Cost no object: Caribbean vacations for the one percent – USA Today

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All travelers dream big, but only a handful can truly afford a six-figure vacation. With its world-class beaches, resorts and villas that exude exclusivity, the Caribbean is the primo perch for one-percenters who pay top dollar for privacy, plenty of space and top-shelf spoil-you-rotten amenities. Check out our big-bucks bucket list.

Posh pedigree         

It’s not that easy to get to and can be pricey once you arrive, but the allure of Nevis is worth the effort. Skip the hordes on some of the other islands and head instead to the sombrero-shaped isle across the channel from St. Kitts. Anchored by a volcanic mountain, the petite enclave — 7 miles by  6 miles — is where jet-setting urban dwellers shell out big bucks to lie low in the lap of luxury. The birthplace of Alexander Hamilton also lures the moneyed like Meryl Streep, Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah. Start with a grand entrance at the Yu Lounge at the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport in St. Kitts, where for $200 you are picked up on the tarmac, expedited through immigration, poured a glass of chilled bubbly and driven to the pier for the short boat ride to Nevis. The top pick of the wealthiest one percent, AAA Five Diamond Four Seasons Nevis is swank-central with suites, villas and Beach Houses that are really houses on the beach, although no overnighting allowed (yes, naps are encouraged). The cabanas fronting Pinney’s Beach have Wi-Fi, televisions, power outlets, servers delivering $20 Volcano Burgers with crispy hot peppers and $36 pitchers of pomegranate margaritas. Daily rates run $550, more than double during the December holidays. Go the distance with a Four Hands Massage ($320 for 80 minutes) and dinner at Coral Grill, where South African chef Tristan Baker raises the stakes with a 32-ounce $100 Porterhouse  and a side mac and cheese gussied up with truffle oil. The priciest villa at the resort is also the priciest stay on the island. Packed with panache, the five-bedroom , five-bathroom 3,400-square-foot Monkey Business Villa is designed with funky animal-themed décor, palatial pool, elegant dining area, a massive wraparound terrace and telescope to zoom in on the fabulous views of Nevis Peak. It also comes with a Villa Ambassador (aka butler) and a chef (for an additional charge). Spoiler alert: Nightly rates run $14,000 with no seasonal adjustment.

A few minutes from the Four Seasons and with a name that says it all, Paradise Beach Villas on Paradise Beach are a manicured collection of seven multi-bedroom villas each with pools and mesmerizing views. The four-bedroom stunner goes for $2,800 nightly. $950 buys a day on a sloop named Feisty with Captain Miles Denne at the helm. With pick-up at Oualie Beach and the pier at the Four Seasons, sunset sails priced at $550 are a big hit with newlyweds. “Couples register for a cruise which is a far more appreciated wedding gift than a tea kettle,” says Captain Miles.

Sky’s the limit

All you need is five days away from the office, 10 pals and $250,000 (yes, that’s a quarter of a million dollars) to live like royalty in the Blue Diamond Villa at Altamer on the southwest tip of Anguilla.  A super villa designed by architect Myron Goldfinger, whose work has been exhibited in New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the 13,000-square-foot five-bedroom villa is the newest of three Altamer villas, all striking with a geometric, stark white exterior. Designed to look like a flower, creature comforts include meditation and massage rooms and a big outdoor tub that can host the whole gang at once. Upping the ante, there’s a pool, butler and yacht sails to St. Barts to sun on Nikki Beach. The outdoorsy play golf and tennis and for gamblers, staff set up a casino night. Perfect the fine art of chilling out with massages, breakfast in bed and cooking lessons with the chef.

If a resort stay is more your speed, check into a Beachfront Junior Suite at The Reef on Merrywing Bay Beach. Nightly rates start at $1,800 through April and $750 during the less-busy months. For a large brood, Beachfront Family suites at $1,500 nightly fit the bill. Rates include breakfast made healthy with the herbs and vegetables from the hydroponic garden at the next-door sister property CuisinArt Resort Spa. Splurge for a Couples Rendezvous massage at the Venus Spa for $480 and a bottle of Veuve Cliquot and tuna poke at Breezes Beachfront Restaurant.

Also on the moneyed radar, Jonquil Suite at Cap Juluca goes for $5,865 per night through April, $3,285 in May and $2,620 during the summer, and comes with an oceanfront dining terrace, freshwater pool and marble Jacuzzi.  Treat yourself to a $2,700 bottle of 1994 Pétrus (French red considered by many as the best in the world), dinner on the beach ($150 per person), Green Tea and Ginger Sea Enzyme Wrap ($205) and a half-day on the Juluca Pride yacht ($700 for four guests). Partnered with many of the island’s high-end resorts and villas, Tradewind flies from the U.S. in light jets that comfortably seat four to six big spenders.  One-way fares from New York start at $25,000.