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Caribbean Beaches
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Best Caribbean Beaches are arranged in island/country alphabetical order.

Anguilla, West Indies, Little Bay
This tiny half moon shaped bay with powder sand beach and clear water is protected by high cliffs so the ambience is tranquil and excellent for sunbathing and snorkelling. Access is by boat only from Crocus Bay.
Nearby
Shoal Bay - which some consider to be Anguilla's best beach, Rendezvous Bay, or Road Bay offer a few more facilities and action.

Antigua, Johnson's Point [Crab Hill]
A chain of secluded coves with white soft-sand beaches in south-west Antigua is excellent for views over
Guadeloupe, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, particularly at sunset.
If snorkeling is your aim, then head for Pigeon Point near Falmouth Harbour. Topless or naked bathing are strictly illegal in Antigua.

Bahamas, Harbour Island, Pink Sand Beach
This famous pink sand beach on a islet of Eleuthera Island, is one of the world's most photographed beaches and often voted as the world's best beach by various travel publications. It's a three mile stretch of powder sand named for its salmon colour due to flecks of red plankton mixed with fine, sugar-white coral sand.
Most of the accommodation is located on the cliff behind the beach and reached by 'Bahamas Fast Ferries' from Eleuthera.

Barbados, Crane Beach
Although access is only through the Crane Resort [non-residence with small fee], Crane Beach is said to be one of Barbados' - if not the Caribbean's - most beautiful beaches. The soft white sands with azure water are embraced by imposing cliffs and protected by a natural coral reef; a safe and picture-perfect swimming venue.

Belize, Placencia
This is a totally laid-back seaside town with a 16 miles of pristine sandy beach on a long, narrow peninsula in SE Belize.
It is is well worth the trip to get there [4-5 hours from Belize City, but now daily domestic flights are available].
Facilities are simple but comfortable, with friendly locals and fantastic seafood. Apart from just lying on the sand, you can participate in various water sports, fishing, bird watching, manatee watching [!] and jungle excursions in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary.
If you want more action [especially scuba diving], try the Cayes:
resort-oriented Ambergris Caye, or relatively low-key Caye Caulker. Both are good bases for world-class diving and snorkelling off the world's second greatest barrier reef.

British Virgin Islands [BVI], Virgin Gorda, The Baths
Palm-lined silky beaches with deep pinky-gray sands and peppermint green water [what about the purple prose?].
Although Virgin Gorda has no shortage of lovely beaches such as Devil's Bay,
Mahoe Bay, Pond Bay, Savannah Bay, and Spring Bay, the Baths gets the top spot in BVI, so it can get crowded. It's good for year-round swimming and snorkelling, especially going left from the beach but a bit pricey.
Virgin Gorda is one of the friendliest islands in the Caribbean.

British Virgin Islands, Jost Van Dykes Island, White Bay
Photogenic, unspoilt and white-on-white, the beach on tiny Jost Van Dykes island 5 miles west of Tortola, was a secret until recently but now some major publications are raving about it, and it has been selected as one of world's top ten best beaches.
There is also fabulous snorkelling from the islet off the southeast of
Jost Van Dykes Sandy Cay and the more remote Sandy Spit Beach as well.

Cuba [picture top left], Varadero
OK, not exactly the Caribbean - actually the Straits of Florida - but near enough.
20km of clean, creamy,
uncrowded sand adjacent to clean, warm, nearly turquoise water runs alongside a string of efficient upmarket hotels and a few local facilities. There is no coral in the immediate vicinity so forget snorkelling.
Officially foreigners must stay in their hotels, which are often all-inclusive but relatively cheap and Varadero town is not especially interesting but a rental car or bus will get you too Havana in a couple of hours.
Havana is very lively and fascinating in a crumbly pre-60's way. Four days in Varadero and three days in Havana would be an excellent week's holiday. See 24 pages of Cuba Pictures.

Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, [West Indies], Sainte Anne Beach
Guadeloupe is an up and coming destinations for Europeans. It's still only moderately touristy and has very good reputation for French Creole cuisine [spicy]. The coastline is rugged and the fine sandy beaches are relatively quiet. Ste. Anne town is the prettiest village in Guadeloupe, and the beach is the finest.
The Plage de la Caravelle is also good but access is only through Club Med.

Grenada, Carriacou, [West Indies], Anse la Roche
This is a must-see beach, a perfect image of white sand with a great view of Union Island across the water. It's a 45 minute walk from Bogles village but it's quite easy to get lost and it might be better to take a water taxi. There are no facilities and very few people, so take food and drink.
Grand Anse Beach
on the main island is also reputed to be one of the finest beaches in the Caribbean.


Jamaica, Negril Beach
Looking for a nudist paradise?
Negril Beach is the one for you if you can cope with the crowds and some local harassments. Otherwise the beach is Jamaica's prettiest with a laid-back atmosphere. It's much less busy than the famous Seven Mile Beach.
Long Bay Beach Park at northern end of Negril Beach is a bit more tranquil as is Bloody Bay Beach further along. There are reports of occasional thefts and mugging.

Martinique [France], Le Diamant [Diamond Beach]

Les Salines in Ste-Anne is the finest beach on the South Loop and the only gay friendly beach in Martinique but six mile long Diamond Beach is the best, with a good view of Diamond Rock island offshore - which some say is one of the Caribbean's most beautiful diving sites.
Martinique's French ambience is an interesting change from the usual US/British style Caribbean
. In fact it is a part of France and the European Union so the currency is conveniently the Euro!
Local restaurants serve superb French-Creole cuisine.

