The best Caribbean resorts to visit by superyacht

Set in two hectares of sprawling tropical grounds bursting with coconut palms, popping pink bougainvillea and lush lawns, this stylish family-run hotel offers a spot of sequestered luxury in one of the Caribbean’s glitziest areas. Accommodation at the Sandpiper ranges from spacious one- and two-bedroom rooms finished with dark woods to three show-stopping Tree Top suites. Book the grand and airy Curlew Suite, with its stunning inside-outside lounge space, private plunge pool, a wet bar stocked with local rums and truffles and an expansive oceanfront terrace offering views of the pristine Platinum Coast.

While away the mornings at one of the hotel’s two swimming pools alongside the resident mongooses and hummingbirds before taking lunch at Harold’s Bar, which serves local treats such as cornmeal-crusted barracuda and beef roti with homemade mango chutney. The hotel’s beach is a 30-second stroll away, where you can paddleboard on the glassy sea or scrunch your toes in the sand with a rum punch in hand. After the sun sets, head to the Sandpiper Restaurant for cioppino of seafood or a rib-eye from the grill to a backdrop of calypso and jazz bands before shuttering yourself back into serene isolation.

Aqua ocean, emerald jungle, ivory sand and coral sunsets: St Lucia’s Caribbean Sea coast is a vibrant artist’s palette of colours. Nestled amoung this tropical outlook is Windjammer Landing, an established Mediterranean style-resort with more than 200 rooms and cool white villas spread across 60 acres of flower-jewelled landscaped gardens.

Start your day with a pre-breakfast yoga class in the shady hilltop garden, practising your eagle and crow poses while tiny iridescent-bellied hummingbirds hover overhead. Snorkel the turquoise waters with turtles and baby rays right off the beach or head further along the coast to Anse Cochon to spot octopuses crawling among canary-coloured pipe coral.

If you need to unwind from all that activity then book in for a massage, followed by a cooling dip in your villa’s private infinity pool before sipping on a blush-red rum punch or icy daiquiri sundowner. Dine in the restaurant on sesame-crusted tuna sashimi and champagne shrimp risotto, or bring a chef into your villa to cook up a catch of the day feast with Lucian flair – think callaloo and okra soup, mango-dressed salad and pan-fried mahi-mahi followed by red wine and basil ice cream.

With its marble pillars, manicured golfing greens and popping pink colour scheme, there are few hotels more synonymous with Caribbean luxury than Sandy Lane, which celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2021. The brainchild of British politician Ronald Tree – who dreamed of a lavish hotel with a golf course while enjoying his winter home on the island – the resort has been a must-visit destination for A-listers for the past six decades. Its sparkling white walls could tell thousands of stories, from Aristotle Onassis being rowed to shore from his superyacht while Maria Callas swam with a pet marmoset on her back, to Elton John adhering to the strict New Year’s Eve dress code by wearing his black tie as a garter. This colourful history will be celebrated in the hotel’s Trip down Sandy Memory Lane initiative, which will share archive imagery from private albums and memories from the resort’s first visitors. There will also be lavish events where guests can knock back the hotel’s signature SL-60 champagne cocktail.

Set on a pretty stretch of Playa Dorada on the Dominican Republic’s northern coast, this beachside hideaway is the perfect place to relax after leaving your yacht at the nearby Ocean World Marina. The breezy architecture of the resort, one of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, combines old-world charm with modern design: think high ceilings, whimsical art and oversized chairs and sofas in white linen.

During the day, Casa Colonial’s lush gardens are filled with the sounds of songbirds, gurgling fountains and, in the background, the rhythmic whoosh of waves. Once the sun sets, follow the lantern-lit paths to the resort’s fine-dining restaurant, Lucia. The menu incorporates fresh produce from a nearby farm and regional dishes such as goat marinated in local Brugal rum. Back in the colonial-style rooms, throw open the windows and let the sea breeze blow through the billowing cream curtains – the only sound the bell of a bobbing catamaran anchored a few metres away.

Set on a small peninsula on Antigua’s southern coastline, where the turbulent waters of the Atlantic meet the gentle Caribbean Sea, Curtain Bluff’s destiny was secured when Sir Howard Hulford flew over the site in 1957. With a personality as flamboyant as his colourful shirts, he and his wife Chelle set about creating Antigua’s first luxury resort. Howard died nearly a decade ago but Chelle continues his legacy, still hosting weekly guest cocktail parties on their huge wraparound patio with views across to Montserrat and Guadeloupe.

It is this personal connection that allows the term “all-inclusive” to take on a new meaning, with its fiercely loyal staff more akin to a superyacht crew. The resort’s two palm-lined beaches are less than 30 minutes from English Harbour but, with two fine dining restaurants, a tennis centre, water sports, scuba diving tours, a kids’ club, gym and yoga studio at your fingertips (and at no extra cost), you’re unlikely to find a reason to return to your yacht.