The Royal Senchi, Akosombo, Ghana
The Royal Senchi is a four-star riverside resort on the banks of Ghana’s Volta River near the Akosombo Dam â tropical grounds, a full spa, pools, a driving range, and sunset boat cruises. BTN’s pick for the inland complement to an Accra or Year of Return itinerary.
ANI Anguilla: The Ultimate Private Buyout Resort Above Little Bay
ANI Anguilla is a clifftop, exclusive-use villa resort above Little Bay rented to just one group at a time â two full villas, up to 20 dedicated staff, an Executive Chef, and a cliff-edge wedding deck built for reunions, weddings, and milestone celebrations.
Labadi Beach Hotel, Accra, Ghana
Labadi Beach Hotel is Accra’s original five-star beachfront address â a private-beach landmark on Ghana’s Gulf of Guinea coast and one of the most dependable bases for diaspora travelers tracing Year of Return heritage sites. BTN’s full review, with current 2026 rates.
Excellence Punta Cana: The Adults-Only Escape Behind Uvero Alto’s Quietest Beach
Excellence Punta Cana is the adults-only, all-inclusive anchor of Uvero Alto’s secluded coastline â swim-up suites, a dozen restaurants, and a wide stretch of beach that’s made it a go-to for Black couples, honeymooners, and bachelorette crews.
SALT of Palmar, Mauritius: The Boutique Design Hotel Rewriting the Rules of Indian Ocean Luxury
SALT of Palmar is Mauritius’s most colorful boutique hotel â an adults-only Design Hotels member on the east coast known for bold terracotta architecture, a rooftop pool over the lagoon, and its community-powered Skill Swap program. BTN’s full review.
GoldenEye, Oracabessa, Jamaica: Inside Ian Fleming’s Bond-Writing Estate Turned Boutique Resort
GoldenEye is the Oracabessa estate where Ian Fleming wrote every James Bond novel, reborn under Island Records founder Chris Blackwell as a boutique lagoon-and-beach resort steeped in Jamaican music history. BTN’s full review.
Half Moon, Montego Bay: Jamaica’s Original Grand Resort, Since 1954
Half Moon has anchored Montego Bay since 1954 â 400 acres, two miles of private beach, a Robert Trent Jones Sr. golf course, and a guest list that has included Queen Elizabeth II and the Kennedys. BTN’s full review of Jamaica’s most storied resort.
Saruni Samburu, Kalama Conservancy, Kenya
Saruni Samburu perches six open-air villas atop a volcanic kopje in Kenya’s Kalama Conservancy â a foreign-founded luxury safari lodge with a genuine, documented revenue-sharing partnership with the Samburu community whose land it sits on. BTN’s full review.
Akwaaba Mansion, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York
Akwaaba Mansion is a restored 1860 Italianate villa in Bedford-Stuyvesant and one of the first Black-owned bed and breakfasts in the US â founded in 1995 by former Essence editor-in-chief Monique Greenwood. BTN’s full review.
Zuri Zanzibar, Kendwa, Tanzania
Zuri Zanzibar is a 56-villa design resort tucked into 12 hectares of tropical garden on Kendwa’s tide-free beach â five-star, Design Hotels-listed, and one of the most talked-about stays on the island. BTN’s full review.
