If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.
Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (USD1,052.48), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.
With crystal-clear Caribbean views from its six modern tree-house-style love nests, Secret Bay hotel – set on a lush hillside in rugged Dominica – is an unspoilt island secret that’s almost too good to share. Here, your days are spent lounging in a hammock in the private garden, swimming in your private pool and strolling the beach by moonlight. Start your day with a limbering yoga session in the open-air wellness pavilion, or head down to the beach for a spot of sea kayaking, snorkeling or paddle-boarding; for those who'd rather take it easy, there are Carribean cooking classes and a serene spa hut. When it comes to dining, book a private chef to whip up vibrant Carribean cuisine in the privacy of your villa, or have your personal villa attendant secure a table at beachfront restaurant Zing Zing, where the chefs have free reign to customise dishes based on the freshest produce available that morning.
11am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.
Prices
Double rooms from £1023.07 ($1,263), including tax at 20 per cent.
More details
Rates include an organic breakfast basket that's replenished on request – it comes filled with a supply of farm fresh eggs, organic fruit, homemade granola, yogurt, bread, jam, and local teas.
Also
As if the setting alone isn't romance-inspiring enough, Villa guests can arrange for a private jazz performance on their terrace for a sexy serenade beneath the stars.
At the hotel
Spa hut, yoga pavilion, concierge, outdoor gear to borrow (including GoPro cameras, kayaks, stand-up paddle boards and snorkelling equipment), free WiFi throughout, a Kindle loaded with daily international newspapers, board games and a small library. In rooms: flatscreen TV with streaming services, iPhone 6s to use during your stay, Bluetooth sound system, locally made toiletries.
Our favourite rooms
Private and luxurious, the Zabuco Honeymoon Villa puts a refined-jungle spin on your romance. Zabuco, another name for the Bwa Bande tree, is well known in Dominica as an aphrodisiac. And, after luxuriating in this two-storey Guyanese Greenheart-wood tree house, we can confirm that there’s something in the name. Spy the sea right from the king-size bed… or from the soaking tub for two… or from your private infinity pool. Perhaps you’d prefer the angle from your hammock with a glass of wine in hand from your smartly-stocked wine fridge? The options, like the views, seem endless.
Poolside
Nestled within the hotel's surrounding tropics, Gwiyave Lap Pool & Bar has gaze-worthy views, alfresco beachfront dining and a fully-serviced bar throughout the day. There's also a watersports hut with kayaks, paddle boards and snorkelling equipment for the adventure seekers.
Spa
You'll find the hotel's Gommier Spa hidden in the treetops, where in-house masseurs iron out post-hike knots with locally blended oils.
Packing tips
No need to lug snorkel kits or yoga mats. The resort has all sorts of adventuring gear at the ready for everything from snorkeling and paddle boarding to biking and yoga.
All ages are welcome, but it isn't well suited for under-sevens. Babysitting is available for $30 an hour.
Sustainability efforts
Green and sustainable practices are used whenever possible. The villas and bungalows were constructed with sustainably sourced Guyanese hardwood, a water-saving drip irrigation system is in place and low energy lighting and appliances are in use throughout the resort.
Catch the Technicolor sunset from your private terrace or lush garden.
Dress Code
Seek shade beneath a broad-brimmed hat and cover up with a tropical-print sarong when mid-day temperatures soar.
Hotel restaurant
Open-air restaurant Zing Zing has done away with the trappings of a menu, allowing the chefs to make the most of the fresh local ingredients available each day (they’ll always tailor dishes to account for any allergies, of course). Perched above Tibay Beach, the open-sided eatery has sweeping sea views and a canopy-style roof, making dinners an inherently romantic affair. The open display kitchen lets diners watch the chefs as they slice and dice – but if it’s a more intimate experience you’re after, there’s also the option of a private dining room. Booking is essential for any table, and can be done by your villa attendant. If you want to keep things in-villa, you can request a personal cook to deliver up to two meals a day, such as fresh-squeezed mango juice and homemade baked breads for breakfast and just-snagged Mahi-Mahi, crisp salad and yam pie for dinner. You can forage for fresh herbs in the gardens and pluck guava, pineapples and coconuts from the surrounding trees, too.
Hotel bar
Re-fuel with fruit smoothies and fresh-squeezed juice at the Souce Shack, a casual outdoor bar on the sandy shores of Tibay Beach, a five-minute saunter from the resort. Orders from the bar can also be delivered to your room. Head to Zing Zing's in-house mixologists for a bespoke cocktail shaken just for you.
Last orders
Zing Zing is open for lunch from 12pm to 3pm; dinner from 6pm to 10pm.
Room service
Not as such, but you can order bountiful baskets with a three-day supply of fresh fruits and veggies, tropical juices, homemade Secret Bay granola, baked goods and local jams and jellies. Meals ordered from the chef will also be delivered to your room.
Located on the picturesque northwest coast of Dominica, this secluded resort is a 10-minute drive to the town of Portsmouth.
Planes
Douglas Charles International is the main aiport on the island and is about an hours drive from the hotel. Most flights from the US or UK require a connection in Antigua, St. Maarten, Barbados, Guadeloupe or Martinique. Miami is one of the few hubs offering direct flights to the island. Our Smith24 team can arrange your flights.
Automobiles
It’s necessary to have a car in order to explore the island beyond the resort. Roads are paved and smooth, but not brightly lit at night. If you’d rather leave the driving to someone else, the resort has a car with driver available for day excursions.
