Can you believe it has been nearly three years since the world changed? In that span, the destinations of the Caribbean have undergone a tumultuous, frantic, whirring upheaval, one that turned from total static to what is today an abundant, pulsing, dynamism. When Caribbean islands began reopening just a few months after the onset of the pandemic, they started a new travel movement, as travelers were quickly reminded why they fell in love with the region in the first place — a movement that has only strengthened in three years.
Today, after a few years of navigating changing health restrictions and global supply chain issues and global travel industry in flux, the region has, quite simply, never been more popular. Indeed, most of the islands in the Caribbean are seeing higher volumes of tourism than they saw even before the pandemic — which were already record highs.
The Caribbean has returned to its place as the world’s premier warm-weather destination, and we have returned with our annual guide to our preferred travel destinations for 2023. We’ve curated a list of tiny beach-filled islands, spirited culinary destinations, burgeoning beach towns and adventure hotspots across the region, from The Bahamas to the north to Bonaire to the south.
Here are the best Caribbean islands and destinations to visit in 2023. Where are you heading this year? Tell us at news@caribjournal.com with the top islands on your travel itinerary.
St Kitts You can feel it hiking in the foothills of the Mount Liamuiga volcano, or cruising the curves of the Southeastern Peninsula, or rum punch hopping on Cockleshell Bay. This is just a cool place. St Kitts is the buzziest place in the Caribbean right now, spotlighting a small but vibrant destination that’s all about locally-focused, authentic, organic travel, whether you’re at the region-leading Park Hyatt St Kitts or the upstart cliffside Sunset Reef. St Kitts has a remarkablly broad offering for a smaller island, a place where the adventure – and the serenity — abound.
Barbuda Barbuda is writing a new story just a half-decade since Irma, once that’s all about low-density, high-quality tourism and the marriage between jet-set cool and barefoot warmth. From the shimmering Nobu Barbuda (and it’s new beach club) to beloved beach retreats like Barbuda Belle, Barbuda is still like no other beach destination in the region.
St Croix It was no surprise that US President Joe Biden spent his end-of-year vacation here — the Commander in Chief has been vacationing in St Croix for years. Now, he’s being joined by a new generation of travelers drawn to the island’s dynamic culinary scene, its seemingly endless beaches and the full-fledged renaissance of historic Christiansted, a place that has in the last few years turned into one of the Caribbean’s most charismatic, colorful, enjoyable little cities, a kind of mini New Orleans— with all of that city’s historic character and foodie-focused fun — in the middle of the Caribbean Sea.
San Salvador, The Bahamas Christopher Columbus’ first landfall in the Americas was right on Long Bay Beach in San Salvador, a stretch of sand where, let’s just say, not much has changed since 1492. And that’s the vibe across this untouched, warm, beach-filled getaway at the eastern edge of The Bahamas, where the diving is among the best in the world and the beaches are all world-class and, most importantly, empty.
Antigua Is there a lovelier collection of hotels on an island anywhere in the Caribbean than Antigua? Name your pick: luxury resort, adults-only retreat, historic inn, honeymoon spot. But it’s not just the hotels: this is just a lovely place to visit: superb restaurants (crowned by the bucket-list Sheer Rocks), uncrowded, dazzling beaches, myriad wellness options. And even as it sees booming visitor numbers, you can always find your space in the sun.
Bonaire Bonaire is seeing record-breaking levels of tourism as both Americans and Dutch visitors have rediscovered the island since the pandemic, reminded of its unmatched marine environement, its laid-back, unpretentious vibe and a sizzling culinary scene that includes the number one restaurant in the Caribbean. Indeed, Bonaire is hotter than ever, with new hotels on the way, more and more sleek villas and a calendar teeming with popular events like Bonaire Rum Week.
Staniel Cay, Exuma, The Bahamas The northern “gateway” to the Exuma Cays, this tiny island in The Bahamas is a place for maritime pilgrims, thanks in large part due to the legendary Staniel Cay Yacht Club. If you’re on a boat, this island is an unmissable stop; but it’s also home to some lovely places to stay: the Yacht Club and, on the other side of the island, the ultra-chill Embrace Resort.
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos In the last three years, no luxury destination has been hotter than Provo, which draw travelers looking for seclusion during height of the pandemic and never looked back. And Turks and Caicos’ “main island” has only seen more growth, with new luxury hotels like the stunning Rock House and an enviable collection of luxury villas, led by the breathtaking villas at the Shore Club on Long Bay Beach.
Nevis Tiny Nevis has always been a place that’s punched above its weight, from its home as the birthplace of Alexander Hamilton to, more recently, the scene of a newly-vibrant film industry. It’s just a lovable island, from the historic charm of Charlestown to its elegant hillside inns to the impossible-to-resist Killer Bees at Sunshine’s on Pinneys Beach.
Saba It’s just a short flight from nearby St Maarten, but Saba has for years been a closely-guarded secret, made easier by its small size and its ntimidating cliffs. Make the journey, though, and you’re rewarded with a charming, throwback little island filled with colorful little hotels and inns, excellent food and the kind of off-the-grid serenity that many travelers prize above everything else.
