These Caribbean hotel villas let you social distance in a luxurious island setting
coronavirus pandemic, a holiday getaway in a private villa could just fit the bill. So why not toss the budget to the breeze and live the dream in your very own secluded retreat under the tropical sun over the holidays?
These Caribbean locales don’t currently require visitors to quarantine upon arrival unless otherwise noted, but be sure to check travel requirements before planning a trip amid the pandemic as they may have changed.
Jamaica
Entry requirements: A negative test taken within 10 days of travel and approved travel authorization are required (Details: https://www.visitjamaica.com)
Smartly designed by Ralph Lauren, Round Hill Hotel and Villas west of Montego Bay has long hosted discerning guests like John F. Kennedy, who wrote his famous 1961 “ask-not-what-you-can-do-for-your-country” inauguration address in Villa 25. Nightly rates for a 2-Bedroom Deluxe Villa booked in the Villa Retreat package start at $1,849 including meals and non-motorized watersports.
From basketball courts, private pools and tee time on the 18-hole golf course, a stay in one of 74 perfectly posh villas at The Tryall Club ticks all the boxes. Weekly rates for the 7-bedroom Dragonfly Villa with chef-prepared meals and butler service start at $22,500.
On the north coast, hip beds for heads at GoldenEye include the storied Fleming Villa where British author Ian Fleming penned all 14 James Bond spy thrillers and where his original writing desk still stands. Guilty pleasures include a pool, private beach, garden showers and claw foot tubs. Nightly rates for the 5-bedroom villa start at $6,365.
Sint Maarten / St. Martin
Entry requirements: Negative test taken within five days and a health declaration completed in advance are required. (Details: https://stmaartenehas.com)
Steps from the sand, villas at the Coral Beach Club in Dutch Sint Maarten are crowd-free standalone havens of rejuvenation. Weekly rates for a 4-bedroom Beachfront Villa with a private pool start at $9,286.
In French St. Martin, there’s a lot of panache in the salty air at Villa Mirabelle with four bedrooms and access to a boat dock and petite beach. Weekly rates start at $7,000.
Turks and Caicos Islands
Entry Requirements: Negative test and advance travel authorization required. Note that there is also a nightly, 12 a.m.-5 a.m. curfew in effect through Nov. 16. (Details: https://travelauthorisation.turksandcaicostourism.com/public/)
On the less-traveled Long Bay Beach in Providenciales, social distancing is a breeze and the living regal in the Villas at The Shore Club. Nightly rates in a 6-bedroom, family-friendly villa with a whirlpool and sauna in the master bedroom start at $6,000 including VIP airport transfers, butler service and a bottle of bubbly.
There’s a lot of awesomeness under one roof at the Cabuya Villa with six bedrooms and an infinity edge pool that spills onto a secluded beach. Nightly rates start at $4,300.
The Bahamas
Entry requirements: Quarantine is no longer required; however, a negative test and Bahamas Health Visa are required in advance. Effective Nov. 14, travelers must also opt in to travel health insurance as part of the visa. (Details: https://www.bahamas.com/tourism-reopening)
Twenty minutes by air from Nassau, Caerula Mar Club on South Andros Island offers 18 suites and six villas. With a premium on privacy, perks for the winter weary include ocean-facing reading nooks and a powdery white sandy beach with nary a footprint in sight. Nightly villa stays start at $1,145.
Grenada
Entry requirements: Negative test taken within seven days, a minimum 5-day reservation and and a minimum 4-day quarantine at an approved resort. On the fourth day, travelers can opt to take a COVID test to venture outside their resort. (Details: https://covid19.gov.gd/)
On prime real estate fronting Grand Anse Beach, Silversands Grenada features 43 suites and eight villas is anchored by a striking 100-meter pool, which is double the length of an Olympic pool and the longest in the Caribbean. Nightly all-inclusive rates for a 4-bedroom Beachfront Villa with a pool and deck in front of the beach start at $8,000.
Aruba
Entry requirements: A negative test taken within three days is mandatory, along with completing travel and health questionnaires. U.S. residents are also required to purchase of travel health insurance is mandatory. (Details: https://www.aruba.com/us/traveler-health-requirements)
Close to the lively Palm Beach strip, you’ll feel right at home in the 3-bedroom Palm Hills Villa with a pool, backyard garden and kitchen. Lounge chairs and a poolside cabana sweeten the pot. Nightly rates start at $325.
Saint Lucia
Entry requirements: Negative test taken within seven days of travel and a travel authorization form are required. (Details: www.stlucia.org/en/Covid-19/)
With cinematic views of the mighty Piton Peaks and the Caribbean Sea, pampering is the priority at the Stonefield Villa Resort. There are a dozen 1-bedroom villas, each with its own pool and outdoor showers. Weekly rates, which include meals and shuttles to Sugar Beach start at $3,850.
Overlooking Rodney Bay Marina, Water’s Edge Villas by Bay Gardens Resorts are Creole chic with waterfront terraces and beat-the-heat pools. Upping the ante, unlimited play at the Splash Island Water Park on Reduit Beach is gratis. Weekly stays in a 4-bedroom villa start at $3,500.
Anguilla
Entry requirements: Anguilla is requiring visitors to have a negative test taken no more than five days before travel, pre-travel passenger and health forms and proof of medical insurance. Visitors will be retested upon arrival in Anguilla and must remain in quarantine at their resort for 10 days. While waiting out their quarantines, villa guests can enjoy beach and pool time, watersports and tennis. (Details: https://ivisitanguilla.com/escape/apply.html)
Herculean on the north coast, Long Bay Villas with butler service, pools and hot tubs are nothing short of spectacular. The stark-white Sea, Sand and Sky Villas also share tennis and basketball courts as well as a gym. Weekly rates for the 5-bedroom Sky Villa start at $20,300 through Nov. 15.
More like a mega-villa than a villa, 5-bedroom Antilles Pearl at the Altamer Resort is a seaside beauty with a 50-foot skywalk that hovers over the beach with its own pool and hot tub. Weekly rates start at $30,000, for longer stays; monthly rates start at $110,000.
Dominican Republic
Entry requirements: A Traveler’s Health Affidavit is necessary. Negative test results are no longer required but visitors will still undergo a temperature check and may be selected for a breath test upon arrival. (Details: www.godominicanrepublic.com/newsroom/coronavirus/)
On the southeast coast in La Romana about an hour from Punta Cana, Casa de Campo Resort Villas is the top pick for globetrotting luxury-seekers. A sprawling community with a trio of Pete Dye golf courses, tennis and polo, its 22 villas are privacy perfection with pools and artfully designed indoor and outdoor living space. Weekly rates for a 4-bedroom Oceanfront Villa with butler service starts $35,000.
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