Caribbean Nature Resort | About Jungle Bay Dominica

Jungle Bay from the air, its villas set into the cliffside above the bay

The Jungle Bay story

A nature-inspired luxury escape

Set into the cliffside rainforest of southeast Dominica, Jungle Bay connects every guest to the soul of the island — adventure, spa, wellness, yoga, gourmet cuisine, local culture, and history, all within earshot of the Atlantic. It's one of the Caribbean's few successful, locally owned, five-star Retreat & Resort properties: proof, from the very beginning, that a resort could be built in harmony with the land it sits on rather than in spite of it.

Today, Jungle Bay sets the benchmark for sustainable tourism in the Caribbean. But the story starts smaller than that — with one man's philosophy about what a resort owes the place that hosts it.

The founder

Samuel Raphael

Founder & Owner

Jungle Bay is the vision of Dominican entrepreneur and sustainable-development expert Samuel “Sam” Raphael. His life philosophy — environmental conservation woven into community development — traces back to a single fifth-grade field trip, from St. Croix to Cinnamon Bay in St. John, USVI, that showed a young Sam what an untouched coastline could look like. He spent the decades that followed building the resort that proves those two ideas were never in tension.

Dominica-born himself, Sam sought to prove that sustainability can thrive in harmony with community well-being, environmental stewardship, and business success — and built Jungle Bay as a resort of, and for, the island.

Top Sustainable Tourism Developer in the WorldNamed by Virgin Holidays, in recognition of Jungle Bay's climate-resilience and community work

Sustainability

Built with purpose, from design to operations

Jungle Bay is a resort with purpose. Sustainability isn't a program added on top of the guest experience — it's certified into the buildings themselves. Jungle Bay holds the highest certification level for sustainable tourism and quality with Dominica's Nature Island Standards of Excellence (NISE), and every staff guide is trained to protect the fragile ecosystem while sharing its wonders.

The resort's eco-system focuses on meaningful employment, active social programs, and raising awareness for Dominica's natural beauty — proof that sustainability and hospitality can be the same business decision.

Certified to the highest level Nature Island Standards of Excellence (NISE)

Acclaim & press

Two decades of recognition

Jungle Bay has had more than 200 international media outlets endorse the property for its guest care, its experiences, and its commitment to sustainability. Condé Nast Traveler called it the top retreat in the world; National Geographic Traveller and Travel + Leisure have named it among their favorites; Forbes counts it among the ten best luxury eco-resorts anywhere.

An eco-resort with private villas built of local wood and stone… It's an ocean sanctuary.

Robb Report, 2021

Forbes Travel Guide
The New York Times
Condé Nast Traveller
National Geographic Traveler
Travel + Leisure
Go World Travel
The Telegraph
Yoga Journal

World Saver AwardCondé Nast Traveler

Stay List AwardNat. Geographic Traveller

Favorite 20 Green HotelsTravel + Leisure

10 Best Luxury Eco ResortsForbes

Travelers' Choice, 2020 & 2021TripAdvisor

Community

A resort that gives back

Jungle Bay operates the Jungle Bay Community Fund, a registered Dominican charity, channeling the resort's success back into the villages around it — in early education, healthcare, small business, and literacy.

Jungle Bay Community Fund — Registered charity, Government of Dominica

Summer 2026 opening ceremony of the new community preschool, a project undertaken with leadership from Jungle Bay

25 studentsEarly childhood development centre

Two teachers, twenty-five preschoolers, and a campus being rebuilt after Hurricane Maria.

Since 2008Health partnerships

An annual medical mission with Dr. Jeanine Abrons has delivered tens of thousands of dollars in supplies and staffed a clinic at the Jungle Bay spa.

32 entrepreneursSoutheast entrepreneur loan fund

Micro-loans and mentorship have launched 32 local businesses, reaching 123 participants in total.

250 books / yrOpen books, open minds

Delivered to seven primary schools — one of which went from the island's lowest literacy rate to its highest.

$40,000+The House of Hope

Invested in a community facility supporting indigent and disabled children.

200+ studentsKalinago Territory scholarships

High-school tuition support, plus a standing secondary-education scholarship fund.

Travel + routes

Getting to Dominica

Dominica can be reached from North America, Europe and the Caribbean, and is served by commuter flights and ferries from nearby islands: Guadeloupe (2 hours), Martinique (2 hours) and St. Lucia (4 hours).

Douglas-Charles Airport (DOM) is the island's primary airport. The easiest access from the USA and Canada is American Airlines nonstop from Miami (MIA), or United Airlines nonstop from Newark (EWR). Dominica is also well connected through regional Caribbean hubs including San Juan, Antigua, Barbados, St. Maarten, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Tortola and Saint Lucia.

By ferry — L'Express des Îles runs services from Guadeloupe, Martinique and St. Lucia to Dominica.

Visas and passports — No visa is required for citizens of Canada, the US, the UK, Germany, Switzerland, France and several other countries. A valid passport with at least six months' validity and a return ticket are needed to travel to Dominica.

Our reservations team will be pleased to help you research the most convenient routing from your own and your participants' departure cities.

Full routes and airlines

Come be a part of the story

Every stay at Jungle Bay funds the next chapter of this story.

Book your stay

Where the rainforest meets the sea