What's New

Antigua

For the ultimate in luxury living in an island already known as a retreat for the rich and famous, Hermitage Bay (tel. 268/562-5500), offers posh living in hillside villas or in beachfront units. It's expensive but worth it if you can afford the tabs for these stylish, upscale lodgings. The accommodations lie on landscaped acres of a windswept coastline.

Barbados

The south coast of this island nation is becoming more of a dining destination with the opening of such upscale eateries as The Restaurant at Southsea, St. Lawrence Gap (tel. 246/420-7423), already known for its well-prepared international cuisine served on an ocean-fronting terrace. Many American celebrities have already discovered this dining hot spot, where the chefs are known for their white Peking duck and the imported steaks they ship in from the U.S. In another development on the South Coast, Aqua, Hastings Main Road (tel. 246/420-2995), offers a Bajan fusion cuisine on a deck jutting out into the ocean. The market-fresh cuisine emphasizes the day's catch, and dishes are prepared with imagination and flair.

British Virgin Islands

On the main island of Tortola, Le Cabanon, Waterfront Drive, Tortola (tel. 284/494-8660), has brought good French cooking to this sleepy island. The well-prepared food is enjoyed on an outdoor patio, where patrons feast on the best Mediterranean fish soup with rouille on island, along with an array of other imaginative dishes including classic French desserts.

On the neighboring island of Virgin Gorda, Chez Bamboo, Main Road, Spanish Town (tel. 284/495-5752), is the independent restaurant of choice for those who escape from their all-inclusive resorts. Rose Giacinto serves a savory international cuisine in her West Indian bistro set in a lush garden in a coconut grove. She makes the best martinis on the island, and is known for her conch gumbo and wahoo cakes.

Dominica

This lush island nation continues to launch rustic, eco-sensitive lodges, including 3 Rivers Eco Lodge, New Foundland Estate (tel. 767/446-1886), a cottage colony in a rainforest where three rivers meet -- hence, the name. The solar-powered cottages are set in an organic garden studded with fruit trees. Guests share a communal kitchen, and you can even pitch your own tent on the grounds.

Another small hideaway to open is Zandoli Inn, Roche Cassée Stowe (tel. 767/446-3161), on a scenic cliff on the southeast coast overlooking the Atlantic. Mosquito netting and ceiling fans evoke the colonial plantation style in the series of bedrooms near an outdoor plunge pool.

Dominican Republic

In the fast-emerging resort of Punta Cana, the Natura Park EcoResort & Spa, Cabeza de Toro (tel. 809/221-2626), has opened near a protected island estuary on a first-rate white-sandy beach. Guests explore 32 hectares (79 acres) of parklike grounds, whose setting evokes The Jungle Book. While in the midst of untamed nature, guests live elegantly.

Grand Cayman

The Marriott chain has brought the Courtyard brand to this island. Courtyard Grand Cayman, 590 West Bay Rd. (tel. 888/236-2427 or 345/946-4433), is a more affordable option than the array of high-priced hotels such as the Ritz-Carlton that otherwise dominate the hotel scene. The rooms are first rate but still standard chain style. A close competitor, Comfort Suites, West Bay Road (tel. 800/517-4000 or 345/945-7300), has also opened, offering much the same deal with streamlined units, some of which contain kitchens. The location on Seven Mile Beach is its most potent allure.

Grenada

The island's most charming cottage colony is now Maca Bana Villas at Point Salines (tel. 473/439-5355), a series of artfully decorated self-contained cottages in a tropical setting of fruit trees. For privacy and seclusion, the villas are idyllic, with panoramic views and such extras as a first-rate kitchen and a private hot tub.

Guadeloupe

Eden Palm, Lieu dit Le Helleux, Ste-Anne (tel. 590/88-48-48), has been built around an antique windmill from a former sugar plantation. Stylishly furnished cottages have been placed on landscaped grounds in a tropical garden setting. A golf cart hauls guests to a white-sandy beach in just 2 minutes.

