Top Caribbean Islands to Visit

Whether you prefer an all-inclusive, island-hopping cruise, or a vacation house rental, I’d like to share with you my top choices for the loveliest and safest Caribbean Islands:

Bahamas

Bahamas has a vibrant ambiance courtesy of both Nassau and Paradise Island. If you enjoy gambling, Atlantis, is one of the most exciting resorts in the world. Even if you don’t like gambling, Atlantis is well known for non-stop entertainment and activities such as live music, aqua adventures, snorkelling, and marvelling at the most expensive boats in the world. I have visited Bahamas numerous times and I have never run out of exciting things to see and do.

St. Martin

St. Martin has both a French and Dutch culture to explore. We have always stayed on the Dutch side, where there are more activities, and then travelled to the French side for tantalizing cuisine and more secluded beaches.

Maho Beach and Sunset Bar are popular destinations where you can watch planes take off and land so close to you, that you may even get swept away.

As long as you adopt the island attitude of never being in a hurry, St. Martin is safe inexpensive to travel around. We were very comfortable riding the local buses to town and around the entire beautiful island.

Aruba

Aruba is well known for miles of walkability on Eagle and Palm Beach. My favourite part of spending time on their beaches is the Aruban trade winds, that never makes it feel too hot.

We have often stayed at all-inclusive hotels on Palm Beach where there is a lovely lit walkway that connects all of the hotels. The capital, Oranjestad, has some of the best shopping and is one of the prettiest cities to explore.

Aruba has exploded with timeshares over the past several years making private vacation rentals affordable and accessible, in addition to staying at all-inclusive resorts.

Curacao

Curacao has plenty of smaller more secluded beaches where the water is so clear that you can swim for hours and feel like you are at a spa.

During our stay, we rented a car and drove to the far northwest of the island and stopped at several of their local gems and often were the only visitors.

My favourite part of Curacao is the capital historic old town of Willemstad with pastel-colored colonial architecture and a bustling waterfront. The Queen Emma Bridge is a pontoon bridge across St. Anna Bay that connects the Punda and Otrobanda quarter and enables boats to pass when it is open.

Whether touring the port during your cruise, or staying longer, Willemstad is a breathtaking town to spend a day.

St. Thomas

St. Thomas is the liveliest, most popular, and most picturesque of the three Virgin Islands. There are over 40 beaches on the Island, with Magen’s Bay being the most popular. We have visited St. Thomas many times just for the day while on a cruise ship. We have always marvelled at the stunning mountain views and all the sailboats docked that have selected St. Thomas as their winter home.

One of the best adventures that we enjoyed was snorkelling. Whenever we leave, we always wish we could have stayed longer.

The Caribbean attracts visitors from all over the world because of the stunning blue and turquoise water and sand beaches. However you choose to visit, don’t worry, you will find lots to love and you will be happy!