There’s a special kind of magic that happens when you leave the mainland behind. The moment the boat pulls away or the wheels of a seaplane touch down on turquoise water, the world shifts. A private island isn’t just a destination — it’s a different state of being. No crowds. No chaos. Just sand, sea, and space that belongs entirely to you.
Across the Caribbean, some of the region’s most exceptional resorts are tucked away on private islands — places where luxury comes wrapped in silence and sea breeze. Some are ultra-luxe escapes with every imaginable indulgence. Others feel personal, even soulful, offering the rarest of luxuries: true seclusion.
These are 15 of the best private island resorts in the Caribbean right now.
Ambergris Cay — Turks and Caicos
This is the kind of place where the journey itself sets the tone. After landing at Providenciales International Airport, a short private flight brings you to a turquoise-fringed island with no crowds, no stress, and an atmosphere of quiet exclusivity. Ambergris Cay features 17 beachfront bungalows, each with uninterrupted ocean views and sleek, understated interiors that frame the water like art. The villas — range from three-bedroom escapes to the ten-bedroom Dream Estate, which spans multiple pavilions and feels like a private kingdom and is an otherworldly vacation.
Days are blissfully slow. You can paddle through impossibly clear shallows, take a boat out to sandbars where it’s just you and the sea, or enjoy a long, lazy lunch on the deck.
Nights are intimate — dinners under a warm Caribbean sky, the soft hush of the ocean never far away. It’s quiet, but never static. Ambergris Cay is designed for people who want to retreat deeply, but never compromise on service.
And did we mention the floating bar?
What We Like: The island feels huge — with room for endless exploration — but you also still feel intimate. It feels both incredibly private and impeccably run — every detail handled before you even think to ask.
How to Get There: The hotel will actually pick you up at Providenciales International Airport’s private FBO and fly you on their own fleet of planes to Ambergris Cay. For me, that was one of my favorite parts of the trip.
Jumby Bay Island — Antigua
Arriving at Jumby Bay feels cinematic. A short boat ride from Antigua delivers you to a place where time slows and every detail has been quietly perfected. The island is car-free, which means the only sounds you’ll hear are soft breezes, the flutter of palms, and the gentle roll of the sea. Elegant villas and rooms are shaded by almond trees, set back from powdery sand. The staff is almost preternaturally attentive — appearing at the exact right moment with a cool drink or warm smile.
The magic here is how it blends effortless glamour with deep relaxation. Mornings might begin with a barefoot walk along the sand or a long breakfast on a breezy veranda. Afternoons stretch out in shaded cabanas or private plunge pools. Evenings bring warm light, elegant dinners under the stars, and a sense that there’s nowhere else in the world you’d rather be.
What We Like: Jumby Bay embodies old-world Caribbean luxury with a modern softness — glamorous but never overdone, indulgent but never loud.
How to Get There: Fly to Antigua, then board a private boat to Jumby Bay.
Parrot Cay — Turks and Caicos
For decades, Parrot Cay has held a quiet place at the top of the Caribbean’s private island hierarchy. Operated by COMO Hotels and Resorts, the island is a study in calm. Villas are spread out along a powder-white shoreline, each one designed with an elegant restraint — whitewashed walls, teak accents, and floor-to-ceiling views of turquoise sea. The COMO Shambhala Retreat is among the most celebrated spas in the region, drawing travelers who want not just to vacation, but to exhale completely.
The rhythm of life here is measured in tides and light. Mornings might bring a private yoga session on the sand or a slow breakfast overlooking the water. The day stretches into walks along empty beaches, swims in crystalline shallows, and spa rituals that melt the world away. It’s luxury that whispers rather than shouts — all about space, silence and softness.
What We Like: The refinement of Parrot Cay is in its simplicity. It’s a place that lets the sea do the talking, with service that’s attentive but invisible.
How to Get There: Fly to Providenciales, then take a short boat ride to Parrot Cay.
Peter Island Resort & Spa — British Virgin Islands
Peter Island isn’t just a destination — it’s a legend. After its elegant relaunch, this 1,800-acre private island has returned with a renewed sense of purpose: quiet, polished, and beautifully secluded. Wide beaches curve around emerald hills. Trails wind through palms to lookout points over the sea. The sense of scale is astonishing — yet the guest count remains intentionally low, ensuring that even in its most breathtaking spaces, the island feels like it belongs to you alone.
Lounging on Deadman’s Beach, a beach attendant appears with chilled water before you realize you’re thirsty. Sunset cocktails on a terrace glow in the warm Caribbean dusk. There’s no sense of performance here — just authentic, easy luxury delivered with quiet precision.
