What does villa mean? In its basic sense, it means a place to live. And on vacation, it means something more than just a hotel room — your home away from home. That means a villa can be a very large, multi-unit room, or a traditional standalone cottage or house. Of course, sometimes we want a villa with all the traditional amenities of a hotel. Hence this week’s list. We think we’re covering new ground in ranking the best hotel villas — that is, villas with traditional hotel amenities like room service, housekeeping and the like — and usually affiliated with hotels. We present the top 10 Caribbean Hotel Villas for 2013:
One & Only Ocean Club, Paradise Island, Bahamas – Villa Residences
These three and four-bedroom villas perched above the beautiful Cabbage Beach in the Bahamas have 24-hour butler service and dedicated housekeeping and culinary staff. You may recognize them from one of their famous guests – James Bond.
Round Hill, Jamaica – Longview Manor
The 7,500-square-foot Longview Manor has it all — seven bedrooms across two houses, a full staff and even its own private tennis court. And did we mention a 30×50-foot pool?
Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic – Villa Infinidad
Choosing a hotel villa usually comes from one main concern: space. And the space here is endless. Three separate king size beds and a fourth bedroom with a twin, ocean views, a pool … it goes on and on… Infinidad is an apt name.
Windjammer Landing, St Lucia – Estate Villas
These three and four=-bedroom estate villas at Windjammer Landing have their own full-size pools and private parking. The four bedroom ones have one king, one queen and two twin beds.
Resorts World Bimini, Bahamas – Luxury Oceanfront Villas
The former Bimini Bay resort relaunched last week as Resorts World Bimini, and its standalone oceanfront villas have tremendous views of the Bahamian Atlantic. A luxury four bedroom oceanfront villa has a maximum occupancy of eight people and between 1,758 and 1,872 square feet. And it’s just 50 miles from Miami.
The Crane, Barbados – Residences by the Sea
As we said, villas are not always standalone properties. They’re homes — regardless of structure. And these 4,014-square-foot, three-bedroom penthouses are your own Caribbean villas in the sky. Each one has its own plunge pool.
Four Seasons Resort, Nevis – Mahogany Hill Estates
Set on the hillside of Nevis Peak, the Mahogany Hill Estates villas at the Four Seasons Nevis have the amenities of the hotel and the mountain seclusion of a villa. And their own pools.
Petit St Vincent – Beachfront Villas
One of the most enchantingly secluded properties in the region, the private island property has 22 cottages and villas, The two-bedroom beachfront villas have one purpose — escape. No TV, phones or internet. Just the Caribbean.
Grace Bay Club, Turks and Caicos – Villas
These three-bedroom suites at Grace Bay are more like traditional hotel rooms, except they have 2,758 square feet and room for six adults and two children — right on the ocean.
La Samanna, St Martin – Villas
These are the prototypical Caribbean hotel villas. You get everything that comes with staying at the tony La Samanna, all in a standalone home-style package with 4,600 square feet of space.