Caribbean Appeal Is in the Isle of Beholder : Variety of Choices Makes It Important to Match the Place With Your Interests

The woman sat fuming loudly on her room patio overlooking the wide white beach and deep blue Caribbean at Aruba’s Divi Divi Hotel.

She had been required to pay the airline an overweight charge on her luggage, which was filled with dressy gowns for what her travel agent had told her were the hotel’s always-formal dinners. But no sooner had she arrived at the Divi Divi than she realized that the hotel was informal to the max--the gowns were completely inappropriate. And not only that. The rooms had no televisions or phones, an unthinkable deprivation in her opinion. Now, here she was stuck for two weeks at an unacceptable hotel with the wrong clothes.

Her vacation, she grieved to everyone she encountered, was ruined.

Had the woman--or her travel agent--done even the least bit of research on Aruba in general and the Divi Divi in particular, they would have discovered that the island’s appeal is its gorgeous beaches and relative lack of activity, and that the hotel’s motto “Barefoot Elegance,” meant exactly that.

Like Aruba, each of the Caribbean’s dozens of islands has its own appeal and limitations. Yet, year after year, because of bad or incomplete advice, or faulty investigations of their own, vacationers choose just the wrong island for their tastes.

Herewith, then, a primer on some of the best isles for different styles.

White-Sand Beaches

Although the Caribbean is synonymous in many people’s minds with sparkling white beaches, only a few of the islands really have extensive lengths of that quintessential powdery sand. One that does is Anguilla, a quiet British colony just 16 miles long and about four miles wide, which is ringed by gorgeous white beaches (especially Shoal Bay) with plenty of good beachcombing and bird watching. Equally tiny St. Barthelemy (better known as St. Barts), a dependency of Guadeloupe in the French West Indies, is eight square miles of quiet coves and spectacular beaches (especially St. Jean). For those after just a bit more bustle (including more hotels, restaurants and entertainment), Antigua, in the middle of the Leeward Island chain, is another white-sand gem, with lagoons, reefs and harbors. Grenada, a Garden of Eden isle with lush rain forest at the southern end of the Windward chain, is favored by many Europeans for its lovely white beaches (especially the extensive Grand Anse Beach) and laid-back lifestyle.

Among the more developed tourist hot spots, St. Martin (French)/Sint Maarten (Dutch), which share the same island at the northern end of the Leewards, boast 36 perfect white-sand beaches.

Some other fine white beaches include Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman Island, 7-mile-long Negril beach in Jamaica, and 6.5-mile-long Le Diamant Beach on Martinique in the Windwards.

For those who thrill to a beach of a different color, head for the dramatic black-sand beaches of St. Eustatius (better known as Statia), St. Kitts or Montserrat.

Romantic

Alone on assignment in St. Lucia last year, I stood on the huge balcony of my octagonal cottage at the Anse Chastanet Resort, gazing out at the moonlit Piton peaks and listening to the sounds of crickets chirping, palm leaves clacking . . . and couples cooing on the balconies rising along the hill above me. I vowed I would return a twosome! This is not the place to come for great food or service, but the resort’s top-of-the-line private hillside cottages--especially the ones overlooking The Pitons, twin mountains that rise about 2,500 feet above the sea--are among the most romantic accommodations I have encountered anywhere.

I haven’t yet made it back to St. Lucia, which lies south of Martinique in the Windward chain, but I have found an equally blissful rendezvous at Jamaica’s Trident Villa Resort in untouristy Port Antonio. Our private villa faced a crashing surf, and neon-colored peacocks meandered onto our veranda each morning as we ate our room-service breakfast alfresco. In the evening, the six-course dinners were exquisite, afternoon tea was a treat, and I loved the folksy Mento band that played sweet--and sometimes bawdy--banjo ballads at the cocktail hour.

The island of Petit St. Vincent, which is all one luxury resort a 20-minute launch ride from Union Island in the Grenadines, is cited by many as the Caribbean’s most idyllic and secluded hideaway. All but six of the twentysome rooms are self-contained cottages, with private terraces situated so that no one can see in. Guests hoist a yellow room-service flag for food or service--and a red flag means “do not disturb.”

Jumby Bay Resort is a private 300-acre islet that’s a 12-minute launch ride from the northern coast of Antigua. Accommodations are in luxurious octagonal cottages, each enclosing two guest rooms, or the two-story, Mission-style Pond Bay House. There are several nice beaches, five miles of walking trails and bike paths through wild scenery.

On Anguilla, one of the northernmost Leewwards, Moroccan-themed Cap Juluca is another deluxe retreat, with guest rooms famous for their huge bathrooms with tubs for two and private sunbathing garden-patios.

