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Beautiful ocean view of Aruba. Flickr

Aruba, located just north of South America is an arid, almost desert-like island with a long stretch of white sand beach, a number of international resorts, a constant breeze, and predictably good weather. In other words, the island is an ideal place for a beach vacation or honeymoon. The Dutch colony is just less than 20 miles long and getting around the island is easy. (more…)

A Jamaican Beach at Sunset

A trip to Jamaica can be relaxing, active, formal, or casual… but it’s always enjoyable. Jamaica, the third largest of the Caribbean islands, is a beautiful, wild, and diverse place. It’s the home of reggae and ska music, the Rastafari movement, miles of uncrowded white sandy beaches, luxury and laid-back resorts, and spicy Creole cuisine. Whatever your interests, there’s sure to be a place in Jamaica for you. (more…)

credit: Shark Shots

You want to visit an exotic location. However, you’ve never traveled outside of the United States before and you’re a little wary about trying your hand at international travel. A nice happy medium for many people is to take a vacation to the United States Virgin Islands. These islands are located in the Caribbean and provide all of the wonder of traveling to a strange new land but are an insular area of the United States so they don’t require the traveler to know the ins and outs of international travel.

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A queen angel fish from from the Netherland Antilles.

The Caribbean is a great place for beachcombers, but if you’d like to exert yourself a little more, it’s also a great place for snorkeling or diving. Anyone can snorkel, but diving requires some instruction. Fortunately most places with great diving also offer diving courses. Or, you can learn to dive before you take off. There are a variety of options out there.

Antigua & Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda are almost completely surrounded by coral reefs, walls, and shipwrecks, providing excellent conditions for diving and snorkeling. Underwater visibility is good and tropical marine plants and animals are diverse and plentiful. One of Antigua’s best-known offshore sites, Cades Reef, is now partly contained in a designated underwater park. Another popular destination is the wreck of the Andes, a three-masted merchant ship that sank in 1905 and now rests in less than thirty feet of water in Deep Bay. (more…)

As you dig into a spicy, citrusy ceviche and down a typical rum drink, you’ll know that coming to Puerto Rico was a fantastic choice.

An island of 24-hour fun, Puerto Rico is Spanish for “rich port.” Surrounded by temperate aquamarine waters and featuring a saucy blend of Latin culture and American ways, this Caribbean island is a popular destination for families, friends, and groups of all kinds.

The island offers a little for everyone: Outdoorsy types can go scuba diving into waters populated by brilliantly-colored fish, history buffs can visit El Moro, and everyone will enjoy a glass-bottom boat tour of the famous Phosphorescent Bay. Explore Vieques and Culebra, two islands just off the coast, full of incredible, indigenous flora and fauna. Take yourself out to a merengue bar late at night, enjoy local beats, and let someone teach you the basic steps.

Reasonable prices and startling beauty will make your trip to this lively island an experience you’ll never forget. Stretch your dollars and indulge in an oceanfront horseback ride, grab a massage at a local spa, or pack a picnic dinner for a startling sunset meal.

As an American territory, travel to and from is relatively easy, and communicating when on-island doesn’t present the same challenge as many other Spanish-speaking locales, so book your next group getaway to the beautiful island of Puerto Rico.

(Photo via flickr cc)

Sure, San Juan is vibrant, with a nighlife that goes until the wee hours of the morning, but if you’re looking for Puerto Rico’s natural beauty without the crowds and the hubbub, look to the southern coast, to Porta Caribe.

Porta Caribe, located along the south central coast of Puerto Rico, includes the city of Ponce, the second largest city in Puerto Rico, as well as Guayanilla and Salinas.The pace is slower here, with miles of white sand beach and remnants of the island’s Spanish heritage.

Attractions

In addition to the myriad beach and water sports, there is the historic Catedral de Nuestro in downtown Ponce, the city’s renowned art museum, and some of the best restaurants in Puerto Rico.

Where to Stay

Porta Caribe has no shortage of luxury hotels. Among the best are:

• Hilton Ponce Golf & Casino Resort: This beachfront hotel, just outside of Ponce, has 253 rooms and suites. Facilities include a spa and sauna, a 27-hole golf course, a fitness center, and one of the largest casinos in Puerto Rico.
• Holiday Inn Ponce and Tropical Casino: Set atop a mountain with a sweeping view of the coastline and the city of Ponce, has a 24-hour casino, a spacious pool area, and 116 rooms.
• Parador Guanica 1929: Built in the 1920s, this charming Spanish-style inn, in the heart of Guanica, is surrounded by spacious verandahs. The 27 rooms are individually decorated and cozy–ideal for honeymooners and romantic weekends away.

