A nightclub named Passion. An infinity pool named Wet. Are the floor-to-ceiling windows fogging up, or do some hotels have one-track minds? There's no doubt that the combination of sand and seclusion is a winning formula for a sexy beach hotel. But the definition of "sexy" can vary from one beach scene to another. Some of the world's sexiest beach hotels are overtly hedonistic, with a parade of surfer abs to ogle and poolside cabanas perfect for trysts, while other, mellower hotels channel the quiet seductiveness of a private outdoor soaking tub or a seaside table for two. Whether the steamy theme is in-your-face or sweet and lowdown, a stay at any of these hot spots may be just what your relationship, or single life, needs.
The Caribbean just got hotter
Define your relationship: Dating and married couples who love the newest and hottest unwind at Viceroy Anguilla in the Caribbean island of Anguilla.
Do-not-disturb factor: Medium. At this glossy resort, which opened in December 2009 on the west end of Anguilla, you'll find boutique shopping and multiple restaurants and bars, plus a Sea Centre for all your aquatic needs — so, isolated it isn't. At the same time, the island is only 16 miles long, so the scale stays small and far from overcrowded.
Sex appeal: The Viceroy Anguilla is like the set of a big-screen getting-to-know-you montage, complete with dinners by candlelight and moonlit walks on the beach. Start your own seduction scene with a private toes-in-the-sand table for two — grilled lobster and aged Kobe beef are two selections on the menu — arranged through the hotel's pan-Asian restaurant, Cobà. (They'll also set up dinner in your room, if you prefer.) Then retreat to the adults-only Sunset Lounge infinity pool, where a DJ spins reggae beats while staffers serve up aged rums, Cuban cigars, fine Champagnes and seasonal small plates. Craving some alone time? With private pools in all accommodations — oceanfront villas, beachfront suites and bluff-top guest rooms—there's really no reason to re-emerge between your arrival and your departure day, unless it's to stroll hand in hand along the shorelines of Barnes or Meads bays. Info: Viceroy Anguilla, telephone: 888-622-4567. Ocean view studio accommodations from $895.
Get your groove on in Mexico
Define your relationship: Cabo San Lucas' ME Cabo, on the Sea of Cortez in Mexico, is for singles and young couples in a beach-party state of mind.
Do-not-disturb factor: Low. If you love being surrounded by (other) beautiful people, you'll be in good — rather, caliente — company. This resort is a short walk from casinos and shopping centers.
Sex appeal: It's one big constant party, as Margarita-sipping and sushi-nibbling singles from South America and all over the States bounce to live-DJ house and funk. The pool and the hotel's stretch of beach are lined with luxurious full-service cabana beds, full of sexy young things in various entwined positions. And even the on-site nightclub is called Passion. Want to make it a party of two? Groove on back to your room and set your own soundtrack on the MP3-player sound system. In the bath, you'll find a rain shower big enough for several people. Even turndown can be a turn-on: Request a bed linen scent from ME Cabo's collection, including one called Sensual Habitat, a libidinous blend of jasmine, rose, and violet. Hungry for more? Hit the mini bar! It's stocked with Jimmyjane vibrators, massage oils, ticklers, Kama Sutra cards and other naughty goodies. Info: ME Cabo, telephone: 52 624 1457 800. "The Level" Petite Suite accommodations from $419, including breakfast.
Tropical one-on-one time in Thailand
Define your relationship: Starry-eyed girlfriends and boyfriends, newlyweds and longtime marrieds steal away to Anantara Phuket, on the island's quiet northwest coast, for tropical one-on-one time.
Do-not-disturb factor: High. With 1,900 square feet of Pool Villa to yourselves, there's no chance of cabin fever. Venture out, and you'll find that Mai Khao Beach is largely untouched by tourism.
Sex appeal: Water-loving lovers delight in each Pool Villa's outdoor living area, complete with a private infinity pool, a rain shower, and a terrazzo soaking tub built for two. Want to tempt each other's hearts through your stomachs? Step inside: Anantara's signature Dining by Design kitchen can whip up an aphrodisiacal menu specifically tailored for you by your own personal chef and delivered to your "living sala," where you'll find other enticing date-night essentials such as a surround-sound system and, if you've booked the Similan Suite, your own wine cellar. Info: Anantara Phuket, telephone: 66 76 336 100. Pool Villa accommodations from $924
Fort Lauderdale gets fishy
Define your relationship: If you're a posh pair that can hang with the likes of the Kardashian sisters, Rihanna and Michael Bublé, head down south to Florida's W Fort Lauderdale.
Do-not-disturb factor: Medium. This hotel has plenty of erotic elements to put you in the mood, but its locale is still people-packed Fort Lauderdale, on Florida's east coast.
Sex appeal: We know sexual overtones when we see 'em, and at the W Fort Lauderdale, the mood-setting touches don't end with the fitness center named Sweat or the infinity pool named Wet. Reserve a Cool Corner Room with a flirty open layout for a direct view of the shower from the bedroom (and vice versa). Need a little somethin'-somethin' extra? Behind the headboard of each of the hotel's signature W beds, a "love light" specifically created to flatter bare skin is waiting for you to turn it on. If you ever do manage to make it out of your room, the hotel's Whiskey Blue lounge is famous for its fashionable fan base and pickup scene, but it's the Living Room that steps up the beautiful-people–watching: Scantily clad swimmers are visible in the pool, overhead, through slivers in the mirrored ceiling. There's also a hidden nook with twinkling LED star lights if you want to make your PDA a little less P. Info: W Fort Lauderdale, telephone: 954-414-8200. Cool Corner rooms from $389.