What We Like: The new look — and location — of the rooms — is perfect. It feels like its own small world, with elegance woven into every moment.
How to Get There: Fly to Tortola, then take a scenic boat transfer.
Guana Island — British Virgin Islands
Guana Island is the Caribbean distilled to its purest form. With just a few dozen guests at a time, this 850-acre nature reserve is wrapped in water so blue it almost glows. There are seven beaches here — long, untouched stretches of sand that you might have entirely to yourself for the day. A network of quiet trails runs through tropical forest, leading to hidden lookouts.
The accommodations are elegant but unpretentious — breezy cottages and villas designed to disappear into the landscape. Meals are fresh, local, and often sourced right from the island’s own gardens. The days unfold with a rhythm that’s entirely your own: swimming, reading, lingering over lunch, watching the light change. Guana is not about flash. It’s about quiet and place.
This is a very unique way to vacation in the Caribbean — it’s the sort of resort where you could write a novel — or maybe feel like you’re in one.
What We Like: A true private island in every sense — unspoiled, quiet, and soul-stirringly beautiful.
How to Get There: Fly to Tortola, then take a short boat transfer.
Fowl Cay Resort — Bahamas
Tucked in the heart of the Exumas, this private island brings a playful twist to luxury. Each villa comes with its own boat, so guests can explore nearby cays, reefs, and sandbars at their own pace. The sensation of skipping across electric-blue water with no one else in sight is unforgettable. Back on the island, villas are spacious and inviting, with wide decks overlooking the sea and a design that blends Caribbean ease with quiet sophistication.
Fowl Cay isn’t just a place to stay — it’s a place to roam. Mornings might start with a boat ride to a deserted sandbar for breakfast, afternoons spent snorkeling through shallow reefs, and evenings gathered around a glowing firepit with the sound of the sea in the background. It’s luxurious without losing that sense of island playfulness.
And the best part? It’s all-inclusive.
What We Like: A rare mix of five-star comforts and absolute freedom — a private island where every day feels like your own adventure.
How to Get There: Fly to Nassau, Great Exuma or Staniel Cay, then transfer by boat.
Lovango Resort & Beach Club — U.S. Virgin Islands
Lovango, just off St. John, offers the kind of balance few private islands achieve. It has the seclusion of a true island hideaway, but it’s also connected — close enough to St. John and St. Thomas to enjoy the buzz of the Virgin Islands when you want it. The accommodations are contemporary treehouses and breezy suites built to frame the sea, with decks perfect for sunset views.
Days are easy and sun-drenched: snorkeling in clear water, sipping cocktails at the open-air beach club, or taking a short boat over to Cruz Bay for dinner before returning to the hush of the island at night. It’s elegant, but alive — a place that feels as good barefoot as it does dressed up.
What We Like: Lovango combines the freedom of a private island with the vibrant energy of the Virgin Islands. It’s both escape and connection.
How to Get There: Fly to St. Thomas, then quick boat transfer to Lovango.
The Aerial, BVI — British Virgin Islands
On Buck Island, British Virgin Islands, The Aerial is something different. It’s a private island built with intention, centered around wellness, design, and reconnection. Guests wake to soft light over the Sir Francis Drake Channel and begin the day with guided sunrise meditations or ocean swims. The architecture is clean and contemporary, but with natural textures that let the landscape breathe.
Meals are communal and carefully sourced, designed to nourish rather than impress. The days unfold at your pace — kayaking, journaling, paddleboarding, or doing nothing at all. It’s deeply peaceful, with just the right touch of quiet luxury.
What We Like: A private island that puts purpose at its core, blending wellness, design, and a sense of belonging.
How to Get There: Fly to Tortola, then take a private boat transfer.
Cayo Espanto — Belize
This tiny private island off Ambergris Caye may have just seven villas, but each one feels like a world unto itself. Your deck sits almost directly above the water. Private butlers appear with handcrafted cocktails. Meals are customized down to your preferences. Even the placement of lanterns at night feels personal.
The water here is impossibly clear, and during the day the horizon seems to melt into the sky. You can snorkel right from your villa, laze in the shade with a book, or float in silence with no one around. At night, soft breezes move through open rooms as the stars take over the sky.
What We Like: Cayo Espanto is intimacy perfected — privacy, service and beauty in perfect balance.
How to Get There: Fly to Belize City, connect to San Pedro, then transfer by boat.
Kamalame Cay — Bahamas
Just a short flight from Nassau, Kamalame Cay is the kind of private island that whispers luxury rather than announcing it. Spread across 97 acres, it’s lined with palms and warm, white sand, with cottages and bungalows tucked into the landscape like secrets. The overwater spa is the kind of place where you can hear the tide beneath your massage table.
