By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor
We choose a hotel for a combination of its location, amenities, service and price. Art rarely makes the list. But in the same way that art makes a house a home, it also has the power to subtly but significantly transform a hotel into a more personal, intimate space that can enchant and excite as it accommodates. Browse our 11 favourite arty Caribbean hotels, where wandering the property is like taking a gallery tour.
Ladera, St Lucia
This St Lucia boutique resort’s art offerings are largely in the exquisite details: colourful mosaics along the pool and even in the shower and, most importantly, the elaborate wood carvings of on-site master craftsman Boniface Modeste. (Above: a shower floor at a Paradise Ridge suite). Of course, the views of the Pitons (cover photo) are a masterpiece in their own right.
Hotel Casablanca, Puerto Rico
The boho-chic Morocco-meets-the-Caribbean decor at this Old San Juan boutique is enhanced by striking original paintings in the lobby, which does double duty as an art gallery.
Couples Tower Isle, Jamaica
Evocative black-and-white photos of celebrity hotel guests from the 1950s are juxtaposed with a wall of colorful masks by master Jamaican sculptor Gene Pearson at this retro-modern all-inclusive resort.
La Suite Villa, Martinique
It’s all about color and texture at this playfully decorated hotel, where the lobby chandelier and plastic poolside sculptures are the stars of every guest’s Instagram feed.
Viceroy, Anguilla
Designer Kelly Wearstler’s edgy organic aesthetic informs this slick resort, from the wall coverings to the diverse collection of chairs, which are pieces of functional art.
Trident, Jamaica
With plastic sheep on the lawn, modern sculptures on the pool deck, and mid-century furniture in the suites, the aesthetic at this Port Antonio hideaway is a hit with its creative class clientele.
Golden Rock, Nevis
The juxtaposition of colorful modern furniture and paintings against a backdrop of weathered colonial-era buildings is just one of the things that makes this plantation inn so special.
Best Western Petion-Ville, Haiti
Original local art crafted from banana leaves and recycled metal brings a palpable sense of place to this chain hotel in Port-au-Prince.
Pop Art, Puerto Rico
In the heart of Old San Juan, this historic three-room features vibrant art that references the building’s previous incarnation as the home of a musical arranger and songwriter who worked with the Duke Ellington Orchestra.
The Crane, Barbados
Just over a month ago, Barbados’ famous The Crane resort debuted its new “Village Gallery,” and it’s a stunner. The large space is home to some seriously good work, exclusively by local artists. And that’s at a property whose beach is considered by many to be a work of art too.
Montpelier Plantation & Beach, Nevis
Art is everywhere at this hillside colonial-era estate, but it’s the large canvases in public areas by that are most striking – and can be purchased right off the walls.