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8 Top (Secret) Boutique Hotels in the Caribbean

  • Updated: March 1, 2011

Rare Finds is our collection of independent inns, lodges, guest houses, bed & breakfasts, and boutique hotels around the Caribbean that you may not find in more mainstream travel guides. Here, Islands editors spotlight our favorite island hotels from our travels, bringing you the hidden gems that are simply our kind of places!

Siboney Beach Club, Antigua
Siboney Beach Club Antigua Suppose you decided to snag a no-fuss Caribbean crash pad for yourself and maybe a few close friends. You’d do well to seek out someplace compact and colorful and dripping with humble island charm – someplace a lot like Siboney Beach Club. Perched on inviting Dickenson Bay, just down the sand from Sandals on Antigua’s northern coast, Siboney feels more like a small and neighborly apartment complex than the hotel it is. Its 12 suites make clever use of their space, with tiny but well-equipped kitchenettes tucked away behind louvered doors. Living rooms open onto a balcony or patio that looks out on a soothingly verdant courtyard, thick with palms and viney bougainvillea tendrils snaking up the three-story buildings… Continue reading Return to main page Courtesy Siboney Beach Club
Natura Cabanas, Dominican Republic
Natura Cabañas Dominican Republic In a destination known mainly for its plush, sprawling all-inclusive resorts, Natura Cabañas’ secluded 11-hut beachfront oasis, halfway between Cabarete and Sosua on the D.R.’s north coast, is an unexpected retreat. Gravel paths meander through an untamed garden shaded by almond and palm trees, leading to a compact collection of whimsically decorated, thact-roofed 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom cabins. Rustic-chic interiors incorporate rough-hewn concrete walls embedded with jewel-like marbles, bamboo furniture, talavera sinks and shower curtains fashioned from garlands of sea beans and shells… Continue reading Return to main page Courtesy Natura Cabañas
Copper and Lumber Store Hotel, Antigua
Copper and Lumber Store Hotel Antigua Antigua is justifiably famous for its superlative sands, but one of the island’s best-kept secrets, the Copper & Lumber Store Hotel, is tucked away from the beach in the yachtie haven of English Harbour. Dating from 1783, when Captain Horatio Nelson commissioned the warehouse to shore up his embattled fleet, the carefully restored Georgian waterfront inn now invites modern-day swashbucklers to drop anchor and experience a slice of the British Navy’s Caribbean. Inside the post-and-beam and whitewashed brick structure, aged plank floors lead outside through narrow, arched porticos and encircle a breeze-filled courtyard. Antique brass keys unlock 14 upper-floor guest quarters, each named after one of Nelson’s ships. All rooms feature elegant period furnishings in mahogany and leather, queen-size four-posters draped in mosquito netting, as well as thoughtful modern comforts, such as air conditioning and well-equipped kitchens… Continue reading Return to main page Reagan Johnson
Le Domain Saint Aubin
Le Domain Saint Aubin Martinique Up the coast near the town of Trinité, Le Domaine Saint Aubin has converted its erstwhile stables into guest rooms and added new rooms to the main house, a 19th-century plantation manor. The expansion bumps the room count from 11 to 30, but guests will find the same attention to detail in the new quarters, which feature antiques and Colonial-style mahogany furniture. The owners are a former Parisian costume designer and a jazz musician, so this laid-back spot has beaucoup flair… Continue reading Return to main page Courtesy Le Domain Saint Aubin
A Stone's Throw Away, Bahamas
A Stone’s Throw Away Nassau, Bahamas A hilltop hotel may not be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of vacationing in the pancake-flat Bahamas – unless you know about A Stone’s Throw Away, an intimate bed and breakfast perched 70 feet above sea level on a limestone cliff 10 minutes west of New Providence’s Cable Beach. On an island better known for mega-resorts, the unique 10-room inn, built in 2004, makes service personal with thoughtful little touches like made-to-order breakfasts and private dinners à deux on the checkerboard pool deck… Continue reading Return to main page Zach Stovall
Hôtel Le Plein Soleil
Hôtel Plein Soleil Martinique Martinique offers a pair of gems perched high above the sea, and a stay at either one – or both – is sure to be a highlight of a trip to this lush French territory. Between Robert Bay and François Bay, the 16-room Hôtel Plein Soleil is all about color, its grounds ablaze with vivid allamanda and bougainvillea blooms. Stylish red, peach, teal and mauve cottages trimmed in Creole-style gingerbread fretwork overlook the sea, and four new suites feature boldly hued minimalist decor and private plunge pools… Continue reading Return to main page Zach Stovall
Le Petit Hotel, St. Martin
Le Petit Hotel St. Martin If the Mexican Riviera and the French Riviera spawned a love child, it would probably look a lot like Le Petit Hotel, located in Grand Case on St. Martin. In this slice of foodie heaven, more than two dozen restaurants with gourmet ambitions (plus the Caribbean’s best-known street-food stands, the lolos) compete for your mealtime affections.It’s a case of fusion gone deliciously right at this charming, 10-room, white-washed-stucco inn perched directly on the beach. The exterior drips with Mexican accents, like Saltillo tiles and lapis lazuli sconces, and when you step into your room, you’re transported to Bali, surrounded by sleek teak furniture, paper lanterns, hurricane lamps and fresh bouquets of frangipani… Continue reading Return to main page Courtesy Le Petit Hotel
Sweetfield Manor, Barbados
Sweetfield Manor Barbados High above the sugary sands of Carlisle Bay and beyond the bustle of Bridgetown, Sweetfield Manor is a bed-and-breakfast for travelers who wouldn’t normally be caught dead in a bed-and-breakfast. In this restored 1903 plantation house – the island’s only great house B&B – there’s no forced intimacy between the hosts and guests and not even a hint of chintz in the decor. Even the food is exceptional. Owner Anni Clarke’s morning feasts might include boiled eggs marinated in sweet soy and oolong, fresh-baked croissants, roast pineapple and Mason jars brimming with tangy juices, all served alfresco in a sun-dappled walled garden strewn with bougainvillea petals and shaded by mahogany trees… Continue reading Return to main page Jad Davenport
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