Best Caribbean Resorts and Hotels (PHOTOS)

The Best Resorts & Hotels In The Caribbean
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For your next Caribbean vacation, mix a luxurious resort with Instagram-worthy ocean views, and a destination that offers not only tropical bliss--palm trees, hammocks, and rum punch at the swim-up bar--but a lively cultural scene, too.

That's the winning recipe suggested by the results of the Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards reader survey. St. Lucia and Jamaica particularly captured readers' imaginations, with hotels and resorts on those island nations claiming 13 of the top 20 spots across the Caribbean, the Bahamas, and Bermuda.

The top-scoring hotels reveal an appreciation for the now classically St. Lucian penchant for open-air suites with unimpeded views over the iconic Pitons, as at favorite haunts Jade Mountain--voted No. 1 Caribbean resort--and Ladera. But T+L readers also gave some love to a similarly dramatic property at the far northern tip of the island whose architecture is all about framing the beauty of the ocean.

In Jamaica, the siren song of the Sandals and Couples resort groups proved irresistible, suggesting that the all-inclusive model is far from a fad: it's here to stay. And why not, when your stay includes perks like excursions around the island, candlelit dinners on the sand, and Pilates classes.

A few more-low-key island resorts ranked highly, including one only a 2.5-hour flight from New York and another on the tiny West Indies isle of Nevis.

In case you needed any excuse for planning a winter tropical getaway, our list will inspire you to daydream and maybe even book that hotel reservation pronto.

--By Emma Sloley

No. 1 Jade Mountain, St. Lucia
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Forget breaking the fourth wall: this feted resort near the west coast town of Soufrière does away with it altogether. Each of the 29 suites features an infinity pool or Jacuzzi, soaring ceilings, and a breezy openness courtesy of that missing wall, which affords uninterrupted views of St. Lucia’s biggest claim to fame—the twin volcanic peaks of the Pitons, rising with surreal splendor from an azure sea. The resort’s organic design (raw stone, rich wood, and swooping, curvy rooflines) feels in perfect harmony with the glorious surroundings, and its position at the island’s very highest point truly sets it above the pack.

Photo: Jade Mountain, an Anse Chastanet Resort
No. 2 Cap Maison, St. Lucia
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This hacienda-style hideaway on St. Lucia’s northern coast is located on a bluff overlooking the Caribbean Sea. A former sugar plantation, the property now appears like a small village, with luxurious villas set around a leafy courtyard and pool, and a restaurant, the Cliff at Cap, where you can dine on Med-meets–Pan Asian–meets-Caribbean dishes like rock crab ravioli with coconut and lemongrass. We’re also fond of the Champagne Zip Line, a pioneering concept that delivers drinks via a zipline to couples or small groups who book the Rock Maison, a private dock built on a shoal right at the water’s edge.

Photo courtesy of Cap Maison
No. 3 Couples Sans Souci, St. Mary, Jamaica
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With 150 rooms, Couples Sans Souci is the smallest and most intimate of the popular all-inclusive resort chain’s properties, with a killer cliff-top setting in Ocho Rios. You’ll never have to jostle for space thanks to three restaurants, six bars, and three swimming pools, plus a host of included perks like unlimited golf at nearby Sandals Upton and excursions to Dunn’s River Falls and other local landmarks. For an extra fee, bliss out at the award-winning spa, where therapists soothe away troubles with bamboo fusion and hot stone massages.

Photo courtesy of Couples Resorts
No. 4 Reefs Resort & Club, Bermuda
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Bermuda is less than a three-hour flight from most major East Coast cities, making it an easy long-weekend escape. And while not actually located in the Caribbean, the British-influenced island has its own strain of laid-back tropical charm—plus those famous pink-sand beaches and limestone cliffs. Get your bearings at The Reefs, which has a sublimely dramatic setting overlooking the island’s south shore. The 62-room resort also provides sand-between-the-toes dining at beachside restaurant Coconuts and a spa for results-driven facials and soothing couple’s massages.

Photo courtesy of The Reefs
No. 5 Couples Tower Isle, St. Mary, Jamaica
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The original romantic adults-only all-inclusive resort continues to woo travelers decades after launching the concept in 1978. Indeed, the 218-room Couples Tower Isle has plenty to recommend it, including a private white-sand beach, multiple bars, restaurants, pools and Jacuzzis, and complimentary activities like scuba diving and glass-bottom-boat tours. The regular Monday Night Beach Party Barbeque and the mixologist’s preference for rum punches are just two examples of the resort’s emphasis on local flavor.

Photo courtesy of Couples Resorts
No. 6 Nisbet Plantation Beach Club, Nevis
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The West Indies island of Nevis may be diminutive but its luxury offerings are outsize. Case in point: this storied resort, one of the only historic plantations in the Caribbean right on the beach. The vibe is a skillful blend of old world and new: guest cottages sport wicker furnishings, sunny color schemes, and locally inspired artworks, while the open-air restaurant and beach bar Sea Breeze and the full-service spa—with its oxygen facials and hot stone therapy—encourage guests to unwind and unplug.

Photo: Peter Frank Edwards
No. 7 Ladera Resort, St. Lucia
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Much like Jade Mountain, this Soufrière hot spot has an irresistible trump card: a setting overlooking the rainforest, ocean, and Pitons, with three-walled suites to frame those views while catching the breeze from your private plunge pool. The 32 rooms are tiered along the hillsides to create total privacy, making Ladera a big hit with honeymooners. Even the spa and restaurant are positioned to help guests drink in those perfect vistas. The spa provides alfresco massages on Paradise Ridge, while the well-regarded Dasheene restaurant is open-air and faces the ocean.

Photo courtesy of Ladera, St. Lucia

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