Very shortly into your visit to Hammock Cove you realize that you’re in one of the best hotel rooms in the Caribbean. 

You’re gazing out at the spectacle of the a secluded cove at the edge of Devil’s Bridge National Park, sitting in your infinity plunge pool. 

But what’s remarkable isn’t just the beautiful design of this room. 

It’s that this is what every room is like. 

This isn’t the grand presidential suite — it’s standard. 

And that’s part of what makes the Hammock Cove resort in Antigua so special. 

Hammock Cove, the newest resort in the Elite Island Resorts portfolio, consists of 42 cottage-style villas, all with private plunge pools, all with massive, wonderful bathrooms, all with expansive decks with wet bars and swinging chairs and endless views of a rarefied corner of Antigua. 

And that places it right at the forefront of the Caribbean travel industry. 

Because Elite and its chairman, Rob Barrett, have tapped into exactly what seasoned Caribbean travelers are looking for right now — the perfect resort for the age of social distancing. 

That means privacy. Comfort. High design. And, most importantly, all-inclusive. 

Because demands are changing. And tastes are evolving. 

A few years ago, all-inclusive meant something entirely different from what it does today. 

Today, that’s what many travelers want — not for the old tropes — not for the buffets or the excess, but for the ease, for the luxury of endless convenience. 

For the freedom to come and go, for the luxury of never having to reach for your wallet. 

All-inclusive isn’t a qualitative description anymore – it’s in many ways just an administrative one. 

And what that means is that some of the best resorts you’ll ever experience in the Caribbean are now all-inclusives. 

And that’s especially true of Hammock Cove, a place where you can easily stay in your room for nearly the entirety of your stay – or you can enjoy a surprisingly broad offering for what is an authentic, boutique resort — a lovely beach; a spa; two excellent restaurants (the food is among the best at any Caribbean all-inclusive)— and even an all-inclusive rum tasting bar. 

And then there’s the feel — the kind of serene quiet you only find at the greatest getaways, the one cultivated through masterful landscaping and perfect positioning; the resort that has that almost impossibly quiet soundtrack, the one where you only hear the shaking of the palm trees and the distant froth of a wave. 

But it all comes back to the rooms, the villas that are designed for what we all want right now — the independence, the privacy, the quiet, the personal pool, the views. 

And it’s all standard 

It’s all included. 

And that’s definitely what we’re all looking for. Isn’t it? 

For more, visit Hammock Cove. 

— CJ

The post Hammock Cove, a Spectacular All-Inclusive Resort in Antigua appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The sign says Conch Salad.

But I’m here for the daiquiris.

On a hot day on the harbor in George Town, Exuma, an impossibly cold mango daiquiri is the only prescription.

Of course, once you order a daiquiri you’ll order more — whether it’s fresh conch salad or the best fish fingers in Exuma — or conch fritters or garlic lobster.

This is Sonia’s, and it’s been here for eight years in the heart of Great Exuma’s epicenter, a place that’s one of the truly great towns in The Bahamas.

Proprietor Sonia Davis honed her skills at the former Four Seasons Great Exuma, followed by the Sandals Emerald Bay, before going out on her own.

“I decided to leave and do this for myself,” she tells Caribbean Journal. “I wanted my own customers.”

And that’s where Davis is most in her element — even if you’re just stopping by to sip a mango daiquiri, you’re instantly a cherished guest.

“I like the one-on-one intimacy with my customers,” she says.

It’s another reason to spend an afternoon strolling around historic George Town, a place happily tucked at the edge of some of the most stunning aquatic scenery on earth.

And the food lives up to the hospitality, with perfectly blended Bacardi-and-Ricardo daiquiris and superb conch and grouper — the latter served up with a splendid spicy sauce.

Even after a bit of prodding, the sauce’s recipe remains, unsurprisingly, secret.

Thankfully, Sonia’s restaurant isn’t.

— CJ

The post A Great Little Beach Shack in The Bahamas appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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