25 Incredible Caribbean Stays

25 Incredible Caribbean Stays
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Caribbean hotels are like the region's many islands--each have their own unique set of amenities, from beautiful beaches and award-winning restaurants to cool coastal design and swoon-worthy views. Whether you're seeking the glitz and glamour of a palatial estate or the quiet romance of a secluded beachfront bungalow, you'll find your match in our ultimate guide to the Caribbean.

By Chelsea Bengier, Lindsey Olander, Siobhan Reid, and Chelsea Stuart

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Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Puerto Rico

In the 1960s, Dorado Beach was a playground for the likes of John F. Kennedy, Elizabeth Taylor, and Amelia Earhart, who were lured to Puerto Rico's idyllic north coast by the mod 50-acre hideaway Laurance Rockefeller built there to entertain Hollywood friends. The redesigned 114-room resort takes cues from the original building but adds Ritz-Carlton's signature spin with a statement infinity pool, glitzy multi-bedroom villas, and a 22-building, five-acre spa that puts most others to shame. If you can tear yourself away from your private plunge pool (a suite standard), there's sublime seafood at José Andrés' Mi Casa restaurant and an 11-mile nature path that's ideal for a sunset stroll.

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Jade Mountain, St. Lucia

Does anything scream "this is paradise" more than an open-air hotel room? One glance at this cliffside aerie in the cliffs of St. Lucia and you'll see why it's been voted one of the world's best honeymoon hotels year in and year out. Each "sanctuary," as rooms are aptly named, features an open fourth wall from which to soak in the sweeping view of the island's iconic Pitons--whether it's from your whirlpool bathroom tub or private infinity pool. When you can manage to drag yourself away from your personal haven, head to the restaurant, where a James Beard Award-winning chef prepares multi-course menus on request.

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Nisbet Plantation Beach Club, St. Kitts and Nevis

The surviving remnants of a former sugar plantation, including the ruins of a mill and a 1778 Great House, lend Nisbet undeniable history and charm. Here, cottage-style rooms--bright takes on the plantation theme with avocado-colored walls, cane furniture, and screened patios--are scattered across coconut palm-laden grounds, which lead down to a powdery beach. Lunch and dinner both spotlight Caribbean specialties, but most guests rave about (and plan their trips around) Thursday nights, when there's a beachfront barbecue and live music.

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The Cove, Eleuthera, Bahamas

The Bahamian island of Eleuthera is a sliver of land 50 miles east of Nassau defined by white-pink sands, pastel cottages, and tiny villages still living on island time. This is where you'll find The Cove, a quiet 40-acre affair hugged by two coves. You can usually find guests soaking in the sun on either of the hotel's two intimate beaches, lounging by (or in) the luxuriously large infinity pool, or sequestered in their island-chic, whitewashed cottages. Come sundown, the energy picks up at the open-air Sunset Bar, where cocktails are served alongside views of the sea.

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Malliouhana, Anguilla

An $80 million renovation in 2014 has returned this Anguillan grande dame back to her 1980s heyday--though the white Moorish pavilions were not so much overhauled as spiffed up in cool, sophisticated hues of mint, white, and yellow. There are plenty of diversions to keep you busy between meals, including two pools, tennis and basketball courts, rentable bikes, and a destination Auberge spa, where the tropical-inspired menu features banana rum scalp treatments and warm shell massages.

Read the rest of 25 Incredible Stunning Stays by Chelsea Bengier, Lindsey Olander, Siobhan Reid, and Chelsea Stuart on Jetsetter

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