At these beachfront lodgings, sand is the only thing between your room and the water.Petit St. Vincent -- The GrenadinesHere's a place where you could easily spend your entire vacation between your room and the beach. The 113-acre private island is home to 22 cottages, and numbers 6 through 11 are steps from the water. Each ultra-private stone cottage (sans TV and phone) features a wooden sundeck, living room and bedroom. You can beckon staff using a flag system: Hoisting yellow signifies you want something (piña coladas, a picnic set up on the beach, sunscreen), while red means "Do Not Disturb." Eat. Sleep. Beach. Repeat. Book: Cottages 6 to 11. Rates: From $635 in low season ($960 high). Contact: 800-654-9326; psvresort.com
Cabañas la Conchita -- Tulum, MexicoStep into your cabaña from the sandy courtyard and turn the clock way back. Candles sub for electricity (6 p.m. to 10 p.m. only), and you won't find a TV or air conditioning anywhere in sight -- just back-to-basics living 20 paces from the water's edge with a solar-heated shower, a comfortable bed with voluminous mosquito netting and a patio hammock for listening to the slip slap of the surf. Everything else you need -- drinks, eats, water sports -- is a short walk away along a gorgeous beach. Book: Cabaña #1. Rates: From $110 including breakfast in low season ($160 high), cash only. Contact: 888-582-9848; differentworld.com
Bucuti Beach Resort -- ArubaA stay at the Euro-chic, 104-room Bucuti Beach Resort will put you on the white sands of Eagle Beach, the low-rise alternative to Palm Beach. You'll want one of the 36 oceanfront Tara Beach Suites, which have up-to-date amenities, kitchens, living rooms and primo views. If you get thirsty while sunbathing, simply plant a handy flag in the sand, and a bar attendant comes to take your order. Now that's what we call service. Book: Tara Beach Suites. Rates: $375 in low season ($495 high). Contact: 011-297-583-1100; bucuti.com
Cape Santa Maria Beach Resort -- Long Island, BahamasYou're practically sleeping on the sand at this charming Long Island gem. From the 20 one-story bungalows it's a hop across the boardwalk to the resort's private beach (which, by the way, is 4 miles long). Each one-room Bahamian-style unit has a private veranda, air conditioning, coffee maker and minifridges; larger parties can book a two-bedroom condo (ask for a bottom-floor unit in these two-story buildings). The Beach House restaurant provides a superb sunset-watching perch. Book: Bungalows. Rates: $235 to $595 in low season ($325 to $795 high). Contact: 800-663-7090; capesantamaria.com
Emerald Palms Resort -- South Andros, BahamasFirst you have to get yourself to funky Congo Town airstrip; then head north to the village of Driggs Hill. By then you know you're someplace way, way off the beaten track. Emerald Palms, in a grove beside a beach that goes on for 5 miles, has been around for years but is now blossoming under new management. Its 22 motel-like cottages line up in two neat rows at right angles to the beach, so only two rooms and two oceanfront villas let you step directly onto the sand. A backwater the location may be, but the accommodations are kitted out with refinements like canopy beds, marble floors and whirlpool tubs. Book: Oceanfront one-bedroom villa or Rooms 101 and 102. Rates: From $395 in low season ($495 high). Contact: 800-504-1794; emerald-palms.com
| InterContinental Presidente Cozumel Resort Spa -- CozumelThe 63 Beachfront Superior rooms and Reef Suites Deluxe at this recently renovated five-star resort offer direct access to la playa, as well as amenities like flat-screen TVs, coffee makers, outdoor shower areas and private terraces with loungers, gliders and hammocks. The 1,400-square-foot reef suites are more expensive, but for snorkel fanatics these rooms also offer primo entry to the National Marine Park. |
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| Book: Beachfront Superior rooms and Reef Suites Deluxe. Rates: Beachfront rooms from $307 in low season ($542 high); reef suites from $847 in low season ($1,308 high). Contact: 888-424-6835; ichotelsgroup.com | |
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