The Caribbean islands are a very popular tourist destination. Tourists visit here for beaches, sun, and water activities. Most travelers come to these islands from the US or Canada. Lots of islands are visited by tourist groups. These islands make people think about cool breezes, swaying palms trees, beautiful beaches, crystal clear water rum and cocktails after sunset. Here are the most popular islands in the area.

Barbados is one of the most popular destinations in the area. This old British colony is most popular for its white coral sandy beaches, majestic rain forests, and tropical drinks and flowers. The island’s botanical gardens, museum, and old St.Johns church are the predominant tourist attractions in Barbados besides its beach. Barbados also has a very active night life of singing, dancing, and drinking. Barbados is one of the best islands in the Caribbean for fun in the sun and relaxation.

Another great place to see is Puerto Rico. This romantic getaway is great for newly weds and couples who want to pamper themselves in luxury and comfort. The island has many great spas and resorts. Then there is the island’s natural beauty. Besides surfing, scuba diving, snorkeling and other water sports, the wildlife and adventure on this island is also great. Additionally, Puerto Rico has a rich cultural heritage and a vibrant culture that lives off of dancing, partying, and celebrations. On Puerto Rico, you can spend your days enjoying the outdoors and then spend the night celebrating with good dancing and great dining.

For an out of the way destination, consider Saona island. Saona is a tropical island that is situated in the Dominican Republic near La Romana Province. The island is famous for the natural beauty of its beaches and it has appeared in many films and advertisements. The island has great wildlife and fish around it. You can swim and scuba dive as well as take a tour of the island on a catamaran. An amphitheater, small church, art galleries, and boutiques are some of the things you can see Saona Island besides just spending time in the sun on the beach.

Lastly, there is Haiti. Haiti was one the first independent nations in the Caribbean. Founded by Christopher Columbus, this island is lush with fruits and towering mahogany trees. Known as the pearl of the Caribbean, Haiti is also home to rare birds and species. Haiti also has exotic and mouth watering delicacies well known to tourists who gorge on the delicacies. The Citadelle is one of the most extraordinary structures in the Caribbean and a great thing to do if you get tired of the beach.

The Caribbean islands are a spectacular place to go to and take a vacation. There are many islands to relax on. These places also have a lot to do besides just sitting on the beach and swimming in the ocean. On these islands, you’ll find great food, amazing cultures, jungles and much more. The islands above are only a cross section of potential islands in the Caribbean. No matter where you go in the area, you will have a great time.

Often considered the vacation of choice for a certain age group, the demand for Caribbean cruises is increasing; what better way to spend time is there than visiting some of the most beautiful islands anywhere. Everything you could possibly want is there at hand with wonderful Caribbean island locations, a new one each day, and every creature comfort on board the cruise liner. Vacations can be for extended period and it is up to your budget, choice of locations and preferences, ranging from as little as three days up to fourteen days or more.

Whilst this type of vacation has become widespread each vacationer has diverse needs so there are many different packages available as it is a time for unwinding, enjoyment and revitalization. Cruise liner owners are aware of this and have different packages to cater for diverse crowds so the vacation can meet their needs of a dream holiday with a variety of entertainment packages available.

Planning is the key to vacationing and with the number of packages now available it will be well worth your time to have a chat with your tour operator’s agent. Each Caribbean cruise will visit a certain number of islands on that particular voyage so you must decide if you want to visit certain islands like Jamaica, Bermuda, Bahamas or Antigua for example.

Disco loving people that don’t like to sleep will enjoy those cruise vacations that arrange activity filled days and non-stop party evenings. Whilst your travel agent can give more details, so can the Caribbean cruise liner website and information on the types of packages should be more in depth.

The main difference with this type of vacation is the number of changes of clothing you take with you as there is a greater opportunity to dress for evening functions. These are ideal opportunities to dress up which many of us do not get the chance to do these days so the ladies will want at least two evening gowns and the men will require a tuxedo.

Don’t worry if you are uncertain about taking your children along on a cruise vacations because there will be plenty for them to do without you needing to be close at hand, watching over them. You can even take time off for a little quality adult time as there is fully trained staff to look after them.

For those of you that would prefer a child free vacation, that too is available so you can cruise around the Caribbean islands without having to worry about children. Honeymooners and couples celebrating wedding anniversaries can also have cruise liner packages tailored to suit them as well.

A Caribbean cruise will be your vacation of a lifetime as it has the scenery, locations, beaches and the first class service you can expect on board a cruise liner whether you are alone or with others.

Once the provinces of the rich and famous, cruises have changed and Caribbean cruises are fast becoming the most popular vacation choice; this has got to be the easiest way to see a variety of Caribbean islands in a short space of time. It should be on everyone’s list of vacations with tropical Caribbean islands, clear, clean beaches and of course a fun filled time on board the cruise liner. There is guaranteed to be a package to suit you and depending on you budget it can be a short weekend break as a vacation add on or a full 14 days or more.

Sailing is an excellent way to enjoy yourself and this includes a person who just wants to send all day on board enjoying the entertainment to someone who can’t wait to explore all the new sights. If anything, you will have a hard time keeping up with everything that you can possibly do on a cruise liner. Before making the trip, it is wise to find out more, so go to your nearest travel agent to find the right package, but you can also find comments and reviews online.

Almost every Caribbean island will receive cruise liner guests but they can’t call on every one each trip as it would take to long so you need to look for a package that will call at the islands you want. Disco loving people that don’t like to sleep will enjoy those cruise vacations that arrange activity filled days and non-stop party evenings. Even though your tour operator should be able to provide information on the types of Caribbean cruise packages that are available, there will probably be more advice to be found on the web sites.

