Five Island Escapes
Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Puerto Rico
Decades before the 1950s transformation of Dorado Beach into a Laurance Rockefeller resort and 21st-century reopening as a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, the waterfront estate housed a working pineapple plantation. Today The Ritz’s Spa Botánico, a five-acre wellness destination framed by remaining production fields, recalls the past through upcycled artifacts from centuries past. A living relic, the towering, 150-year-old ficus tree welcomes at Botánico’s entrance, fronting an enchanted, open-aired tower of aromatic hanging gardens, dubbed the Apothecary Portal. After check-in, relax around the lounger-studded reflection pool, gazing off to a horizon of pineapple crowns. You regrettably must get up in order to embark on a unique hydrotherapy journey, built into the reclaimed jungle and crafted from bona fide plantation ruins. Wooden wheels and bucket pulleys embellish hot and cold waterfall showers within a spiritual garden, complemented by a series of temperature-regulated, bubbling plunge pools. Most treatments are rooted in indigenous knowledge of healers known as “Manos Santas” (Healing Hands) while local botanicals and ingredients are used to make scrubs and oils in-house for treatments such as the 90-minute Manos Santos, a long-stroke massage using a customized oil blend and a warm herbal poultice. As for the setting of your treatment: Choose between a sleek spa pavilion at ground level or a multistory, wooden treehouse in the forest canopy. ritzcarlton.com
Oil Nut Bay, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands
Secluded at the far easterly tip of Virgin Gorda and accessible exclusively by boat or helicopter, Oil Nut Bay comprises 44 high-design villas and suites sprinkled over a private, 400-acre peninsula of cactus-speckled, oceanfront desert. With most accommodations partaking in Oil Nut Bay’s rental program, travelers can access this exclusive enclave much like a resort. The community’s wellness program is a highly personalized affair, run by a resident team of fitness experts, conducting private yoga, meditation, and bootcamp sessions. Choose your backdrop—the beach, a mountaintop overlooking lazuline waters, or the expansive terrace at your villa—for treatments that utilize the world’s first certified organic, seaweed-based skincare range, VOYA, and, come late 2024, a dedicated relaxation sanctuary and an overwater spa will open. Group classes include mat Pilates and Yin Yoga and at the spacious Wellness Center find a gym and Pilates equipment. oilnutbay.com
Cheval Blanc St-Barth
Few hotels in the world nail every detail like Cheval Blanc St-Barth, a name synonymous with LVMH craftsmanship meets St. Barth’s style and sophistication. Intentionally pared-back rooms and suites finished in distressed wood and bone-white furnishings demand no visual competition with the vibrant colors outdoors in Flamands Bay and with surrounding native flora. Set out for guests in-room: an array of luxurious scents, bath bombs, creams, and candles, all in the resort’s signature blush pink packaging. The flowery Tropical Chic fragrance was blended exclusively for the property through a partnership with Guerlain. Cheval Blanc’s meticulous disposition is further evidenced at the two-story Cheval Blanc Spa, offering Guerlain treatments. Signature experiences commingle the best of Eastern and Western traditional techniques performed by an in-house team of all-star self-care specialists. Additionally, guests may book private sessions with yoga and meditation masters Diana Bourel and Nicolas Legrez in an airy, outdoor pavilion enveloped by manicured gardens and coconut groves. chevalblanc.com
Hôtel Barrière Le Carl Gustaf Saint-Barth
Despite its boutique size of 21 bungalows and suites, Hôtel Barrière dedicates ample space to its Spa Diane Barrière, a beloved concept hailing from the French hotel group’s properties in La Baule, Cannes, Deauville, and Paris. The same time-honored Biologique Recherche skin-firming body rituals and rejuvenating facials are available, all famed for their youthful results and afterglow. Those new to the world of Biologique Recherche should consider a brand introduction via the Biologique Recherche Escape, a multi-hour affair that includes a 20-minute skin analysis, a 90-minute classic facial treatment, or a 60-minute Remodeling Face experience (the state-of-the-art bio-electro stimulation results in more supple skin), a 60-minute body treatment, and a personalized Biologique Recherche gift. Days in the sun can be forgiven by the Caribbean Sweetness therapy, an exfoliating massage with fine vanilla powder to even your complexion. A few tan lines in, go for the soft and smooth Tropical Lightness: a relaxing body, face, and scalp massage performed in one of three treatment rooms or outdoors in the comfort of your private terrace. hotelsbarriere.com
Rosewood Le Guanahani St. Barth
Reopened in 2021 after a five-year integration into the Rosewood portfolio, the Rosewood Le Guanahani St. Barth ushers in a new era of oceanside excellence for the storied property. At just 66 rooms, the resort is officially St. Barth’s largest—flaunting amenities fitting of its bigger size. This includes Sense, A Rosewood Spa, more precisely an entire wellness complex with the most comprehensive fitness center on the island, organized as three connecting rooms of Panatta cardio and weight equipment. Adjacent is the glorious, adults-only pool fringed with sun beds and loungers plus an ice room to cool off from the Caribbean heat. The extensive spa menu is rich in both French techniques and island specialties. The 2.5-hour Return to Balance ritual combines a series of back-to-back hot and cold compress therapies steeped in traditional Creole medicine and designed to recalibrate the body. Alternatively, combine exercise and relaxation with the Le Morne Sense Spa Journey, a 150-minute body-and-mind adventure that entails a small hike to the peak of Guanahani’s private peninsula, followed by an aloe vera body wrap, a leg and foot massage, and finally a head and scalp massage by one of the spa’s master therapists. rosewoodhotels.com
