Barbuda Belle hotel review: luxurious beach bungalows you can only reach by boat

A retreat for those who like their wilderness to come with great design and gourmet food

Barbuda Belle is an intimate resort that defines the phrase barefoot luxury

We’re plucking lobsters from the ocean for dinner. One, two, three now wriggle on the deck of the speedboat. The little critters can’t hide from us, the water is too clear out here on the edge of the reef off the north coast of Barbuda. We toss in a few conches, too, then jump on board and head back to our hotel, Barbuda Belle, to consult with the chef about how we’d like him to serve our catch.

Alongside sunbathing, swimming and snorkelling, fishing for dinner is one of the obvious pursuits for guests at Barbuda Belle, which opened in June. Standing in splendid isolation on a 17-mile stretch of beach, this cluster of shingle-roofed wooden bungalows, held aloft from the sand on stilts, is arranged around a Club House, the home of a convivial bar and a French seafood restaurant. This place, light of touch with its footprint and powered by solar energy, is designed for wealthy castaways, who prefer their wilderness to come with high design, quality furnishings, and gourmet food.

The resort has just six guest bungalows

But it’s not just the looks and the landscape that set apart Barbuda Belle. This intimate resort defines that well-worn phrase, barefoot luxury. From the moment you hop off the speedboat on arrival at this remote, sea-bound spot, there is little reason to put your shoes back on until departure. The relaxed atmosphere is due to adroit management by Speedy Walters, a Barbudan, and his English wife Rosalind, drawing on Rosalind’s long experience in the global hospitality industry, and Speedy’s passion for his island home and expertise in marine science. Without their deft service, this resort might be just another beautiful dot on the Caribbean horizon.

The restaurant and bar

Location

The hotel is a 15-minute speedboat ride from the dock at Codrington, Barbuda’s only town (population 1,000), where visitors can connect by air (20 minutes) or sea (90 minutes) to its sister nation, Antigua, 38 miles to the south. The main draw of Barbuda, a 170-square-mile lump of coral limestone, dressed with mangroves and rainforest, partly drowned in a lagoon, is its fringe of white and pink sand beaches and glassy waters. But there are a few other attractions to balance with idling beneath the sun, and tours can be arranged by the Belle on request.

The beach stretches for 17 miles

Visitors can trace the ruins of Highland House, the home of the Codrington family, who turned Barbuda into a storehouse of food and slaves to feed the plantations on Antigua in the dark days of the 18th century. At Indian Cave there are ancient petroglyphs to investigate, carved by the Arawaks who once inhabited this island. But the main attraction is the rare Frigate Bird Sanctuary, best seen from a kayak. These soaring raptors are surprisingly ungainly closer to the ground – they can neither swim nor walk. But come the mating season (September to April) the amorous males put on quite a show on their mangrove perches, puffing out their bright red throats.

Comfort

The bamboo and merbau structures of Barbuda Belle owe more to the Far East than the Eastern Caribbean, especially the Club House, which is reminiscent of an Asian longhouse. In fact, all the buildings were pre-built in Bali, and the furnishings and artworks were also sourced there. Yet, the hotel feels appropriately tropical.

All the buildings were pre-built in Bali

Each of the bungalows – there are five one-bedroom and one two-bedroom – overlooks the ocean, a view best enjoyed from bed, with the louvred shutters of the large facing window thrown open to the cool sea breeze. The king-size four-poster, romantically draped in white voile, is the focus of this highly polished wooden cocoon in more ways than one. On hot nights, guests can keep cool thanks to in-bed air-conditioning. Off the bedroom is a wet room, supplied with L’Occitane products, and there’s an outdoor shower, too.

Balconies, with their own dining areas, look out on to the sea

Outside, the sea and the hinterland of mangroves can also be gazed on from the balcony, which is large enough to house sitting and dining areas – a good place, too, for a massage, bookable on request. But along the boardwalk, on a private patch of sand, two sunbeds, shaded by an umbrella, surely offer the best vantage point.

Essentials

Barbuda Belle, Cedar Tree Point, Barbuda (020 3695 2001; barbudabelle.com). Bungalows start at US$890 (£669) per night, including return transfers to Antigua in peak season, breakfast, room service and non-motorised watersports.

Wi-fi: free
Access: unsuitable for wheelchair users

Rooms: *****
Service: *****
Value: *****