Worth getting out of bed for
Blanketed in lush jungle and diverse flora, marked by volcanic peaks and lava craters – including the second-largest thermally active lake in the world – and surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, Dominica is a nature-lover’s paradise. In fact, it’s known as ‘The Nature Island,’ making it a prime destination for hikers, birders, paddlers and divers. Glide along the Indian River in a traditional Caribe boat like a true islander or plunge into the colourful depths for some of the world’s most pristine scuba diving. The concierge will arrange trips with local guides for every outdoor pursuit from horseback riding to remote hiking on the over 300 miles of trails, deep-sea fishing and sailing excursions.
Local restaurants
Island life and culture is all about slowing down to maximise time spent relaxing and enjoying the natural surroundings. This extends to the beachy, fish-shack-style restaurant scene as well. Just north of Portsmouth in the village of Picard is Comfortel De Champ, a colonial-style hotel with a bar deck that’s more about the happy hour cocktails and postcard-perfect views, but does have a standard bar menu of burgers and tacos to help balance out those potent fruity concoctions that seems to go down all too easily.
If you’ve never ordered tacos via iPhone in the jungle, glamorous, intimate luxury resort Secret Bay can remedy that straight away. I was looking for a tropical getaway to celebrate both my own belated birthday and decompress before the impending holiday stress. While researching potential options, I stumbled upon the tiny island of Dominica, nestled between Guadeloupe and Martinique. The lush green landscape in photos made me think of Jurassic Park mixed with Lost. Perfect. One place was repeatedly singled out for being one of the island’s best resorts: Secret Bay. With only six secluded villas on the entire property, privacy is the main amenity. Once again: perfect. I decided I simply must give Secret Bay a try.
I was greeted at the airport by Ryan, my personal driver, who had a warm heart and kind spirit, who handed me a cold towel adorned with tiny, pink, tropical flowers. He also gave me jars of dried fruits and a glass bottle full of cold water for sustenance on the imminent hour-long drive to the property. As Ryan navigated the winding roads of Dominica, diverse landscapes scrolled by: rolling blue waves, impossibly tall trees, and rocky roadside cliffs. And, there was some debris left over from the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017. ‘I think the M in Maria stands for monster,’ Ryan mused. But he also shared that he loves his island and ‘can’t wait to share it’ with me. For the most part, the government has engaged in a speedy cleanup, and are welcoming tourists back with open arms.
That includes Dinesh Kissoon, the general manager of Secret Bay, who phoned Ryan to let him know he’d be greeting us personally, despite my arrival after sunset. Kissoon oversaw the rebuilding and revitalisation of Secret Bay post-Maria, and his love for the property shows in every personal touch. He introduced me to Lenita, who would be my personal concierge for the duration of the stay. Lenita led me down a private pathway to the entrance of the Ti-Fe?y Villa. As the door swung open, I was awestruck at the moonlight-bathed two-floor penthouse – the prettiest jungle cabin I’d ever seen, constructed out of sweet-smelling wood. As my stomach growled (the hazards of several hours of international travel), Lenita poured me a welcome cocktail of a cold honeyed ice tea, and pointed to an in-villa menu, which was their version of room service. ‘Anything you want, she said sweetly, ‘use this Secret Bay iPhone right here. You text this number and it will appear.’ She presented me with my own personal genie, in the palm of my hand. I was frozen by hunger and indecision, so Lenita jumped in: ‘We’ll just get the chef’s choice’, she said, and before I could ask any further questions, she typed in a quick request and handed the phone back with a smile.
She made a plan to come back in the morning and discuss my excursion options (Dominica is known colloquially as the ‘adventure island’), and left me to explore. One of Secret Bay’s many impressive features is the ability to pre-stock your villa with your favorite snacks and drinks. So, I pulled out a full bottle of the French rose? which had been chilling in my wine fridge, and made my way to the terrace. As I sat listening to the waves wash in and out below, my personal villa attendant – yes, there are various personal appointments here – Carina appeared with my ‘chef’s choice’ meal - an incredible combination of seared tuna, coconut rice, fresh vegetables, and some sort of magic curry sauce. Carina briefly showed me around the rest of my spacious abode, pointing out various highlights, such as the outdoor shower on my away-from-prying-eyes terrace, and the private infinity pool, and an entrance to the beach that only I had access to. Did I mention Secret Bay is big on privacy? She said there were other guests staying on the property and I wondered when or if I would ever see them. (Spoiler alert: I never did.)
After setting my personal Sonos speaker to a personal playlist, I greedily ate my meal outside and went to bed early, exhausted by the day. As I drifted to sleep, I could hear both the waves on the shore and the gently falling rain. The next morning, Carina re-appeared to cook my complimentary breakfast in-villa, made to my specifications. I enjoyed my carefully crafted eggs and coffee on the balcony again, as Lenita went over the multitude of adventures I could embark on. I’d come here simply to relax, so I opted for a leisurely jungle river cruise (with a stop at a bush bar) and a visit to Kalinago territory, to examine, discuss, and learn about the local indigenous culture. Both of these trips were expertly curated and seamlessly executed. Plus, all the Dominican people I encountered were excited to host me, which made the whole experience even more special.
On my final day at Secret Bay, I – of course – had to have a birthday massage at the Gommier Spa. Surrounded by darkness and the sounds of the ocean, I drifted into a peaceful rest as the masseur gently kneaded my city stress away. Afterwards, I went to Zing Zing, the hotel’s restaurant that’s set in prime position for ogling Tibay Beach. It has no menu and a daily prix fixe designed by South African chef Grant Lynott. His ‘choice’ on that first night had been delicious, so I was more than happy to indulge in a new surprise, and was not disappointed by any of my three courses, nor the wine pairing that was suggested. As Ryan drove me back to the airport the following morning, I was in a state of utter bliss. He asked ‘How did you like the island?’ I could only reply: ‘It was perfect’.
