As honeymoon destinations go, the Caribbean offers captivating sunsets, easy breezes and gracious hospitality. Whether you want a resort that is in the midst of the action or removed from it, the Caribbean offers many choices. Find your favorite, order a Bahama Mama and allow the sunsets to work their magic.
Among the very best in the Caribbean, these stylish, luxurious resorts will make you wish the honeymoon would last forever.
Located on Grace Bay Beach on the island of Providenciales, Gansevoort Turks + Caicos offers 91 ocean-view rooms built around a 7,000-square-foot infinity-edge mosaic-tiled swimming pool with teak "lounging islands" for daytime sunbathing or romantic nighttime candlelit canoodling. Condé Nast Traveler has named the resort on its 2010 "Hot List," TripAdvisor has listed it as one of the "World's Top 10 Trendiest Hotels" and Travel + Leisure Magazine notes Gansevoort Turks + Caicos on its annual 2010 "It List." This beachfront boutique hotel offers a similar flavor to its sister hotel in New York City, but adds an island essence. Sleek appointments, minimalist décor and relaxed ambiance attract a stylish crowd. With oversized bathrooms featuring designer toiletries, jetted spa tubs and rain showerheads, the well-appointed rooms offer luxurious Frette bedding, towels and robes. The Exhale Spa offers full-service spa treatments and healing therapies, beachside or indoor private shower gardens, fitness center and Core Fusion, its signature mind-body movement classes. Intimate gourmet dinners on your own floating island in the pool can be arranged by their signature restaurant, Bagatelle Bistrot.
Grant Friedman, general manager of the hotel, adds, "Gansevoort Turks + Caicos is an intrinsically romantic resort. We're a small boutique property that offers greater privacy than a mega resort. Our 32 suites with beachfront terraces, deep soaking tubs, rain showers and blackout shades – just in case you want to stay in bed all day – are perfectly suited for honeymooners. Our private pool islands and beach beds on Grace Bay are also great places where couples love to relax and get some sun."
Turks + Caicos is home to Caicos Conch Farm – the only conch, farm in the world. Visitors can take a tour and learn about their life cycle and pay a special visit to Sally and Jerry, the farm's resident conchs that are trained to come out of their shells on demand.
With flawless architecture and exquisite design in a beachfront resort sitting on 35 acres high atop a coral point separating Barnes Bay and Meads Bay, Viceroy Anguilla is a swank boutique-style hotel that has been wowing guests with its expansive contemporary guest rooms, beachfront villas with private plunge pools, numerous onsite restaurants, state-of-the-art fitness facilities and sophisticated service. With only 166 rooms, lavish amenities in select accommodations include custom-designed interiors and bed linens, silver travertine outdoor showers with rain-head faucets, which are perfect for stargazing while showering, private terraces to sunbathe "au naturel" and outdoor kitchens. With an emphasis on providing guests with opportunities for a well-rounded vacation, the two-story villa housing the Spa at Viceroy Anguilla offers spa treatments, healthy lifestyle classes, meditation and cooking classes.
Thirty-three endless beaches and very little inner terrain compose the British West Indies island of Anguilla, which caters to an upscale crowd that expects the highest of standards. A 20-minute ferry ride from St. Martin, Anguilla is a 17-mile-long island refuge where life moves slowly and the beaches still feel like secret hideaways. "Viceroy Anguilla is the ultimate setting for a once-in-a-lifetime Caribbean honeymoon," says Jeff David, general manager of the resort. "Perched above two secluded bays with more than 3,000 feet of beachfront and bluff-top coastline, couples will love the privacy they're offered in many of the guest-room accommodations. What better way to start a new life than with a champagne toast at sunset while relaxing in a private plunge pool on your deck? Between treatments at our new spa, lounging at any of the infinity pools or dining at the five restaurants on property, honeymooners will experience true pampering in a sophisticated, chic setting." Travel + Leisure Magazine lists Viceroy Anguilla as one of the best new hotels in the world by naming it on its annual 2010 "It List," and Condé Nast Traveler recently announced the property as one of its 66 coolest new hotels on its annual 2010 "Hot List."
The resort's Sea Centre arranges excursions that include day-long fishing, scuba or snorkel outings, or even a jaunt to a nearby deserted island. Honeymooning couples will revel in the resort's relaxed, chic atmosphere and personalized services.
Located on beautiful Cable Beach and renowned for its powdery white sand and turquoise waters, Wyndham Nassau Resort is situated close to Cable Beach Golf Course, Nassau International Airport and downtown shopping. A resort of this size is the perfect solution for honeymooners because of the numerous onsite recreational opportunities and wide selection of luxurious accommodations. The hotel offers inspiring views from private balconies, eight restaurants and lounges, an oceanfront swimming lagoon and swim-up bar, pristine private beach, water sports and the Palace Spa with a state-of the-art fitness center.
Samuel R. Zabawsky, director of marketing and sales for the resort, says, "Wyndham Nassau Resort provides the perfect backdrop for a romantic island getaway. Couples will revel in the soothing sounds of Bahamian breezes atop ocean-view balconies that overlook turquoise waters. Newlyweds can fully embrace this island escape, with its an unparalleled outdoor experience – complete with tropical pool, spiral waterslide, seemingly floating island dance floor and in-pool dining and drinks." A mega-resort, so large that many never venture beyond the resort during their stay in Nassau, the resort is also home to one of the largest casinos in the Caribbean. Crystal Palace Casino features more than 600 slot machines, virtual table games, the largest sportsbook in the Caribbean, where you can wager on college and professional sports, and traditional games including Caribbean stud poker. Nassau is an ideal honeymoon destination with breathtaking sights, secluded beaches, shopping, sailing, and swimming with dolphins and sharks, all within a short flight from the states.
Part of a collection of distinctive hotels from Island Outpost and envisioned by Islands Records founder Chris Blackwell, The Caves, located in Negril, Jamaica, is a collection of 12 individually styled private cottages and suites atop a cliff and network of caves overlooking the Caribbean. The accommodations, surrounded by lush vegetation and designed for maximum privacy, are fashioned after a tropical hut, made of wood and stone and thatched roofs. Below the cliffs are natural volcanic caves and grottos, which can be set up for private candlelight dinners – a must for honeymooners. With dramatic views and cool breezes, guests are treated to a saltwater pool, a cliff-side Jacuzzi and a hot tub located inside a cave.
The Caves Rum and Cigar Bar is located inside an open ocean cave underneath the resort and features a grotto setting with the bar and lounge area constructed of stone mosaic. It's the place to savor fine Jamaican rum and a custom Cuban cigar.
"The serene setting combined with the romantic atmosphere here at The Caves' makes the hotel a really special place for a honeymoon," says Jeanine Tribley, general manager. "There are many secluded nooks, with chaise lounges and umbrellas, tucked in along the cliff face … it's perfect for relaxing together as newlyweds. Couples just love our signature candlelit cave dining experience, intimate couples massages and the divine hot tub for two, which is also set in a cave overlooking the calm, clear blue waters. Many of our accommodations include private outdoor showers surrounded by fruit trees …fantastic for rinsing off under the Jamaican moonlight." Voted by Condé Nast Traveler in 2009 as the No. 2 Top Hotel in the Caribbean/Atlantic, The Caves is a unique choice for romance with an unusual twist. And who knows, you may run into a celebrity type, thanks to the draw of its celebrity owner.