How to Get There

Porta Caribe is easily accessible via flights to the San Juan and Ponce airports. Since Puerto Rico is a territory of the U.S., United States citizens can travel to Puerto Rico without a passport; all you need is a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license.

(Photo via flickr cc)

With more and more Caribbean islands building large airports to accommodate jets from the United States and abroad and bigger and bigger cruise ship facilities, one island remains unspoiled. That island is St. Barthelemy, affectionately called St. Barths, a French island with Swedish roots located just southeast of St. Martin/Saint Maarten. St. Barths stands out as a bastion of secluded–and relaxed–beaches, fine food, and friendly people.

Getting to St. Barths
The primary reason St. Barths is sure to remain a peaceful island is the island’s topography–there’s just no space for a large airport. And the harbor at Gustavia, the island’s capital city, can only handle yacht-like watercraft.

To arrive at St. Barths via air, you first fly to St. Martin, where you board a 20-seat plane for the 20-minute flight to the island. The landing will give even the most seasoned traveler a start. The final approach takes you over a steep hill and the short runway ends right at the popular St. Jean Beach.

What to Do on St. Barths
You’ll realize the somewhat startling arrival is worth it when you explore the island, best done on a mini-moke, a jeep-like vehicle available to rent all over the island.

St. Barths beaches are uncrowded and lovely, ranging from the “see-and-be-seen” St. Jean Beach to the dramatic Grand Cul-de-Sac Beach on the island’s northwest side. The small island boast 20 beaches in all.

The port city of Gustavia is filled with red-tiled roof buildings, a yacht harbor, and dozens of elegant shops, loaded with French consumer goods and island foodstuffs and crafts. The island also has some of the best food in the Caribbean, with a generous supply of French restaurants that combine the fresh seafood of the region with classic French technique.

(Photo via flickr cc)

You want to go scuba diving in a beautiful exotic location. You know that you want to go to a foreign area, a place where the weather is beautiful and the culture is rich. And you know that you want to go to a place that’s known for its diving because you want to make sure that the experience is as safe as possible while exposing you to interesting underwater plant and animal life. You’ve narrowed down your choices to somewhere in the Caribbean, but you’re not quite sure where you want to go. You might want to start looking closer to Mexico.

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Does a vacation in the Caribbean sound magnificent? How about a retreat to a small French destination? If you can’t decide which sounds better, you might want to think about spending your next vacation in Martinique, a French-owned island in the eastern Caribbean. It’s got all of the great culture (and foods) that France is known for but it also has the beauty of the Caribbean and the spice of the Creole culture which makes it a unique travel experience.

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Jamaica might be a pretty small island, but it’s a pretty big destination for travelers. All kinds of visitors go to Jamaica for all kinds of reasons: which kind are you?

Beachcomber:
You’d be crazy to holiday in Jamaica and not spend a bit of time on a beach, but if lying on the sand and taking a dip in some clear sea is the main point of your vacation, you won’t be disappointed. There are miles upon miles of good beaches, even near Kingston: if you’re staying in the capital, take a boat to Lime Cay for some fun in the sun.

Other famous beaches in Jamaica include Turtle Beach and Mallard Beach, both of which are popular with tourists and therefore have plenty of facilities for water sports and eating and drinking. Likewise, beaches around the Negril area are becoming extremely popular, although you are still close to nature and a bit of quiet time if you want. There are also quite a few nude beach resorts, if your entire body is craving the sun. For family beach fun, try Montego Bay, and especially Walter Fletcher Beach, since the sea is always calm here.

Newly-wed:
There’s plenty of romance to be had on Jamaica, and many luxury resorts waiting to spoil new brides and grooms (or even to host your wedding, if you’re so inclined). Resorts like Swept Away in Negril or the Jamaica Inn at Ocho Rios are full of all the facilities needed for honeymooning couples. In fact, hundreds of hotels and resorts around Jamaica specialize in romantic, luxury rooms, special meals and spas and pools with plenty of cocktails available: that’s my idea of a great honeymoon. Many resorts also offer marriage celebrants and arrange all the paperwork for you if you have to get married first before you can start the honeymoon.

Reggae fan:
What’s Jamaica without reggae? Coming out of Kingston in the 1960s, the relaxed feel of reggae music is a perfect fit to Jamaica, and it’s no wonder that Bob Marley emerged here. You can visit the Bob Marley Museum or join a Bob Marley tour to learn more about his life and his music. But whether you’re a Marley fan or just into some laid back grooves, there’s no shortage of entertainment for reggae fans on Jamaica. Annual festivals like the Reggae Sunsplash and the Reggae Sumfest are held each summer and several hundred thousand visitors usually turn up to dance and sing some sunny days away.