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With much of the Caribbean still reeling from Hurricanes Irma and Maria, locals would be the first to tell travelers, Please don't stay away. So, with that in mind, consider a future trip to one of these couples resorts in Barbados, St. Lucia, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.
These new vacation hotspots know that many couples don’t want kids splashing around — but you don't want to be caught in a singles scene, either.
So we've done some homework to come up with these five new couples-only all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean. Enjoy!
At the grand opening of Secrets Cap Cana in late April, we were entranced by the video over one of the bars, a vaguely spiritual scene that somehow put us in a cuddly mood. But then, so much at this all-suite, 457-key resort abets romance: the soft-cornered adobe-like buildings, the landscaping, the white-sand beach and more.
The new resort sits on a beautiful stretch of beach in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic. This Secrets offers new rooms and public spaces, and the Unlimited-Luxury perks you’d expect of a new Secrets: the absence of wristbands, 24-hour room service, a la carte restaurants that require no reservations, multiple recreational facilities, free Wi-Fi and calls to North America, plus a fine balance between entertainment and tranquility. In addition, guests can, for an extra charge, enjoy some of the best angling in the Caribbean, three Jack Nicklaus-designed golf courses and horseback riding, not to mention the Pevonia Spa.
Even the least expensive suite sports sexy luxuries such as a soaking tub on the balcony or patio. Rates start at about $420 per couple per night ($2,940 a week); an ocean view suite costs just $30 more ($3,150 a week).
Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa in St. Lucia already had an adults-only section, Harmony, but Serenity at Coconut Bay opened in spring 2017 with a more upmarket look and service level. This 36-suite hideaway sits apart from the larger resort, and the secluded entrances to suites in its single-story villas make each one feel quite private. Serenity has its own pool with cabanas, a bar and restaurant, amenities that are de rigueur in any couples enclave that calls itself a separate resort.
Every suite is 1,200 square feet or more with a modernist design featuring natural materials and glass. Each comes with a mahogany bed, a butler, 24-hour room service, an espresso machine, Wi-Fi, a 55-inch TV and Bose sound system, a soaking tub and a private outdoor patio with a plunge pool, aquabeds and a wet bar. Airport transfers in private cars are included.
Serenity guests may use Coconut Bay’s restaurants, bars, water sports facilities and other amenities. The resort is also near the island's Pitons, hiking trails and drive-in volcano, but couples who just want twosome time can do that, too. Most suites have outdoor showers, waterfalls and even coconut trees on the pool decks with hammocks for two. Rates start at around $700 per couple per night, or $4,900 per week.
One of three adults-only, all-suite resorts opening this year in connection with larger Royalton Resorts complexes (the Saint Lucia Hideaway opening in February 2018 and a Punta Cana Hideaway debuts in late 2017), the Hideaway at Royalton Negril opened in March in Negril, Jamaica. We’re breaking our couples-only rule here: Hideaway accepts adults who aren’t couples, but this is chiefly a couples crowd.
Guests enjoy the Royalton Negril’s sports, spa, fitness center, entertainment, and restaurants, but they also have their own bar, beach area and infinity pool with waiter service and afternoon hors d’oeuvre and a beachfront restaurant. Of the six other restaurants, Grazie Trattoria is a must, and the de facto adults-only C/X Culinary Experience (extra charge) offers a fine introduction to cutting-edge gastronomy. The views from throughout the resort are breathtaking and the sunsets magnificent.
Rates start at $372 per couple ($2,604 per week) for a 602-square-foot room. An upgrade to a Diamond Club room, which includes access to the Diamond Club Lounge, a Diamond Club area at the Hideaway pool, butler service, a freestanding jacuzzi near the bed, etc., starts at $433 per couple, or $3,031 a week.
Like a novel whose characters surprise the author by taking the plot in a different direction than the writer had intended, Sandals Royal Barbados was conceived as an addition to Sandals Barbados. However, Sandals finally decided the ideal solution was to give Sandals Royal Barbados, which opens Dec. 20, 2017, a separate identity and management team. Sandals designed the new resort to complement Sandals Barbados so that guests can stay at one location but play at two.
The property will have 222 suites, all concierge and butler level, including Sandals’ signature Rondovals, Millionaire Butler Suites, Skypool Suites, and Swim-up Suites, plus private Rolls Royce transfers for guests in six room categories. Other amenities include an immense spa and fitness center, a watersports facility, Sandals’ first-ever rooftop pool and gentlemen’s barber shop, new kinds of fusion restaurants, a living room and a four-lane bowling alley, because romance is always smoother if you can go bowling, right? Rates start at about $500 per couple per night, or $3,500 a week.
This newbie is in a category of its own because of its singular start: Sandals South Coast has stayed open through its transformation from Sandals Whitehouse European Village & Spa, which will be complete by the end of the year. So what makes Sandals South Coast qualify as “new”?
You'll find Sandals’ first dedicated over-the-water bar (guests can sip cocktails while lounging in hammocks suspended above the sea),12 over-the-water bungalows, new dining concepts, a floating swim-up bar in the ocean and an over-the-water wedding chapel, with part of the floor made of glass so guests can spot gate-crashers with gills. All of this and a stunning beach are set on 500 acres of nature preserve.
All accommodations face the water, and all 112 rooms in the Italian Riviera, formerly the Italian Village, have been renovated. Rates per couple start at about $445 a night, or $3,100 a week.
If you'd like to visit one of these resorts, contact a Cruiseable travel professional for pricing information and availability at 1-877-322-3773 or email us.
