The Caribbean offers a landscape of unadulterated paradise, which leaves the interior designers planning Caribbean hotels with a lot to live up to. Some hotels keep it simple and rely on the views, but our Hotel Gurus know some of our travellers are looking for more, so they’ve weighed up all our favourite Caribbean hotels and come up with a list of the best boutique hotels in the Caribbean. Whether you’re looking for small hotels, hidden gems, or the best beachfront boutique hotels in the Caribbean we have a design beautiful recommendation for you.
Hidden Gems
- Sorobon Luxury Beach Resort is a fabulous boutique find overlooking Bonaire's Sorobon Lagoon on the island's less populated east coast. Waterfront cottages boast beach chic decor with a neutral palette and plenty of natural materials on show. They all offer outdoor showers, private terraces and fully equipped kitchenettes. A truly laid-back and family friendly hidden gem.
- The Other Side is the most glamorous glamp site in the Caribbean (or Eleuthera in the Bahamas to be exact). A collection of six elegant tents with hardwood floors, magnificent four-poster beds, vintage record players and Berber rugs, this is Robinson Crusoe living for the luxury lovers amongst us. The restaurant and bar are as amazing as the location and the decor.
- Perched on a hillside in Jamaica’s Blue Mountains, Strawberry Hill Hotel is an 11 room escape known for its views across Kingston, its Jamaican antique style, and its afternoon breezes. The Jamaican restaurant and bar are relaxed but very memorable, and there’s a spa with a yoga terrace if you need to wind down even further.
For Boutique Luxury
- Set in amongst the jungle surrounding a cocoa plantation, the designers of the 14 room Rabot Hotel have incorporated lots of references to cocoa and chocolate into their contemporary stylings, and it’s airily delicious, from the dark wood furnishings, the cocoa based restaurant menu (and spa menu), and the gorgeous infinity pool overlooking St Lucia's iconic Pitons.
For Beachfront Chic
- Barbuda Belle is a beautiful beach bolthole on Barbuda’s pink sands. All that’s between you and the beach is your balcony, with its spectacular views of the ocean in one direction and the mangroves of the Codrington Lagoon Park in the other. The dark wood interiors add to the luxury castaway feel.
- Lone Star is a fabulous restaurant with rooms converted from a garage on Barbados’s west coast. And it’s a local institution — its restaurant has a reputation for being The Ivy of the Caribbean. Everything about this property is memorable, from the pristine beach one overlooks while eating, to the chic decor and luxurious details.
For Bijou Boutique
- With just sixteen rooms to share Geejam’s seven lush, private acres of waterfront grounds and gardens you can be guaranteed an escape here in Port Antonio, Jamaica. The accommodation is varied, but all a relaxed kind of chic — think white fabrics, and dark wood, enormous bathrooms and even larger terraces. The Caribbean-fusion restaurant is superb.
- Casas del XVI is an elegant, colonial era home, comfortably converted into a spacious hotel situated in the heart of Santo Domingo's colonial zone. Expect laid-back Caribbean hospitality that makes you feel at home too, in this collection of just seven rooms and suites, beautiful tropical gardens, and welcoming communal areas.
- The Quintessence Hotel is a nine suite tropical mansion overlooking the white sand of Long Bay, Anguilla. The decor has Haitian accents to add colour to the stylish, neutral tones, and there’s a chic spa and acclaimed restaurant to top off the experience.
Best Small Beach Hotels
- The Ocean View Club sits upon its own private beach (on Harbour Island), with some beach cottage accommodation actually sitting on the sand, in amongst palm trees. The other choices are ‘tent cottages’, or rooms in the hotel proper, but there are only a handful of each, so whatever you opt for you’ll have plenty of beach to yourself. The Bahamian restaurant is known for its seafood dishes.
Affordable Boutique Hotels in the Caribbean
- Golden Rock is a collection of stone cottages tucked away on a tropical hillside outside Charlestown on Nevis. As a backdrop to the verdant views from private terraces, and the pool terrace, guests will hear the buzzy twittering of hummingbirds. Harmonious and tropical.
For All Inclusive
- Hermitage Bay is a small, all inclusive, beach front wonder. From the huge suites — just 30, with their stylish dark wood decor and outdoor rain showers — to the lush garden surrounds, beautiful infinity pool, pampering spa and white sandy beach, this is relaxed, sophisticated Caribbean perfection.
Best Boutique Hotels for Families
- Perching atop Smuggler’s Cove, St Lucia, Cap Maison has incredible views from its 50-odd rooms, suites and villas, most of which have spacious private verandahs for enjoying it from. Surrounding the accommodation are lush gardens, so it’s tropical paradise in every direction. The villas offer plenty of space for families and the facilities are top notch.
- The Playa Grande Beach Club in the Dominican Republic, is a stunning hotel with only a tranquil garden between it and a gorgeous stretch of beach, and it has crossed all the ’T’s and dotted all the ‘I’s when it comes to detail. The nine bungalows — the three largest have three bedrooms — are carefully decorated in pastels, and they all have their own large kitchens and terraces. Plus there’s a romantic restaurant too.
For Eco-Friendly Chic
- Barbados’s ECO Lifestyle + Lodge manages to be both ecologically impressive and beautifully boutique. Its ten rooms have been decorated with up-cycled antiques and local artworks, there’s a delicious and sustainable plant-based restaurant, and saltwater hot tubs to top it all off.
- Mockingbird Hill is an elegant eco-hotel in a beautiful hilltop position just outside Port Antonio in Jamaica. There are just ten rooms, all with muslin-draped four-poster beds and bamboo furniture, but no phones or televisions. There’s a pool and spa and a seafood restaurant with far reaching views, which has the reputation for serving some of the best seafood in Jamaica.
For Boutique Romance
- Set into a hillside awash with tropical greenery overlooking the water at quiet La Clenga in the Dominican Republic, Casa Bonita is a small, secluded boutique hotel, perfect for a couples escape. The suites have private plunge pools and terraces, and four-poster beds; and there’s a glorious infinity pool to share, close to the excellent organic restaurant, which overlooks miles of white, sandy beach.
- Montpelier Plantation Inn is a fabulous hotel in a prime position on a lush hillside on St Kitts. There are just 19 sophisticated rooms and suites, with four-poster beds, private terraces and tropical views. There are three restaurants, a spa and a pool to complete the stunning, and rather romantic, picture.
- Bordering on a nature reserve on the Atlantic coast of Martinique, French Coco offers paradise both inside and out. The elegant suites have Caribbean inspired wood furnishings, and chic details, private plunge pools and terraces. There’s also a larger pool and tapas bar. No restaurant and no kids.
Still not sure where to book?
