We'll give you a quick overview of the islands circled on the map and links to find out more about the ones that you like the sound of. We've marked our own favourites ♥ (which can be subjective, so also tried to explain why). Do note the population of the respective islands as this is a good indicator of what you can expect.

Pour yourself a rum cocktail, put on some espadrilles and browse away!

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ANTIGUA ♥

To many, Antigua is the epitome of the Caribbean with its 365 superb beaches and crystalline waters. For us this was one of our favourite stays on our tour because there is also a lot to explore. E.g. walking through the cobbled streets of St John and visit the market, zip lining or cuddle some stingrays. Having said that, the beaches were unbelievable, and with lobster fishermen selling their catch straight from their boats.

Avoid: Sept/Nov are the wettest months.

Best for: Beach lovers also wanting a bit more to see and do.

Population: 87,000.

Language: English.

More info: visitantiguabarbuda.com

ARUBA

Being nature lovers we found Aruba a bit barren and mainly about beach resorts and not that much more to do. Doing some research for this blog though, we've found some websites proving us wrong. We've linked to one of them below.

Avoid: Sept-Dec are the wettest months but Aruba is fairly dry.

Best for: Beach resort lovers.

Population: 106,000.

Language: Dutch, Spanish and English.

More info: GreenGlobalAruba

BARBADOS ♥

Barbados is busier than most of the other islands covered here but you can still easily find a secluded spot at one of it's superb beaches. Apart from meeting up with local friends, there were two highlights for us here. 1. The Oistin fish fry market on Fridays with the calypso and reggae blasting and rum flowing. 2. The snorkelling with turtles off Payne's bay / Sandy Lane bay. Should we make it back we'd love to explore more of the island's lush central hills.

Avoid: July is the wettest month.

Best for: Beach lovers but wanting a bit more to see and do, and not minding a more populated island.

Population: 286,000.

Language: English.

More info:  visitbarbados.org

CUBA ♥

Magic but tragic said a friend of ours when we asked around for tips before going to Cuba, and he wasn't wrong. Many families were struggling financially even before US reversed Obama's relaxed visiting rules, and Venezuela cut aid in 2019, resulting in a rationing of household goods. Before the 1959 revolution Cuba had a thriving sugar cane industry, mostly exported to the US, but Castro let this wither away relying on Soviet Union subsidies that then dried up when it collapsed. 

But what a fantastic country it also is, and your tourist dollars can help. Even if you prefer to stay in one of the Varadero beach resorts, it's easy to add at least a couple of days in Havana and the country side to get a feeling for this unique country and the people. We spent a week at a great hotel in Varadero too and don't see why some feel that is worse than beach resorts anywhere else where you don't get to see the "real country". The beaches were outstanding. Having said that, it was the rest of the trip that made it really special. We'd recommend minimum two days in Havana plus a couple of overnights to e.g. Trinidad, Viñales or Santa Clara. 

Best for: Anyone really as you can have an equally great coastal stay,  cultural tour of cities or inland nature treat. Or, try and mix them all.

Population: 11 million.

Language: Spanish (but English gets you far).

More info: www.cubatravel.cu

DOMINICA ♥

We were looking forward to Dominica for the nature experiences. And although this absolutely didn't let us down (you may have seen some of it in scenes from the two Pirates of the Caribbean films shot here), we also lucked out and arrived when Roseau's annual carnival was in full swing which was good fun.

You won't find big resorts in Dominica due to the fewer number of beaches. Nevertheless some beaches are great and there are both white and black sand ones.

Avoid: Hurricane season peaks in August - September.

Best for: Nature lovers that don't need glitzy big resorts.

Population: 71,000.

Language: English. 

More info: discoverdominica.com

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

As opposed to Dominica, the Dominican Republic has plenty of white beaches and resorts to go with them. I will have to update this particular part of the blog after a second visit as, hands up and blushed face, I mainly stayed at the gated Casa de Campo (and its impressive golf course Teeth of the dog) with the exception of a handful of trips out to the countryside and the capital Santo Domingo.

