Wellness-Focused Caribbean Resorts
Time to Unplug, Unwind and Recharge…
Let’s face it: the winter after the New Year isn’t easy. Bad weather, less holiday breaks and the pandemic can combine to make a cocktail of stress, anxiety and winter blues that can be difficult to shake. If you’re feeling like you’re in a slump, mentally, physically or otherwise, you might need to take a break. What better type of break can one take than a wellness-centered vacation in the Caribbean? Whether your idea of wellness and self-care is digging your toes in the sand and listening to the waves as you get some sun or taking advantage of free fitness classes at your all-inclusive resort or spending an entire day pampering yourself at the spa, the resorts in this list offer all of that and much more. From well-known all-inclusives like the Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic to the stunning new La Casa de la Playa in Riviera Maya, Mexico, these resorts all have something that travelers can utilize to unplug, unwind and recharge their spirits. Read on to see just some of the Caribbean’s wellness-focused resorts to try out this year.
Zemi Beach House, Anguilla
Zemi Beach House offers a luxurious Caribbean island vacation. With 76 rooms and multi-room suite options, it combines the best in luxury accommodations with cultural experiences. It’s also perfect for the spa lover: its Zemi Thai House Spa is a 300-year-old Thai structure that was rebuilt on the property to offer the best in spa treatments inspired by the local Taino culture, including a yoga deck, private spa suites, the island’s only hammam, a juice bar, wellness boutique and more. Guests to this resort can enjoy early morning yoga rituals before enjoying a picnic on the beach or spending a day lounging at one or several of the resort’s three gorgeous pools.
St. James’ Club Morgan Bay, St. Lucia
St. Lucia is known across the globe as one of the most beautiful of the Caribbeans islands for its lush, verdant mountains and its stunning vistas. St. James’ Club Morgan Bay is only minutes away from the capital city of Castries, as well as the Rodney Bay Marina and the Cap Estate Golf Course. It’s an all-inclusive resort, offering a wide variety of free watersports as well as group fitness classes offering the best of pilates, yoga, Tai Chi and more. Spa lovers can enjoy the Tranquility Body & Soul Spa, which offers everything from reflexology to seaweed wraps and more. With 343 rooms and suites across 30 acres, families, couples or friends can enjoy the wide variety of accommodation options, too, including family suites. It’s a great choice for a Caribbean island vacation that will satisfy the whole family while also satisfying your desire for wellness experiences.
Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana, Dominican Republic
If a vacation without the kids is more your style, try the new Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana Resort, located in Cap Cana, Dominican Republic. An adults-only all-inclusive, the resort offers stunning infinity-edge pools, floating swim-up suites and a staggering total of 25 different restaurants and bars! Free daily wellness programming includes both on-land and in-the-water activities, like morning beach yoga, dance classes and water aerobics. The resort includes a 14,000 square-foot fitness center for other types of workouts, as well as a nearly 27,000 square-foot underground cave spa with a hydrotherapy circuit and serene oasis lagoon. Plus, it’s right on the scenic Juanillo Beach, so if your style of relaxing includes lounging in a private cabana or just tanning on the sand, there’s plenty of opportunities to do it at this resort.
Zoëtry Curaçao Resort & Spa
Zoetry Curacao Resort & Spa, part of AMR Collection, is a perfect Caribbean resort for travelers wanting to unwind in a more laid-back, secluded environment. With only 72 suites to the resort, the lush property offers excellent service in an all-inclusive format. Each suite comes with a fully furnished private balcony or terrace as well as a soaking tub big enough for two. The resort also features a spa that offers a wide variety of treatments, as well as a steam room and sauna. Guests can enjoy daily wellness activities like meditation, yoga, cooking lessons featuring local dishes and afternoon tea. While the resort isn’t located on the beach, it is only a short golf cart ride away, while the island’s UNESCO World Heritage-designated capital, Willemstad, is also close by and can be reached by utilizing the resort’s free shuttle service.
