Top 10 Caribbean Islands you Need to Visit
The Caribbean conjures up images of blonde beaches and nodding palms, cocktails at sunset and welcoming locals. These notions are true - but the Caribbean offers so much more.
From zip-wiring through verdant rainforest to snorkelling underwater statues, from boarding a reggae-pumping Bajan bus, to scaling mist-shrouded peaks, there's something for everyone in this magical part of the world.
Here are 10 of the most beautiful Caribbean islands - and why you might visit them.
Jamaica
Jamaica's size and energy make it one of the best islands in the Caribbean to experience the authentic character of the region.
While the main population centres of Montego Bay and Ocho Rios may lack soul, Treasure Beach in the southwest offers an easy-going, classically Jamaican vibe, while Negril to the west boasts the stunning Seven Mile Beach, and a more up-tempo atmosphere.
Northeastern Port Antonio, meanwhile, is a mecca for artists and musicians, and counts among its former residents Errol Flynn and Rudyard Kipling.
Also not-to-be-missed is the 10,000-acre John Crow mountains, where at least two hundred bird species thrive, making it one of the most alluring of many UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the region - and one of the best Caribbean Islands for ornithologists.
Trinidad and Tobago
Scintillating Trinidad is an oil-wealthy island that doesn’t really need tourists - but welcomes them all the same.
Trinidad is just 40 minutes from Grenada by air. Here you'll find plenty of all-inclusive hotel options, but the big draw is its huge array of birdlife. Look out for the dazzling scarlet ibis, and the beautiful corico.
It is also famous for its cuisine, blending Creole, African, Javanese, Syrian, Indian, and Lebanese culinary traditions. A reason to visit in itself!
Quieter and more laid back is Tobago, with its lush verdant jungle and superb beaches.
You won’t find so many hotel packages in Tobago, but that arguably gives it a more genuine Caribbean feel.
Aside from the white sandy beaches, one of the big draws is the giant turtle nesting season, which takes place from March to September.
With so many romantic vistas and thrilling activities, it's certainly one of the best Caribbean islands for couples.
St Kitts and Nevis
Looking for a chilled-out Caribbean getaway filled with beach-lounging, golf, and amazing food? Then this island, packed with 5-star resorts, could be your ideal destination.
And while St Kitts has the most expensive resort options, there’s still plenty of free-to-enjoy lush rainforest, peppered with African green - aka 'vervet' - monkeys. And for a Brit abroad, the island will feel oddly British - not surprising since it was Great Britain’s first Caribbean colony.
On Nevis you'll find more boutique hotels, as well as more affordable - and very colourful - bungalows in places like Oualie Beach.
In the unlikely event you get tired of all the fabulous beaches here, you might ascend Nevis's only mountain - the 985m stratovolcano known as Nevis Peak. Here you'll find cascading waterfalls and yet more cheeky vervet monkeys.
Little wonder it’s among the best Caribbean islands for nature lovers.
Barbados
This quintessential Caribbean island truly deserves its reputation as the region's culinary hotspot. Tuck into fleshy restaurant marlin for around 9 GBP, or save by sampling herby grilled fish in one of the night markets.
Getting around this 21-mile-long island is a cinch, with low-cost and regular Bajan buses (coloured blue and yellow), issuing reggae beats as they shuttle you between towns and blonde beaches, rum distilleries and botanic gardens.
St Lucia
Unlike many beach-focused Caribbean islands, St Lucia offers a more varied landscape, with volcanoes, tropical rainforest - as well as its fair share of enticing beaches.
St Lucia also has golf courses galore, to be found along the west coast - along with the main settlements of Soufrière (French influenced) and Castries (with a more British feel).
Indeed, this stunning island was subject to many Anglo-French tussles, giving rise to the common refrain, "seven times British, seven times French".
Aside from golf and lazy beach days, common pursuits include hiking the Piton Mountains, zip-lining, and animal spotting (best accomplished on a drive along the east coast).
Grenada
If you think you know the Caribbean, you don’t - not unless you've been to Grenada.
What strikes you most is how few tourists there are on the gold-standard beaches. This is largely because there are so few hotel beds (around 1,400 for a population of over 105,000).
Topping the activities list are taking a dip in the picturesque Concord Waterfall, visiting chocolate and rum factories, and snorkelling the Grenada Underwater Sculpture Park.
Dominican Republic
Most Brits will know the Dominican Republic for its wallet-friendly holiday packages, and the tipsy, sunburnt people who buy them. However, these holidays take place in two small zones - Punta Cana to the south and Puerto Plata in the north.
Americans - who can reach "the DR '' in about 4 hours - see the island as a much more sophisticated destination - largely because they eschew the two resorts mentioned.
Those 'in-the-know' will make a beeline for Samana Bay, where humpbacks - normally so elusive - come to mate and breed. These magnificent beasts adore the warm waters - meaning it'll only take a few minutes to spot one.
Antigua
You might think this mecca for the well-heeled has little to offer the more moderately-heeled traveller - but it does.
Sure, there are the gleaming yachts and glamorous beach clubs, but there's also incredible snorkelling and welcoming rum bars to enjoy (both of which are affordable).
The island also boasts 365 beaches - all of which are free to visit. What's more, nothing on the island is more than 45 minutes’ drive away, making it much easier to explore than some of its neighbours.
Top tip: brush up on your cricket knowledge, because that's all the locals want to chat about!
The Bahamas
You probably know the Bahamas best for Atlantis - the gaudy theme park once home to Michael Jackson. But with 700 other islands to explore, the Bahamas offers so much more.
Harbour Island is where well-off Brits and Americans hang out - drawn by the dazzling fringes of pink sand.
A more bohemian vibe is offered up by Eleuthera, while the Abacos islands barely have a church, let alone a car. Scuba divers, meanwhile, will want to make a beeline for Andros.
The only major drawback of the Bahamas is that you'll need to fly between the many islands. Mercifully, flights are low-cost and regular.
Aruba
This Dutch possession was the first on the Caribbean to cash-in on the tourist dollar, attracting calypso-obsessed Americans in the 1950s.
The aureate, resort-packed beaches are of course the main attraction, but don’t leave with exploring inland: Snorkelers will adore the colourful reef fish of Malmok Beach, while hikers will be enticed by the jagged cliffs and abandoned gold mines of Arikok National Park.
Getting around is easy, too, since Aruba has a diminutive footprint of just 20x6 miles.
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