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Landmark hotels of the Caribbean
The nine places to stay that will take you back in time
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Courtesy of Kurá Hulanda
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Bermuda • B.V.I. (Guana Island) • Curaçao • Jamaica • Nevis • Puerto Rico St. Barts • St. Kitts • Turks and Caicos (Salt Cay) • USVI (St. John)
From honeymoon suites in old windmills to dramatic cliffside villas, several hotels in the Caribbean offer a glimpse into island history as well as a place to rest your head. These charming spots are often smaller, more intimate, and more sensitive to their settings. And they excel in gracious Caribbean hospitality.
BERMUDA’S WATERLOO HOUSE
Built in 1815 as a private manor and set on four terraced acres of gardens, Waterloo House harks back to a Bermuda of long ago. Chintz meets Relais & Châteaux in this small hotel within walking distance to historic sites, shopping, and restaurants of Hamilton, the island’s capital. But you might just want to eat here, either a gourmet dinner in the Wellington Room or a more casual meal harborside at the Poinciana Terrace. Rates: $340 to $780. Con-tact: 800-468-4100, www.waterloohouse.com.
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Is it a nature preserve? A private island resort? A little of both, actually. Once a sugarcane plantation owned by Quakers, the unpretentious 850-acre resort is a haven for such rare bird species as the masked booby and the bridled quail dove. Guests find a haven in the under-statedly elegant rooms, housed in stone buildings. With 7 stunning beaches on the island and a maximum of just 30 guests, you can bet you’ll find a strand to yourself. Naturalists visit from as far away as Asia to study the avian population (the island closes in September and October for scientific research), but if you’re not into birding, there’s windsurfing, croquet, and tennis to break up your beach days. Rates: $595 to $1,850. Contact: 914-967-6050, www.guana.com.
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Montpelier Plantation Inn |
Just over the Queen Emma Bridge from Willemstad’s colorful waterfront sits Hotel Kurá Hulanda, an 80-room boutique hotel, a magnificent restoration project by Dutch businessman and hotelier Jacob Dekker. Reclaiming eight blocks of 18th- and 19th-century Dutch colonial buildings and adding others in the same architectural style, Dekker has created a historic hotel of the utmost contemporary chic. Indonesian furniture fills the guest rooms, reflecting Curaçao’s past as a major trading center. Located just a block from the port where merchant vessels once docked (now it’s cruise ships), Kurá Hulanda has revitalized the once-neglected Otrabanda side of this capital city. Even if you don’t plan to stay at the hotel, make time to see the museum on site (open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.). It displays art and artifacts of Curaçao’s predominant cultures that Dekker personally collected. Rates: $200 to $1,000. Contact: 877-264-3106, www.kurahulanda.com.
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The Caves is all about fine Jamaican style. Reggae wafts in on the breeze, mingling with the sounds of the Caribbean Sea that swirl through the caves and around the volcanically formed cliffs where the hotel’s ten villas are perched. Nestled on the southern end of Negril next to the historic lighthouse, there’s no beach, but you won’t miss it once you choose your own nook for two among the private terraces that dot the two-acre property. Coral stairways lead directly into the calm waters, so you can easily take a dip. Decorated in bright island batiks and built of wood and stone with thatched roofs, each cottage has its own distinct style and name. (One Drop is one of the original A-frame units.) In the restaurant, you’ll find sophisticated takes on Caribbean cuisine, which you can savor by candlelight in a cave dining room for two. Rates: $445 to $925, includes all food and beverages. Contact: 800-OUTPOST, www.islandoutpost.com/Caves.
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