The Times - UK (2021-12-18)

the times Saturday December 18 2021

38 Travel

The Oasis Estate on Moskito

Island, British Virgin Islands

The Villa at Sandy Lane

Barbados

Sandy Lane is consistently ranked one of
the Caribbean’s finest hotels. It has
old-school interiors and a knockout
position, pitched close to a white-sand
beach and glittering azure sea. If your
pockets are deep enough, its villa is an
ultra-luxe pad with space for up to
14 and an army of staff to keep things
ticking over. Unlimited water sports and
daily golf are thrown in, plus you’ll have
a pool and Jacuzzi all to yourselves. As
the sun melts into the horizon, brush the
sand from your toes and clink a cocktail
or three on the veranda.
Details Seven nights’ B&B for eight
from £109,176, including flights
(abercrombiekent.co.uk)

Villa Nureyev

St Barts

Elegance and solitude are happy
bedfellows at the former holiday
hideaway of the Russian ballet dancer
Rudolf Nureyev, who brought to life his
dramatic vision of an expansive
“floating” deck above the ocean. The
result is breathtaking: the rough-and-
tumble waves pound the rocks just a few
metres from the infinity pool; rooms are
lined with teak panelling and floaty
white curtains; and tables sit under
dazzling chandeliers. There’s even a
piano to tinkle and masseuses on call.
Details Seven nights’ B&B for 10 from
£35,160 (letoiny.com). Fly to St Barts

Moskito Island

British Virgin Islands

Live like a billionaire at Branson’s latest
project, Moskito Island, a speck off the
coast of Virgin Gorda. Here, for an

thicket of palms with a lagoon pool

reminiscent of a natural ocean islet.

Outdoor terraces are set up for gazing

over the waves in the distance. There’s

room for four, although the master

suite is the one to go for with its

four-poster bed and tub for two.

Spend your days lazing on daybeds

with a cool beer in hand or collect

your mask and fins and clamber down

the hidden steps to Smuggler’s Cove,

where you’ll find marine life just metres

from the shore.

Details Seven nights’ self-catering for

four from £7,392, including flights

(cvvillas.com)

The Beach House

Anguilla

This architectural marvel at

Meads Bay — sleek white

lines, bathrooms with

sunken tubs and

private external

showers, equipped-

for-anything

kitchens — comes

with immaculate

gardens on one

side and an

unfathomably

beautiful beach

on the other.

Wake early and

head straight down

to the sand, where you

might hop on a paddleboard

or dive in for a snorkel in the soothing

waters. Too active? Bask by the pool

with your pals, gather for meals

prepared by the resident chef or kick

back in the cinema.

Details Seven nights’ self-catering for

16 from £87,184, including flights

(inspiringtravelcompany.co.uk)

much persuasion. Restorative breakfasts

of coconut toast and lobster eggs

Benedict are served each morning by the

resident chef, and you might spend your

days zipping along the coastline by boat,

snorkelling among starfish and

seahorses, and kayaking along empty

beaches. The rum retox begins back at

base at the house’s very own tiki bar.

Details Seven nights’ all-inclusive

for 22 people from £41,265

(elevenexperience.com). Fly to Nassau

Rosewood Little Dix Bay

British Virgin Islands

Swashbuckling adventures are on the

cards for free-wheeling families at this

resort on Virgin Gorda, where you can

head out on snorkelling treasure hunts,

build beach bonfires and sail

towards the uninhabited

Dog Islands. As for your

digs, there are two

four-bed villas up on

a hill and a two-bed

and a three-bed sit

on the sands,

where terraces

open to the ocean.

Blue and white

interiors are

luxurious, but light

and uncomplicated.

Fans whirl on wooden

ceilings, kitchens are

fitted with all the gear, and

palms shade the terrace where

guests stretch out on loungers.

Details Seven nights’ B&B for four from

£34,000, including flights and

activities (blacktomato.com)

Smuggler’s Nest St Lucia

Like an enchanted jungle hideaway,

Smuggler’s Nest is squirreled away in a

admittedly hefty price, you get your own

private playground and stay at Point

Estate, one of three villa complexes

(along with Oasis and Branson).

Kite-surfing, diving, paddleboarding,

snorkelling and more can be arranged,

while Michelin-standard menus are

dished up round the clock. Everything is

included, not least iced rum punches at

the swim-up bar.

Details Seven nights’ all-inclusive for 16

from £132,144, including flights and

transfers (caribtours.co.uk)

Bahama House

The Bahamas

Find 21 friends to join you at this

Bahamian pile and you’ll whittle down

the bill — with a payoff that is

unapologetic R&R with a few thrills on

the side. Not that anyone will need

Rosewood Little Dix Bay,

British Virgin Islands

Bahama House,

the Bahamas