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Condé Nast Traveler picks
 Top Caribbean Beaches
Like most clichés, the one about Caribbean beaches turns out to be right on the mark. These islands are all about beaches. When you close your eyes and daydream about the Caribbean, chances are that the vision you conjure up will be all about shell-pink powdery sand, palm trees, and water that's as blue as a movie star's eyes.
Jamaica This island happens to be one of the largest and most diverse in the Caribbean, and consequently it does have some of the region's best and most interesting beaches. Surely the most iconic image of all, when it comes to beaches in this part of the world, is that of Ursula Andress emerging from the sea in her white bikini (with the hipster knife belt, hinting at danger) in Dr. No, the first James Bond movie. And it's no coincidence that Ian Fleming, James Bond's creator (did you know he stole the name from the author of his favorite book, Birds of the West Indies?) just happened to have a house called Goldeneye in Oracabessa, overlooking one of Jamaica's most spectacular beaches. The good news is that the house was bought 30 years ago by Chris Blackwell, the Jamaican music producer and hotelier, and turned into a resort where anybody, with or without a white bikini, can play on that once private beach. Blackwell also owns another hotel, Jake's, a collection of laid-back cottages on the equally lovely Treasure Beach. The other truly great Jamaican beach is Frenchman's Cove, where the usual saltwater charms are enhanced by a clear freshwater stream that pours into the sea at one edge of this beautiful site. In Ocho Rios, there's the legendary Jamaica Inn, which comes with its own private curve of sandy heaven, but if you crave something a bit more lively and social, head for Negril, west of Montego Bay. Barbados If you want a bit of excitement and have had enough of cozy coves, try the Atlantic coast of Barbados, where the waves come crashing in on Crane Beach. If it's too rough to swim there, cross the island and go to Sandy Lane, a super-luxe resort where the beach is as manicured as the tropical gardens. Barbuda There are some islands where the beach is the entire story. The two most spectacular may well be the seven-mile stretch of sand on Barbuda, where you have three world-class hotels to choose from, and Pink Sands Beach on Harbour Island in the Bahamas. The crushed seashells that have given their lives to create this exquisite stretch of sand have also made it the palest of pinks, and with only a handful of small hotels, the beach feels like it belongs to you alone. Guadeloupe This famously butterfly-shaped island has two wings: Basse-Terre, which is volcanic and forested, and Grande-Terre, which is low-lying and has about 50 beaches. A string of them south of Point-à-Pitre sport resorts (favored almost entirely by the French), but you'll also find nude beaches (ditto) and plenty of charming town beaches like St. Anne, where locals and visitors share the surf. Or go one island-hop farther to small, beautiful Terre-de-Haut, one of the Îles des Saintes south of Basse-Terre. The great thing about the beaches on this speck of an island is that many are accessible only by foot or by scooter, so crowds are never a problem. The best-known beach on the island is probably La Plage de Pompierre, which has the requisite palm trees, sand, and clear blue water but remains happily underpopulated. Nevis The tiny island of Nevis has somehow managed to avoid being swamped by visitors. An old favorite there is the beach at the Nisbet Plantation Beach Club, one of a very few Caribbean plantation houses built beside the water. The approach, down a long allée of huge palm trees, is almost as magnificent as the beach itself. The other great beach, directly in front of the Four Seasons, is clearly the reason the hotel chose its location. St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands St. John is easily the most beautiful island. And this is partly thanks to Laurance Rockefeller, whose passion for conservation kept development on the island to a minimum. Caneel Bay, which he built in 1952, occupies the best location on all of St. John, with seven different beaches to choose from. The two prettiest may be Paradise and Scott, both within walking distance of the resort's generous Cottage 7, once Rockefeller's vacation home. St. Lucia If you've seen enough powdery white, pale pink, and just plain beige sand to last you a lifetime, it may be time to think St. Lucia and volcanoes. Black sand isn't for everybody, but the drama is undeniable. Stay at Anse Chastenet resort, which clings to the jungly mountainside and looks out on the extinct volcanic twins of the Pitons. You can hike downhill to the beach, and if you get tired of lounging around, the scuba diving here is among the best in the Caribbean. Tortola, British Virgin Islands Also in the Virgin Islands but this time on the British side is Tortola, where the aptly named Long Bay Beach is famous for its mile-long stretch of perfect sand, while the beach at Cane Garden Bay is one of the area's most popular (read: plenty of choices for food, drink, and distraction). The neighboring island of Anegada is pretty much all beaches surrounding a low-lying interior. You can walk the sands around Pomato Point for hours without seeing a soul; ditto Cow Wreck Beach, in the north. Truth in Travel is the guiding principle for all content published in Condé Nast Traveler. Other travel publications often accept free travel and accommodations. Condé Nast Traveler does not. It is independent of the travel industry. The magazine always pays its way, and, as far as possible, its correspondents travel anonymously. By doing so, they experience the world—both the good and the bad—as other travelers do, and their reports and recommendations are fair, impartial, and authoritative.
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