Couples Swept Away in Jamaica
Located on Jamaica’s famous Seven Mile Beach, Couples Swept Away in Jamaica offers the best in romance. Couples can enjoy reconnecting and spending quality time together across the resort’s 10-acre fitness and sports complex, enjoying a couple’s massage or two at the spa or just lounging on the beach together. Guests here can enjoy farm-to-table cuisine, a wide variety of all-inclusive experiences and romantic excursions like horseback riding on the beach. That definitely counts as a wellness activity, right? Plus, daily programming includes couples’ dance classes, morning nature walks and much more. Plus, the spa offers a variety of treatment options, as well as steam room and plunge pool.
La Casa de la Playa, Riviera Maya
One of Xcaret’s newest properties is the boutique La Casa de la Playa. Located in the stunning Riviera Maya, this resort offers 63 suites in an adults-only format that allows for seclusion, romance and ultimate relaxation. Beyond the resort’s stunning and minimalist design, La Casa de la Playa offers guests fun excursions like dining in a mysterious cenote and traditional Mayan purification rituals. The resort’s suites come in a variety of styles that often include heated plunge pools with hydromassage capabilities, as well as amenities like a pillow menu, butler service and others. Wellness Suites include benefits like free access to the Muluk Spa, which offers salt rooms, mudrooms, hydrotherapy, a sauna, a steam room, a cold room and all holistic treatments. La Casa de la Playa is also committed to sustainable practices, so you can feel like you’re doing good for the environment while doing good for yourself.
Kimpton Seafire Resort & Spa, Grand Cayman
The Kimpton Seafire Resort & Spa is located on Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman, the main island of the Cayman Islands. The family-friendly resort offers 264 guestrooms and suites, including private bungalows, spa suites and family suites, with nearly all accommodations offering stunning views of the ocean. The Spa at Seafire offers 8,500 square feet of treatment rooms and spaces, while the fitness center offers yoga mats, an outdoor event lawn and indoor equipment with sea views. Yoga classes, paddle board yoga and other watersports activities can be enjoyed at the resort, while many of Grand Cayman’s best activities are only a short drive away, like a the Turtle Centre, the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park or the island’s other attractions.
Sandals Royal Barbados
The Sandals Royal Barbados is a new all-inclusive, all-suite resort located in St. Lawrence Gap on the stunning island of Barbados. Guests can choose from a wide variety of suite options, some with 24-hour butler service, tranquility soaking tubs, private pools and more. The resort offers a wide variety of included activities, including Scuba diving lessons, a fitness center and even a bowling alley. The Red Lane Spa offers 15,000 square feet of massage rooms, treatments areas and more to make pampering yourself easier than ever before. If fun activities, romance and beach vibes are your methods of wellness and relaxation, this is probably the resort for you.
Fairmont Mayakoba
The Fairmont Mayakoba is located in Cancun, Mexico, along the Mexican Caribbean. A stunning luxury resort, it’s located in a private resort community inside of a lush rainforest, this resort is focused on being sustainable and environmentally friendly. The resort offers a mix of guestrooms, suites and residence options, with most being primarily away from the beach and nestled along natural lagoons and surrounded by native flora. The Willow Stream Spa combines the best of Mayan culture with modern treatments, while activities include the beachside Muuk Gym, paddle boarding, kayaking, a golf course and more. A perfect luxury, eco- and family-friendly option, Fairmont Mayakoba is great for renewing your body, your mind and your relationship with loved ones.
Hotel Aires Bacalar
Hotel Aires Bacalar is a bohemian-chic eco hotel in Bacalar, along the Mexican Caribbean. Offering the quieter, more serene side to the region, the hotel offers rooms with views of a blue lagoon or the tropical jungle, and also offer private terraces complete with hammocks. The entire hotel is crafted with an eye towards responsible design and sustainability, with a bohemian twist that includes eye-catching murals in tones that reflect the nature around the hotel. Guests can enjoy sailboat and paddleboard tours to make the most of the gorgeous Caribbean ocean, while the hotel also offers a variety of in-room massages.
Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
Located in Playa del Carmen, Sandos Caracol Eco Resort, which offers a perfect blend of family-friendly resort fun with an eco-friendly focus. Children and adults can enjoy daily programming that immerses travelers into the local culture and surrounding ecosystems, including the nearby mangrove forest, jungle and cenote. Families and couples can enjoy kayaking through a mangrove forest, wandering the jungle in search of resident spider monkeys and much more, besides enjoying all the beach and the ocean has to offer. Guests wanting a more luxurious vacation can choose to stay in The Select Club, the adults-only part of the resort, or the Royal Elite section, which is nestled along the beach and offers benefits like 24-hour room service and a private concierge. Spa del Mar includes treatments like a Mayan temazcal and massages out-of-doors by a cenote.
Hideaway at Royalton St. Lucia
Part of the Autograph Collection, the Hideaway at Royalton St. Lucia offers a luxurious adults-only all-inclusive option in St. Lucia. Guests can enjoy relaxing with daily fitness programming like yoga on the beach, as well as included watersports and cocktail-making classes. The Royal Spa is a great place to enjoy a relaxing massage after your flight, while the fitness center offers a variety of fitness classes, like pool yoga, beach bootcamp, spinning, zumba, kickboxing, tennis and more. Guests who choose the Hideaway adults-only option at the Royalton St. Lucia can also enjoy exclusive access to the resort’s infinity pool and beach area with waiter service, so even days spent lounging at the beach is luxurious.
St. Regis Bahia Beach, Puerto Rico
Located in Puerto Rico, the St. Regis Bahia Beach is an eco-conscious luxury resort option that offers plenty of wellness opportunities, including a gorgeous beach and lush forest that feature nature-walking trails for travelers to enjoy the gentle sway of verdant green leaves and the colorful animals that call them home. The Iridium Spa utilizes natural ingredients like coffee, gold and tropical fruits to offer a wide variety of customizable treatments, while the resort’s property offers both hot and cold plunge pools. The resort includes a fitness center and the award-winning Robert Trent Jones Jr. Golf Course, as well as close proximity to the nation’s only national park-designated rainforest, El Yunque National Park, so no matter if you’re a spa lover or a nature lover, there’ll be plenty of opportunities to relax, unwind and experience your personal type of wellness activities.
Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Puerto Rico
Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, is another stunning and luxurious resort in Puerto Rico. The historic estate focuses on experiences with nature, so it’s perfect for luxury travelers hoping to reconnect with the world around them after two years of being plugged into remote working. The Rockefeller Nature Trail offers a serene opportunity to explore native wildlife over eleven miles, while guests can also explore the wonders of the ocean by snorkeling and diving. The resort offers one bedroom or multi-bedroom suite options, as well as private residences and Reserve rooms. Spa Botanico focuses on using natural ingredients for holistic wellness and beauty treatments, with gorgeous outdoor gardens in which to enjoy ancient-inspired treatments.
Park Hyatt St. Kitts Christopher Harbour
Located in Banana Bay on the emerging Caribbean destination of St. Kitts, the Park Hyatt St. Kitts Christophe Harbour offers a variety of rooms and suites, including premier suites with private plunge pools or swimming pools. The resort’s Sugar Mill Spa & Sanctuary offers holistic treatments as well as guided meditation and Hatha yoga classes. The resort offers a wide variety of off-property guided excursions to enjoy, too, so history lovers can learn about the island’s history as a sugar-producing colony while adventure lovers can enjoy hiking and through a cloud forest along a volcano. Plus, the resort’s beach offers the best of St. Kitts’ gorgeous coastline.
Koi Resort St. Kitts, Curio Collection by Hilton
Located on Half Moon Bay in St. Kitts, the Koi Resort St. Kitts, Curio Collection by Hilton offers close proximity to many of St. Kitts’ main attractions and includes both room and suite options. The resort offers a stunning infinity pool, breathtaking ocean views, a long strip of beachfront perfect for those lazy beach days and a fitness center to work off the extra pounds you gained while enjoying the resort’s Koi Restaurant, which serves Asian Fusion and Japanese cuisine. While the resort doesn’t include a spa, it is only five minutes away from the Royal St. Kitts Golf Club.