speedbird001

I have been traveling to the Caribbean for over 30 years and just spent 10 days at what I believe to be one of the last remaining true luxury hideaway resorts on by far one of the nicest beaches in the Caribbean. I have also been a subscriber to Hideaway Report for over 30 years and this is the type of place that the real Andrew Harper would have written about many years ago.

We stayed at the Barbuda Belle Hotel on the island of Barbuda http://www.barbudabelle.com/. Barbuda is an island off the coast of Antigua. I have not included any of my own photos as the ones on their website are better than mine and entirely accurate.

It is very remote. You fly to Antigua, then air charter to Barbuda and then it’s a 15 minute boat ride to the resort which is only accessible by boat. They gave us a complimentary helicopter ride one way as we stayed more than seven nights. Once you are there, you stay, as there is very little else on the island.

There are 6 cottages, all very private, spacious, well designed and made of natural wood imported from Bali. They are all identical except for one unit which has two bedrooms. The bathrooms are large, attractive with great showers. Should it matter, the resort is green; generating its own solar power.

Each cottage comes with its own secluded and private beach area with chaises and umbrellas.

The restaurant, lounge and bar are stunning with outdoor or indoor dining although meals will be served wherever you want including the beach or your cottage. I found the overall service (for the Caribbean) top notch.

The food is prepared by their French chef, Jean-Louis. Besides from speaking little English, we communicated easily and he was eager to please us with fresh breads, daily fresh caught fish and lobster and the more mundane but exceptional items like a club sandwich made with freshly roast chicken, homemade bread, homemade mayonnaise and homemade French fries. Other meals included fresh caught red snapper and conch ceviche.

Don’t expect a lot of activities. While they provide hobie cats, paddle boards and kayaks there is not much to do. The hotel is on a stunning, powder sand 11 mile beach where my wife and I took daily walks. During our entire stay we saw only eight other people along the beach who were not hotel guests. This is a very, very, quiet place. Mobile phone service is good and so is Wi-Fi but go to relax and get away.

You can mingle with the other guests or be completely on your own.

The resort is only in its second year so is still going through some adjustments but overall, I rate this very highly and we will return next year.

obscure2k

Thanks, speedbird001. Looks divine and definitely something new to consider.

anaggie

Would you mind sharing the cost per night of this place? Is it all-inclusive plan?

speedbird001

Rates are on the website and vary according to the time of year. Breakfast is included. I spent about $50 on lunch and $100 on dinner. There is a 22% service charge added.

Fa Hz

looks stunning! would also be interested to know the cost

obscure2k

I was unable to find the rates on the website. Google showed rates starting at approx $900 a day, depending on season. IMHO, seems to be a good value, particularly as compared to comparable properties in the world. Surely, easier to get to Barbuda than Maldives (from U.S.)

sbm12

Getting to Antigua from the USA is marginally easier now than in years prior; B6 added flights to help out. And the new airport is pretty nice. The short hop up from there up to Barbuda is fun.

But both Antigua and Barbuda are feeling pressure to develop much "stronger" tourism infrastructure to help bolster the economy. That includes a multi-billion dollar development on Barbuda backed by Robert De Niro. Admittedly on the opposite side of Barbuda, but still the potential to massively shift the on-island experience.

Also, from the website:

FlyingDoctorwu

Looks great but the bungalows appear closer to each other than I would have thought (given that there are only 6 and there is a lot of beach).

fdw

speedbird001

Trust me. The bungalows are far enough from each other so that you feel you have privacy.

The high season rate is about $1,200 per day for two people.

obscure2k

How far in advance did you make your reservation?

Pausanias

Barbuda was once very trendy when the late Diana, Princess of Wales put the K Club on the map there. I seem to recall that Robert de Niro has recently bought that property as sbm12 says above.

mumum17

Very interested...are the rates the same or how do they vary depending on bungalow?

Thinking that this may be an option in July.

**EDIT**

I found pricing on expedia for $1025 for one bedroom and $2025 for two bedroom. So it seems that priocing varies by number of rooms and not location.

Another question, I wonder how this compares to Cayo Espanto in Belize. They both seem to have similar setup.

speedbird001

About 3 months but my dates were flexible.

speedbird001

All the units are identical and I would say all offer the same degree (more or less) of privacy. There are 6 units but one with two bedrooms. They are all individual cottages.

mumum17

Thanks...really appreciate you sharing.