Every year, millions of people visit the Caribbean islands, each for their reasons. While each Caribbean island has its own unique culture and customs, some are more suited to specific activities than others. The most common reasons for travelers to visit the Caribbean, as well as the greatest islands to visit, are listed below.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
This 32-island archipelago grabbed the top rank this year. St. Vincent and the Grenadines offers a distinct, low-key old-school Caribbean ambiance. Hiking, sailing, snorkeling/diving, and day tours to other islands are all available. Petit St. Vincent, the largest of the nine inhabited islands, is heaven on Earth, with sanctuaries such as Little Palm Resort.
Anguilla
This island is known for having some of the most delectable foods and is frequently referred to as the gastronomic center of the Caribbean. It is home to some of the most intriguing up-and-coming chefs who specialize in fresh, local seafood. There’s no better location to try new foods than in a region famed for its constantly changing culinary culture.
Aruba
This Dutch-Caribbean gem is located outside of the storm belt and offers convenient flight access, beautiful beaches, and cosmopolitan culture with more than 90 nationalities. Even so, this emerald paradise in the conservative southern parts of the Caribbean is relatively close compared to the main island to some of the other seasoning beaches.
St. Lucia is a Caribbean island located in the Caribbean
You’ll be stunned by the rugged grandeur of this jewel, where the lush geography mimics the South Pacific, if you stay within sight of its famed volcanoes, Gros Piton and Petit Piton, at places like Jade Mountain or Anse Chastanet. It’s a terrific area to go for a hike, see amazing vistas from atop a volcanic mountain, or just relax and unwind.
St. Barts is a small coast island
St. Barts, home to some of the world’s most opulent hotel resorts and exclusive boutiques, has a certain air of importance that deters the casual visitor. You don’t have to be a millionaire oil tycoon to enjoy this one, though. Though sparkling sands lurk between the lush headlands at Shell Beach and uber-romantic Flamands, snorkelers search the waters at Colombier, and cocktail-sippers chatter the days away in designer bikinis between the bars of Grand Cul-de-Sac, there’s little doubt that the prize is worth paying for.
Eleuthera is a Bahamas island
With the white grains of the Great Bahama Banks, this Out Island is a favorite with beachgoers, anglers, and travelers looking for a relaxing break from their daily grind. A trip to the “pineapple capital of the world,” where they’ve been growing them since the 18th century, is likely to be delightful. The Bahama Mama, a rum cocktail claimed to have been developed during Prohibition, is credited to the Bahamas. Puerto Rico and Cuba are excellent places to sample some of the best Pina Coladas, and Cuba, of course, is the home of the Mojito and Daiquiri.
Curacao
This Dutch-owned island, located in the Caribbean Sea, is ideal. Curacao voted one of the best in the Caribbean, feels like a tropical Holland. Although the town is constructed in a Dutch design, the surrounding areas are entirely tropical. Hit the beaches, soak up some rays, and dance the night away. This isn’t Gilligan’s Island, but it more than makes up for it in romance and good times.
Grenada
Grenada is known as the Spice Isle, with nutmeg and vanilla pods, as well as aromatic cinnamon wafts, twisting and turning in the steamy Carib air and floating down on trade winds to the picturesque bays of Grand Anse and the gleaming white sands of Morne Rouge Beach. The island, which is volcanic in origin, spikes, and dips with Mount Saint Catherine’s cones and Grand Etang’s grass-rimmed crater lakes.
Islands in the harbor
Harbor Island’s claim to fame is a three-mile-long strip of pink sand along its eastern coast, which was formerly the Bahamas’ capital. Enjoy views of the rosy crushed-coral strip from either of numerous “Briland” beachfront boutique hotels (Pinks Sands and Coral Sands are nice choices).
Puerto Rico’s Vieques
Vieques, the larger of the two “Spanish Virgin Islands” off the coast of Puerto Rico, is a peaceful haven about six miles offshore and a 30-minute flight from San Juan. The laid-back island is famed for its calm beaches, two charming towns, Esperanza and Isabella II, Mosquito Bay’s bioluminescent seas, and the iconic free-range horses that graze the rough environment.
