The Tryall Club
Tryall's 2,200-acre hillside property has 70 lavish, individually owned, staffed villas and 13 less extravagant (but equally comfortable) Great House suites with splendid coastline views. For golfers, scenic shoreline and hillside fairways challenge all levels. (The back tee on the signature par-four 7th hole requires a clean drive through the arches of a historic aqueduct.) Expert caddies may pick you a mango or star fruit from the trees that line the fairways.
Greens Fees: $70 in low season ($100 high), excluding caddy and cart.
For Kids: Supervised activities for 5- to 12-year-olds in the Hummingbird Kids Club include treasure hunts, face painting and beach Olympics. The Golf for Kids three-day clinic, offered during school breaks, is $40.
Other Diversions: Practice your backhand on nine tennis courts, borrow a sailboat or snorkel gear from the water-sports center or play croquet on the beachside lawn. Villa owners and hotel guests socialize at weekly barbecues.
Suites from $393 in low season ($550 high); 800-238-5290; tryallclub.com
El Conquistador Resort & Golden Door Spa
This 750-room cliff-side retreat is close to the must-see El Yunque rainforest – and within a 30-minute drive of four golf courses. For golfers, all 18 holes on the par-72 Arthur Hill layout have El Yunque or Atlantic views. The undulating course, which varies in elevation by as much as 200 feet, is so scenic that guests rent carts to cruise the fairways at sunset.
Greens Fees: $120 in low season ($210 high), including compulsory carts.
For Kids: The Camp Coqui kid's club entertains the 4-to-12-year-old set with board and video games, volleyball tournaments and trips to private Palomino Island. Under-12s can also golf with their parents on special "Iguana" tees. The club fee of $75 a day includes lunch and snacks.
Other Diversions: With a Golden Door Spa, 1,000-acre private island, 23 restaurants, seven pools and tennis courts, Coqui Water Park, casino and rainforest excursions, there's no shortage of activities.
From $199 in low season ($324 high); 888-543-1282; elconresort.com
Rio Mar Beach Resort
This pet-friendly, 500-acre Wyndham resort offers 600 rooms and 72 suites (some allergen-free) with Atlantic, mountain and golf-course vistas. For golfers, there are two championship courses – Tom and George Fazio's 6,716-yard on-site Ocean Course and Greg Norman's 6,902-yard River Course at Rio Mar Country Club. A limited number of tee times per hour (eight foursomes per course) permit leisurely play.
Greens Fees: $140 in low season ($199 high), including GPS-equipped carts. Twilight rates (after 2 p.m.) begin at $125.
For Kids: Iguana Kids Club operates every day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., offering crafts, iguana feeding, and golf and tennis lessons for children 4 through 12. The $75 daily fee includes lunch and a T-shirt. Kids' Night Out, featuring an ice-cream party and a talent show, is $65, including dinner.
Other Diversions: Rio Mar's size has its advantages, namely a 13-court tennis complex; two oceanfront swimming pools surrounded by a 20,000-square-foot deck; the Mandara Spa; seven restaurants; and a 150-slot casino.
From $145 in low season ($225 high); 877-636-0636; riomar.com
The Buccaneer
Sixty-two years old and still going strong, this family-owned hotel has welcomed generations to its hillside property bordered by a trio of sandy coves. For golfers, the 18-hole, par-70 hill course has views of the bay and Christiansted from most holes, and features a par-three hole surrounded by the sea on three sides. Walkable yet challenging, it's a perfect course for vacation play.
Greens Fees: $40 in low season ($80 high).
For Kids: At Buccaneer Kids' Camp, young ones ages 4 through 12 enjoy arts and crafts and movies. Other activities in the free program include crab racing on the beach, croquet and sand-castle building competitions.
Other Diversions: There's a comprehensive water-sports facility and guests can lounge on three private beaches. The hotel also offers eight tennis courts, nature and history walks, watercolor painting classes, live music every evening, a jogging trail and a spa. Tuesday afternoon manager's parties are family-friendly.
From $295 in low season ($360 high); 800-255-3881; www.thebuccaneer.com
St. Kitts Marriott Resort
Beachfront at Frigate Bay, this expansive 449-room hotel is by far the largest on the island. For golfers, Royal St. Kitts Golf Club's par-71 layout boasts two rare features: holes on both the Caribbean and the Atlantic, and Audubon sanctuary certification recognizing its commitment to sustainable tourism. A dozen lakes and 83 bunkers are offset by wide fairways, and the course also has bunker and chipping practice areas as well as a 20,000-square-foot tee deck on the driving range.
Greens Fees: $125 in low season ($150 high).
For Kids: Parents can enroll children ages 5 through 12 in the Pirates of St. Kitts Club, where the fee of $45 a day ($25 for a half day) covers activities such as Caribbean carnival, deep-sea discovery day and movies in the kids' club theater. A videogame arcade occupies teens.
Other Diversions: Win big at the Royal Beach Casino or soothe the sting of losses at Emerald Mist Spa. Dining options are plentiful at eight restaurants, and the hotel also offers water sports, three pools, tennis and volleyball.
From $100 in low season ($255 high); 869-466-1200; marriott.com/stkitts
Raffles Canouan Resort
It's all about service at this 300-acre resort, which is bordered by three picture-perfect beaches, calm seas and a coral reef. For golfers, Trump International Golf Club's Jim Fazio design leads players up hill and down dale to a breathtaking view of aquamarine seas and picturesque cays seen from the 13th tee. The championship-caliber course offers only six slots per hour, so it never feels crowded.
Greens Fees: $220 year-round, including cart.
For Kids: When they're not prowling the grounds on treasure hunts, 4- to 14-year-old members of the complimentary Sugar Palm Kids' Club gather for cookie baking, mask and T-shirt painting, water games and golf lessons on the practice range.
Other Diversions: Each room in the 156 villas comes with its own golf cart to ferry guests to four restaurants, a four-court tennis complex or the Amrita Spa's over-water treatment suites. There's a European-style casino, and guests can hike 900-foot-high Mount Royal, which sits on the property and is the island's highest point.
From $495 in low season ($850 high); 869-466-1200; www.rafflescanouan.com
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