Luxury hotel holiday Jumby Bay Antigua

Two miles off the northeast coast of Antigua, Jumby Bay Island, cut adrift on the Caribbean Sea and reached only by boat, is surrounded by bone-white beach and a mosaic of turquoise shallows. Here, occupying nearly a third of the island's 300 acres, the Jumby Bay resort is an exclusive, achingly elegant beachfront hotel crowned by a creakingly elegant, 180-year old stone-and-mahogany Estate House. Jumby Bay is an exceptional island hideaway, one of the most beautiful and now one of the most luxurious in the Caribbean. Scattered either side of the Estate House, Jumby Bay's rooms, suites and villas nestle amongst coconut palms and lush tropical foliage. Inviting the outdoors in, rooms have open-air bathrooms in lush, private courtyards, the scent of orchids and bougainvilleas drifting in on the breeze, the sound of sea on sand gently murmuring as you go to sleep. Rich in indigenous materials, including woven bamboo mats, cane chairs and rich teak furnishings, rooms have private verandas and elegant four-posters, echoing the island's colonial past. The jewel in Jumby Bay's newly polished crown is its spa. This has six treatment suites arranged around a serene sculpture garden, with sea-views from the terrace of every suite rivalled only by those from the spectacular Oceanfront Infinity Pool, one of two pools at the hotel. Also renovated, the open-air Verandas restaurant and bar at the Jumby Bay hotel serves market-fresh produce and same-day caught seafood in a stunning setting overlooking the beach. It also boasts a new cook school. Alternatively, there is a brasserie by the pool, as well as Mediterranean fine-dining in the graceful Estate House Restaurant, which has one of the most extensive wine cellars in the Caribbean. Lined by white-cushioned sun loungers, thatched umbrellas, and hammocks strung between palm trees, Jumby Bay beach is a sumptuous spot for hours of unrepentant indolence, with frosted daiquiris and fresh sorbets delivered by friendly, attentive staff. Across the island, Pasture Bay Beach is one of many secluded beaches you can reach by bike along shaded nature trails. A natural preserve for endangered Hawksbill Turtles, the beach can double as the ultimate private picnic spot, with staff delivering hampers while you swim and sunbath. Spectacularly luxurious and located in one of the most sumptuous of settings in Antigua, the Jumby Bay hotel is a private-island resort to match any in the Caribbean.