T+L’s Hotel Review of Hermitage Bay, Antigua

“It’s beautiful, man,” the Antiguan customs officer said while passing back my passport after I shared my address on the island of the newly renovated Hermitage Bay. “But it’s at the end of a bumpy dirt road—don’t think you’re being kidnapped. Paradise is at the end of the road.” That customs officer’s words proved prophetic.

Antiguans unfailingly mention their 365 beaches—one for each calendar day. The boast typically triggers my explorer reflex: rent a car, circumnavigate, tick off as many as possible. Yet from the moment the breeze hit me while checking into Hermitage Bay, that impulse faded.

The resort’s origin story begins with Andy Thesen, a financier who traded spreadsheets for hospitality, carving this retreat from a sloping hillside in 2006. Today, Daniel Shamoon, the London-based founder of Luxury Hotel Partners, whose constellation includes Nobu outposts in Marrakesh and Marbella, owns the resort. Following a meticulous multi-million-dollar renovation touching everything from dining venues to accommodations, Hermitage Bay emerged renewed on November 1, 2024. And this year, it was voted one of the best resorts in the Caribbean in Travel + Leisure‘s 2025 World’s Best Awards.

Most Caribbean resorts fall into predictable camps: either billionaire bunkers with three staff per guest, or assembly-line all-inclusives where sunburned visitors clutch watery rum punch in plastic cups. Hermitage Bay exists in a refreshing third space—intimate yet unfussy, polished without pretension. “We’re not just competing with Caribbean standards,” Shamoon told me during a sunset boat ride. “We measure ourselves globally.” His vision materializes in the delicate fusion of local authenticity with international sophistication. From offshore, you barely notice it’s there: cottages tucked into green slopes, nothing much taller than the tree line.

This measured approach may explain why I quickly fell into a rhythm that felt earned rather than manufactured: morning swim in clear shallows, grilled catch-of-the-day lunch, afternoon spent watching frigatebirds from a hammock, all without feeling that usual obligation to explore further afield.

That dirt road—the one that had me preparing for a proverbial pot of gold—led exactly where it promised: a place that offers luxury without flash, comfort without condescension.

Below, my full review of Hermitage Bay in Antigua.

The Rooms

Hermitage Bay operates on the principle that less is more—just 30 villa suites in total are scattered on a hillside. Beachfront villas offer direct access to the ocean, while hillside options provide an elevated perspective and additional privacy. Garden suites split the difference: secluded yet closer to morning provisions. All share a design approach that rejects primary colors or rattan excesses.

Madrid-based designer Pilar García de Gonzalo—the mind behind Shamoon’s splashier properties like Nobu—has practiced admirable self-control. The resort’s previous colonial-weighted aesthetic has given way to something intentionally lighter, with Antigua’s persistent sunshine becoming the primary design element. Native woods meet unfussy fabrics, and televisions disappear into wooden panels.

Beachfront Villa Six, my temporary address, carried echoes of high-end Kenyan safari camps, minus potential wildlife disruptions. The split-level deck featured a swing that demanded afternoon occupation, rum punch in hand. Morning coffee here approached ritual status, with the horizon layered in orange and pink and the bay suspended in perfect stillness.

Food and Drink

“All-inclusive dining” fails to capture what Hermitage Bay delivers—an island perspective, which, in multicultural Antigua, means global perspective. The kitchen has assembled appropriate firepower; Liam Smith-Laing (formerly of La Petite Maison) and Sergio Martinez (whose resume includes Nobu) collaborate with Antiguan executive chef Desroy Spence, creating menus that highlight local ingredients.

Breakfast stands out. Beyond predictable offerings appear banana pancakes with house-made coconut syrup or traditional chop-up saltfish. The coffee warrants specific mention: robust without bitterness, setting proper expectations for the day ahead. By midday, the Beach Club beckons with its substantial palapa sheltering, conversations, and memorable plates. The “Spicy Fa Real” hot sauce—created by a staff member—carries enough complexity to warrant export regulations. Between poke bowls and grilled mahi mahi sandwiches, the lunch menu supports afternoon indolence. Find shade, secure a passion fruit mojito, and let waves handle the entertainment.

The Tree Bar’s omakase hour, offering the day’s catch, coincides with sunset.

Surf & Turf barbecue nights warrant strategic fasting beforehand to gobble up the delectable filet mignon and lobster, while dinner spans four courses at the main restaurant, with mains like sauteed tiger prawns with plantain mash and pan-seared snapper. Again, ask for that hot sauce.

Activities and Experiences

Morning yoga sessions on the hillside combine downward dog with upward vistas. Weekly cooking demonstrations reveal how scotch bonnet peppers and callaloo contribute to the local gastronomic lexicon. The protected cove waters guarantee that even first-timers can manage the paddleboards, snorkeling gear, and kayaks without embarrassment. More substantial exploration happens via the resort’s vessels: two speedboats (29- and 44-feet) and a 103-foot sailboat.

Beyond property boundaries, the UNESCO-protected Nelson’s Dockyard transports you back to Antigua’s 18th-century maritime past, while Dow’s Hill Interpretation Center unpacks colonial history. Closer to the resort, Claremont Farms showcases Antigua’s black pineapples—smaller, more concentrated versions of their conventional relatives, with complexity that warrants the trip.

Though my most memorable excursion came to the sibling resort Nobu Barbuda via a 15-minute CalvinAir helicopter flight above water that defies reasonable color description, revealing stark island contrasts. Barbuda stands to Antigua as flatter, less developed, with beaches that recalibrate your standards.

The Spa

The Garden Spa occupies strategic hillside territory where the view handles half the tension reduction before treatment begins. Three modest rooms open to sea air and intermittent birdcalls.

The treatment menu includes rituals, such as the couples-oriented Siddhartha, consisting of foot cleansing with Himalayan salts, tea service, massage, and Champagne on a private veranda. Facials come in three variations—Siddhartha for couples, Goldmund for women using Algae Marine products, and Narzib for men—all incorporating foot massage. The standout element remains the therapists themselves. Mine—Dominican-born with multi-resort experience—worked with precise intuition and healing hands, identifying tension without conversation.

Accessibility

The resort’s hillside location creates inherent mobility issues. Golf carts operate on demand, but guests with significant mobility concerns should consider Beachfront Villa Suites for straightforward access. The property continues to add handrails and ramps to public spaces, but the resort’s topography doesn’t provide complete accessibility.

Book Now

Hermitage Bay is part of Small Luxury Hotels of the World’s SLH Club, where members have access to special rates and room upgrades. Hyatt members can earn or redeem points when booking a stay through Hyatt channels.

The resort is also part of American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts. Cardmembers can access additional benefits, including potential room upgrades, guaranteed late departures, and a $100 resort credit.

Nightly rates at Hermitage Bay start from $1,938.

Every T+L hotel review is written by an editor or reporter who has stayed at the property, and each hotel selected aligns with our core values.