You may not realize it if you’re in Miami or Orlando or even on sweltering days in New York, but the Caribbean really is cooler in the summer, a place for chilling out and cooling down and still the ultimate summer vacation. Whether you’re wading in tropical waters by day or enjoying rum and Caribbean flavors with a side of West Indian breezes by night, you quickly realize the Caribbean is truly a year-round, warm-weather destination.
We’ve curated some of our favorite Caribbean beaches for your imminent summer vacation, from off-the-beaten-path stretches of sand in the Eastern Caribbean to better-known coastlines you may have even been to before.
Here are 10 great Caribbean beaches to visit this summer.
Long Bay, Antigua Even in a country with 365 beaches to choose from, Long Bay is something particularly special, where the colors of the sand and the water are just right, the waves have that perfect lap, and there’s a wonderful balance of resort and local culture. The resort here is one of the ultimate beach getaways in the Caribbean: the adults-only, all-inclusive Pineapple Beach Club, an Elite Island Resorts property that has the essence of the Caribbean beach getaway down to an art form.
Cable Beach, Nassau, The Bahamas Cable Beach was the first major tourist destination in The Bahamas, and now the white-sand classic is better than ever, from the dynamic resorts at the Baha Mar (including the sparkling new Baha Bay waterpark) to Nassau’s newest addition: the Goldwynn Resort and Residences, a sleek, energetic property that’s the island’s first true residential resort.
La Sagesse Beach, Grenada It’s the sort of beach that feels like a secret even if it’s right off the main coastal road. But when you get to La Sagesse (and its lovely, eponymous beach hotel), you realize nobody ends up here by accident. It’s one of the wonders of the island, stunning and wide, with an exotic kind of quality. Even if you just come here for the day, you can enjoy ultra-fresh seafood and Grenadian fare at the hotel’s beachfront restaurant.
Long Bay Beach, San Salvador, The Bahamas This is the place where Christopher Columbus first made landfall in the Western Hemisphere, and in the five hundred years since, not much has changed. This is a pristine, spectacularly beautiful beach, with some of the best snorkeling and diving in the hemisphere, the perfect stop on a Bahamian summer escape. While there are no hotels here, you can stay at the wonderful little Sands hotel a short drive away. (Yes, there are two Long Bays on this list.)
Eagle Beach, Aruba Aruba is blessed with an enviable collection of white-sand stunners: the calm turquoise waters of Palm Beach, the frothing azure of Boca Grandi, the timeless cool of Fishermens Huts. But it all comes back to Eagle Beach, the place where the sand just seems to go on forever and the light hits the beach just so. Aruba’s crown jewel is also home to a world-class adults-only resort: the sustainable, eco-focused Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort.
Dover Beach, Barbados If you’re not coming to Barbados for Crop Over (you should be), you can still enjoy the island’s intoxicating mix of breezy beach fun and energetic sophistication, particularly on the island’s increasingly cool South Coast. The epicenter here is Dover Beach, where blinding white sands meet the vibrant bustle of the St Lawrence Gap. Where to stay? The buzzy new O2 Beach Club and Spa, a refreshingly different kind of all-inclusive.
Maho Bay Beach, St John St John’s natural beauty is hard to match, especially when you consider that two-thirds of the island is actually US national parkland. And yes, the island is home to some magnificent beaches, from Trunk Bay to Cinnamon Bay to the lovely pocket-sized beach in Cruz Bay. We’re rather fond of Maho Beach, though, right in the middle of the park and home to one of our favorite beach bars in the Caribbean, the low-footprint, high-fun Maho Crossroads. While hotels are few and far between here, the area is home to some superb villas, none more than the Maho Bay House.
Grace Bay Beach, Turks and Caicos This is the beach that made Turks and Caicos into a global hotspot, and the one that has remained a must-stop for any Caribbean aficionado. And the impossibly wide, shimmeringly white sand here is also home to an impressive collection of places to stay, including two of our favorite properties anywhere in the Caribbean: the luxe Palms resort and the deliciously low-key Sands resorts. (Grace Bay’s Village is also home to a terrific value resort, the Ports of Call, which offers easy access to the famous sands for a decidedly budget-friendly price).
Reduit Beach, Saint Lucia While Saint Lucia has some of the most spectacular scenery in the Caribbean, it’s not filled with great beaches; but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a beach vacation on the island. Enter Reduit Beach, easily the island’s best beach, home to the family-run, beloved Bay Gardens Beach Resort, which even offers its own floating waterpark that is the perfect summertime amenity.
Grand Case, St Martin There is no greater concentration of high-level, fine-dining eateries anywhere in the Caribbean than the lovable fishing village of Grand Case on the French side of St Martin. This little beach town has somehow managed to attract world-class chefs from across the Caribbean and France to cultivate a unique sort of destination: a place where Michelin-level cuisine marries with laid-back French Caribbean cool. As is the trend across the French side, there are no large hotels here, but there is the Grand Case Beach Club, one of the best-run resorts you will find anywhere in the Caribbean.