Antigua Hotels

The first thing you’ll notice on this private island (accessible only by boat): white sand beaches as soft as talc and water so blue it looks like it’s been plugged in. Golf carts or bicycles bring you to one of the private villas that dot the circumference of the island, and accommodations run the gamut. There’s Mariposa, a nine-bedroom home, complete with personal tennis and basketball courts, and also more-modest one-bedroom suites, each with its own living room, private garden, plunge pool, and wraparound terrace. It’s impossible to make the wrong choice. Memorable touches include personalized stationery and a fleet of sailboats for guests (for both beginner and experienced sailors).

This all-inclusive tennis retreat is designed to help you break a sweat with four championship tennis courts, a squash court, a basketball court, and a seventy-five-foot swimming pool, plus bocce and shuffleboard courts. There are even two beaches: one for water sports like Jet-Skiing, snorkeling, and scuba diving and another for lazing about. Active-minded visitors will be spoiled for choice, but if you want to take it slow, turn to the spa and wellness center for deep-tissue massages, yoga, and Pilates. Then retreat to your blue-and-white room, where you’ll find floor-to-ceiling glass doors, marble bathrooms—but no televisions, to ensure you’re taking advantage of the peace and quiet. We loved the attention to detail, like cold, scented towels poolside. At night, drop by Tamarind Tree for dinner and dancing and make a night of it—the fantastically fresh seafood is paired with wines from the property’s 25,000-bottle cellar.

People rave about the service at this twenty-eight-room resort on Antigua, which feels like you are being personally hosted. With just twenty-eight rooms and no kids under ten allowed, it’s an intimate and peaceful getaway, as everything you might need is on the property. There's a large heated pool, tennis courts, a beachside restaurant, a private white sand beach, hammocks, snorkeling, a rum bar, plus an on-site a library. The look is England meets the Caribbean, with grand colonial style architecture—standout features are the strong mahogany four-post beds with contrasting airy white linens. Apparently, the old–fashioned rum punch at The Reef Bar is not to be missed.