St Thomas, USVI When the pandemic hit in 2020, the USVI quickly began reinventing itself, highlighting its stayover tourism after years of depending mostly on cruise visitors. That put St Thomas, a place known for its booming cruise port — in the spotlight, and the island responded, reminding visitors just how diverse a place to visit it really is: spectacular beaches all over the island, a stunning natural environment (have you seen the mangroves?), a booming local food movement and seriously good hotels for every price point.
Cayman Brac There’s a raw, untouched quality to this 12-mile-long island about 45 minutes by air from Grand Cayman. The Brac, as it’s known by locals, is a place for adventurers and serenity seekers, with great diving, a spectacular, island-wide cliff called The Bluff and, most recently, the Cayman Islands’ premier farm-to-table resort, Le Soleil d’Or, which has put the island on the Caribbean culinary map singlehandedly.
Le Carbet, Martinique More than a decade ago, it was a sleep village on the northern Caribbean coast of Martinique. Today, it’s one of the coolest rising beach towns in the Caribbean, with an epicenter at the Coin Beach (you know it has the home of the now world-famous Le Petibonum) and a burgeoning portfolio of villas, shops and even a new hotel called Madicreoles.
St John St John has been one of the most sought-after places to visit in the Caribbean since the onset of the pandemic, shining a light on a place that was always marvelous but for decades was just a little bit under the radar. While that has certainly changed, it also means the island has a newfound dynamism, particularly on the culinary side, from a floating taco bar to the new beach bar epicenter at Maho Bay to, just off the coast, a beach club and mini-resort at Lovango Cay.
Anegada You have a simple prescription: white-sand beaches, few people, copious cocktails, endless lobster. Well, this is the spot. The frontier island of the British Virgin Islands feels like it was designed by a Caribbean traveler, with a surfeit of just about everything vistors to the Caribbean have high on their lists. It’s also home to a few great little boutique hotels, none better than the Anegada Beach Club.
St Barth The Caribbean’s most glamorous island is the essence of French Caribbean cool: from spectacular villas like the ones you can find at WIMCO St Barth Properties to bright, energetic hotels like the isand’s best, Le Barthelemy. St Barth has never been more vibrant, with a newly-energetic Gustavia (make sure to finish your evening with a reservation at the Rhum Room) and a culinary scene that’s only been strengthened by new eateries like the new outpost of L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon.
Nassau/Paradise Island Nassau is so well known that sometimes travelers forget just how wonderful a destination it is, with something for every kind of vacation. There’s the family wonderland that is Atlantis Paradise Island; the gourmet paradise of downtown Nassau’s Graycliff Hotel; the beachy, toes-in-the-water chic Compass Point; the sheer entertainment value of the Baha Mar megaresort. Lately, though, travelers are zeroing in on a new quality: Nassau Paradise Island’s place as one of the region’s great culinary capitals, with a growing slate of world-class chefs and a delcious local food scene.
Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe Maybe you’ve been to Napa or Bordeaux. If you love rum, though, this is right at that level. The rainforested, geothermally intense western half of “mainland” Guadeloupe is filled with artisanal rum distilleries, and that means you can go on a sugarcane journey, with nearly every one of them within a one-hour band on the eastern coast of the island. It’s a window into a robust agricultural destination that also happens to be filled with exquisite food and a few lovely little hotels and residences like our favorite, the Habitation Saint Charles.
Cat Island, The Bahamas The late Sir Sidney Poitier grew up on this stunning, sparsely populated, 150-square-mile island, so you would be forgiven for thinking there’s a remarkable cinematic quality to the place: the breezy pink sands of Greenwood, the endless, uncrowded wonder of Old Bight Beach, the intoxicating percussion of rake and scrape, the otherwordly energy of Father Jerome’s Hermitage monastery on Mount Alvernia (the highest point in The Bahamas).
La Romana, Dominican Republic The biggest draw here is simple: it’s home to the magnificent Casa de Campo Resort and Villas, the sprawling destination resort that has an almost impossibly diverse offering, from the best golfing in the Caribbean to a replica medieveal Mediterranean village. Even better? The resort just debuted a new hotel-within-a-hotel called the Premier Club that features an even more elevated level of accommodations and service.
La Desirade, Guadeloupe Guadeloupe remains far off the tourism map, and La Desirade is even more mysterious for most travelers: it’s a less-than-eight-square-mile island with pristine white-sand beaches, a few laid-back villages and a broad, vibrant natural reserve designation that makes this one of the most untouched destinations in the Eastern Caribbean. Accordingly, there are precious few places to stay, but you can find clean, comfortable rooms at the Hotel Oasis and a host of Airbnbs.
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic There’s no more visited place in the Caribbean than Punta Cana, but there’s a reason for that: it does everything very well. That ranges from a clutch of fantastic golf courses (Punta Espada in Cap Cana is alone worth the trip) to a growing, improving roster of all-inclsuive resorts, led by the popular new Lopesan Costa Bavaro..
Negril, Jamaica It takes just under two hours to make the trip from Montego Bay to Negril, and that distance has somehow managed to keep Negril authentic, colorful and endlessly enchanting. There’s just a magical quality here, whether you’re wading on Seven Mile Beach or taking a wellness holiday at one of its elite cliffside hotels (we love the Rockhouse). Negril just makes you feel something, and after the pandemic its allure has only deepened.