Forbes: The 8 Best New Resorts In The Caribbean, According To The 2025 World Travel Awards

Once a year, the World Travel Awards honor the most stunning properties in the Caribbean highlighting properties that are setting the standard for luxury, innovation and elevated guest experiences. The awards took place in St Lucia in October, where the Best of the Caribbean and Americas winners were revealed.

Traveler interest in the Caribbean is soaring in 2025, and a new report by the Caribbean Tourism Association reveals the top 10 most-visited islands: Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, The Bahamas, Jamaica, Aruba, Martinique, St Maarten, Barbados and St. Kitts.

“The nominees this year represent the bold, beautiful future of luxury hospitality,” says Graham Cooke, founder of the World Travel Awards. “Each is a masterclass in innovation and world-class service—redefining what it means to escape to paradise in 2025.” This year’s field highlights some of the most stunning properties in the Caribbean, with Turks and Caicos leading the pack with multiple resorts. The Dominican Republic also features prominently with several new hotels.

From new openings to island retreats, these nominees for Best New Resort and Best Island Resort in the Caribbean offer up some of the very best sunny destination escapes.

This all-inclusive family resort is the largest hotel in Jamaica, nestled between Montego Bay and Negril. There are 590 suites (the ground floor swim-out rooms are the best option), nine restaurants and eight bars as well as three pools and a large aquatic park. Plans are underway for a new casino to open in the near future.

This beachfront property located on Dickenson Bay features 12 overwater suites with their own infinity plunge pool, over-water hammock, and glass floor viewing windows. This adults-only, all-inclusive resort has 235 rooms and suites (including walkout oceanfront suites) with five bars, seven restaurants and a spa.

On the quiet island of South Caicos, the property offers 100 ocean-facing rooms and suites with butler service. There are six dining options, four swimming pools, an extensive spa, and prime beachfront on Salterra Beach, where it is the only resort. I was the first writer to do a hardhat tour of the property and can attest it is a stunner; photographs do not do it justice. This is the perfect family retreat with cool kids clubs and far away from the crowds of the neighboring islands.

The brand’s debut resort in the Caribbean is set around a lush lagoon and enjoys a prime spot by the child-friendly La Sagesse Bay with its shallow warm waters. There are 56 pool suites and 15 villas, ranging from one or two to four bedrooms, all with large outdoor terraces and private plunge pools. The two floor spa and yoga pavilion is a stunner overlooking the lagoon.

This oceanfront resort and marina is located on the southern shores of Providenciales, and features 92 waterfront accommodations with great amenities including dedicated butlers, and the island’s first ocean swimming lagoon. The property consists of four unique neighborhoods: Ocean Estate Villas, Lagoon Villas, The Boathouses and Arc, all of which offer waterfront rooms.

Located directly on popular Palm Beach, this new property features 252 large rooms, including 52 suites with the pools offering direct beach access. Guests enjoy The St. Regis Spa and Aruba’s first St. Regis Casino. I was the first writer to tour this new property while in construction, and it has a wonderful beachfront layout that is perfect for families.

Located on the southern side of the Cap Cana resort, this new property offers 200 rooms, including 36 luxury suites and ground-floor suites that have swim-out areas. There is a St. Regis Spa and exclusive spaces like The Amber Room cigar bar. The property is also adjacent to the Jack Nicklaus Signature 

Located close to Los Corales Beach and Cortecito Beach this all-inclusive resort is created in partnership with Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal. With architecture designed around open spaces, the resort boasts swim-up suites, pools, a beach club and seven restaurants.

This new property is located on the site of a former sugar and coconut plantation from the late 1790s. There are 39 private retreats and 80 rooms and suites. The two-story cottages offer up large rooms with marble bathrooms. There are seven gourmet restaurants and bars, a 12,000-square-foot spa with a volcanic-stone pool and Japanese cold plunge pool. Activities are plentiful here, including a stunning golf course.

Nestled along the shores of Nassau's famous Cable Beach, Rosewood Baha Mar Resort is located within the sprawling Baha Mar resort. The resort has 221 rooms and suites with four bars and restaurants, state-of-the-art fitness and wellness facilities at Sense, a Rosewood Spa and a three-tiered courtyard pool.

South Caicos recently celebrated its first-ever direct flight from Miami making it much more accessible. The Sailrock Resort feels more like a private residential community, with large villas dotting its rough and wild terrain. At the center of Sailrock is the beachy vibe Great House where guests mix and mingle for meals and drinks.

This private-island resort features 52 guest accommodations facing the marina, as well as a collection of two to six-bedroom villas, an Ixora Spa, gourmet restaurants, two private beaches, a large pool with waterslide, and a 55-slip marina.

Rounding out the honors are seven private island resorts that can be rented out entirely, with four properties in the Bahamas leading the pack. These include Fowl Cay Resort, Kamalame Cay, Musha Cay and Over Yonder Cay. Turks and Caicos has two, Ambergris Cay and The Meridian Club Pine Cay; meanwhile in the British Virgin Islands, Richard Bransons Necker Island rounds out the list. Winner of the 2025 Best Award went to Ambergris Cay.