An adults-only resort on Saint Lucia's north-west coast has been crowned the Caribbean's best new hotel little more than a year after welcoming its first guests. Secrets St Lucia Resort & Spa took the Caribbean's Leading New Resort 2026 title at the World Travel Awards, adding an AAA Four Diamond rating collected along the way.
As reported by TravelPulse Quebec, the 355-room property opened in June 2025 and is the first Secrets Resorts & Spas property anywhere on the island. Its general placement in the awards hierarchy now goes further: the resort is through to the World Travel Awards grand final, where it is shortlisted for World's Leading New Resort 2026 against regional winners from every continent.
Carleen Isidore, the resort's deputy director of sales and marketing, attributed the win to her staff, describing the honour as belonging to a team whose warmth shapes every guest's stay. She noted that Saint Lucia has long ranked among the world's most romantic destinations, and said the resort aims to bring that spirit to couples every day. Industry professionals and travellers can still vote in the global final until 30 October at worldtravelawards.com/vote.
The award lands at a moment when the island's newer inventory matters. Visitors weighing up holidays to St Lucia now have a fresh, adults-only, all-inclusive option on the north-west coast, a strip of the island long defined by Rodney Bay and Gros Islet and their beaches, marinas and nightlife.
The resort sits with views over the surrounding mountains and the Caribbean Sea. Ground-floor rooms open directly onto the swimming pool, while others come with a small private plunge pool. Guests booking the Preferred Club tier get reserved stretches of beach and poolside space plus a private lounge, the kind of tiering that puts it firmly in the conversation among all-inclusive resorts in St Lucia rather than the standard family offering.
The Secrets Spa runs hydrotherapy circuits, a sauna and a steam room, with treatments that draw on local traditions. Snorkelling starts straight off the beach, which places the property among the hotels in St Lucia where the water is the first attraction rather than an excursion.
Location is the quiet advantage in the award citation. Pigeon Island, Rodney Bay, Gros Islet and Castries are all close by, so guests can eat, drink and explore outside the gates. That mix suits couples planning a honeymoon in St Lucia who want nights out as well as days on the sand, and the resort's beachfront setting stands comparison with the established luxury hotels in St Lucia further along the coast.
The wider coast rewards the trip off-property. The drive south takes in the Pitons, the twin volcanic spires that dominate the Soufrière skyline, and the reefs at their base are among the most celebrated sites for diving in St Lucia, where a wall drops hundreds of feet beneath the surface at the foot of Petit Piton.
For travellers timing a trip around the award, the dry season from December to April is generally considered the best time to visit St Lucia, and the resort's adult-only format means demand concentrates around the winter months and Valentine's period. Bookings for this winter are already being taken.
Flights to St Lucia land at Hewanorra International Airport in the island's south, a transfer of roughly an hour and a half to the north-west coast where the new resort sits. British Airways and other carriers operate direct services from London through the winter season.
The global final is the next milestone. Whether the resort converts its regional win into the World's Leading New Resort title will be decided when the World Travel Awards conclude, but for the island's tourism trade the recognition arrives with the winter season under way and a new name on the island's private stretch of coastline.
Either way, the award is a marker of how quickly Saint Lucia's north-west has added capacity. For readers booking holidays to St Lucia this winter, the choice now runs from a 355-room adults-only newcomer to long-standing all-inclusive names, with the island's diving, hiking and dining all within reach of either.
Questions and answers
What award did Secrets St Lucia Resort & Spa win?
It won Caribbean's Leading New Resort 2026 at the World Travel Awards, just over a year after opening in June 2025. It is also shortlisted for World's Leading New Resort 2026, with voting open until 30 October.
Where is Secrets St Lucia in Saint Lucia?
It sits on the island's north-west coast, close to Pigeon Island, Rodney Bay, Gros Islet and Castries. The resort has 355 rooms with views over the mountains and the Caribbean Sea.
Is Secrets St Lucia adults only and all inclusive?
Yes, it is an adults-only all-inclusive resort. Guests can add the Preferred Club tier for reserved beach and pool areas plus a private lounge, and the Secrets Spa offers hydrotherapy, sauna and steam rooms.
When is the best time to visit St Lucia for a stay at the new award-winning resort?
The dry season from December to April is generally considered the best time to visit. Direct flights from London operate through the winter season, landing at Hewanorra International Airport in the south of the island.
Plan your St Lucia holiday
- Hotels in St Lucia: resorts, villas and boutique stays compared.
- Things to do in St Lucia: from the Pitons to the sulphur springs.
- Best time to visit St Lucia: weather, seasons and prices by month.
- Flights to St Lucia: routes from the UK and what to expect.
- Plan your St Lucia holiday: ask us anything, or send an enquiry.