There are few things quite as wonderful as being one of the first to discover someplace delicious. Plan your next spascape at one of these new Caribbean havens, says Irvina Lew.

Carita Spa at Carl Gustaf Hotel, St Barts On the oh-so-French island of St Barts, The Carl Gustaf Hotel (www.hotelcarlgustaf.com) reopened its 14 suites of luxury in December after a multi-million-dollar refurbishment, which included the addition of the Caribbean’s first Carita spa. We visited in February to experience this brand-new facility: The Boutique Spa by Carita. After descending the staircase from the stunning, Missoni-enhanced Carl Gustaf lounge – where huge window walls overlook the mega-yachts in Gustavia Harbor – we entered the smartly styled, 2,150-squarefoot duplex facility.

Beyond the entrance, the glass walls of the state-of-the-art fitness area provide natural light and a view of the newly constructed waterfall and outdoor resistance whirlpool. (Some folks, however, prefer their workout St Bart’s style: they trek down the 70 steps to the road leading to the beach and…back!) On this level, there’s also a changing room and the unique HydroZone, an area with amenities that include a double hammam (steam room), and an Essential Oils Shower that combines pulsating jets of water and aromatherapy products. We experimented in the unique Pebble-stone Foot-path Bath, walking atop a smooth stone passageway where jets of hot and cold water sprayed from its halfwalls to increase circulation. The Ice Fountain (for the brave), meanwhile, lowers the body temperature and increases circulation after hot sessions in the jacuzzi or in the steam room.


Glass doors in the HydroZone open out to the resistance-current whirlpool. While we waited there  for our outdoor massage, we exercised then lounged in the pool mesmerized by the waterfall and the flowers around it. From the chaises longues, we enjoyed a vista of the floral hillside descending to the Caribbean, then rogressed to the outdoor terrace of one of the two grand treatment suites on the lower level to receive individual massages – there’s a complete menu of pampering beauty and body services here including manicures, pedicures, foot massages, body waxing and traditional skin care. After our massage, we climbed the steps up to the Carl Gustaf Lounge for a ‘coupe’ of champagne, hors d’oeuvres featuring three styles of foie gras and the highlight of every late afternoon at the Carl Gustaf: sunset beyond the azure harbour.