Antigua / The Inn at English Harbour

With its own white sand beach and dock, this is the boutique property of choice when it comes to wanting unparalleled privacy right at the centre of Antigua’s beating cultural heart.

Standing guard on its pretty secluded headland at the entrance of yacht-dotted English Harbour, there’s a wonderful nostalgia and quiet luxury at this unsung den. It houses a scattering of rooms all in colonial-style – mahogany floors, rattan furniture, billowing white canopies on beds – with either huge verandas or opening up directly onto the beach. Sorry, no children under ten; this is a 19 acre cocoon for adults.

Choosing not to get out on the water here would be a mistake. After all this is a sailing and yachting epicentre, where sailors from all over converge to race and play in one of the world’s premier regattas. Here is where you let yourself drift over glassy sea on the water raft or take out the private sailboat for a day of swimming with stingrays. Back on dry land, most let their worries fall away with a restorative massage on the beach, and feel their perspective on life subtly shift as they go foraging for their own tropical ingredients and collect local honey from the organic garden for a smoothie.

Travel notes:

• 28 suites and beach cabanas
• 2 restaurants; cuisine based on organic produce fresh from the garden
• Infinity pool and 2 synthetic grass tennis courts
• Complimentary water shuttle to historic Nelson’s Dockyard
• A hike up Shirley Heights rewards with views of English and Falmouth Harbours
• Visit in April to reserve a place for Antigua Sailing Week’s famous races and parties