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Photo by: Victor Elias

Close your eyes and imagine a Caribbean hotel room. What do you see? Wicker furniture, soothing pastels and watercolor prints? A British-colonial vision of ornate mahogany four-posters, imposing armoires and heavy floral drapes? Eyes wide open now: If the aesthetic trend in hotel design continues to take hold, you might have a harder time finding that kind of time-tested, traditional West Indian décor.

More and more, hotel designers are moving away from carved wood, bright patterns and tropical motifs in favor of a new approach. In its purest form, this look is spacious and spare – a carefully edited amalgam of muted colors, clean lines and contemporary furnishings that imparts a sleek, urban ambience that wouldn't look out of place in Miami or Manhattan. Tropical Minimal, you could call it. At first glance, the look may seem austere and self-consciously "design-y," but there's function in its form. Rather than compete with the vibrant Caribbean palette just outside, this new, subtle décor yields the spotlight to it. When it's done well, Tropical Minimal also uses local elements - native hardwoods, stone, traditional fabrics - to capture an authentic sense of place.

SEVEN WITH STYLE

AMANYARA
PROVIDENCIALES
"The Turks and Caicos Islands don't have a specific architectural style, so we decided to create our own," says Amanyara's architect, Jean-Michel Gathy. The resort on the west end of Provo conveys a simple and luxurious feel in its generously proportioned suites by applying an addition-by-subtraction principle to furnishings and accessories - forbidding, for example, such "design redundancies" as pillows and throws. Come sundown, the resort illuminates its large reflecting pools and acres of man-made lakes to dramatic effect.
From $1,100 in low season ($1,450 high). amanresorts.com

KAMIQUE
ANGUILLA
In the main living quarters of Kamique's six villas on Anguilla's south shore, there's almost no distinction between indoors and out. Designed by New York architect Lee H. Skolnick, the four- to six-bedroom retreats blend clean, Asian lines with more traditional island touches like wooden shingles and open-beamed ceilings. The pièce de résistance: a wide-open layout that embraces the mesmerizing panorama of turquoise sea and St. Martin hills just beyond the pool deck. "Contemporary Caribbean," Ira Bloom, one of Kamique's managing partners, calls it, "with a touch of Zen."  
From $3,000 in low season ($3,500 high). kamique.com

CARLISLE BAY
ANTIGUA
"Our rooms are designed to be a calming backdrop for the lushness of the island," says Gordon Campbell Gray, Carlisle Bay's owner and the man behind hip London boutique hotel One Aldwych. Known for their subtle and understated style, Carlisle Bay's 82 ocean-view suites are havens of uncontrived luxury. Which doesn't mean the resort is a theme park for conspicuous consumption. "The hotel isn't about bling or ostentation," Campbell Gray insists. "It's for people who want to escape the razzmatazz and just relax."
From $775 in low season ($1,150 high). carlislebay.com

AQUA
CANCUN
A muted palette of white, beige, chocolate and (of course) aqua harmonizes with the focus on tranquility and well-being at this 371-room high-rise. Reopened last December after a days-before-Hurricane-Wilma false start, the resort feels like an oasis, worlds away from the hubbub of the Hotel Zone, thanks to designer Francisco Hanhausen's calming décor of dark wood, marble floors and Mexican onyx accents. The spa-like ambience continues with fountains and chimes in each room and aromatherapeutic scent diffusers on every floor.
From $319 in low season ($499 high). feel-aqua.com

SAN JUAN WATER & BEACH CLUB HOTEL
PUERTO RICO
Beds dressed in ecru linens are positioned - sometimes on the diagonal - to exploit expansive ocean views. An elegant espresso headboard conceals a cantilevered glass desk, and Murano glass doors ensure nothing disturbs a guest's repose. Theatrical lighting sets the mood after dark, when night owls roost at the stylish rooftop Wet Bar. This 78-room beachfront boutique stands out among San Juan's towering chain hotels for its splashy design, and its attentive service lures guests to return.
From $99 per person in low season ($138 high). waterbeachclubhotel.com

HOTEL SECRETO
ISLA MUJERES
A Greek Islands honeymoon provided the inspiration for Scott Boyan and his wife Maria Del Mar's 12-suite labor of love. Neither had a background in design, but they knew exactly what they wanted: a stylish, casual beachfront inn open to the elements, with rooms decorated in sleek, modern style. Mission accomplished: Their realized dream features airy suites, teak daybeds covered in white terrycloth clustered around a cubist pool, and a refreshingly unpretentious and welcoming atmosphere that's in synch with the chilled-out Isla Mujeres vibe.
From $225 year-round. hotelsecreto.com

ME CANCUN
MEXICO
Lounge music reverberates through a dramatic lobby kitted out with mod sculptures and a striking water feature. "We use art, design, scent and music to take our guests on a sensory journey," says ME Cancún's Johnny Sfeir. The hotel's "sensorial architecture" encompasses everything from in-suite whirlpool tubs to custom-blended aromatherapy scents diffused in public areas. Inside the 448 rooms, dark wood furnishings hold techie treats like surround-sound stereos and MP3 docking stations. Even the guests seem to have beamed down from a hipper, more stylish planet.
From $195 in low season ($225 high). mebymelia.com