Bermuda
Bermuda is one of the world’s most gorgeous islands. While you’ll require a reasonable budget to visit Bermuda, you’ll discover an island with some of the most gorgeous beaches in North America and the Caribbean if you give it a chance.
Bermuda is a British overseas colony that is self-governing. The islands had no inhabitants until a shipwreck in the 17th century, when Europeans colonized the island. Bermuda is the world’s shipwreck capital.
Van dyke, Jost
This little Virgin draws yachties to enticing sandy stretches like White Bay and Great Harbor, as well as drinkers to the beach bars that dot the landscape, like the iconic Soggy Dollar Bar and Foxy’s. If you enjoy sipping Painkillers while standing in warm, waist-deep water, then this rugged and rustic three-square-mile island is for you.
Nevis
Nevis is often regarded as magical, despite being only a 45-minute ferry journey from its bigger sister, St. Kitts. The 36-square-mile isle will appeal to visitors seeking natural beauty and a slower pace than can be found in more well-known tourist destinations. St. Kitts and Nevis have the Monkey Shoals’ eye-opening dive opportunities and Frigate Bay Reef’s gliding sea turtles; Basseterre’s English-style churches and regal fountains; Brimstone Hill’s dramatic remnants and sheer-cut black cliffs that plummet to a wavy ocean.
Barbados
Barbados is a lively island with fantastic nightlife. Bridgetown is one of the area’s nightlife hotspots, so if you want to party till the early hours of the morning, this is the island for you. Antigua and Barbuda, separated by a narrow strip of sky-blue Caribbean Sea in the middle of the Leeward Islands, are one of the region’s most well-rounded tourist destinations.
Amazing beaches and caves can be found here, just as they are in Bermuda. There’s also some world-class surfing to be found. The food is fantastic, and you’ll be able to choose between pricey, exquisite meals and inexpensive local fare.
Jamaica
Start on the north shore of Jamaica, where powdery white sands stretch from the ivory stretches of Seven Mile Beach, past the sheer-cut Negril Cliffs, through the luxury uber-resorts of Montego Bay, around the gushing Dunn’s River Falls, and out to where famous James Bond Beach gives way to the jungles of Ocho Rios in plumes of swaying coconut palms, juniper bushes, mangrove, and tamarind.
The Bahamas’ Abaco Archipelago is a mountainous region
The Bahamas’ boating capital has everything a sailor could want: quiet waters, excellent fishing (bonefish, tuna, and marlin abound), and easy anchorage across the 120-mile chain of 14 limestone islands floating in a turquoise sea. When it’s time to leave the sea, travelers can stay in cozy cottage resorts strewn over the archipelago.
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is the tropical Caribbean chart-topper that no one has ever heard of, nestled in the center of the Lesser Antilles. The destination, shaped like a butterfly, spreads its wings across two big main islands: Basse Terre and Grande Terre. These are connected at the hip by a series of man-made bridges, each of which serves up a different mix of delights.
Gorda Virginia
The third-largest of the British Virgin Islands is rich in natural beauty. Trails are bordered by lush tropical vegetation. Hikes reward hikers with sweeping views of nearby islands; the best vantage point is Gorda Peak, the island’s highest point. And beautiful rock formations such as the Baths, where massive granite boulders form tidal pools at the water’s edge, give way to pristine beaches.
The Dominican Republic
From the sandstone cliffs and sturdily built ledges of Los Haitises throughout the east to the antiquated underground caverns and parched backcountry camping of the sierra Madre mountain range Bahoruco in the countryside, the water sports thermal conditions of Cabarete and Puerto Plata mostly in the north towards the suburbanization of Santa Domingo and its commensurate imperial precious stones in the south, the Dominican Republic, Caribbean has plenty of tactics up its clip.
Islands of the Cayman
This trio of islands, known for stunning dive sites and marine experiences like Stingray City, has long been popular with travelers looking for excellent cuisine and sophisticated resorts, as well as jaw-dropping beaches like Seven Mile Beach on the side. Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, the smaller sister islands, are a laid-back alternative to George Town’s hustle and bustle and are only a 45-minute flight away.
