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Some places are well-worth waiting for: Fashion designer Donna Karan’s stunning villa complex on Parrot Cay, in the Turks & Caicos completed in November 2007 after more than three years of planning and construction, is one of those. Comprised of two four-bedroom villas and a Balinese screened-in pool pavilion, the Sanctuary certainly lives up to its name. Floor-to-ceiling windows allow the lush landscapes and ocean hues to serve as color accents in the neutral, Asian-inspired spaces (Karan worked with Singapore architect Cheong Yew Kuan, who also designed the acclaimed Begawan Giri in Bali). The Zen-infused interiors are crafted out of such natural materials as walnut, cedar, teak and limestone. Sliding doors give the spaces an open, non-cluttered feel, and oversized day beds and low couches, overflowing with pillows and decorative throws, invited reading, lounging and daydreaming. Karan has said that Parrot Cay, which she has visited since 1999, is a place where she feels free to “practice Yoga, laugh, make memories and relax in the truest possible way.”

The décor throughout is pure Karan: subtle, inspired, creative. Many of the decorative details, like sculptures, pieces of art work and objet, were sourced on the designer’s world travels in Asia and Africa. In one of the bedrooms, there’s a small clothing doll with the letters DK, a reminder perhaps, of Karan’s real world. The Sanctuary has three infinity pools, several outdoor showers and Jacuzzis. If you’re renting the sprawling property with friends or other families—which, at $20,000 per night is the way to go—the only tricky part will be deciding who gets the master bedrooms in the two villas. Located on the first floor, they have a sprawling, open bed and living room design schemes and panoramic views of the sea. The whole thing may channel a laid-back, beach-chic ambience, but techies will also be impressed: there’s Bose surround sound, plasma flatscreens, iPod docks and WiFi throughout. Guests of the Sanctuary have full access to the resort amenities at Parrot Cay but considering that the villa complex comes with a private butler and personal chef, there’s little reason to ever leave. The Sanctuary can be rented in its entirety for $20,000 per night.

A full-length destination report on the Turks & Caicos is coming soon.

Read an editor’s opinion on Parrot Cay versus Harbour Island.

Read an insider’s list of recommendations for what to see and do on Providenciales.