Private Island Resorts

Peter Island in the British Virgin Islands is in the heart of yachting country. Accommodations are not showy but comfortable, and there is a full range of water sports plus fine hiking trails all over the island.

Other private island resorts in the British Virgins are Guana Island Club, just 850 acres, with white-washed guest cottages and a casual atmosphere; even smaller Marina Cay (six acres), and Necker Island, a 74-acre, lushly landscaped hideaway with just one 10-bedroom Balinese-style villa accommodating 16-20 people that rents for $9,000 a day--hey, but that includes meals.

Mustique, a tiny, privately owned island in the Grenadines, is known for its guests with household names, typically royalty and rock stars. Other pint-size Grenadine isle-resorts include 110-acre Palm Island, which has tennis courts and a health club, and Young Island, 35 jungly acres with 29 luxe stone guest cottages with great views and hammocks galore.

Bargain Fun in the Sun

All but the most exclusive Caribbean resorts compete aggressively for patrons--particularly in the low season from mid-April through mid-December. But be forewarned: In much of the region the rainy (and hurricane) season is June to November. Check ahead on the situation in your island of choice.

For those who want to know exactly how much their vacation will cost, nothing beats the all-inclusive resorts of Jamaica, many of which offer week-long vacations for under $1,000 per person, including air fare, accommodations, all meals, unlimited alcoholic beverages and a huge variety of spots activities.

Club Med resorts throughout the Caribbean offer similar package deals, but these are not all-inclusive: Though wine and beer are free at meals, drinks and food at other times must be paid for--and the tab can add up fast.

Individual resorts on Aruba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic also offer good bargain packages off-season.

Fine Dining

Most islands have interesting and tasty local dishes. For those requiring more cosmopolitan fare, St. Martin/Sint Maarten boasts 80 restaurants (most of the best are on the French side). And St. Barts, Guadeloupe and Martinque all are known for fine French food. The well-developed islands of the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Barbados abound with first-class restaurants, both in the tourist resorts and more intimate inns and cafes.

Families

Club Med, once synonymous with hedonistic abandon, has gone family on two of its Caribbean properties, welcoming children from age 2 up. On St. Lucia, children, divided by age group, can participate in numerous mini-club activities, including a circus with high trapeze, horseback riding lessons, go-carts and even scuba diving for tots using mini-equipment. The Punta Cana Club Med in the Dominican Republic also has a circus, plus sailing, water-skiing and a host of supervised mini-club activities.

In Jamaica, Boscobel Beach Resort in Ocho Rios and the Franklin D Resort in Runaway Bay cater to families, with a wide range of daily children’s activities.

Singles

The Club Meds on Martinique and Guadeloupe still cling to their hedonistic roots, with lots of getting-to-know-you activities, including a huge variety of sports.

In Jamaica, Hedonism II, a member of the Superclub chain, often tries to live down to its name, with wet-T-shirt contests, nude sunset cruises and much mingling and swapping. Grand Lido Resort, next door to Hedonism II, is a classy Superclub catering to singles and couples. Sans Souci, a spa on the beach in Ocho Rios, is a comfortable place to come solo for fitness classes, health treatments and spa cuisine at an all-inclusive price.

In St. Lucia, Le Sport Spa is another all-inclusive place that attracts many solo vacationers for its fitness classes and spa treatments. A plus for singles is that they pay only a $40 single-room supplement instead of the high add-on charged at many resorts.

Natural Beauties

The following retreats are renowned for their knock-’em-dead scenery, but hikers beware: The June-to-November rainy season, which is also hurricane time, can turn an idyllic rain forest walk into the mud trek from hell.

Dominica, a southern Leeward island, is considered to have the best unspoiled mountain scenery in the Caribbean. The Morne Trois Pitons National Park has plenty of trails, and tour guides can be hired. Grenada’s Grand Etang National Park also abounds with trails and trail guides. St. Lucia, home of the forested half-mile-high Pitons, has trails up Gros Piton for the rugged, as well as easy guided walks through the rain forest. Montserrat, a tiny, quiet island southwest of Antigua, has many mountain trails, lush scenery and a bird sanctuary. And Guadeloupe’s Park Naturel has many well-marked trails and extensive rain forest. Saba, a short flight from St. Martin, is actually a single breathtaking volcanic peak rising directly from the sea. There are no beaches and limited accommodations, so most visitors come mainly on day trips.