Puerto Rico, Culebra Island, Playa Flamenco [Flamenco Beach]
If all you need is sun, sand, and tranquility in Caribbean, head to the little-known Culebra [also known as Snake Island], located halfway between
Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Because it has been kept as a nature reserve the wide sandy beaches - especially Playa Flamenco - are in excellent condition, with only very discreet development.
It is excellent for snorkelling, diving and birdwatching and has one of the Caribbean's most substantial turtle nesting sites too.
There is an hour ferry service to Dewey from Fajardo and flights from Fajardo and San Juan.
Alternatively Puerto Rico's main island has excellent beaches, especially at the family friendly Boqueron in the SW.

St Vincent and the Grenadines, Palm Island, Casuarina Beach
Casuarina is the prettiest of four beaches on this privately-owned Caribbean island [originally known as Prune Island], with hundreds of coconut palms surrounded by coral reefs.
Stay at the very private all-inclusive resort - the Grenadines' finest - or dine at their restaurants; reservations only.
It's about a mile from Union Island.

Tobago, Englishman's Bay
Tobago is one of the hippest destination for celebrities and rich stiffs due to some new and stylish boutique hotels. Diving is also becoming well-known here, such as Pigeon Point Beach, but for escapism Englishman's Bay is the one - sheltered by a palm-jungle it has a white sand beach with very little development. This secluded beach is great for swimming and snorkelling while from March to June endangered Giant Leatherback Turtles come to lay eggs on these gorgeous sands.

Turks and Caicos, Provo Island, Grace Bay
The American astronaut John Glenn said that it must be paradise when he spotted the 40 Turks and Caicos coral islands from space.
Grace Bay's 12 mile stretch of sand is white and fine as baby powder, the water is turquoise, calm - protected by a barrier reef - and safe for swimming. The beach is part of a national marine park so development is supposed be controlled, as are motorised water sports, though some think Grace Bay is both overdeveloped and overrated and metamorphosing into a fast food paradise.
Hotels are widely dispersed and expensive as are restaurants.
For even more expensive and secluded celebrity hotels, try the two islands of Parrot Cay or Pine Cay.

US Virgin Islands, St John, Trunk Bay
Trunk Bay - considered by many to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world - is often over-crowded, especially on days when cruise ships rest in the port, but still glorious and excellent for swimming, snorkeling and diving.
Trunk Bay also hosts the world's first marked underwater snorkeling trails [National Park Underwater Trail] near the shore, and is one of the best snorkeling locations in the Caribbean.
Local people are friendly and appreciate tourists. An entry fee is charged.

Venezuela, Islas Los Roques
Long stretches of white sandy beaches bordered by palms and 20 km of sensational coral reef with crystal-clear water, this is part of Venezuela's loveliest marine park and excellent for snorkelling, diving and fishing but offers very little shade.
Los Roques can be visited as a day-trip from Isla Margarita or Caracas [the Venezuelan capital] by air; otherwise stay on the main island, Gran Roque, where there is the airport and other basic facilities.

 


Caribbean Tours

The best time to go on a Caribbean Beach holiday:

In general, December to May is climatically the best season in the Caribbean while economically May is the best month as hotel prices double or triple mid-December through April but the weather is usually still good in May.

Officially the hurricane season is August to the end of October but the rainy season is from May to December.
Mid December is a reasonably safe bet, while good weather often persists into May.
Of course around Christmas/New Year [last two weeks of December and first ten days of January] and a week either side of Easter is the very busiest and most expensive time to travel here [air tickets too!].

Book winter Caribbean hotels several months in advance. If you're on a tight budget consider going off season, mid-April to mid-December. August to the end of October is the normal hurricane season but though hurricanes are rare [especially in southern islands], rain is not, the humidity can be oppressive and stormy, water may be rough and unclear and beaches garbed in seaweed.

n.b. Many Caribbean resorts, restaurants and other services are limited or shut down completely from September to end of November.

n.b.2 [!] Sand drifting across from Africa can create hazy conditions mid-May to mid-June.

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For Best Beaches in the World by month go to these pages:

January

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March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Crime:
In the last few years, as Britain and USA have ceded control to local authorities violent crime and corruption have increased in many of their colonies and ex-colonies and local attitudes to foreigners have markedly deteriorated, including those in service industries.
Inside the grounds of all-inclusive resorts there is no problem and holidaymakers will imagine they are close to heaven, but in the real world trouble lurks.
In other words, sailing folk or low budget travellers be VERY careful and aware that outsiders are often treated with disdain, while crimes against them are likely to go unpunished.
No Worries:
French and Dutch islands that still have strict law enforcement. e.g. Aruba, Curacao, Guadaloupe, St Martins. Cuba is OK [until Fidel smokes his last cigar] but take care.
And inside all-inclusive hotel resorts anywhere, usually no problem.
Worries:
US Virgin islands, especially St Croix and St Thomas; Puerto Rico; Jamaica; Barbados' Bridgetown after dark; Turks & Caicos; Dominican Republic; and Bermuda's not too secure either.

Runner's-Up Best Caribbean Beaches:
Palm Beach, Aruba; The Gold Coast, Barbados; Pink Beach, Barbuda; Guadalavaca, Caya Levisa, Cuba; Seven Mile Beach, Jamaica; St-Jean Beach, St. Barthélemy; Playa Grande or Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Luquillo Beach, Puerto Rico; Dawn Beach, Maho Bay Beach, Mullet Bay Beach, and Great Bay Beach, St. Martin [St. Maarten]; Horseshoe Bay, Bermuda; Deadman's Bay, Peter Island, BVI.

The Gay Life:
some Caribbean islands are more receptive to gays and lesbians than others.
Glad-2-B-Gay: [US] Puerto Rico, St.Thomas, St John, St Croix. [French] St Barts, St Martin, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Bonaire. Coming out - Aruba, arriba!
No-way-Gay: Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Barbados, Curaçao.

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