There’s a new luxury hotel on one of the most beloved little islands in the Caribbean: Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands.
Jost, as it’s affectionately known, has long been famous for its enviable collection of world-famous beach bars, from the renowned Soggy Dollar Bar to the legendary Foxy’s.
And while the island has always been home to a lovely collection of vacation rentals and, at times, some great minuscule beach hotels, there’s now something very different.
Yes, every villa has its own plunge pool.
It’s called the Hideout, and it’s a seven-villa resort that’s a decidedly new level of accommodations for Jost.
It’s set on White Bay, meaning you can walk to all of the tiny coastline’s great beach bars, including, yes, Soggy.
But that’s not the biggest amenity.
Each one of the villas comes with its own private plunge pool, one of the most sought-after trends in travel today.
The villas are a mix of beachfront ocean-view units and hillside garden rooms, coming in either one or two-bedroom sizes.
The latter come with full kitchens, too.
And then there’s the party piece: the dining at Hideout is at Hendo’s Hideout, another Jost beach bar classic, from which the hotel gets its name.
White Bay.
There’s only one challenge — ever having to leave.
The highly-anticipated new Dreams Cozumel Cape Resort and Spa has officially opened its doors, Caribbean Journal has learned.
The newest all-inclusive resort on the beloved island off the Caribbean coast of Mexico welcomed its first guests this weekend.
Dreams Cozumel Cape is the AMR Collection’s third resort property in Cozumel. AMR Collection is the centerpiece of Hyatt’s global all-inclusive offering.
The resort is home to 154 suites, ranging from swim-out suites to larger connecting units for families.
The beach at Dreams Cape Cozumel.
So what about dining?
The resort has five dining concepts: two a la carte eateries, a pizzeria, a cafe and an “international buffet.”
Cocktail spots include the ocean-view Aperitifs; the Marlin pool bar; the Preferred Club Lounge bar and the thatched-roof, toes-in-the-sand Sugar Reef beach bar.
The family-friendly resort has beach and pool volleyball, ping pong, a kids club, and a pair of pools: one main pool and another for scuba diving lessons.
The kids club.
Daily entertainment includes big-screen movies, theme nights, yoga classes, mixology workshops and even Spanish lessons (and, naturally, tequila tastings).
There’s also a full slate of tour operations for exploring both Cozumel and the broader Mexican Caribbean, including a focus on local culture and Mayan history.
While there isn’t a spa directly on property, guests can head to the adjacent Secrets Aura Cozumel and enjoy that resort’s 14,000-square-foot wellness destination, the Secrets Spa by Pevonia.
And adult guests at the Dreams Cozumel Cape get full access to the amenities at the Secrets Aura Cozumel, while all guests have access to the Sunscape Sabor Cozumel.
The Annatto restaurant, which focuses on Asian-Mayan fusion food.
It’s yet another new addition to Apple Leisure Group’s rapidly-expanding portfolio of all-inclusive resorts in the wider Caribbean, both in the Mexican Caribbean and island destinations like Saint Lucia (home to two resorts in the pipeline).
The Sugar Reef beach bar.
Cozumel has been seeing rapid growth during the pandemic, with new flights from major carriers and continue hotel growth.
So far this year, passenger traffic at Cozumel’s airport stands at just over 464,000, a number that is more than 12 percent higher than the same period in 2019, before the pandemic. That’s one of the highest post-pandemic growth rates of any airport in Mexico, and nearly as strong as Cancun.
“Bigger is better” doesn’t always apply to Caribbean resorts, and in Turks and Caicos some of the best places to vacation are relatively pint-sized.
Turks and Caicos has a rather diverse hotel product, from the “main” island of Providenciales to more remote destinations like South and Middle Caicos.
And that includes some rather lovely smaller resorts.
From private islands to Grace Bay Beach enclaves, here are our favorite “small” Turks & Caicos resorts, all of which have less than 50 rooms.
