You might call it the New List, or the Next List. It seems like there’s a new hotel property opening up in the Caribbean every day, and these are the hotel properties we’re excited about for 2014. These properties, which range from large resorts to smaller boutiques, either just opened at the end of 2013 or are slated to open in 2014, from the Bahamas to the north to Aruba to the south.
Malliouhana — An Auberge Resort — Anguilla
The Auberge du Soleil in California is one of the most acclaimed hotels in the world, and Auberge is taking its luxury expertise to Anguilla, with the rebirth of the famed Malliouhana hotel. It’s slated to open toward the end of the summer with 55 rooms and a 15,000-square-foot spa.
Baha Mar — Bahamas
The much-anticipated Baha Mar is the largest hotel project in the Caribbean. It’s scheduled to open in December 2014 with its namesake Baha Mar Hotel & Casino.
Ritz-Carlton — Aruba
The newest Ritz-Carlton in the Caribbean, this property opened at the end of November with 320 rooms on Aruba’s Palm Beach.
Westin Puntacana Resort & Club — Dominican Republic
The Westin opened its doors just as 2013 came to a close, with 200 rooms and suites, a Six Senses Spa and three bars, including a cigar bar.
Kittitian Hill — St Kitts
One of the more intriguing new properties in the region, Kittitian Hill is vowing a truly green experience, with its own tropical fruit farm and breathtaking views of the sea. It’s projected to debut around the springtime.
Blue Residences Condo Resort — Aruba
What will be Aruba’s newest resort is set to open its first phase in March, with hotel rooms, apartment suites and larger three and five-bedroom units on Eagle Beach. The hotel says every room will have unobstructed ocean views.
Condado Vanderbilt — Puerto Rico
It’s taken awhile, but the long-awaited rebirth of the historic Vanderbilt hotel is expected to happen this year on the tony Ashford Avenue in San Juan’s most exclusive district, Condado. Its 1919 restaurant is already open.
Resorts World Bimini — Bahamas
The new hotel project on the edge of Bimini is slated to debut in the spring with a total of 350 rooms, two restaurants, a rooftop bar and a meeting space.
Sandals LaSource Grenada Resort
Sandals’ re-imagining of the former LaSource resort opened at the end of December and is already generating a large amount of buzz.
El Blok, Vieques — Puerto Rico
A new green addition to the Caribbean hotel industry, the boutique El Blok is set to open with 22 rooms, all of which will be LEED certified. The property, designed by San Juan-based Fuster + Partners, is a modern boost for one of the region’s untouched outposts.