In the decade that I’ve been traveling the world as an editor, I’ve seen a ton of hotels. I skipped around a bunch before I had the official title and in those days I also tested out hotels, motels and Holiday Inns—a lot. Every hotel has a positive (there was a place I saw in Cancún a few weeks ago that had eh rooms but an awesome beach and beautiful common spaces) and every hotel has, what my mom calls, a “yeah, but.” You know, that waiter who ruined the whole vibe of a fancy spot in Marrakech or the resort fees that are tacked on to every stay at a Hawaiian resort.

But Amanyara, an exclusive enclave of intimate pavilions and a collection of private villas on the island of Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos had all of the awesome and none of the yeah buts. (Ok there was one—the threat of having to sit next to Christy Turlington on the beach! Thankfully, we only saw her husband all covered up.)