Going back I'd spend more time hiking, boating and visit more wild beaches away from the resorts which looking at the images following the link below, look amazing. Just check updated safety advise.

Avoid: Rainy season is May to October.

Best for: Beach lovers and big resorts. But there might be a lot more to this island and venturing around is not as unsafe as rumoured. 

Population: 286,000.

More info: lonelyplanet.com/dominican-republic

ST KITTS 

Slightly busier than its neighbour Nevis, St Kitts is still charming with 39,000 inhabitants with highlights for us such as snorkelling at South Frigate Bay and strolling around historic Basseterre and chatting to friendly locals.

On one walk. we decided to try and find a toy shop for gifts. We asked a 7-8 year old school girl and her friends where we could find one. Not only were they unaccompanied but she resolutely said goodbye to her friends and informed us that she would take us to it herself, took us by the hand and did just that. Wouldn't happen in London :-) 

Avoid: July to November is rainy season.

Best for: Mixed. You can find quiet areas with powdery white beaches, as well as more lively areas with bars, cooking and music on the street (particularly Fri/Sat).

Population: 39,000.

Language: English.

More info: stkittstourism.kn

ST LUCIA

The attention grabbing Pitons is the first thing you see flying or sailing in to St Lucia, but look inland and you'll see there is more to her than the coastline and the gorgeous beaches. So although those beaches are really hard to leave, do take time to find deserted bays, see waterfalls and go on a hike in the lush central areas. We weren't overly enamoured by the main town Soufriére however.

Avoid: June to October is hurricane season but, still warm.

Best for: Beach lovers also wanting a bit more to see and do.

Population: 170,000

Language: English, Creole.

More info: stlucia.org

ST VINCENT

We only spent a short amount of time on St Vincent but liked the less polished charm of Kingstown and still remember having a goat and plantain curry that was out of this world.

The walk up to Fort Charlotte, passing numerous goats, was spectacular but hot, bring water! The historical information about the British role in the slave trade was interesting but tough reading.

A dream would be to sail around the neighbouring Grenadine islands such as Bequia, Mustique and Tobago quays.

Avoid: July is the wettest month.

Best for: Most people use St Vincent as a base for trips out to surrounding Grenadine islands (there are plenty of ferries), but we liked St Vincent itself too.

Population: 100,000.

Language: English

More info: Lonely Planet St Vincent

VIRGIN GORDA 
(British Virgin Islands)

We took a ferry from Tortola to get to this spectacular island. In addition to awesome beaches they've got The Sands rock formations and Devil's bay. We didn't spot Richard Branson even once but, when you've got your own Virgin Gorda island; fair enough.. 

Best weather: December to April is high season.

Best for: Beach lovers enjoying extra special beaches. If you're fortunate enough to afford charting a boat, you can reach many outer islands easily.

Population: 4,000 (!).

More info: VirginGordaWiki

ST MAARTEN

The Dutch half of St Martin / St Maarten has so many great beaches and fab restaurants but for us, the lasting memory is still the insanely close jumbo jets flying over you on Maho beach.  Hold on to your towels and stuff!

An interesting melting pot of several cultures. Having said that, some streets are not particularly cultured at all.. :)

Weather: 26 degrees Celsius year round.

Best for: Beach lovers also wanting a bit more buzz and easily hopping between two countries and cultures. 

Population: 41,000 (Sint Maarten), 37,000 (St Martin).

More info: st-maarten.com

GRAND TURK

White sandy beaches, snorkelling and.. nothing. Welcome to relax city! Unless you're a diver that's about what there is to do, oh and drink cold beer and eat lobster straight from the sea..

When you get bored of that, hop on a ferry to one of the neighbouring Caicos islands.

Avoid: July has a big fishing competition and it fills up. And Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville if you want to avoid the cruise passengers. 

Best for: Beach lovers not wanting a lot more to see and do than go island time.

Population: 4,000 (!).

Language: English.

More info: visittci.com