From Puerto Rico to Aruba, A Guide to Marriott’s Top Luxury Caribbean Resorts for the Holiday Season

Days on Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach, evenings with Eric Ripert’s culinary masterpieces. Golfing getaways in Dorado Beach with a side of a world-class spa. Sunset sails to St John after a day at the US Virgin Island’s most spectacular pool.

If you’re planning a holiday vacation to the Caribbean, Marriott has a rarefied collection of luxury resorts that are perfect for the festive season.

You still have the chance to book at some of the top resorts in destinations like Puerto Rico, Grand Cayman and the US Virgin Islands, and that includes a trio of Ritz-Carlton resorts.

So where should you go? Our team of experts have stayed at all these resorts, and they all stand out for different reasons.

For the pinnacle of Caribbean luxury, it’s Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Puerto Rico: it’s the only Ritz-Carlton Reserve in the entire Caribbean, with marvelous beachfront rooms, spectacular golf and a five-acre spa designed to inspire well-being and provide pure relaxation. Located on 1,400 acres, all 96 beachfront suites and residences offer a true sense of barefoot elegance, with enhanced amenities and one-of-a-kind lifestyle activities, like experiencing authentic Puerto Rican culinary culture through the freshest ingredients at COA or local omakase while sitting on the beach at POSI+IVO.

If you’re looking to venture further out in Puerto Rico, there’s The St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort, a naturalists’ wonder, with a two-mile-long beach and a hard-to-top setting within a nearly-500-acre nature preserve. There’s tremendous golf here, too (a Robert Trent Jones, Jr design), with 18 spectacular holes along the ocean, an Audubon golden certified forest, and views of Puerto Rico’s El Yunque from nearly every hole. For families, there is the recently renovated Tortuga Kid’s Club offering children from ages 4-12 with an abundance of both educational and creative activities to stimulate all areas of the brain.

Looking for the green hills of the Virgin Islands? It’s The Ritz-Carlton, St Thomas, the premier place to stay in the USVI and a fabulous design true to St Thomas’ atmosphere. The beach is just about perfect, with direct views of neighboring St John, an island you can visit regularly on the resort’s Lady Lynsey II catamaran. We love the poolscape here, which includes a series of great small waterslides. What else do we like here? The Club Lounge is fantastic if you go for that level, the cabanas are a must, and there’s even a rarity in the Caribbean: a Top Golf swing suite.

If you haven’t experienced Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman, you’re missing out on one of the most beautiful beaches on the planet. There’s just something special here — the water feels a little bit warmer, and almost unimaginably clear. And it’s just endless, whether you want to take an afternoon stroll or just peer out and admire the expanse. But it’s also home to the magnificent The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. This place truly has everything, from an unrivaled fine dining experience at Blue by Eric Ripert (his only one in the region — get the tuna foie gras, just trust us) to luxurious therapies in the Ritz-Carlton Spa and once-in-a-lifetime events such as the high-profile culinary festival, Cayman Cookout. But the biggest story here is, as we remarked when we first stayed here, the service — it’s just outrageously attentive.

If you want an easy, beach-filled getaway, that’s Aruba’s specialty. And while the island isn’t known for its luxury options, it has one outlier: The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba, a grand beach resort set right on the island’s sugar-white Palm Beach. Our favorite part? When you’re on the sand, the beach attendants deliver you cocktails and lunch on Segways. The rooms are classic Ritz-Carlton, plush and comfortable with large, inviting bathrooms; the dining options are vast, led by our fave, the BLT Steak and Casa Nonna New York a close second. And there’s even a lively casino right at the edge of the lobby.

Aruba will add to the luxury quotient with the upcoming debut of The St. Regis Aruba Resort upcoming debut Q4 2024, the first St. Regis in the Dutch Caribbean and the most highly-anticipated debut in Aruba since, well, when the Ritz-Carlton first opened its doors.

Earlier this year the new JW Marriott St. Maarten Beach Resort & Spa opened its doors. Nestled in a tropical haven, the property is reimagining the hospitality landscape in St. Maarten and welcoming guests to the newest jewel in the Dutch side.  It’s set on stunning Dawn Beach, with 200 guest rooms and suites, a serene spa and the first true luxury resort on the Dutch side of the island.

These resorts are expert at making your stay comfortable, unforgettable and, most importantly, easy. What’s never easy is choosing among them.

To learn more, visit Marriott.