Seasons may Change, but Autumn’s a Perfect Time for a Beach Vacation.

Summer beaches are best enjoyed family style.  But once the weather chills, it’s time for a grown up beach experience. Consider heading south, and not as in Jersey. Think refreshing trade winds, crystal blue waters, and fabulous resorts that cater to a sophisticated crowd.  

A Private Retreat

If your idea of heaven involves dancing ‘til dawn, shopping and a casino, then Peter Island is not for you. But if it’s a retreat you crave, this 52-room BVI hideaway offers the ultimate in secluded pampering: a private island for no more than 118 hotel guests.

Peter Island has always been an island of refuge, and it originally offered shelter to pirates seeking hidden coves in which to count their booty. It wasn’t until the 1960s that Peter Island was discovered by a more law-abiding crowd.  Later purchased by the Amway Corporation and used primarily as a company retreat for its top sales people, Peter Island is now owned by a retired Amway executive, and operated by his daughter, Barb Van Andel-Gaby.  Most of the staff have been with the resort for decades, including people like the ever-smiling Jean Kelly in the dining room, who somehow manages to remember every guest she’s met over the past two decades, and greet them by name.     Hollywood types and rock stars like Paul McCartney regularly take refuge in the resort’s secluded hillside villas, which come with a cook and a steward. But even mere mortals feel like celebrities, thanks to the resort’s $8 million spa, attentive staff and beachfront suites, with their natural stone showers, Jacuzzis and outdoor gardens facing onto a magnificent, mile-long crescent beach.

Feeling peckish? Guests have a choice of two dining experiences: a more casual beachside restaurant or fine dining at Tradewinds (where the only request is long pants for the gents). Both restaurants serve chef Andy Niedenthal’s Caribbean/Continental cuisine, a smart mix of Caribbean flavors, local ingredients and tempting specialties like local fish and, when it’s in season, sweet Caribbean lobster.

While some guests prefer to loll on the beach and drink fruity cocktails, others consider discovering the island’s coastline and coves the ideal vacation activity. Take a bicycle, take a walk, take a sea kayak or a wind surfer and set off on an adventure that might include the sighting of an emerald green iguana, snorkeling into a school of curious squid or the antics of a high diving pelican in search of his supper.  There are no rules here, no off limit areas, no one checking on whether your life jacket is buttoned up tight.  How refreshing to be treated like an adult in a world where rules float out to sea.  

Peter Island
800-346-4451
www.peterisland.com
 

Tree House Living In Style

Imagine a luxe tree house perched 1,100 feet above sea level and surrounded by the lush St. Lucian rainforest.  Add in breathtaking sunsets, private plunge pools and the amorous trill of tree frogs at night.

This is Ladera Resort, a getaway built seamlessly into the hillside overlooking St. Lucia’s trademark emerald green peaks – the Gros and Petit Pitons, two mountains that stretch jaggedly between the crystal blue of the Caribbean sea and the azure sky.

St. Lucia is a pear-shaped dot nestled between Martinique and St. Vincent, about halfway down the necklace of islands that make up the Eastern Caribbean chain. Arguably one of the most scenic of the Caribbean Islands, St. Lucia boasts a lush landscape of banana plantations, mango and cocoa trees, wide sandy beaches and picturesque fishing villages.

Located on the hillier, less developed southern half of the island, a short distance from the fishing town of Soufriere, Ladera is an hour’s drive by taxi—or 15 minutes by helicopter—from Hewanorra International Airport.

Ascend the steep hillside, and paradise awaits. Each of the resort’s six villas and 18 suites are different, incorporating natural elements, like Caribbean timbers, local stone and terracotta tiles to create an organic, comfortable sense of place. Hand-carved four-poster beds face the spectacular vista, giving lovers the ideal setting for midnight stargazing and passionate kisses.  While the beds are draped in mosquito netting, the elevation and trade winds, along with the help of some friendly fruit bats, keep invading insects at bay.  You may, however, find a wayward hummingbird or a meditating gecko in your suite.

By day, Ladera offers guided rain forest hikes, visits to Soufrière, treks up the 2,600-foot-high Gros Piton with trained guides, whale and dolphin watching, and horseback riding on the beach. For divers, a tour of the reefs at Anse Cochon and Anse Chastanet on the west coast are a must -- there’s even a sunken ship to explore. Regular shuttles take guests 10 minutes down the hill to the sandy beaches below, where facilities including chairs, umbrellas and a beach bar, await.  Or simply loll by the resort’s pool, all the better to be pampered by a staff that knows each guest by name, and takes care to make everyone feel like a VIP.
 
Ladera Resort
Toll Free Reservations 800-738-4752
www.ladera.com
 

Luxury South of the Border

Los Cabos isn’t exactly an island, but you’d never know it. Adrift on two seas of blue, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the sea of Cortez to the east, Los Cabos is as close as you can get to the surf without getting wet.  Located on the tip of Mexico’s Baja peninsula, Los Cabos is a 20-mile-long swath of beachfront real estate that includes the Old Mexican charm of San Jose del Cabo at one end and the party town Cabo San Lucas on the other.

The resort earns wows with its contemporary open-air lobby, bronze statuary and snapshot of the sea through a graceful arched breezeway. All 237 suites offer water views, but it’s the beachfront casitas that steal the show. Each with its own plunge pool, the casitas offer a level of spacious luxury that has attracted celebs like Susan Sarandon, Bruce Willis, Bono and Pink. 

A concierge attends to your every need, from arranging private casita dining to organizing ATV adventure treks or hiking in the nearby canyons of Sierra La Laguna and horseback riding on the beach. Golfers have access to the top rated fairways of Cabo Real and Cabo del Sol. Or bliss out at the resort’s 15,000-square-foot spa, where natural elements like cactus oil and agave are figured into the extensive menu of treatments.

For drinks and shopping, head to Los Cabos with its lively string of beach bars and clubs. Historic San Jose offers an authentic dose of Mexican culture and dining, with many of the best spots tucked away in romantic gardens with flowering bougainvillea and strolling musicians. Try the family-owned Tequila Restaurant, with its menu of vibrant Medi-Mexican specialties, and the Colonial jewel La Panga, where delicious regional seafood is prepared by chef/co-owner and CIA grad Jacobo Turquie. Get a dose of Cuban salsa music at The Tropicana Bar and Grill, where dancing under the stars is always a good idea.

Marquis Los Cabos
www.marquisloscabos.com