The latest chic St. Barts hotel is Le Sereno, a reincarnation of the old Sereno Beach Hotel designed by Christian Liaigre (Mercer Hotel) with 37 minimalist villas and cottages (from $552; 590-590-29-83-00).
On the super-luxury front, Providenciales has Amanyara, the first Caribbean property from Amanresorts—40 deluxe bungalows next to a 5,000-acre wildlife reserve (from $1,150; 800-477-9180; amanyara.net). Competing for black cards is Ritz-Carlton’s Grand Cayman property, opening in December, whose all-star lineup includes an Eric Ripert restaurant, Greg Norman golf course, Nick Bollettieri tennis program, and La Prairie spa (from $700; 800-241-3333; ritzcarlton.com). Even Club Med is going upscale, reopening Buccaneer’s Creek on Martinique in December—a $60 million investment has resulted in bigger rooms, better beds, and higher-quality food.
The high-end mall comes to the Caribbean in the form of Nassau’s Marina Village retail-dining megaplex at the Atlantis resort, which has 21 boutiques and a handful of restaurants ranging from a Carmine’s satellite to Jean-Georges’s Café Martinique.
And those who charter private planes to the Hamptons will appreciate V1 Jets’ new luxury seaplane, servicing islands like Harbour Island and Nevis that don’t have airports or direct flights ($500 per person, one way; 877-469-5387; v1jets.com).