Cabrits Resort & Spa Kempinski, Dominica

After the joyous whirlwind of noise, feathers and sequins that was Dominica’s Mas Dominik carnival, we said a fond farewell to the lush surroundings of Jungle Bay, and headed north in Trevo’s van, windows down, Calypso music blaring, to our final hotel, the utterly gorgeous Cabrits Resort & Spa Kempinski, Dominica. Cabrits Dominica is like no resort I’ve ever seen before. It’s the most magical mashup between traditional local style buildings and a super high end resort. There’s an abundance of local stone and reed-topped roofs, matched with chic interiors, clever, functional rooms (UK plug sockets!!), jazzy tiling and tropical planting. The resort is surrounded by deliciously inviting pools woven into the landscaping - some in unexpected places, but always with the same delightful rule: ‘if it’s blue, you can swim in it’. It’s beautifully contemporary, relaxing, tranquil and being so far on the northwest tip of Dominica in Portsmouth, it has a magical, hidden away quality about it too.

We were welcomed into the vast, airy lobby at Cabrits Dominica by uniformed staff bearing delicious drinks, cool towels and huge smiles. The resort curves around the coastline with uninterrupted views out to the Caribbean Sea and the lobby opens out into an outdoor section so you can drink in the view. On a clear day, you can see all the way to Guadeloupe.

Essentially, the design is a sophisticated tribute to Dominica, incorporating its heritage, natural beauty, indigenous craftsmanship, cuisine and of course the warmth of its welcome.

‘If it’s blue, you can swim in it’

The resort has four sun-soaked pools, including the main pool with a beachy feel and a deliciously inviting swim up bar; a heated pool, an adults-only lap pool (that’s the long, thin one) and an interior pool too.

Chic, contemporary interiors

The bedrooms at Cabrits Dominica are honestly some of the nicest I’ve ever experienced. Obviously they’re luxurious, but they’re more than that. They’re full of clever touches, like a huge run of storage space, including an ingenious space for your suitcase directly as you come in the door; the glass-encased bathrooms (that you can hide with blinds) with decadent free-standing bath and dual shower (with super high end toiletries), bringing a feeling of pace and openness to the room; deliciously comfy beds, 24 hour room service (obvs), a really good coffee maker, and a beautiful balcony - mine overlooked the pool. Some of the ground floor rooms have doors that open straight out into a pool - swim up rooms! Swoon. Also I’m definitely stealing the idea of placing a snazzy rug under the bed like this too.

The food, oh my goodness, the food…

The resort has several different bars and restaurants, including the laid-back lobby bar where you can treat yourself to afternoon tea or a pre-dinner cocktail. The stunning Rumfire bar has a Pirates of the Caribbean theme and some seriously stylish decor. A beautiful replica of The Black Pearl takes centre stage and there’s an entire wall of incredible local rums flavoured with everything from aniseed and cinnamon to lemon to chocolate. The cocktails all have a Pirates theme - my Dead Man cocktail, with gin, cucumber, lime, mint and local sugar cane syrup was seriously delicious. Outside, there’s a gorgeous seating area overlooking the sea with a fire pit that the staff will light for you. It’s a beautiful way to spend an evening as the sun goes down.

Signature restaurant Cabrits Market is an airy, ground floor space opening out onto the gardens and looking out over the ocean. Breakfast is a mixture of hot buffet, freshly house-baked breads and pastries (the heavenly scent wafts out of the door, tempting you inside), delicious tropical fruit, fresh juices, coffees, teas and even a seriously decadent home made chocolate spread.

For dinner, we ordered a range of different dishes from the set menu and ate family-style. The food is utterly stunning, made with the freshest ingredients, and beautifully presented - the delicate salads and the punchy butter chicken were definitely highlights for me.

The pool- and ocean-side Kwéyòl Beach Café, built in the traditional style with reed roofs, complete with a lovely rooftop terrace overlooking the ocean, serves a relaxed menu of Creole-inspired food and some seriously good rum-based cocktails in an chic, airy setting. They also do a mean club sandwich.

What else can you do at Cabrits

If you get bored of lazing by the azure pools in the glorious sunshine (as if), there are six private villas in the grounds that you can hire for dinners or to have private spa treatments. There’s also a jetty going out into the ocean where you can snorkel, and soon there’ll be watersports available there too. There’s also a sweet little herb garden (where Florian, the wonderful Guest Relations Manager, harvested us our very own aloe vera to treat our slightly red shoulders), there are also two tennis courts, but for me the biggest draw is the luxurious spa. Kempinski the Spa is housed in traditional, elevated buildings, replicating the villages of the indigenous Kalinago people. Each individual teatment room is in its own private villa. We decided to try the Detoxifying Mineral Bath Journey in the gorgeous outdoor tropical spa garden. It starts with a relax in the steam room, and then a delicious natural sugar body scrub which is slathered all over the body, then after a quick shower, it’s time for the fun bit: smothering yourself (and each other) in handfuls of warm, oozy sulphuric mud from Dominica’s volcanic mineral springs which has all sorts of detoxifying properties and is rich in essential minerals. After a laze in the sunshine on a heated thermal bed, to let the mud do its work, there’s a final shower off before a dip in the beautiful infinity jacuzzi. The result? Glowy, soft skin and the sudden need for a snooze by one of those incredible pools. So decadent, and so much fun too.

Once we all start to travel again, this one really should be at the very top of your wishlist. Dominica was life changing for me, for so many reasons. As before thank you to the wonderful Kylie, my lovely travelling companions, Shu, Sandy and Scott; to our guide Trevo; and to the staff and management at Cabrits Resort & Spa Kempinski, Dominica, especially Russel, Kathrin and Florian, for being such gracious hosts. For more information, visit DiscoverDominica.com.