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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. See Crime.
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. See Crime.
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. See Crime.
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. See Crime.
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 generally friendly and appreciate tourists. An entry fee
is charged. See Crime.
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.
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 best season for a Caribbean beach holiday:
December to May are usually the
best months in the Caribbean while financially May is the favourite low-cost
month as accommodation charges multiply mid-December to
April but the weather remains fine through May - hopefully.
The hurricane season runs from August
thru October but the rainy period lasts May to December.
Mid December is a pretty safe bet and fine days
can last into May.
Of course around Christmas/New Year [last 2 weeks of December
and first 10 days of January], a week either side of Easter
and during North American College breaks is the very busiest and most costly time to travel to and stay in the Caribbean.
Book
winter Caribbean hotels months in advance.
Travellers on a tight budget might consider staying off season, mid-April
to mid-December.
Stormy weather: August to early October is the normal peak hurricane season [78% of tropical storms; 87% of the "minor" hurricanes; 96% of the "major" hurricanes] but though hurricanes are rare, rain is not, the humidity can be oppressive and stormy,
water may be rough and unclear for scuba or snorkelling and beaches garbed in seaweed.
However, you could also consider the southern sector of the Caribbean which is effectively below the hurricane belt. e.g. Trinidad & Tobago, the Netherlands Antilles and the north coast of South America.
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.
Crime:
In the last few years, Britain and USA have both ceded island control to
local authorities as well as repatriating hardened criminals to their Caribbean islands from US and UK cities. As a result violent crime and corruption have increased in
many of their colonies and ex-colonies - e.g. Antigua - 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.
Sailing folk and low budget travellers be VERY careful
while all Caribbean tourists should avoid isolated areas, including beaches after dark and not flash cash or jewellry. Be aware that outsiders are may be treated with disdain, and crimes
against them may 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.
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.
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.
Caribbean Yacht
Charter:
There's plenty of availability of all sizes of sailing or motor yacht rentals in the area, as weather conditions are superb outside the hurricane season and the variety of attractive islands and dazzling, easy-anchor bays is enormous.
Other great beaches:
World's Best
Beaches | Brazil | Hawaii | Pacific | Indian
Ocean | Greece | Turkey | Thailand | Malaysia
The World's Best Beaches by month:
January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December
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