It’s time to get away. If you’re not in the Caribbean, it’s getting cold. Probably too cold. So instead of a White Christmas, try a White-Sand Christmas this year with our picks for the best holiday getaways in the Caribbean. For this year, we chose the best destinations using a range of factors, from food to beaches to safety to ease of access, whether you’re traveling with your significant other or your whole family. Here are our top picks.
St Martin/St Maarten
Our top pick for this holiday season is an incredibly diverse destination, with a varied hotel project, extremely easy air access and sometimes mind-bogglingly good food. It’s an island that is really all about fun. And the best part? You get two countries for the price of one.
British Virgin Islands
The BVI is a wonderful family destination, with warm, friendly hospitality, a wide array of restaurants and, with 60 islands and cays, an island hopper’s paradise.
St John
The most beautiful US Virgin Island is a naturalist’s dream, with superb, untouched beaches, great hiking and a cool, artistic vibe. There are also some beautiful villas and high-end hotels.
Nevis
This is your portal to the Old Caribbean, the one some people think doesn’t exist anymore. Nevis is a romantic, untouched, enchanting destination with refined, luxurious hotels and some great beach bars to let your hair down, too.
Puerto Rico
The most cosmopolitan place in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico is many destinations in one; you can spend your morning in bustling, urban San Juan and retreat to a quiet beach in the afternoon. And if you want to really get away, fly or take the ferry to tiny Vieques and Culebra.
Grand Cayman
The island’s main beach, Seven Mile Beach, is one of the best in the Caribbean, and that’s just the beginning. This is a laid-back place with great diving, a host of top-notch restaurants and a broad hotel product featuring everything from luxury resorts to dive hotels.
Nassau
It’s one of the most popular places in the Caribbean for a reason. For US travelers, it’s close and easy to get to, with excellent restaurants, warm, developed hospitality and a brand-new airport. And while many don’t realize it, there are a host of quiet, usually empty white-sand beaches to explore.
Anguilla
One of the culinary capitals of the Caribbean, Anguilla has 100 restaurants but just around 14,000 people. It also has spectacular beaches and a pervasive feeling of elegance no matter where you are on the island.
Montego Bay
It’s very easy to get to and home to classic Jamaican hospitality. You have your choice between some of the region’s best all-inclusive resorts and beautiful, charming hotels.
Martinique
If you’re looking for something new and different in the Caribbean, this is where you need to go. A slice of France in the Caribbean, Martinique has a diverse hotel product, outstanding food, beautiful scenery and more rum than you could ever dream of. (trust us, we tried).
Punta Cana
This is really the all-inclusive capital of the Caribbean, in large part because its Bavaro beach is a stunner. And it’s easy in, easy out at a great, well-run airport.
Aruba
Yes, a lot of these places have great beaches, but Aruba has some really great beaches. It’s blessed with broad air access, a growing culinary scene and a thriving watersports culture.
Barbados
A throwback to a different era in the Caribbean, Barbados is an elegant place; it’s safe, it’s easy to explore and has some seriously underrated beaches. You can even try your hand at surfing.