Hands up who fancies a holiday in the Caribbean? Yes, we thought so … This winter the choice of backdrops for that sun-buffed selfie in the region is as wide as ever, from mighty peaks cloaked in rainforest to yacht-dotted harbours and palm-shaded beaches lined with colourful rum bars.
While every year brings fresh adventures and new places to stay, as a frequent visitor to this seductive region I’ve noticed a clear trend: standards are rising. Boutique hotels have been busy sprucing themselves up, while the growing number of all-inclusive resorts are moving on from the beer-all-day cliché to offer sophisticated dining and ever-more luxurious rooms. Prices have risen too, but the experiences are more rewarding and you can still find tempting deals to popular islands served by multiple direct flights from the UK — such as Barbados, Antigua and Jamaica.
Here is our pick of the best new hotels and villas to book for the coming months.
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1. Secrets St Lucia
Secrets St Lucia has sweeping sea views and lush grounds
Adults-only fun in the sun
Opened in June with the promise of “unlimited luxury”, this 355-room adults-only all-inclusive rests in the northwest of this tremendously scenic isle. With 30 acres of tropical beachfront gardens, plus nine restaurants, three pools and a spa, it’s an easy place to relax, while also tuning into the local scene — Castries, the capital, is a ten-minute drive away. For a more exclusive stay, upgrade to Preferred Club, which brings premium suites and a private pool and beach area.
Details Seven nights’ all-inclusive from £2,178pp, including flights and transfers (tui.co.uk)
2. Calabash, Grenada
Calabash will be expanded next year
Spice Island charmer
Run with devotion by three Grenadian sisters, this small Relais & Châteaux gem stands beside a tranquil beach in Lance aux Epines, with three restaurants, complimentary yoga and a spa offering something that many of us would welcome: a Caribbean Rescue massage. In March 2026 six new suites will be unveiled — the property’s first significant expansion in 30 years, including two penthouses that can sleep up to four, with private pools and kitchenettes. Tours to learn about the island’s rum, chocolate and spices are a highlight. The resort opens for the season on November 4.
Details Seven nights’ B&B from £3,815pp, including flights and transfers (turquoiseholidays.co.uk)
3. Half Moon, Jamaica
Half Moon’s villas have private pools
Smart and sporty
Ten minutes’ drive from the airport, this well-run 400-acre resort has a two-mile beachfront and — thanks to its championship golf course, Olympic-size pool, nine tennis courts and equestrian centre — is ideal for an active holiday. This autumn the resort is launching 11 redeveloped villas with six or seven bedrooms, designed in a modern tropical style. These will appeal to large, multigenerational parties, and each comes with a private pool, two golf carts and the services of a butler, a cook and a housekeeper.
Details Seven nights’ self-catering for 12 from £33,460 (halfmoon.com). Fly to Montego Bay
• 20 more brilliant hotels in Jamaica
4. Blue Monkey Hotel & Beach Club, Barbados
Blue Monkey is a boutique beauty with its own beach club
A new five-star is born
Barbados has no shortage of high-end hotels, but a slick new contender opened in 2025 beside the gentle waters of Paynes Bay beach. With 28 suites, some featuring private plunge pools, the emphasis is on boutique luxury, complemented with a rooftop lounge, a spa, a Lebanese-inspired restaurant and the exclusive beach club. Expect tip-top service and plenty of frills, including VIP fast-track at the airport, BMW transfers, use of a house car and à la carte breakfasts.
Details B&B doubles from £725 (bluemonkeybarbados.com). Fly to Barbados
• Discover our full guide to the Caribbean
5. W Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
A contemporary room at W Punta Cana
Curated party time
Properly launched last month, this expansive adults-only resort is the first all-inclusive from Marriott’s W Hotels brand. All 340 rooms have a king-size bed and bathtub, and the focus is on immersive design, with a foliage-wrapped lobby, an 80m beachfront infinity pool and 12 restaurants, bars and lounges, centred on a global food hall with cooking stations. With live music, silent discos on the sand and rooftop DJ sessions, this is a place to dance the night away, then sleep it off the next day at the Chill Pool and large Away Spa, which has treatments using local arnica, turmeric and moringa seed oil.
Details Seven nights’ all-inclusive from £2,849pp, including flights, transfers and lounge access in the UK (caribtours.co.uk)
6. Frangipani Beach Resort, Anguilla
Frangipani Beach Resort will reopen in November
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Small island bliss
If all you want is sunshine, a turquoise sea and a well-appointed beach hotel, this low-lying British overseas territory will deliver the dream. Anguilla is 16 miles long and has 33 beaches, including Meads Bay, one of the best and home to this small, family-owned resort. When it reopens on November 1 it will offer eight new luxury beachfront rooms and suites, with floor-to-ceiling windows and towels from the Frette luxury brand. Amenities include a restaurant, a pool, water sports, bicycles, a tennis court and a Balinese spa.
Details Seven nights’ room only from £2,579pp, including flights and transfers (tropicalsky.co.uk)
7. Rock Villa, St Vincent and the Grenadines
Boutique hideaway
This eight-suite, adults-only enclave is a classy addition to the popular, family-loving Bequia Beach Hotel on Friendship Bay. The villa sleeps up to 12 guests and can be booked in its entirety or by the room and has a chef, an infinity pool and a cinema. A new private catamaran service will offer day trips to the nearby island of Mustique and the turtle-rich Tobago Cays Marine Park.
Details B&B doubles from £660 (bequiabeachhotel.com). Fly to Bequia via Barbados
8. Coral Sands, Bahamas
Quirky design touches are emblematic at the Pink Mermaid bistro
Pink and perfect
Bordering the blushing three-mile-long Pink Sands beach on Harbour Island, Coral Sands is a small, playful and glamorous escape that started life in 1968. After a year-long renovation, it will reopen on November 18 and has 24 plush rooms plus a collection of garden and oceanfront cottages. The mood is stylish and fun, with shell-decorated chandeliers, horse rides on the beach and the Pink Mermaid, an Italian bistro serving lobster capellini and piña colada panna cotta.
Details B&B doubles from £835 (coralsands.com). Fly to North Eleuthera via Nassau
9. Carlisle Bay, Antigua
Carlisle Bay’s suites have been given a fresh new look
Stylish downtime
Bordering a long, sheltered beach with a view to Montserrat, Carlisle Bay was one of the first design-led resorts in the Caribbean when it opened in 2003. Now its 87 suites are getting elegant new interiors — by the London-based designers Miminat Shodeinde — that fuse calm, earthy tones with intricate textiles and hand-carved furniture. With Asian and Italian restaurants, plus a large pool, cinema, kids’ club and organic spa, this is a tranquil and spacious one-stop getaway that works equally well for couples and families. The resort reopens on October 16.
Details Seven nights’ B&B from £4,355pp, including flights, transfers and lounge access in the UK, (elegantresorts.co.uk)
• More family-friendly hotels in the Caribbean
10. Beaches, Turks and Caicos
Amenities at Beaches include a lagoon pool
Upmarket family favourite
Beside the immaculate sands of Grace Bay beach on Providenciales, this mammoth all-inclusive will add a sixth village, Treasure Beach, on March 1, 2026. Perfect for a no-expense-spared gathering of family and friends, it will feature four-bedroom beachfront villas with butler service that can sleep ten guests. Amenities include a cinema and an infinity-edge lagoon pool, while the wider resort has a waterpark, a kids’ camp, nightly live shows and 30 dining options, from Japanese to American southwest.
Details Seven nights’ all-inclusive from £3,617pp, including flights and transfers (beaches.co.uk)