Even at the most popular beaches in the Caribbean, you can always find your own space.
But right now, sometimes travelers are looking for a little extra seclusion; a little more distance from other people.
That’s where these Caribbean beaches come in: we call them “hideaway” beaches — some of them are easy to get to, some a bit remote; but at these stretches of sand, you’ll often feel like you have the entire beach to yourself.
Here are our favorite Caribbean hideaway beaches to check out in 2022.
White Bay, Exuma, The Bahamas There are scores of places to hide away in Exuma, the electric blue archipelago in The Bahamas that’s home to the most beautiful water in all of the Caribbean. But we’re particularly fond of White Bay, a sandbar set off the southwestern coast of Great Exuma that you need to hire a bone fishing guide to reach. But when you get there, you’ll feel like you have an entire ocean to yourself.
Shark Creek, Great Harbour Cay, The Bahamas Great Harbour Cay has long been an in-the-know destination for travelers, mostly those with boats in the Miami area. But there is regular flights service to the island on Tropic Ocean Airways — and if you make it here, you’ll find Shark Creek, a jaw-dropping, white sand stunner with shallow water that extends out about half a mile. Seeing one other person on this beach constitutes a crowd.
Mudjin Harbour, Middle Caicos, Turks and Caicos There’s not much on the island of Middle Caicos, and that’s precisely the point. But the crown jewel of this five-square-mile island is Mudjin Harbour, a breathtaking three-mile-long beach marked by stunning cliffs.
Old Bight Beach, Cat Island, The Bahamas Ok, so practically every beach on Cat Island would make this list; but Old Bight Beach is the island’s crown jewel, a seemingly endless crescent of picture-perfect white sand and a near guarantee that you’ll be by yourself — any day of the week.
Point of Sand, Little Cayman, The Cayman Islands Tiny, lovable Little Cayman feels like a universe away from Grand Cayman, despite being just a 35-minute flight from Owen Roberts International. And at the very tip of the island, you’ll find Point of Sand, where seclusion is the specialty.
Boca Grandi, Aruba Given Aruba’s immense popularity and its hotel-filled beaches, it’s hard to imagine that Boca Grandi exists — but tucked on the rocky, wonderful eastern coast of the island is this vast stretch of blinding white sand popular with kitesurfers — and those who want a dose of pure, unadulterated, uncrowded beach.
17 Mile Beach, Barbuda You could easily put the entire island of Barbuda on this list, a place where crowds are practically impossible. But this prime stretch of sugar-white sand stretches for, yes, 17 miles. The only problem is picking which mile to claim for the day.
Loblolly Beach, Anegada Another low-density, beach-filled paradise, Anegada teems with uncrowded coastlines — but we’re rather fond of Loblolly, set on the island’s northeastern coast.
BBC Beach, Grenada With the exception of always-popular Grand Anse Beach, Grenada has a surplus of hideaway beaches. What we love about BBC, also known as Morne Rouge Beach, is that it also comes with a terrific little beach bar called La Plywood.
Vessup Bay, St Thomas This tucked-away, lovely little beach is actually a short stroll away from the shops and eateries of Red Hook — but you’d never know it. Rowed by leaning palm trees and with a great view of St John, it’s one of the best-kept secrets in St Thomas.
Anse Fond Banane, Martinique Who wouldn’t love a place called Banana Bottom Beach? Tucked on the far southern coast of Martinique near Sainte Luce, this adorable beach is shaded by copious palm trees and even boasts its own lovely beach shack, Aqua Grill.
Sandy Point, St Croix It’s one of the longest beaches in all of the USVI, and it’s set inside the Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge. And while it’s by no means a secret, you can often find most of this beach completely empty, particularly during the week. And it’s a stunner, with talcum-white sand and calm turquoise waters. The best part? It’s just a quick drive outside of Frederiksted.
Frenchman’s Cove, Jamaica While it’s largely free from crowds, this beach is among the most famous in Jamaica, appearing in a host of films from Knight and Day to, more recently, No Time to Die. And while there’s a resort on the sand, you can easily get a day pass for your own personal beach for the day.
Baie Rouge, St Martin On an island as small and densely populated as this one, there are no secret beaches: but the magnificent Baie Rouge, flanked by daunting cliffs near Terres Basses on the western corner of the island, is as close as you get.
Bathsheba, Barbados It’s one of the most popular surfing destinations in the hemisphere, and a lovely village – but the boulder-clad sand here on the eastern coast of Barbados never gets very crowded; meaning you can come here, have some flying fish and spend all day marveling at the rocks, undisturbed by anyone at all.