Want a room with a view? Jo Cooke cherry-picks the best of the best
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10 of the best rooms with a view
Brochure photos have a lot to answer for. The shot on show is always gorgeous – taken from the most flattering angle to show the infinity pool at its finest, or in the palatial uber-deluxe-premium villa instead of a standard room. And even if the pool has an incredible view, guests could still open their curtains to find their room faces the car park.
Not so at the hotels below. We’ve tried and tested them, and where necessary named the room type to book, so your clients can have the smug satisfaction of knowing their view is the very best on offer.
1. Secret Bay, Dominica
With treehouse-style rooms perched on a clifftop and shrouded in tropical foliage, Secret Bay is a true hideaway. Yet unlike many of its elevated Caribbean counterparts, it also has beach access, albeit a kayak paddle or downhill trek away.
“Dominica is known as the nature island of the Caribbean, with dense forests, over 200 hundred rivers and towering volcanic mountains,” says Chic Locations’ David Kevan.
“Secret Bay captures the luxurious eco theme with six locally-designed suites, some with their own pool. And the views are incredible, looking out to Guadeloupe to the north and the rugged coastline of Dominica to the south.”
Book it: A week’s B&B through Chic Locations starts from £2,428, with BA flights to Barbados and Liat connections in June, September or October.
chiclocations.com
2. Montpelier Plantation and Beach, Nevis
Marrying nostalgic colonial splendour with modern comfort, this Relais & Chateaux hotel on sleepy, undeveloped Nevis boasts 19 contemporary rooms in tranquil gardens.
The two-bedroom, two-bathroom Little House villa offers two splendid views in one, with vistas across the sparkling Caribbean Sea and the rolling countryside of Nevis Peak, best enjoyed over afternoon tea on the private veranda.
Book it: Seven nights with breakfast through Elegant Resorts costs from £1,475 including flights and private transfers, departing July 8.
elegantresorts.co.uk
3. Sandals Barbados
Barbados’s swanky Platinum coast often steals the limelight, but St Lawrence Gap, to the south, has some of the island’s best views.
At the new Sandals resort, Ocean Village rooms have a quintessential Caribbean outlook: first, the curvaceous main pool, then a mass of casuarina trees forming a leafy-green frame around a white-sand beach. The property has 280 rooms, 11 restaurants, three pools and a ream of watersports to boot.
Book it: Seven nights in an Ocean Village Beachfront Club Level Room costs from £2,139 for travel before July 10, including flights and transfers.
sellingsandals.co.uk
4. Peter Island, British Virgin Islands
When only a private island will do, this one has spectacular views in abundance.
“My favourite view in the BVI is from Crow’s Nest Villa on Peter Island,” says Caribtours product manager Katherine Hobbs.
“The popular Beachfront Junior Suites are fabulous too, but the Crow’s Nest is perched above the hotel and offers unbeatable views of Deadman’s Bay Beach and the tiny islands of the BVI. It’s so good I’ve made it the screensaver on my mobile.”
Book it: Seven nights’ room-only with Caribtours costs from £2,265, including flights, private transfers and a lounge at Gatwick, for travel before December 19.
caribtours.co.uk
5. Strawberry Hill, Jamaica
The view from this hilltop hotel encapsulates the spirit of Jamaica. Stand at the edge of the pool terrace to look across frenetic capital Kingston, where lights twinkle around a harbour that was once the base of pirates like Bluebeard; then pivot 180 degrees to face the calm, rainforest-cloaked Blue Mountains.
Accommodation is in just 12 darling, clapboard cottages, and the hotel basement holds a collection of Island Records’ platinum and gold discs in tribute to one-time regular Bob Marley.
Book it: ITC Classics offers seven nights with breakfast from £1,775 including flights and transfers, departing July 3.
itcclassics.co.uk
6. Southern Cross Club, Little Cayman
Image credit: Southern Cross Club
This off-the-beaten-track treasure holds 14 cottage-style rooms on a sweep of white sand, uninterrupted by other hotels, and met by an ocean that changes shades as it breaks around the offshore reef.
“You’ll never find anywhere quite like it,” says Turquoise Holidays product manager Sarah Tuck.
“Little Cayman is an undeveloped island, and Southern Cross Club is the epitome of barefoot luxury, except the luxury is more to do with the stunning natural surroundings than the thread-count of the sheets.”
Book it: Eight nights’ full board with Turquoise Holidays costs from £2,265 including international and inter-island flights, with one night on Grand Cayman.
turquoiseholidays.co.uk
7. Reef Atlantis, Bahamas
A favourite with Travel 2 product manager Kevin Coles is the Reef Atlantis at Atlantis Resort, Paradise Island.
“The view is simply stunning. During the day, the colours of the ocean and waterpark are eye-catching, and at night, they look incredible lit up.”
Atlantis has a massive 2,317 rooms and facilities include an aquarium and cinema.
Book it: Seven nights’ room-only starts at £1,719 through Travel 2 in June, including flights and transfers.
travel2.com
8. Sublime Samana, Dominican Republic
For those who love contemporary cool, this hotel is just the ticket.
Looking out from the 25 suites and villas, guests’ eyes are guided to the ocean by an avenue of pools shaded by palms, a low-key beach and a few massage huts by the water’s edge.
When they are ready for action, it’s a 15-minute drive to bohemian village Las Terrenas, home of excellent seafront restaurants and quiet beaches, a world away from the island’s bustling mega-resorts.
Book it: Caribtours offers seven nights with breakfast from £2,549 in July, including flights and private transfers.
caribtours.co.uk
9. Jade Mountain, Saint Lucia
It would be remiss to leave Jade Mountain off a list of the world’s best views, let alone the Caribbean.
The 24 generously sized suites, etched into the hillside, have no fourth wall to maximise the impact of the Piton Peaks, standing majestically in the near-distance.
Cloaked by tropical rainforest, they feel almost within touching distance of these rooms. Throw in a private pool, excellent rooftop restaurant, full service spa, great snorkelling spots and mountain-bike trails, and it’s the perfect package.
Book it: Chic Locations offers a week’s B&B from £2,988 including flights and transfers in June, September and October.
chiclocations.com
10. Viceroy, Anguilla
This contemporary-chic, 166-room property straddles two of the island’s best beaches, Barnes Bay and Meads Bay.
Some of the best views are from the Ocean View Rooftop Studios, split-level units with a spiral staircase from the sumptuous bedroom and alfresco lounge to a private roof terrace. This comes complete with plunge pool and chaise longues, ideal for a little sunset canoodling over a glass of champagne.
Book it: Seven nights with breakfast through ITC Classics costs from £2,185 including flights and private transfers departing July 1.
itcclassics.co.uk
