From December to April, the world’s wealthy bring their yachts to the azure waters of the Caribbean for a little sunshine and conspicuous consumption. These are the top spots to make like a cashed-up Caribbean queen.
Harbour Island, The Bahamas
Air kisses, pashminas and strutting roosters? Ah yes, just another day of fabulousness on ever-so-chic Harbour Island, where design maven India Hicks and her acolytes sell their island lifestyle at chichi boutiques – and wandering roosters clearly don’t give a cluck.
West Coast, Barbados
Rihanna, the queen of Barbadian music and a Grammy-winning international sensation, sings a merry tune at her beachside spread on the west coast, which locals have renamed the ‘Platinum Coast’. It’s long been the refuge of rising-damp-afflicted posh Brits and is now discreetly welcoming some of the region’s new rich.
English Harbour, Antigua & Barbuda
In ‘the season,’ Antigua’s natural harbors are home to yachts that might better be called ships. English Harbour brims with swaying masts; you can see the perfectly protected waters and the hundreds of millions of dollars worth of watercraft from nearby Shirley Heights.
Anguilla
Ever since the first celebrity stepped ashore with their posse of thug bodyguards only to be greeted by indifference and disinterest, Anguilla has been the preferredretreat for those needing an escape from the spotlight. ‘We even have the Brad and Jennifer breakup house,’ said one local with a smirk and an eye roll.
Bitter End Yacht Club & Resort, British Virgin Islands
If ever there was a place where guys in blue blazers and white captain’s hats sat around puffing cigars and clinking ice in their drinks after coming ashore from their tall-masted megayachts, it’s the Bitter End Yacht Club & Resort on Virgin Gorda.
Mustique, St Vincent & the Grenadines
How much could you possibly spend on a villa for the week? Shoot for the moon – and then double it. Mustique takes the prize for the most exclusive island around. Everything is exquisite – whether it’s worth the $150,000 per week is up to you and your accountant.
Pine Cay, Turks & Caicos
It just isn’t fair that you have to share the island. Well, as long as the check clears, you can have your wish on Pine Cay, the bastion of the wealthy, the famous and the infamous.