Forget the World, Find Hermitage Bay

Avid environmentalist, Andy Thesen and his business partner, Jamaican born Andrew Michelin, set out to build the most beautiful of secluded hideaways in Antigua.  They embarked on a project, which has created a perfect all inclusive haven hotel.

As the name suggests, Hermitage Bay is truly a place of peace and tranquillity. Here man-made noises are minimized so that the natural noises prevail: the waves on the beach, the breeze in the trees, and the chatter of the birds. Add a location well off the beaten track on Antigua and you have the perfect antidote to modern, hectic life.

The hotel practises a “reduce, reuse and recycle” policy.  It also makes a conscientious effort to use natural detergents and beauty products, employ solar energy technologies, and source locally grown, organic fruits and vegetables.

Hermitage Bay ensures that the comforts of home are readily available, ultimately providing the best of both worlds. The hotel has just twenty-five suites. They truly feel enchanting and mix essential Antiguan style with understated elegance. Eight Beachfront Cottages are located on the edge of the white sand beach and in the gardens just beneath the hillside. 

The remaining seventeen cottages are Hillside Pool Suites where we stayed. Scaling four tiers of the hillside, each of these suites has truly awe-inspiring panoramas of the Caribbean Sea and lush landscapes that surrounds Hermitage Bay.

The dense foliage and flowering vines that entwine our suite’s dark lattice fencing shield the private sundeck, seating, double day bed and plunge pool from neighbouring suites and passers-by. But it is the view we love best.

The luxurious bedroom includes a huge bed covered with an enchanting mosquito net.  An essential additional if, like us, you leave the suite open onto the terrace, to enjoy the magical view from the bed, when you awake in the morning.

Add abundant cupboard space, fridge filled with a personalised selection of drinks, an iPod dock, ensuite bathroom with huge bath and outside shower and you have an ideal spot for lovers to enjoy

Leaving our suite is difficult, but the private beach and the warm Caribbean waters beckon. Add a very talent chef who mixes Caribbean cuisine in an inspired fusion, a barman who knows how to mix a mean cocktail and you have a hotel that is even more difficult to leave.