Bring your Brazilian-size swimwear
Define your relationship: At the Hotel Fasano Rio de Janeiro, confident couples and singles with positive body image to spare mingle among Hollywood types and supermodels: Madonna, Alicia Keys, Isabeli Fontana, Jesus Luz, Natalia Vodianova, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Naomi Campbell, Beyoncé and Alessandra Ambrosio, just to name a few.
Do-not-disturb factor: Low. No one visits the Hotel Fasano Rio de Janeiro to go unnoticed, so don't bother pretending you want privacy. In fact, reserving a room is, in most cases, solely for the purpose of attaining access to the pool and its stunning, bronzed sun seekers in Brazilian-size swimwear.
Sex appeal: People-watching doesn't get much prettier than this. But if you need to give your drool reflex a rest, the panoramic view from the rooftop infinity swimming pool encompasses Ipanema Beach, the Two Brothers mountain peaks and Corcovado. There's also a steam room (which shares that prized view); a bar serving passion fruit caipirinhas and fresh-squeezed, ginger-infused watermelon juice; a fitness center with a complimentary one-hour personal training session; and a recently opened Vichy shower room for exhilarating wet treatments by Spa Fasano Renata de Abreu. Down on Ipanema Beach itself, the exclusive Fasano booth takes a creative approach to the citywide prohibition against hotels serving food on public beaches: The beach attendant will pick up your favorite seaside snacks — such as fresh coconut water and acai berries — from the nearby quiosques, or boardwalk stands, so you don't have to make a move. Info: Hotel Fasano Rio de Janeiro, telephone: 55 21 3202 4000. Deluxe oceanfront accommodations from $920.
Bed down in the Maldives
Define your relationship: Honeymooners — with a few days or 40 years of marriage under their belts — retreat to the Four Seasons Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru.
Do-not-disturb factor: High. Once a coconut plantation populated by a single local, the Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru is still a privacy seeker's paradise. The gated entrance to each Beach Villa is veiled behind coral walls and dense foliage, so seeing, being seen or none of the above is entirely up to you.
Sex appeal: Three beds in a one-bedroom villa? We like the way you think, Four Seasons. The sexy superabundance of horizontal snuggling space starts with the mosquito-netted, teak four-poster bed in the guest room. An oversize daybed on a mezzanine-level loft overlooks the Indian Ocean, and further up a spiral staircase, beside your personal 12-meter lap pool, you'll find yet another daybed, plus a traditional Maldivian swing. If you've had enough lounging around, you can rinse off à deux in the extra-deep soaking tub or the indoor rain shower, which opens to an outdoor shower garden Adam and Eve would envy. Ready to venture out? There's beachside basking, of course, plus the only Olympic-size pool in the Maldives. Take it even further by being whisked off to a secluded sand spit, where a butler will serve you cocktails at a table handcrafted out of the sand, followed by a starlit barbecue for two.
Info: The Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru, telephone: 960 66 00 888. Beach Villa accommodations from $1,200, including breakfast.
Aloha, seduction
Define your relationship: At Koa Kea on the island of Kauai, you'll encounter stylish twosomes — high-spirited yet low-key — from the United States, Canada, Japan, and beyond.
Do-not-disturb factor: Medium. Everyone loves easy access, and you can drive to Koa Kea from the Lihue Airport in under half an hour. Although the hotel is directly on popular, public Poipu Beach and surrounded by big hotels, Koa Kea's U-shaped building keeps the pool area in the central courtyard surprisingly private.
Sex appeal: Koa Kea debuted the fruits of its renovations in mid 2009 with a lounge-inspired lobby and contemporary guest-room decor of rich, dark woods offset by bright jewel tones. From your lanai, you can watch some of the most competitive (and cute) kane and wahine on the Garden Isle's popular Poipu Beach. But feel free to simply ogle the washboard abs and surfer bodies instead of jumping into the action. Or take it even easier in the couples suite at the resort's spa, with stimulating natural treatments that incorporate indigenous ingredients such as pineapple, awapuhi root, red Kauai clay and guava.
Kauai is an active destination, with plenty of opportunities for paddle surfing, snorkeling and surf skiing. But any native Hawaiian will tell you that running yourself ragged contradicts "the true spirit of Aloha" — which could be interpreted to imply that there are more amorous ways to burn off your luau feast. Info: Koa Kea Hotel & Resort, telephone: 888-898-8958. Ocean View King guest room accommodations from $450.
Red hot in Cornwall
Define your relationship: Sophisticated pairs who share a special connection with each other and Mother Earth find sanctuary at the Scarlet, a new and glamorous boutique eco hotel in Cornwall, England.
Do-not-disturb factor: High. The Scarlet exudes calm, and the Cornwall area is, for the most part, a mellow haven of quaint harbor cottages and fishing villages. And it isn't a family show; in fact, travelers under 12 need not apply.
Sex appeal: From a cliff-top spot overlooking Mawgan Porth Beach, the Scarlet's sea-facing bedrooms have mosaic-tile freestanding baths and walk-in rain shower rooms, plus private outdoor spaces: Each accommodation has a balcony, a garden or a rooftop pod for viewing the spectacular surroundings. As cozy as you may be, be sure to come out of hiding for the dining: Michelin-recognized chef Ben Tunnicliffe runs the on-site restaurant, where the market-based menu, which changes daily, might include pan-fried John Dory or charred rib of St. Ives beef. After dinner, retreat to an alfresco hot tub warmed by log fires or borrow Jasper, the resident dog, for a romantic walk on the beach. If the way to your lover's heart is not through his stomach but through his sense of adventure, try "wild swimming": splashing around in the open ocean with an instructor, exploring caves and spotting seals, dolphins and other local wildlife (with rescue boards and, of course, hot toddies available as needed). Info: The Scarlet, telephone: 44 1 637 861 800. Just Right accommodations from $310, including breakfast.