The Viceroy Anguilla, which opens in November, is being heralded as the first luxury resort on the island in nine years.
Best Digs: Go no further than the hotel’s Four-Bedroom Villa; guests are greeted by an oceanfront setting that faces the sunset, a private infinity-edge pool and a private deck for an alfresco dinner. (Sort of like having a personal hotel all to yourself, no?) Rooftop suites, too, have sunset views from a private 750-square-foot deck with pool; two-bedroom and three-bedroom ocean-view suites have private plunge pools on their balconies and decks. Added Bonus: The hotel offers lifestyle assistants for all villas, townhomes and penthouses.
The hotel’s spa will have eight interior treatment rooms altogether, including three couples’ suites; three spa cabanas, we are told, will be strategically placed by the ocean. Treatments will be available in-room as well. Nice Touch: A dedicated meditation garden accentuates the emphasis on holistic mind/body awareness.
The closest major airport is in St. Maarten; guests arriving there will be greeted by a resort host and escorted to a luxury yacht for the 30-minute ride to Anguilla, followed by a comfortable ride to the resort.
Top Table: Cobà, the resort’s signature restaurant, has views of both Barnes Bay and Meads Bay from its indoor and outdoor seating areas. Bamboo Bar & Grill specializes in casual grilled cuisine with a steakhouse theme in the evenings. The terrace restaurant, Aleta, will serve Caribbean and Continental cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
And, let’s not forget the bars, ah, yes, the bars. The Half Shell is carved out of the side of a cliff on Barnes Bay, while the Sunset Lounge will have its own adults-only infinity pool, serving aged rums, Cuban cigars and fine champagnes.
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| W Vieques' Spa Chakra has sea-facing treatment rooms. Rendering shown here. |
Luxury travel advisors should contact Amy Deve ([email protected]; 305-503-3274) or Brent Hall (brent.hall@viceroyanguilla.com; 305-722-7403). Advisors can also contact General Manager Jan Tibaldi ([email protected]).
Meanwhile, in Puerto Rico, the W Retreat & Spa—Vieques Island will open in early 2010 with 157 guest rooms, all with private patios and balconies.
W has always tried to describe its hotel amenities as aptly as possible; that said, W Vieques will have eight Fantastic Suites with garden views, six Marvelous Suites with ocean views and six oceanfront WOW Suites. The signature Extreme WOW Suite is W’s twist on Presidential-style quarters. All WOW Suites have 180-degree ocean views, and are probably the best bet for families.
W Vieques’ Spa Chakra has eight private indoor and outdoor treatment rooms. (Hint: Check out the sunken seating areas and outdoor private spa tub—we hear the views of the ocean are stunning from here.) Time will tell what the most popular treatments will be, but we think the New Youth Facial and the Cool Cucumber Hand & Foot Refresher will be worth a try.
No spa director has been announced yet, but luxury travel advisors can e-mail [email protected] or call 787-741-4100 to book treatments for their clients. We recommend reserving two to three weeks in advance.
Alain Ducasse Enterprise will manage the entire food & beverage program for the resort, including W Café, Living Room, WET, W Welcome Lounge at Vieques Airport, in-room dining and all banquet/wedding events. Most notably, “miX on the beach,” will blend Latin Caribbean and French cuisines. Be sure to check out the restaurant’s wine cellar, with a selection of premium vintages from around the world.
Getting There: Fly clients into San Juan International Airport, where they will transfer for the half-hour flight to Vieques. Private air charters are another comfortable option for reaching Vieques. Nice Touch: W Guests arriving at Vieques’ airport are invited into the private W Welcome Lounge to relax before the short drive to the hotel.
Luxury travel advisors should get in touch with Starwood’s Director of Leisure Sales Lourdes Hainlin (lourdes.hainlin@starwood; 954-624-1704) with special VIP requests.hotels.com
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| Interiors at Viceroy Anguilla have views of both Barnes Bay and Meads Bay. |