No matter where we are, the beach calls us. It’s what we think about in late afternoons in the office, in the cold winter, and particularly on Sunday mornings when we’re stuck at home.
Because it’s better at the beach. Always.
The latest edition of Beaches to Dream About takes you on a sandy digital journey across some of our favorite beaches in the region, from Turks and Caicos to Curacao to Martinique.
What’s your favorite beach in the Caribbean? Let us know at news@caribjournal.com — and tell us why you love it.
Grace Bay Beach, Turks and Caicos When you talk about the ultimate beaches in the wider region, Turks and Caicos’ signature shoreline is right around the top of the list. Three miles long, shimmering turquoise water, soft sugar-white sand. What more do you need?
Shoys Beach, St Croix Many of St Croix’s best beaches demand a little extra journey, but none rewards as much as the lovely Shoys, a short drive from the Buccaneer Resort near Christiansted. Access comes through a low-hanging canopy of tree branches, and when you lift your head back up you find a truly memorable beach that feels like your own little secret.
Cow Wreck Beach, Anegada Few beach destinations have quite the castaway-style appeal of Anegada, the “frontier” island of the British Virgin Islands, a place with two major resources: lobsters and beaches. And on Cow Wreck, you get the best of both, with a namesake beach bar and eatery and a glorious coast perfect for rum-filled afternoons bobbing in the sea.
Grande Anse d’Arlet, Martinique There’s something about this beach at the edge of a tiny beach town that always has us daydreaming; maybe it’s the colorful church, or the toes-in-the-sand eateries or the perfect marriage of green hills and golden sand.
Pigeon Point Beach, Antigua Not many beaches come with their own UNESCO World Heritage Site, but the brilliant Pigeon Point does just that, with an enviable view of Nelson’s Dockyard. Add in the presence of the always-bustling Catherine’s Cafe and you have the perfect place for a glass of English Harbour and a lazy afternoon.
Magens Bay, St Thomas The most popular beach in St Thomas (a destination with some seriously great beaches), this intoxicating, one-mile-long bay on the north of the island has almost impossibly white sand. It’s easy to imagine yourself spending the day bobbing in the gin-clear water and taking a jog on the sand.
Mambo Beach, Curacao Take a moment and imagine yourself on a buzzing beach, the kind of hip, energetic beach scene that Curacao does so well, where there’s everything you need from copious bars to lounge chairs to a coastline that’s a full-fledged party.
Lac Bay, Bonaire This breezy beach is arguably the Caribbean capital of windsurfing, but if you don’t ever get on a board you’ll still fall in love with it: the shallow water, the soft sand, the community atmosphere.
Grand Case Beach, St Martin Close your eyes and transport yourself to an old French Caribbean fishing village, where the menus are gourmet and the ti’ punches flow, where there are more terrific eateries on one street than anywhere else in the West Indies.
BBC Beach, Grenada There’s just a rustic beach bar on this somewhat hidden-away stretch of sand on the southwestern coast of Grenada, where the crowds never show up, a place that’s the essence of Grenada’s laid-back charm.