Originally conceived as a site for a single private villa, and then for a semiprivate club, this hillside housing development, which looks straight out of Arizona, is a 25-minute taxi ride northeast of Queen Juliana Airport. Opening onto Orient Beach, the Esmeralda blossomed into a full-scale resort in the early 1990s, offering views over Orient Bay and a decidedly French focus. Each of the 18 Spanish mission-style, tile-roofed villas can be configured into four separate units by locking or unlocking the doors between rooms. Each individual unit contains a king or two doubles, a kitchenette, a shower-only bathroom, a terrace, and a private entrance. Each villa has a communal pool, which creates the feeling of a private club.

Amenities: 6 restaurants; 17 pools; 2 tennis courts; horseback riding; scuba diving, waterskiing, snorkeling; room service; massage; babysitting; laundry