The Best Hotels and Resorts in the Caribbean and Atlantic Islands: The 2021 Gold List
"When Little Dix Bay opened in 1964, it was to a glittering three-day party of New York’s elite. The host was Laurance Rockefeller (grandson of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller), whose dream was to create a smart hideout based on the simplicity of a beachcomber lifestyle. An early advocate of conservation, he imagined the hotel blending into the landscape. Fast-forward to today—after an eye-watering, multimillion-dollar rebuild—and that philosophy remains unchanged, despite the addition of every convenience and a fleet of boats for easy access to neighboring islets. Arrival by catamaran from the airport on Tortola shows off the wide bay where hawksbill turtles feed, the half mile of powder sands, and the gardens throughout which 80 guest rooms are scattered. But the heart of the property remains the Pavilion, whose irregular conical roofs have withstood every hurricane for 57 years. It’s home to an open-air bar and its display of 107 rums, as well as two of the three restaurants—and this is where Rockefeller’s founding principle is most tastily expressed, in produce from Little Dix’s own farm and other local ingredients conjured into Caribbean curries and seafood pots. As pioneers of eco-chic hospitality go, this grande dame has lost none of her mojo. Doubles from $1,440; rosewoodhotels.com —Teresa Levonian Cole" - CNT Editors
