Cap Juluca, A Belmond Hotel, Anguilla

Anguilla’s Maundays Bay, with its cartoonish turquoise waters and its splendid white sand beach, is already one of those places that’s almost too beautiful to be real. Add to that a sprawling complex of villas in a fantasy-world Moorish-meets-Santorini architectural style and you’ve got a recipe for an unforgettable experience. And it doesn’t hurt that Cap Juluca has long been one of the Caribbean’s top luxury resorts. But now, in its new incarnation as the Belmond Cap Juluca, it’s somehow more impressive than before.

You can trust Belmond to bring a hotel up to international luxury standard without fundamentally altering the character of the place. The interiors are, as ever, a mix of Mediterranean elegance and Caribbean chill, and the close proximity to the beach means every room, suite, and villa has an ocean view, as well as a private terrace and in some cases a private pool — and the spa is as lavish as ever.

The location is somewhat secluded, so it’s convenient that Cap Juluca should come with a handful of restaurants and bars, to keep your evenings varied — the menus pay tribute to the local culinary culture, and the settings, no surprise, make the most of the ocean views. The island life doesn’t get much better than this.