The Caribbean’s hottest new hotels

A revitalized hotel scene is making waves with new levels of luxury

	The 114-room Hodges Bay Club opens along a white-sand beach on Antigua’s northern shore. With its spare, angular design, Mediterranean-style buildings and infinity-edge pool, the retreat follows in the footsteps of other über-modern Caribbean hotels such as Carlisle Bay and Parrot Cay.
Courtesy of Hodges Bay Club

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By Joshua Pramis

updated 10:42 a.m. ET Feb. 3, 2009

Caribbean hotels have always been a reliable standby for tranquility, crystal-clear ocean views, and amazing beaches. But now, many of the tropical islands are seeing fresher, chicer hotels sprouting up, bringing a new level of luxury to the entire region.

Take the Seven Stars Resort in Turks and Caicos, where even the smallest room — a one-bedroom studio — is a spacious 620 square feet. It’s plenty of room to fit a kitchen, which each room has — from a galley in the studios to a gourmet kitchen in the Presidential Suite.

But if en-suite cooking isn’t what you had in mind, the resort’s restaurant, La Pergola, offers an array of international cuisines as well as Caribbean-inspired dishes. And to rub away the last vestiges of home, the on-property spa offers a wide range of treatments, including the option for in-room treatments and poolside massages.

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If the Grenadines are your destination of choice, head to tiny Bequia and the even-smaller Firefly Hotel, which has just eight rooms. The resort overlooks 30 acres of vegetation — including the only banana plantation on the island — and a short trek through the on-property coconut grove will lead you to a secluded white sand beach (hint: the snorkeling gets rave reviews).

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Hottest new hotels in the Caribbean

For an off-property excursion, check out the old-school Caribbean look and feel of the island’s many shops and restaurants, where you can order anything from burgers and pizza to Caribbean classics like roti and callaloo.

Then there’s the classic Puerto Rican escape, La Concha. Built in 1958, the hotel just reopened after a $220 million renovation, bringing a modern, soothing look and feel to its public areas and 248 guest rooms, most of which offer an ocean view.