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.