Days are slow and sun-washed. Breakfasts stretch late, beach walks are quiet and soft, and evenings bring a golden light over the shallows. It’s elegant but effortless, the kind of place where guests pad barefoot to dinner and everyone seems to know your name.
What We Like: Kamalame Cay captures the old Caribbean — personal, unhurried, and deeply beautiful.
How to Get There: Fly to Nassau, then charter flight or ferry to Kamalame Cay.
Ray Caye — Belize
Ray Caye is a private island with personality. It blends barefoot Caribbean energy with sustainable luxury, creating a place that’s lively without ever feeling crowded. The reef is just offshore — snorkelers can wander into a world of color within minutes. The villas and rooms are modern but warm, with shaded decks and plenty of space to do absolutely nothing.
Days here have an easy rhythm. Paddle out on a kayak in the morning. Drift in the water in the afternoon. At night, the island glows softly while guests gather at the open-air bar under a sky so full of stars it barely seems real.
What We Like: Ray Caye has a sense of play that many private islands lack — it’s beautiful, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously.
How to Get There: Fly to Belize City, then connect to Placencia and transfer by boat.
Ilet Oscar — Martinique
Off the coast of Le François in Martinique, Ilet Oscar offers a small-scale private island experience with a distinct French Caribbean soul. Accommodations are rustic-chic, surrounded by shallow turquoise lagoons and mangroves. Paddleboards and small boats line the dock, ready for slow adventures.
Days here are meant to be unrushed: floating in the warm shallows, sipping ti’ punch in the shade, or reading as the breeze moves through the palms. It’s not a resort that tries to impress with scale — it charms quietly, with authenticity and a sense of place. This is a no-frills, uber-authentic kind of vacation.
What We Like: A private island that feels personal and real — small, soulful and beautiful.
How to Get There: Fly to Martinique, then take a short boat ride.
Turneffe Island Resort — Belize
On the edge of Turneffe Atoll, this private island is a diver’s dream. The reef is alive and vivid, with legendary dive sites just minutes from shore. But even if you never put on a mask, Turneffe Island Resort is extraordinary: a private cay with elegant wood-and-stone villas, water that seems to glow, and the sound of the sea as your constant companion.
Mornings bring soft light and coffee on your porch. Days are filled with ocean adventures or long stretches of silence. Nights are lit with lanterns, with dinner under the stars and nothing but the water between you and the horizon.
What We Like: A private island wrapped in wild, natural beauty — especially for travelers who love the sea.
How to Get There: Fly to Belize City, then transfer by boat to Turneffe Atoll.
Cooper Island Beach Club — British Virgin Islands
Perched on the western shore of Cooper Island, this intimate, solar-powered eco-resort delivers one of the Caribbean’s most quietly magical private island experiences. Just a short boat ride from Tortola, the property is small — only ten beachfront guest rooms — but its setting is spectacular. Sailboats drift into the bay at sunset, pelicans skim the water, and the golden light at dusk makes the entire island glow. There are no cruise ships, no crowds, and no cars — just the hush of the sea and the steady trade winds.
Days on Cooper Island are made for slowing down. You might snorkel the nearby coral gardens right off the beach, kayak along the calm coast, or linger at the open-air bar with a rum punch in hand. The resort is committed to sustainability, running entirely on solar power and blending naturally into the surrounding landscape. Evenings are best spent at the beachfront restaurant, where lanterns flicker as the last light fades over the Sir Francis Drake Channel.
What We Like: A boutique island escape that feels truly local — sustainable, serene, and breathtakingly beautiful, with a view that makes you stay just a little longer.
How to Get There: Fly to Tortola, then take a short boat transfer to Cooper Island.
Young Island — St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Just a few strokes from St. Vincent lies a lush little island that proves a private island doesn’t need to be out of reach. Young Island is intimate and unpretentious, with cottages tucked into greenery, hammocks strung between palms, and a beach bar that feels delightfully timeless.
Days are shaped by the sea. You can swim or kayak to the mainland, lounge on soft sand with a rum punch in hand, or explore the gardens in the quiet of the afternoon. At night, the sound of the water surrounds you. It’s not trying to be anything but what it is — and that’s the charm.
What We Like: A private island that’s accessible and full of character. It’s an escape that feels deeply Caribbean, and it’s still budget-friendly (
How to Get There: Fly to St. Vincent, then take a two-minute boat ride.
Guy Britton
2025-10-14 22:10:00