We love to talk tropical travel and we love that you ask our opinion! But, the hardest question for us to answer is actually the one we get asked the most, “Which Island Should I Choose For My Vacation?”
Why is that a tough question? Although we’ve yet to meet an island we don’t like for some reason or another, everyone has such different vacation tastes. Some want the best beaches, others want shopping or luxurious accommodations or absolute solitude. The best fishing, snorkeling, rum, diving, sailing, hiking, historical sites, foliage….the list goes on and on. We’ve been trying to come up with a method to help people select destinations based on different criteria, but decided the best thing to do is what we already do – show you the islands through our photos and let you know what we’ve enjoyed – then you can see what areas you might be interested in visiting!
Below we’ve listed many of the islands we’ve recently been to and just a few key words of what we’ve really enjoyed about that island. Some are links to articles we’ve written on that destination with additional pictures. There are many additional GREAT things about each of these islands, but here are a few tips to start with.
Ready for a little tropiciation? Let’s go to the islands!
Some of the attractions/hotels/features on islands affected by Hurricanes Irma and Marie in the Fall of 2017 may have changed from when we initially wrote about them. If you have questions on their current condition, please contact us.
Shoal Bay, Anguilla
Anguilla
(see map)
Stunning, white sand beaches, Shoal Bay, Rendezvous Bay, Dune Preserve, excellent dining, great beach bars (see several in Sandy Ground), Gwen’s Reggae Grill, live music, luxurious accommodations, easy to explore on your own
Antigua
Many (365 they say!) gorgeous beaches, Half Moon Bay, Dickenson Bay, Shirley Heights, Antiguan Smile Rum Drink, English Harbour Rum
Bahamas
Find a place to get “off the grid” in one of many out islands, beautiful white and pink sand beaches, bonefishing and other fishing, snorkeling, peace and quiet, conch, variety of accommodations, swimming with the pigs, swimming with nurse sharks
Champer’s Restaurant
Barbados
Excellent dining, Superb beaches, Crane Beach, Mount Gay & other Rum Factory Tours
White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands
(for individual maps of the British Virgin Islands, use the drop-down on the Island Map feature on our home page)
Fantastic sailing destination, secluded and beautiful beaches, Anegada Lobster Dinner on the beach, fantastic beach bars, Jost Van Dyke, White Bay, Willy T, Virgin Gorda, The Baths, Smuggler’s Cove, roti, easy to explore on your own, Sandy Spit, sunsets, Painkillers, Bubbly Pool, snorkeling, floating, Cane Garden Bay, full moon parties, crystal clear water, driving on Tortola, North Sound Virgin Gorda
Corales Golf Course
Dominican Republic
(see map)
Excellent golf, reasonably priced all-inclusive resorts, Mamajuana, Coco Loco, long stretches of pretty beaches,
The 3 B’s – Bermudez, Brugal and Barcelo Rums
Jewel Runaway Bay Resort
Jamaica
(see map)
All-Inclusive Resorts, Jerk Seasoning, 7 mile Beach, Floyd’s Pelican Bar, Blue Mountain Coffee, Waterfalls, Appleton Rum and Rum Factory Tour, Bob Marley Nine Mile Tour, Jamaican Smile, red snapper, Dirty Banana
Gustavia Harbour
St. Barthelemy
(see map)
Great place to yacht watch, high end shopping, excellent dining, beautiful beaches, homemade vanilla infused rhums, overlook of Gustavia Harbour, watching planes land on the very short runway!
Orient Beach, St. Martin
St. Maarten/St. Martin
(see map)
Gorgeous beaches on both the Dutch and French sides, clothing optional on some French side beaches, nightlife, great beach bars, watch planes land over your head at Sunset Beach Bar, Karakter Beach Bar, Marigot Market, Sarafina’s Bakery, street festivals in Grand Case, duty free shopping, we found it easy to explore on our own, wide range of accommodations, excellent dining options – especially in Grand Case, busy cruise ship stop – but because of that, there are many activities to choose from
Saltwhistle Bay, Mayreau
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
(see map)
Excellent sailing destination, beautiful remote islands, gorgeous quiet beaches, filming location for some parts of the Pirates of the Caribbean, Sunset Very Strong Rum, Tobago Cays, excellent snorkeling, turtles, clear turquoise blue water, Happy Island, Mopion, a few exquisite resorts, not busy, Petit Tabac
Pumpkin Bluff Beach, North Caicos
Turks and Caicos
(see map)
Spectacular white sand beaches, quiet and remote, great snorkeling, variety of accommodations, long beach walks, conch shells, sand dollars, cave exploring, Bambarra Rum, da Conch Shack, bonefishing, conch stew, fried conch, exploring secluded cays
Hawksnest Bay, St. John
US Virgin Islands
No passport needed for US citizens going to St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas – each island has it’s own personality and they’re easy to explore on your own
St. Croix (see map)
Buck Island, Cruzan Rum Factory Tour, Cruzan Rum,
Sandy Point Beach and Wildlife Preserve, Cruzan Confusion, Mt. Pellier Domino Club, seaplane from St. Croix to St. Thomas
St. John (see map)
Every beach on St. John, cheeseburgers at Skinny Legs, hiking, snorkeling, exploring the shops, restaurants and bars in Cruz Bay
St. Thomas (see map)
Megans Bay, the view and banana daiquiris at Mountain Top, Paradise Point Skyride, Bushwackers at the top, Duffy’s Love Shack, Lindquist Beach at Smith Bay, variety of accommodations, Bones Rum
View of Magens Bay (and a Banana Daiquiri) at Mountaintop, St. Thomas
So – any ideas on where YOU would like to go next?
For even more island posts, be sure to check out our Blog Directory by Island!
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Papa’s Pilar, the new super-premium rum inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s spirit of adventure. Both the Dark and Blond are award winners and we’ve recently had the pleasure of sampling both.
(actually the whole series by Anthony Bjorklund) and 
