The Best Eco-Friendly Hotels in the Caribbean

Private beach, kids’ club, babysitting services, luxury spa

Turks and Caicos is made up of about 100 islands and cays, but most visitors head to Providenciales, the third-largest and most developed island. It’s home to Grace Bay Club, which sits on Grace Bay Beach, one of Turks and Caicos’ most beautiful beaches. Accommodations start with generous 1,080-square-foot Junior Suites and extend to gorgeous multiroom villas and estates. There’s no shortage of dining options; the seven restaurants and lounges range from the beachfront bar Just Tacos to the award-winning Infiniti Restaurant & Raw Bar.

Private pools, rooftop bar, multiple restaurants and bars

A quiet setting, lush rainforest, and the majestic Piton peaks rising from the Caribbean Sea make St. Lucia a particularly romantic destination. Jade Mountain, St. Lucia’s crown jewel resort, is both stunning and eco-friendly. It grows its own produce, spices, and herbs and has a self-sufficient water supply to avoid putting a strain on the local community. In addition, the property employs a recycling system that treats wastewater to irrigate a nursery for tropical plants and landscaping.

Located on 600 acres of private beachfront, each of the 29 guest sanctuaries has an open concept, private infinity pool or whirlpool, and unparalleled views of the Pitons and the Caribbean Sea. The rooms also feature polished wood floors and locally made wicker furniture (there’s even a woodworking operation on-site). The resort is an ideal location for celebrating a relationship milestone, and couples can spend their time quietly unplugging, getting a poolside couple’s massage, or biking or hiking the property.

Four pools, kids’ playgrounds and activities, yoga studio, spa

Grenada, a small island in the southern Caribbean, is known as the “Spice Island” because of the cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg it produces. It’s dotted with boutique resorts, but True Blue Bay stands out thanks to its charming, brightly colored villas and suites. The guest rooms have high ceilings, ethically sourced wood furniture, and French doors that lead to breezy balconies. The resort minimizes its impact on the environment by using solar energy, energy-efficient appliances, and water-saving faucets and toilets. Additionally, the staff practices other green initiatives like using biodegradable detergents and reusable linen bags and avoiding plastic liners or polystyrene foam. The resort also has its own small banana tree plantation.

Though True Blue Bay is a boutique resort, guests have access to activities like yoga classes, diving excursions, and cooking classes. The heart of the resort is Dodgy Dock Restaurant and Bar, where locals like to hang out over cold beers and dishes like fish tacos and plantain fritters. For guests who want to explore the rest of the island, the resort offers electric cars. Although the property doesn’t have a beach area, the white sands of Grand Anse Beach are just a 10-minute drive away.

Swim-up bar, 7,000-square-foot spa, largest freshwater pool on Grand Cayman

Grand Cayman, the largest of the Cayman Islands, is the country’s tourism hub. It’s less than two hours from Miami and is loved by families seeking a quiet island with lots of water activities. The Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach Resort & Spa underwent a total rejuvenation in 2017, and many of its guest rooms now feature balconies that overlook crystal-clear water. The hotel is conveniently located on a prime stretch of Grand Cayman’s famous Seven Mile Beach, where the calm waters are great for younger family members. The resort also has a kids’ club that provides children ages 4 to 12 with supervised activities.

As part of its rejuvenation, the Westin Grand Cayman utilized eco-conscious materials, and it has an electric car charging station for guests who want to explore the rest of Grand Cayman without creating any emissions. One of the island’s best and most environmentally focused attractions is only 10 minutes away: the Cayman Turtle Center, where visitors can participate in turtle feeding and can see baby turtle nests during the nesting season (April through September).

Wedding services, oceanfront spa, chef-led cooking classes

Jamaica Inn has been entertaining guests since 1950, and it remains popular with travelers who want to kick back on one of the Caribbean's most popular islands. The resort has a collection of charming beachfront cottages, and the interiors are bright and sophisticated, with dark wood furniture and contrasting white plantation shutters. Located in Ocho Rios, the resort helps travelers explore the local area by offering botanical garden tours, glass-bottom boat tours, and day trips to Dunn’s River Falls.

