DISAPPEARING ACTS
Looking to escape the scene in sumptuous style? Here are two ways to fall off the face of the Earth
NEW Yorkers headed to Caribbean islands like St. Bart’s or Anguilla are likely to run into familiar faces from the city or the Hamptons. To avoid them, without compromising on all that is plush, throw your dart at Grenada.
About 100 miles north of South America, the West Indian nation is particularly picturesque with waterfalls, beaches filled with volcanic sand, lush rainforests and breathtaking botanical gardens. But nothing this good stays a secret forever and those familiar faces from Palm Beach and Amagansett are being drawn by a new wave of 5-star resorts.
Next month, luxury wellness powerhouse Six Senses will unveil its first Caribbean resort, La Sagesse, on Grenada’s south end with 56 rooms and 12 villas, plus a spa overlooking the lagoon.
Meanwhile, Silversands opened its second property on the island, Silversands Beach House, in February. Situated above and below a cliff on Portici Beach, the intimate escape has only 28 rooms, including cliffside accommodations with private canopied balconies and suites that sit directly on the beach. There is also a spa-treatment room and Azzurro, a Mediterranean inspired restaurant.
But if privacy is your goal, Silversands’ original property will do nicely. It’s the type of resort you never have to leave. You can stroll whitepowdery Grand Anse beach; curl up on a lounge chair with a book in the afternoon; and end the day with a muscle-melting massage at the spa before dining at one of the hotel’s two restaurants at dusk. At Asiatique, Thai flavors enhance dishes of crispy fish with callaloo leaf, kaffir lime and chili sauce, or Indonesian braised beef in coconut milk with lemongrass and turmeric. After dinner, the lounge, Puro, offers cigars and a rum-tasting menu. The hotel’s 100-meter pool, the longest in the Caribbean, flows endlessly toward the sea. Also large, are the resort’s three- and fourbedroom villas, which sit directly on the beach with junior Olympic-sized private pools. The feeling of having one all to yourself, while you look out over your own little beach, is serene (from $700; SilversandsCollection.com).