Readers’ Choice 2014: Top 20 Beach Resorts
By Andrew Harper
The Hideaway Report | September 1, 2014
TOP BEACH RESORTS
1. Four Seasons Hualalai
Ka`upulehu-Kona, Hawaii — Grand resort in dramatic grounds along a half-mile rocky shoreline on the north Kona Coast, adjacent to Kona Village.
2. Cap Juluca
Maundays Bay, Anguilla — Stylish resort on its own 180-acre garden peninsula, fronting one of the finest beaches in the Caribbean.
3. Mauna Kea Beach Hotel
Kohala Coast, Hawaii — Justly renowned resort overlooking an exquisite white-sand beach on the Kohala Coast.
4. Caneel Bay
St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands — Eco-resort founded by Laurance Rockefeller amid 170 verdant acres bordered by seven secluded white-sand beaches.
5. Four Seasons Punta Mita
Punta Mita, Mexico — Seaside hotel on a scenic 1,200-acre peninsula with two pretty beaches, 45 minutes north of the Puerto Vallarta airport.
6. Four Seasons at Wailea
Maui, Hawaii — Luxurious resort on 15 oceanfront acres at the south end of Wailea Beach.
7. Halekulani
Honolulu, Hawaii — Oceanfront 453-room hotel set in a quiet five-acre enclave on Waikiki Beach near the prime shopping district.
8. The Cloister at Sea Island
Sea Island, Georgia — Renowned family-oriented resort and golf community on a 10,000-acre island estate connected by a causeway to St. Simons Island, midway between Savannah and Jacksonville.
9. One&Only Ocean Club
Paradise Island, Bahamas — Beachfront colonial-style plantation resort of 105 guest rooms, suites and villas connected by bridge to Nassau on the mainland of New Providence Island.
10. Rosewood Little Dix Bay
Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands — Classic resort sanctuary set in 500-acre grounds curling around a picturesque beach.
11. The Meridian Club
Pine Cay, Turks and Caicos — Delightfully informal resort on an 800-acre private island skirted by a spectacular two-mile deserted white-sand beach.
12. Belmond Maroma Resort & Spa
Riviera Maya, Mexico — Seaside sanctuary on a 200-acre jungle estate fronting a long white-sand beach, 45 minutes south of Cancún.
13. Esperanza
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico — Luxurious residential resort terraced into the panoramic bluffs of Punta Ballena overlooking two private coves. Clusters of four-story earth-toned casitas contain 57 guest rooms.
14. Las Ventanas al Paraíso
San José del Cabo, Mexico — Casually elegant Mediterranean/Spanish-style residential resort adjacent to the Cabo Real championship golf links, midway between San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas.
15. Little Palm Island
Little Torch Key, Florida — Tropical retreat occupying lush five-acre Little Torch Key (reached via launch from a shore station at Mile Marker 28.5), a half-hour north of Key West.
16. Montage Laguna Beach
Laguna Beach, California — Imaginatively conceived resort hotel amid 30 landscaped acres on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, 30 minutes south of Newport Beach.
17. Peter Island Resort and Spa
British Virgin Islands —Romantic resort on a private island reached by cruiser from Tortola’s Beef Island Airport. The dramatic 1,200-acre mountainous islet is fringed by white-sand beaches.
18. Rosewood Jumby Bay
Antigua — Congenial resort on a 300-acre private residential island 15 minutes from Antigua.
19. The Ritz-Carlton, Naples
Naples, Florida — Grand Mediterranean-style resort hotel rising amid 20 acres of tropical gardens along the Gulf Coast.
20. Amankila
Bali, Indonesia — Enchanting resort descending a tropical hillside above the Badung Strait. Thirty-four stone/thatched-roof villas are linked by a network of raised walkways, each featuring a pitched ceiling of woven bamboo, a carved king canopy bed and an inviting veranda.
1. Four Seasons Hualalai – © John C. Russell 5. Four Seasons Punta Mita – © Christian Horan 8. The Cloister © Al Payne 11. Meridian Club – © Christine Morden 12. Belmond Maroma – © Ingrid Rasmussen 13. Esperanza © Erhard Pfeiffer 16. Montage Credit HKSinc © Blake Marvin 17. Peter Island Resort © Preston Schlebusch 20. Amankila © Courtesy of Amanresort