Pine Cay Unless you rent or buy your own private island, luxury stays in Turks & Caicos don’t get much more exclusive than Pine Cay. With just a dozen rooms and villas, this private island resort off the coast of Providenciales has big-hotel worthy amenities included in its “island inclusive” package, including all gourmet dining, afternoon tea, daily snorkel cruises, and a variety of water and land sports, in and out of the gym. Even better? It’s a member of Relais and Chateaux.
Marriott has opened its newest all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic.
It’s called Sanctuary Cap Cana, and it’s part of Marriott’s Luxury Collection.
It’s the latest expansion for All-Inclusive for Marriott Bonvoy, which has been rapidly expanding its all-inclusive portfolio across the Caribbean’s top destinations.
The adults-only resort is Marriott’s first luxury all-inclusive in the Caribbean, set in the exclusive enclave of Cap Cana near Punta Cana.
“Cap Cana is one of Dominican Republic’s most coveted areas offering an inspiring getaway for our global explorers with a stretch of white sanded beaches, turquoise waters, and architecture resembling a storied colonial Spanish era,” said Brian King, President Caribbean & Latin America for Marriott International. “Sanctuary Cap Cana is proof of our commitment to provide discerning travelers with unique vacation retreats to continue collecting timeless memories, now in a convenient luxurious all-inclusive format.”
The resort has a total of 324 suites, along with 46,000 square feet of event space and 17 different event rooms.
That includes the 5,500-square-foot Castle Island Suite, a two-level unit on its own private island with a master bedroom, secondary bedroom, two and a half bathrooms, expansive living room, full dining room, and three indoor plunge pools with floor to ceiling windows showcasing infinite views of the ocean.
The property features four different a la carte dining concepts, including signature eateries The Capriccio and The Steakhouse. The property is also anchored by the Sanctuary Town, right across from the lobby, which has a selection of different culinary options, from a Sushi town to the Burger Factory to the wood-fired pizza spot Mama’s Forno.
One of six pools on the property.
The poolscape is vast, with six pools across the property including a swim-up river, joined by cabanas and sun chairs on the beach.
The wellness offering is centered around the Sanctuary Spa, which has Ayurvedic treatments, hydro and other cutting-edge therapies.
The “private island” suite.
“Sanctuary Cap Cana is an ultra-luxury experience in which guests can expect a top-of-the-line service and quality that can’t be matched at the all-inclusive level,” said Gregory Maliassas, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Playa Hotels & Resorts. “This resort is the perfect choice for the level of style and sophistication that has made Marriott’s The Luxury Collection resorts the standard-bearer for unique, one-of-a-kind vacations and we are honored to be partnering with the Marriott team.”
It’s the latest addition to Marriott’s broad all-inclusive collection around the Caribbean, one that now includes more than two dozen resorts across the wider region.
And it’s instantly one of the premier all-inclusive options in greater Punta Cana.
There’s nothing like a Caribbean hotel that’s right on the sand.
There’s nothing standing between you and a blissful morning bobbing in the ocean, lazing at the edge of the waves, listening to the Caribbean’s original album.
Sure, you can find myriad resorts filled with all sorts of amenities but where getting to the beach requires a rather long stroll.
At other resorts, though, there’s one premier amenity: you walk right from the room (or downstairs) to the sand. That means a deeper connection with the ocean, with the island, with the experience. It means a vacation with a very different focus.
Most of those hotels are, unsurprisingly, well-chronicled and well-traveled. But still others remain far off the radar of even in-the-know travelers, hidden away in far corners of the Caribbean, secret beach hotels for those who love the joy of discovery.
Here are five “secret” Caribbean hotels to check into right now.
Southern Cross Club, Little Cayman There isn’t much like Little Cayman anywhere in the Caribbean —or the world, for that matter — an almost impossibly lovable little stretch of sand just a short flight from Grand Cayman, where the biggest traffic jams are the chickens walking across the runway. And we just love the Southern Cross Club, a mix of 14 beach bungalows right on the sand, a place that instantly takes you to another state of mind entirely.
