Four Seasons has three exclusive hotels in the Caribbean, Four Seasons Resort Nevis vs. Four Seasons Resort and Residences Anguilla vs. the newly opened The Ocean Club, Bahamas, A Four Seasons Resort, but which is the best in the Caribbean?
Four Seasons has had a presence in the Caribbean for more than 25 years, having operated Four Seasons Resort Nevis since 1990. Four Seasons Resort and Private Residences Anguilla was the second resort in the company’s Caribbean collection. The Ocean Club, Bahamas, A Four Seasons Resort is the third.
The first thing to point out is that all of the Carribean Four Seasons are great. Four Seasons is an extremely consistent hotel brand, meaning there are no “dud” hotels. They are all great and all comparative. We are always excited to book clients into Four Seasons hotels because they offer a consistently excellent product, particularly in their bathrooms and service, which is second to none and makes even the most remote destination feel like home.
The Ocean Club in the busy Bahamas is sophisticated in the Caribbean, oozing history and class. The Four Seasons Resort Anguilla offers an amazing beach and numerous Instagramable moments. Four Seasons Resort Nevis is a barefoot luxury kind of place on the mountainous and more remote island of Nevis.
All three resorts offer luxury travelers more ways to embrace turquoise waters, tropical gardens, and unforgettable island life. We book many of our luxury travel concierge clients into these three resorts and have had brilliant feedback from all three.
While there is no Four Seasons loyalty program, we have outlined 10 ways to get a discount at any Four Seasons hotel, so you can be sure that you are getting the best deal.
- Best For Couples: The Ocean Club, Bahamas, A Four Seasons Resort & Four Seasons Anguilla
- Best For Families With Kids: our Seasons Resort Nevis followed by The Ocean Club, Bahamas. The Anguilla Four Seasons is on a cliff edge with steps down to the beach so it is less suitable for families
- Best For Instagram Sunsets: Four Seasons Anguilla with amazing views. You can have a sunset cocktail in their infinity pool
- Best For Barefoot, Sand Between The Toes Meals & Cocktails: Four Seasons Resort Nevis
- Best For Relaxed Ambiance: Four Seasons Resort Nevis
- Best For Historic Glamour: The Ocean Club, Bahamas, A Four Seasons Resort
- Best For Peace & Quiet On The Beach: The Ocean Club, Bahamas, A Four Seasons Resort
- Best For Private Plunge Pools: Four Seasons Anguilla
- Best For Golf: The Ocean Club, Bahamas, A Four Seasons Resort & Four Seasons Resort Nevis
1. The Ocean Club, Bahamas, A Four Seasons Resort
The Ocean Club, Bahamas, A Four Seasons Resort welcomes the discerning jet set to its beachside garden-like ambiance. Beyond the five-mile stretch of ivory-white sand, a legendary Bahamian enclave awaits, filled with iconic experiences and delights.
Situated just off the Bahamian capital of Nassau, the property began as the private estate of a Swedish industrialist. It was later acquired by an American businessman and philanthropist who built the original 52-room hotel and golf course in 1962. In 2014, upon acquisition by Access Industries (who also own Grand Hotel Du Cap Ferrat, one of our favorite Four Seasons hotels), millions of dollars were invested in room renovations, a new oceanfront pool, and world-class restaurants.
The historic and glamorous Ocean Club on Paradise Island in the Bahamas became a Four Seasons hotel and resort on November 30, 2017. It had long been one of the world’s great resorts, and it now brings a Four Seasons experience in the Bahamas for luxury travelers.
Since opening in 1962, The Ocean Club has hosted the world’s most discerning guests at its picture-perfect location on a five-mile (eight-kilometer) white-sand beach along azure waters. Highlights include Versailles-inspired lawns and gardens, and rooms are housed in low-level buildings set around these gardens. The largest rooms include cottages and villas.
The Resort offers five restaurants and bars, including DUNE by Michelin-starred Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten; plus, there are three pools and six tennis courts, access to the adjacent Tom Weiskopf-designed Ocean Club golf course, all edged by a tranquil spa. There are several indoor and outdoor event spaces for up to 250 guests if you want to hold your wedding here or a corporate event.
The genuine warmth of the Bahamian people matches the personalized service that only Four Seasons can deliver, creating a truly authentic Caribbean experience unlike anything else on Paradise Island.
The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort, Bahamas, did not find itself in the path of Hurricane Dorian not have been in its path. But the hotel and its guests have offered support in the wake of the Hurricane’s destructive path over parts of The Bahamas.
The best things about The Ocean Club:
- The grounds stretch down the picture-perfect shores and a beautiful beach
- The hotel offers a deeply historic ambiance and glamour, something that the other Four Seasons in the Caribbean don’t. This resort oozes sophistication
- Comfy seating is dotted around in cute courtyards between the hotel’s historic buildings, offering unique spaces to relax
- Villa Residences have private pools
- The resort has a number of pools, including an infinity pool overlooking the ocean
- The beach has golden-white sands, and loungers are strategically placed with plenty of distance between them, ensuring relative privacy on the sands. Beaches don’t get better than this
2. Four Seasons Resort Nevis
Four Seasons Nevis is located along the stunning Pinney’s beach, the most beautiful beach on Nevis. A vast array of facilities, including golf, spa, watersports, and a fantastic children’s club, make this one of the hotels for families with children in the Caribbean.
