When selecting a Caribbean hotel room, there’s one immutable fact: “oceanfront” trumps “oceanview,” eight days a week. Sure, it’s nice to see the sea from your four-poster bed, but it’s even better when you can roll right out of that same bed, open a door and step straight onto the sand. So we’ve scoured the region and rounded up some of the best hotels featuring “toes-in-the-sand” rooms, where you can fall sleep to the sound of the surf and wake up to the sight of it.
Galley Bay Resort & Spa, Antigua You can’t get any closer to the water than the premium beachfront suites at this 98-room all-inclusive retreat, where sliding doors open to your personal slice of the almost mile-long Galley Bay beach.
Idle Awhile, Jamaica Boho-chic and as unpretentious as the Negril town it calls home, one of our favorite beachfront roosts has 16 rooms and suites that are decorated in sun-washed colors, including deluxe ocean suites set along the famous seven-mile stretch.
Petit St. Vincent, St Vincent and the Grenadines There are only 22 cottages on this idyllic 115-acre private-island resort: 16 perched on lush hillside, and a heavenly half-dozen smack on its sands at one of the Caribbean’s great beachfront hotels.
Hermitage Bay, Antigua One of the Caribbean’s most beautifully designed all-inclusives, this Antigua standout has a collection of hillside suites with plunge pools and, more importantly, on-the-sand cottages smack on its eponymous bay.
The cottage called Shane’s Shack.
Fernandez Bay Village, Cat Island, Bahamas This legendary boutique beach resort boasts a mix of cottages and villas, all perched right on the sand on a privileged stretch of beach on Cat Island.
Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort The must-stay rooms at this St. Lucia signature are the luxury beachfront bungalows, replete with luxe amenities and set directly on the sand with a spectacular view combining the sparkling shores of Sugar Beach with the wonder of the Pitons.
Half Moon
Half Moon, Jamaica One of our favorite hotels in the Caribbean, Half Moon has a range of gorgeous accommodations — but the plum position is in the West Cottages, the historic group of old-school units right at the edge of Half Moon Bay.
Hotel Bakoua, Martinique Martinique’s best all-around hotel (set in the fun tourist hub of Trois Ilets) has a row of charming rooms set directly on the beach, in plain view of the resort’s terrific overwater bungalow bar and the Bay of Fort de France.
Spice Island Beach Resort, Grenada Grenada’s flagship luxury resort has a lovely offering of 64 beachfront suites on the island’s famous Grand Anse Beach. Want to get to the sand? Just take a single step off your patio.
The Reef by Cuisinart, Anguilla If you’re staying in a beachfront suite at this island’s newest resort, the only thing between you and the talcum sands of Merrywing Bay is a few steps across a well-manicured lawn.