all-inclusives, there is an oasis: the boutique Tortuga Bay, with on-the-sand villas and rooms designed by Oscar de la Renta.

Belmond La Samanna

The French have a particularly keen understanding of the art of luxury, and that’s exemplified at this property on the French side of St Martin, from the wine selection to the rooms. The most luxurious hotel in St Martin is also set on Baie Longue, a divine beach that comes with an even better view, thanks to sweeping cliffs on one end.

Grace Bay Club

It’s certainly in contention for the title of best beach in the Caribbean: Grace Bay Beach, the pride of the Turks and Caicos Islands. And if there’s one hotel that truly lives up to that sand it’s the Grace Bay Club, the atults-only, all-suite gem that’s know for its enormous guest rooms.

CuisinArt Golf Resort and Spa

Ah, Rendezvous Bay. It came in number one in our ranking last year of the Caribbean’s 50 best beaches, and it’s easy to see why: superb views, including the hills of St Martin in the distance; soft, powdery, impossibly white sand; calm, turquoise water. It’s also home to two of the region’s best beach bars, the Dune Preserve and the SunShine Shack, and then there’s the hotel, a luxurious spot with sensational food and warm service.

Bucuti & Tara Beach Resorts

This is quite a marriage: the best hotel in Aruba and the best beach in Aruba. This corner of Eagle Beach is as beautiful as any in Aruba, with a staggeringly wide white-sand beach, and it’s home to the boutique Bucuti & Tara Beach Resorts, an adults-only, eco-friendly hotel that’s marvelously well-run and even more thoughtfully designed.

Le Sereno St Barth

The jewel of the Caribbean doesn’t lack for great hotels or great beaches, so choosing one here isn’t easy: but for pure beach-hotel harmony, our pick is the 36-unit Le Sereno, set on the beachfront in Grand Cul de Sac. It’s everything you expect in St Barth: delectable food, sleek design and French Caribbean cool.

Four Seasons Resort Nevis

Nevis’ top hotel is also on the island’s most scenic beach, Pinneys Beach, home to some of the region’s most famous beach bars and boasting sweeping views of the hills of St Kitts. The latter gives the beach a kind of exotic quality. And then there’s the resort, a flawlessly-executed Caribbean resort with all the luxury you want without any of the attitude.

Jumby Bay

This private island Rosewood resort off the coast of Antigua is a celebrity hangout, as it offers a level of exclusivity and seclusion that’s nearly unmatched in the region. What’s special here is that it isn’t about just one beach — it’s about four and a half miles of sandy coastline, led by Jumby Beach and Pasture Bay Beach.

Half Moon

Jamaica’s signature resort gets its name from the crescent-shaped stretch of beach where the hotel was born. It isn’t the biggest beach in the Caribbean, but it’s a gentle, beautiful, lovely beach bordered by charming white cottages (including one where the Queen used to stay). This is a classic Jamaican hotel, and a classic Jamaican beach.

Parrot Cay By Como

The most exclusive hotel in the Turks and Caicos islands, this jet-set retreat is set on a private island, meaning 1,000 acres all to yourself. The beach is, true to its homeland, stunning, with ultra-white sand. Most importantly, crowds are simply an impossibility. And then there’s the hotel, with all of the tranquility and comfort you’d expect in a COMO property.

Petit St Vincent

This private island resort is the best place to stay in St Vincent and the Grenadines. It’s a true hideaway, with 115 acres and just a handful of guests, with cottages either in the hills or right on the beach. And the beaches are copious — two miles of them, in fact — and rarely a soul on them. The two-bedroom beach villas here are a castaway fantasy, meaning toes in the sand, hammocks and the sound of the ocean (and all the luxury amenities, too).

Peter Island

The top hotel in the British Virgin Islands is a natural wonder, with stunning vistas and five white-sand beaches, led by the famous Deadman’s Beach. And the resort is terrific — the food is top notch, the rooms are spacious and the Painkillers are even better.

The Meridian Club, Turks and Caicos

Just you and your own 800-acre private island. This retreat off the coast of Providenciales is secluded, calm and blessed with a two-mile long beach that’s among the region’s best. This is a place for escaping the grind, for returning to nature and rediscovering time.