The resort has its own foundation, the Jamaica Inn Foundation, which works to preserve the natural beauty of the surrounding area through strategic partnerships. Jamaica Inn has also helped to restore the local fish population through a partnership with the White River Fish Sanctuary. Another initiative is the Oracabessa Bay Turtle Project, which monitors and protects endangered hawksbill sea turtles, resulting in the release of over 250,000 sea turtles.

Certified dive center, four bars and restaurants, two pools, on-resort car rental

Curaçao lets travelers explore pretty beaches, desert landscapes, and Willemstad, the island’s colorful Dutch Caribbean capital. For affordable accommodations, head to LionsDive Beach Resort. The comfortable, contemporary rooms have beachy decor and lime-green armchairs. All rooms have a balcony or patio for enjoying evening sunsets or a morning cup of coffee. A selection of group fitness classes and hiking excursions are included in your stay, and guests can take a dip in the Olympic-size swimming pool or enjoy a meal under the stars at Hemingway, the resort’s main dining venue.

In terms of sustainability, the resort provides guests with a reusable water bottle that can be filled at points across the resort, and there’s also a solar panel farm on the property that provides 70 percent of the hotel’s electricity. LionsDive also supports several environmental education programs, like GreenKidz, which educates Curaçaoan youth on environmental initiatives. The hotel promotes diving and snorkeling programs through the Reef Renewal Foundation Curacao, which helps restore and protect coral reefs around the island.

On-site restaurant, in-room spa services, activities concierge

For those in search of a secluded vacation, The Waves Cane Bay offers a unique, cliffside hideaway on picturesque St. Croix, part of the U.S. Virgin Islands. There are only 11 suites, each with a large furnished patio overlooking the water. The rooms have a rustic, bohemian feel, with plaster walls, wood platform beds, and natural jute rugs.

The hotel’s seafood restaurant, AMA Cane Bay, is one of the top restaurants in St. Croix and has a serious commitment to sustainability. It partners with local divers and farmers to produce fresh, delicious dishes like Caribbean lobster-tail and egg-drop amok. In addition, the restaurant’s bar, Sunset Bar, serves up inventive cocktails. Though the hotel lacks a sandy shore, St. Croix’s famous white-sand beaches are just five minutes away.

Golf course, in-room spa treatments, guided hikes

Belle Mont Farm has the distinction of being the only farm-to-table hotel in St. Kitts, an island known for its black-sand beaches and mountainous terrain. Nestled on 400 acres of farmland, the property invites travelers to get off the beaten path and immerse themselves in nature. Guests can stay in a three- or four-bedroom villa or a private cottage. Rooms are designed with traditional Caribbean decor and have exposed beam ceilings, four-poster beds, and French doors that open onto verandas looking out over the mountains.

The property is a working organic farm, which means visitors get an up-close look at where their meals come from. The highlight of the resort is its farm-to-table dining experiences. There are four restaurants to choose from, including the Farm Table, where guests gather around a 30-foot table for a meal of homemade bread, brick oven-roasted lamb, and freshly picked vegetables under the stars. Though the property is a farm, there are also resort amenities like an infinity pool with a bar and a golf course. It also has a helpful concierge service that can plan snorkeling, bird-watching, and surfing excursions.

Walk-in wine cellar, outdoor spa, beach restaurant, and bar

Petit St. Vincent is a privately owned island about 40 miles south of St. Vincent. Sprawling across 115 pristine acres, the resort is an ideal vacation spot if you want to completely unplug. The exclusive property offers one- and two-bedroom villas with glass sliding doors that open onto private decks, walls constructed from volcanic stone, and beds draped in soft Italian linens. Though most travelers will probably be content to spend their time lounging on the private island, the resort also offers day trips to nearby islands like Carriacou and Union Island.

One of the island’s sustainability initiatives includes a reverse osmosis desalination plant that turns ocean water into tap water for guests. The resort also has its own bottling plant that supplies guests with reusable glass bottles. In addition, the resort chef sources ingredients from the on-site garden, and the resident chickens supply eggs for breakfast. Finally, the hotel has partnered with the Philip Stephenson Foundation and CLEAR Caribbean to create a coral reef nursery to repopulate nearby reefs.