In Jamaica, far from the over-developed North Coast tourist resorts, the Blue Mountains just north of Kingston offer great hiking through fern glades and forested hills. While much of the U.S. Virgin Islands is overdeveloped, St. John island is largely national park. At Maho Bay, nature lovers can rent rustic canvas cottages, dining is family-style, and the camp staff leads daily hikes. Barbados is another much-developed island, but the wild Atlantic side is a gorgeous scene of crashing surf.

Sailing

The Caribbean is prime sailing territory and abounds in charter companies that will rent bareboat (no crew) or crewed (usually a husband and wife team). A week’s charter, including all food and drink, often costs no more than a cruise. Among the most respected yachting companies are The Moorings, based in Tortola in the British Virgin Islands; CSY Charters, based in St. Vincent in the Grenadines; Nicholson’s Yachts, based in Antigua, and Stephens Yachts, based in St. Lucia.

The U.S. and British Virgin Islands are home to the largest sailboat charter fleet in the world. I prefer the less developed British Virgins, and it’s a tranquil vacation indeed navigating between Tortola, Peter Island, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke and Anegada--for the most part, nice short sails with land always in view and plenty of interesting anchors for snorkeling, hiking and bellying up to a beach bar.

The Grenadines, between Grenada and St. Vincent, are 45 miles of prime Caribbean sailing waters. There are fewer moorings here than in the Virgin Islands, but plenty of idyllic anchorage. Among the nicest are Bequia and Young Island off St. Vincent. Antigua has been called the Mecca of the Caribbean yacht-chartering world. Its hurricane-proof English Harbour and dozens of coves and anchorages make it a favorte, and Antigua Sailing Week in April is the Caribbean’s biggest yachting event. Lush St. Lucia, whose gutted roads make exploring the island by boat an attractive alternative, has a particularly pretty anchorage in the shadow of the majestic Pitons.

Diving and Snorkeling

Divers love the Cayman Islands, about 150 miles south of Cuba. Grand Cayman, with 20 full-service dive operations, is the largest island in the Caribbean for dive tourism. Smaller Cayman Brac has fewer dive operations but even better diving. Every resort on Bonaire caters to divers, and the surrounding sea is filled with brilliantly colored fish and varied coral formations. Belize, in the western Caribbean, has the second-longest barrier reef in the world after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, but over-development reportedly is threatening the life of the reef. Some of the Caribbean’s finest geology is beneath Saba. Off the southwest tip of Grenada, the marine park surrounding the island is filled with all hues of coral, tube sponges and enormous angel fish and groupers. Snorkelers can find a wealth of sea life just a short swim from the beach at Anse Chastanet Resort in St. Lucia. Off Anguilla, iridescent fish can be seen swimming through the coral gardens just below the water. At Trunk Bay in St. John and Buck Island in St. Croix (both part of the U.S. Virgin Islands), well-marked underwater trails guide snorkelers along the reef just off the white sandy beach.

Golf

Perhaps the most dramatic Caribbean course is the Robert Trent Jones II championship course at the Four Seasons Resort on Nevis. The 18-hole course winds through a rain forest, rising from near sea level to 420 feet, with the slope of 3,500-foot Mt. Nevis in the background. A ravine separating the tee and fairway of one hole has a 150-foot vertical drop. It’s not unusual to see donkeys on the course.

Casa de Campo resort in the Dominican Republic has three fine courses, most famous of which is the challenging “Teeth of the Dog” course, so named because seven holes play directly along the seaside, where the ocean appears to be biting away at the fairway.

Puerto Rico has the highest number of island golf courses: 14. The best are the two championship courses at the Cerromar and Dorado Beach hotels in Dorado, 15 miles west of San Juan.

In Jamaica, Tryall Resort, 12 miles west of Montego Bay, has a challenging course with beautiful views, as does Sandy Lane Resort in Barbados.

The Britannia Golf Club course on Grand Cayman Island, designed by Jack Nicklaus, is unusual in that it can be played as a nine-hole course using regular golf balls, or as an 18-hole course (approached from different angles) using a specially designed lightweight ball called a Cayman ball.

Fishing

Some 30 world fishing records have been broken in Puerto Rico, where blue and white marlin, sailfish, wahoo, dolphin, mackerel and tarpon are found.

The waters surrounding the Cayman Islands abound with yellowfin tuna, wahoo, dolphin and marlin, and game fishermen from all over the world compete during the June Million-Dollar Month Fishing Tournament. Belize offers both deep-sea fishing and abundant reef catches--mainly barracuda, grouper and snapper.

Other favored fishing waters are Jamaica (particularly around Port Antonio), the Dominican Republic and the U.S. Virgin Islands of St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix.