Happy Spring: 5 Spots That Bring the Outdoors Inside
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Jamaica Inn -- Ochos Rios, Jamaica
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Jade Mountain Resort -- St. Lucia
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Calistoga Ranch -- Napa County, California
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Esperanza Resort -- Los Cabos, Mexico
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Round Hill Hotel and Villas -- Montego Bay, Jamaica
After months of chilly, blustery weather -- it's official: Spring has sprung! We can literally smell it in the air. To celebrate the shedding of our heavy coats, shearling boots, and bulky sweaters, we found vacation spots that literally bring the outside in -- as in, they're missing the (non-proverbial) fourth wall. Check out our favorite open-air spots after the jump, then tell us: How do you celebrate the arrival of spring?
A small, romantic resort that once drew Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller, the Jamaica Inn is about quiet luxury -- a single thatch-roofed bar, a small pool, and beautiful rooms with open walls, oversize terraces and soft, colonial décor. This is not the place to party, as the resort totally shuts down around midnight -- but who needs late night entertainment when you've got nature at your own fingertips?
Luxury comes at a high price -- but with open air views like Jade Mountain provides, the room may very well be worth the price tag. It'll take you over a half hour just to reach the resort at the top of the island's craggy cliffs, but once you arrive (and hopefully have taken your Dramamine), you'll be able to enjoy the Caribbean breeze and St. Lucia's epic scenery. Through an open fourth wall, each of Jade's 29 enormous suites overlooks the sea from its chromatherapy-lit whirlpool tub, canopied bed, and private infinity pool.
A-listers continually flock to this luxury resort for a reason: It's really in a class of its own. Each room is actually in a separate building, surrounding an outdoor living room that is easily its main attraction. Lodges have grills, indoor chef's kitchens and outdoor rain showers, too, to really turn your living experience inside out. Attention to detail carries over from room design to environmental planning -- all modules for the lodges were flown in by helicopter to minimize impact on surrounding trees and to maximize privacy.
This beautiful, luxurious 57-room resort is one of the nicest in Los Cabos.Handsome, tastefully rooms start at 925 square feet, and are decorated in traditional Baja style, with authentic artwork and wood detailing -- and a missing fourth wall, too. The decadent, Jacuzzi-fied bathrooms have at least partial (if not full) jaw-dropping ocean views.
An intimate and super luxurious spot, the Round Hill has large, beautifully designed rooms -- even with a few mosquitoes and ants pestering you, thanks to its open-air design: The back wall opens to a large wood-planked terrace built into the cliff edge, overlooking the ocean. The views are simply breathtaking, but if you want the AC to work, you'll have to close the shutters (and the incredible view of the ocean).