Paradise for Hire

The sun, the sea – and a sumptuous villa, all to yourself: a shortlist of the best five new exclusive-hire properties speckled across the islands.

Jamaica - Villa Vesper

Villa Vesper

There’s a new way to enjoy GoldenEye, the colourful Oracabessa Bay beach resort that Jamaican music producer Chris Blackwell created beside the clifftop villa where British author Ian Fleming wrote all his James Bond novels. Sleeping ten – and including two detached cottages offering maximum privacy – the lagoon-facing Villa Vesper is steps away from the beach. The interiors are relaxed, with white walls and dark woods, and amenities include a large veranda, open-plan kitchen, kayaks and butler service.

St Vincent and the Grenadines - Villa La Palma

Villa La Palma

On the private island of Mustique, this coral-stone masterpiece – originally built by legendary English stage designer Oliver Messel – opens onto the immaculate sands of L’Ansecoy Bay. Now restored by star designers Paolo Moschino and Philip Vergeylen, the 12-guest property blends Palladian and Oriental themes and includes a large pool, an airy dining room, a media room and two guest cottages. Conch-lined pathways wend through the tropical gardens, and there is a butler, a chef and two Kawasaki Mules (UTVs) for getting around.

St Barths - Villa Coeur de Pirate

Villa Coeur de Pirate

Overlooking Anse des Cayes (with a staircase providing direct access down to the beach), this six-bedroom estate opened this past June following a major refurbishment. Guests enjoy panoramic coastal views from the veranda and large heated pool while the open-plan rooms in cream and white embrace indoor-outdoor living. Amenities include a Jacuzzi, massage room and fitness area. The property also comes with concierge services and use of the beach club and water-sports facilities at Le Barthélemy Hotel & Spa, a 15-minute drive away.

Dominican Republic - Villa Azuree

Villa Azuree

Fans of wild swimming will appreciate this six-bedroom villa at Eden Roc Cap Cana, which includes private access to two small cenotes (natural pools). The property features floor-to-ceiling windows and Dominican artwork, and comes with a chef and concierge. Guests will find plenty to do on this 12,140ha beach resort near Punta Cana, including a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course, an equestrian centre, a kids’ club and a Natura Bissé spa. Activities range from tennis and water sports to boat trips and ecotourism safaris.

St Lucia - Infinity

This newly built two-bedroom villa is part of the Têt Rouge Resort, a six-suite, adults-only retreat in the hills near Choiseul. A prime reason to check in is its proximity to St Lucia’s Unesco-listed twin peaks, the Pitons. Gros Piton, 798 metres high and one of the most popular climbs on the island, is only a 15-minute walk away. Once conquered, you can relax in the villa’s private infinity pool, enjoy the fine view and take advantage of the full kitchen. A complimentary shuttle takes guests to the tranquil beach at Anse L’Ivrogne.

Beyond Grand Cayman

A pair of tiny and delightfully unspoilt isles make a compelling case to move on from the trio’s big brother.

Le Soleil d’Or 

It takes me just 35 minutes to hop by small plane from the high-rise beach resorts and buzzing restaurants of Grand Cayman to the tranquillity and blissfully slow pace of Little Cayman. Just 16 kilometres long with only 170 residents – plus a colony of some 20,000 red-footed boobies – this is a prized getaway for divers: the Bloody Bay Wall, which drops nearly 2,000 metres, is one of the top diving sites in the Caribbean. For me, it’s enough to simply kick back on a tropical island with just two police officers and the colour-charged Southern Cross Club hotel. Here, the 14 well-appointed rooms are TV-free while the lunch buffet features fresh seafood salad and a rich tomato soup laced with gin. “I only came here for six months,” the English manager tells me, “and that was 20 years ago.” It’s a sentiment all too easy to sympathise with.

Life is marginally faster on neighbouring Cayman Brac, which is a little longer and rises to 43 metres – the highest point in this safe and moneyed British Overseas Territory. Resembling a fossilised whale (“brac” is Gaelic for “bluff”), this is a good pick if you’re into hiking, climbing and stargazing. The island is home to another seductive hideaway, the nine-room Le Soleil d’Or, which recently opened a companion beach club. Here – despite the heat and rough limestone rock – a fabulous garden with exotic fruits, including pomegranates, star apples, sour cherries and dragon fruit, has been created. As I dine in its elegant restaurant on truffle mushroom ravioli and magret de canard, I reflect that being cast away Caymans-style is not so bad – it’s just the returning to the modern world that is going to hurt.

Hotel Happenings

Careful – the paint’s still wet at these noteworthy accommodations, some recently opened and others freshly reimagined.

The December reopening of Peter Island, a private-island resort south of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, is good news for sailors and couples seeking a romantic getaway. The 728ha, L-shaped sanctuary (which had been shuttered for seven years) comes blessed with five beaches, eight kilometres of walking trails and terrific views over the island chain. Now remodelled with 50 beachfront rooms, two villas, a spa and a yacht club, it also includes a bar, the Drunken Pelican, that is perfectly primed for partying.

The Potlach Club

Another welcome revival is The Potlatch Club on the seahorse-shaped Bahamian island of Eleuthera, which was a popular getaway for New York socialites in the 1960s. Paul McCartney honeymooned here with his first wife, Linda, penning “She Came In Through the Bathroom Window” on hotel stationery. Resting beside an 11.2km pink-sand beach, it has now reopened as a luxury boutique hotel with 11 suites, cottages and villas set on nearly five hectares of landscaped grounds with a restaurant, a pool and a spa.

South Bank

In Turks and Caicos, South Bank is an upmarket 12ha resort and marina that opened in November beside Long Bay Beach, on the less-developed southeast coast of Providenciales. Meanwhile, on South Caicos (which is now served by direct flights from the US), Salterra (salterra.com) will be the latest addition to Marriott’s Luxury Collection portfolio when it debuts in February 2025.

La Sagesse

For a satisfying mix of wellbeing moments and active adventures, head to the new Six Senses La Sagesse resort on the southeast coast of Grenada, which remains one of the most authentic and unspoilt islands in the Caribbean. Also of note is Barbados’s recently refurbished Cobblers Cove which sports a new cocktail bar, a mosaic-tiled pool and a pink tennis court. 

Photo credits: © GoldenEye, © Mustique Island, Munro Photo, © Potlatch Club, John Athimaritis, © South Bank, © La Sagesse