In 1992, Jamaican artist Barbara Walker and her India-born friend Shireen Aga created this eco-boutique resort of just 10 rooms set on 6.5 tropical hilltop acres (there are free shuttles to Frenchman’s Bay beach). The rooms are gorgeously simple.

There is a "no-electronics" ethos here, so no TVs, no telephones—and no A/C. This allows them to revel in the true tropical attractions of peace, birdsong, and hilltop breezes. Mosquito netting canopies the beds, and all exterior walls are made of louvered windows and louvered walls, or serpentine louvered shutters on the balconies that can be fully opened to flood the rooms with light and cooling breezes.

The new spa is not a building but a program of massages and treatments in an open, garden spot dominated by a ficus. They take the “eco” title seriously here, from the sustainable bamboo furnishings to the locally produced cruelty-free toiletries and reusable water bottles, the renewable energy and recycling programs to the locally sourced and organic ingredients used at the excellent Mille Fleurs restaurant (recommended in its own review).

 - Reid Bramblett