From the moment you catch a glimpse of the iconic Nevis Peak upon arrival, you will become enveloped by the lush surroundings, with the sound of palm trees swaying in the wind and the feel of sugar-soft sand between your toes.
Four Seasons Resort Nevis has been busy re-envisioning guest rooms and suites and updating the look of the Great House lobby. It has also recently opened new food and beverage outlets, EsQuilina and crowned monkey RUM BAR. The main signature pool has been redesigned, and their new restaurant – On the Dune – extends out onto the sand, so you can dine right on the seashore.
The Resort’s signature pool was reconstructed and raised to create one long sightline from the Great House lobby straight out to the Caribbean Sea horizon. This makes it an incredible spot.
Surrounded by lush new landscaping, the 3,300 ft² (300 m²) infinity-edge pool is the new centerpiece of the Resort, featuring 86 new loungers and four luxury pool cabanas. The hardwood deck is made from fully sustainable US-grown resources and features a new fire pit to the west of the pool, towards the beach.
The On the Dune outdoor restaurant is a wonderful place to dine and enjoy a drink or cocktail at the bar. The Caribbean-style structure offers casual food by the pool and beach. Views lead out to the Caribbean Sea, the Narrows Channel, and the neighboring island of St. Kitts.
The restaurant has a vibrant beachfront party atmosphere in the evening, offering an eclectic farm-to-table blend of Caribbean and American cuisines. The shaded covered seating area has the option of retracting the awning for views of the stars at dusk and into the night.
Mango is another dining option that offers unobstructed Caribbean views, and this is the perfect location for a sunset cocktail, while Kastawey Beach Bar is a beachside hot spot with beach games during the day and live music and entertainment in the evenings.
Kids For All Seasons is another highlight located next to the Ocean Pool, offering an outdoor program and activities for younger guests.
The best things about The Four Seasons Resort Nevis:
- The grounds stretch down to a sugary white beach lined with palm trees
- The new infinity pool is incredible
- The dormant volcano makes a dramatic backdrop behind the hotel
- The new Dune restaurant sits right on the beach
- Kastawey Beach Bar has live entertainment in the evenings
- The relaxed ambiance makes this the best Four Seasons hotel in the Caribbean for families
- Four Seasons Resort Nevis neighbors the pristine Robert Trent Jones Jnr Golf Course
- You can spend days exploring stunning national parks before returning to the resort to relax
- You can Spa Under The Stars: the Spa is open to just one lucky couple each night, who will enjoy a signature Nevisian Massage under the stars
- You can enjoy a special candlelit dinner for two on the sand at your personal beach cabana. A romantic beachside dinner will be served by personal waitstaff, along with a special menu
3. Four Seasons Resort And Residences Anguilla
Four Seasons Resort and Residences Anguilla is a tropical oasis with stunning silky white-sand beaches and gentle blue water in the British West Indies. Arrive in a place that has reinvented Caribbean luxury.
The 35 square-mile (91 square-kilometer) island of Anguilla is one of the only islands in the British West Indies to maintain an embargo on cruise ships, casinos, and high-rise hotels, preserving the natural beauty, culture, and tranquillity of the island.
Four Seasons Resort and Private Residences Anguilla is located along the island’s northwestern shore, offering 3,200 feet (975 meters) of pristine beachfront and unobstructed views of the Caribbean Sea’s breaking surf.
This Four Seasons is set on a cliff overlooking Meads and Barnes Bay. This differs from the other two Four Seasons hotels in the Caribbean as much of the hotel is on a rocky headland that offers brilliant views. It also has angled modern architecture, so it has a different feel to the other two resorts.
While the Ocean Club offers historic glamour in beautiful original buildings, and The Four Seasons Resort Nevis offers soft edges and a relaxed resort feel, Four Seasons Resort And Residences Anguilla offers modern architecture, with sharp right angles and walls that completely open up to the outside. In one word, the resorts could be described as historic vs. relaxed vs. dramatic, respectively.
Four Seasons Resort Anguilla has three swimming pools, including the adults-only infinity pool, two tranquil private beaches, four food and dining venues, and a spa. The whole hotel has the feel of sitting right on the edge of the cliff, with matching dramatic views.
Even standard resort-view rooms are spacious and luxurious with a large sundeck. The best rooms are those with private plunge pools. A spiral staircase leads down to the rocky cove, and pathways leading to villas and Half Shell Beach Bar.
The Four Seasons Resort And Residences Anguilla is the least family-friendly resort in the Caribbean, and while all Four Seasons hotels embrace families, I would tend to pick the Nevis and Ocean Club properties over the Anguilla hotel if I was bringing my own family to a Four Seasons resort in the Caribbean.
The best things about The Four Seasons Resort Anguilla:
- The clifftop views and infinity pool – the most Instagrammable Four Seasons for sunsets
- The dramatic architecture
- Many rooms have private plunge pools
- Probably the best sunset bar in the Caribbean, where you can sip a cocktail without leaving the soothing waters of the infinity pool
- This island has an embargo on cruise ships, so remains extremely exclusive
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