Jamaica

Although big development is planned for the future, Jamaica slept through much of 2007 except for the ongoing construction of the Palmyra Resort & Spa at Rose Hall, Palmyra Resort Drive, outside Montego Bay (tel. 866/725-3969 or 876/632-8000). It is scheduled to open in the lifetime of this edition with 288 colonial-style suites, which are expected to be among the most elegant on island. Travel + Leisure has already hailed the upcoming resort as "One of the Top 10 Most Exciting Home Developments in the World" in 2007.

Also at Rose Hall, the Spanish have invaded with the opening of a member of an international chain. The all-inclusive Iberostar Rose Hall Beach Hotel (tel. 888/923-2722 or 876/680-0000) has opened, catering to singles, couples, and families, even honeymooners, unlike many of the other all-inclusives, such as Sandals, that cater only to couples. The oceanfront rooms, each with balcony or terrace, are elegant, inviting, and ideal for a long stay.

Martinique

Set in 4 hectares (10 acres) of tropical gardens, Aqualand Martinique, Route des Pitons, Le Carbet (tel. 596/78-40-00), on the road to St-Pierre, has eight nautical attractions, and is a hit with families, who are attracted to its artificial giant waves and sugar slaloms.

St. Kitts & Nevis

On St. Kitts, there is speculation that the island's long-established and most famous inn, the Golden Lemon Inn & Villas, Dieppe Bay (tel. 800/633-7411 or 869/465-7260), may be sold, turned into holiday condos, and renamed "Kittitian Hill." The brightest opening on the restaurant scene is Serendipity, 3 Wigley Ave., Fortlands (tel. 869/465-9999), in the capital of Basseterre. Two English expats turn out a sublime international cuisine using market-fresh ingredients. Locals praise their cuisine as much as visitors.

On Nevis, a whimsical restaurant of charm has opened, Bananas Bistro, Upper Hamilton Estate (tel. 869/469-1891), in an isolated position 4km (2 1/2 miles) east of the capital of Charlestown. The Caribbean cuisine, among the finest on the island, is served in a tropical garden. Those passion-fruit martinis are addictive.

St. Lucia

With the possible exception of the Dominican Republic, St. Lucia is experiencing more resort development than any other island in the Caribbean. Here's just a small preview, with more development slated for 2009. Stay tuned. Among the all-inclusives, the biggest opening is the massive Almond Morgan Bay, Choc Bay, Gros Islet (tel. 800/425-6663 or 758/450-2511), set on an 89-hectare (220-acre) site north of the capital of Castries. Accommodations are in three- or four-story wings furnished in a colonial plantation style, opening onto landscaped grounds containing a complex of pools and a sandy beach.

In another development, Discovery at Marigot Bay (tel. 866/440-6600 or 758/458-5300), has opened at Marigot Bay, which best-selling author James Michener called "the most beautiful bay in the Caribbean." On landscaped acres, suites are elegant and furnished with Indonesian four-poster beds. A good beach is a 5-minute ferryboat ride away.

St. Vincent & the Grenadines

Bequia is the northernmost island in the Grenadines (governed by St. Vincent) and the setting of the Old Fort Villa, Mount Pleasant (tel. 784/458-3440), which has been created on the grounds of a former plantation house. Standing on a cliff top, it is now one of the most romantic inns in the Grenadines, a favorite of the world yachting set. Bedrooms are spacious and luxuriously furnished, and balconies have views of the sea.

Trinidad

In 2008, Hyatt Regency Trinidad, 1 Wrightson Rd., Port-of-Spain (tel. 800/492-8804 or 868/623-2222), opened to challenge the Hilton Trinidad, the long-standing frontrunner. With its 428 elegant bedrooms, the Hyatt is a streamlined deluxe choice, outdistancing the Hilton with such features as first-class cuisine, a state-of-the-art spa, and a spectacular outdoor pool.

Turks & Caicos

Resorts in the Turks and Caicos keep ratcheting up the luxe factor, with the planned opening of upscale properties such as the Somerset on Grace Bay, Seven Stars, and Ritz-Carlton's Molasses Reef in West Caicos. Also in the pipeline is a property of the luxury resort Mandarin Oriental on the previously uninhabited island of Dellis Cay, where homesites start around $2 million and celebrities such as Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones are already on board.