Besides the usual, you need to pack suitable attire for many occasions like formal evening wear as well as beach, deck and other casual wear. These are ideal opportunities to dress up which many of us do not get the chance to do these days so the ladies will want at least two evening gowns and the men will require a tuxedo. Even if you intend to bring along your children on a family cruise vacation, there are plenty of programs to occupy them and they will not have a dull moment.

A wide variety of activities are planned for them so that you can spend the time to do what you like; trained staff will look after them so you can put your mind at ease while you are enjoying and relaxing with your spouse. Some Caribbean cruises are specifically for adults only, which ideal for couples, honeymooners and people that would like to have a child free vacation. Honeymooners and couples celebrating wedding anniversaries can also have cruise liner packages tailored to suit them as well. A Caribbean cruise vacation is the ideal venue for singles, couples and for families as everyone is looked after with a multitude of activities available; no-one ever feels left out.

Antigua, the largest of the English-speaking Leeward Islands in the eastern Caribbean, measures about 22 by 18 km and encompasses about 275 square km. Antigua is also the name of a nation that includes two other islands: Barbuda, about 50 km due north, a flat coral island only 174 square km in area; and the tiny (1.5 square km) uninhabited island of Redonda, now a nature preserve and bird sanctuary.

Down in the southwestern corner of Antigua is Boggy Peak (4,020 metres), which sounds like a contradiction in terms but is the name of the highest point. The capital of this small nation, which is home to some 68,000 people, is St John’s, on Antigua.

NELSON HATED IT, MILLIONAIRES LOVE IT

Well, for one thing it has a remarkable history. In 1784 the then unknown but now legendary Admiral Horatio Nelson decided that the island, with its warm, steady winds, its lacy coastline indented with safe harbours, bays and inlets, and its protective rim of coral reef almost encircling the island, would be the perfect place to hide a fleet and so he established what became Great Britain’s most important Caribbean base. He was not happy here. Nelson, poor man, hated the place, calling it an ‘infernal hole’, declaring English Harbour ‘vile’ and decrying the uncouth and unpatriotic behaviour of the English inhabitants. The mosquitoes plagued him and he succumbed to the fever during his three-year stay, before finally escaping back to England with an expat English wife whom he married in Nevis.

Little could Nelson imagine that over 200 years later the same characteristics that attracted the Royal Navy would make Antigua and Barbuda one of the Caribbean’s favourite tourist destinations, ranked as Best Island for Celeb Spotting by Caribbean Travel & Life magazine. Eric Clapton and Giorgio Armani own properties here, Keith Richards and Posh and Becks have holidayed here, and each April the Sailing Week attracts American tycoons such as Bill Gates, along with droves of Hollywood stars.

EXPLORE, ADV ENTURE AND ROMANCE

As well as the beaches, inlets and almost constant balmy northeast trade winds, the temperature fluctuates only mildly from the mid-20s Celsius in winter to the low 30s in summer. Annual rainfall averages only 114 cm, making it the sunniest of the eastern Caribbean Islands, with low humidity all year round. Its romantic, with lots of secret places, and hence the most popular destination for weddings in the last two years, and there are said to be 365 white and pink sand beaches, one for every day of the year.

For tourists with a taste for culture and history, there are the charms of St John’s itself, with its narrow streets and heavy stone cathedral; the restored Georgian warehouses and working marina of Nelson’s Dockyard; and English Harbour, now the centre of a national park crossed by walking trails along the hilltop battlements.

Active holidaymakers have other delights in store. The expansive, winding coastline is where trekkers can encounter a wealth of secluded, powdery soft beaches. Snorkellers and scuba divers home in on the wonderful coral reefs. During Sailing Week, you can watch, sign up as a deck hand or of course join in the sailing yourself. Explore the underground caves at Indian Town, rumoured to extend all the way to Guadeloupe.

There’s an annual carnival, mouth-watering Caribbean food, the largest casino in the eastern Caribbean, duty-free shopping, natural wonders including rainforest, the Frigate Bird Sanctuary and Devil’s Bridge and much more. Accommodation ranges from the budget to the ultra-chic, super-luxurious Carlisle Bay, where prices start from £416 per night for a double room.

BEST TIME TO GO

Mercifully low, in spite of the glories the islands have to offer. The rugged terrain makes overdevelopment unlikely and the roads, where they exist, are charmingly bad; many of the scores of beaches are unreachable by road. So here’s a paradise that looks like staying so for a while yet. The best time to go is during Sailing Week, but be sure to book well ahead.

Author Harish Kohli is an adventurer, explorer and a travel expert for the Caribbean Holidays. His AwimAway.com, is the best place to look for Caribbean holidays. Here you can find luxury tours to Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao and holidays to the Caribbean Islands. AwimAway.com (www.awimaway.com) is UK-based and promotes low-footprint adventure and experiential holidays.

If you have never tried a Caribbean cruise as a vacation then it is time you tried. With the exotic and beautiful islands these ships travel to, their popularity is not surprising. A cruise liner holiday is a combination of amazing entertainment, wonderful activities and an opportunity to visit the idyllic islands of the Caribbean. Some people only take a short break and visit perhaps only a couple of islands as part of a larger vacation but most people are doing a tour of as many islands as they can with some lasting over two weeks.

Vacations like this are about enjoyment and it what these companies do best irrespective of weather or environment, it is your choice; enjoy the on board entertainment or that at each destination. Cruise liner owners are aware of this and have different packages to cater for diverse crowds so the vacation can meet their needs of a dream holiday with a variety of entertainment packages available.

Planning is the key to vacationing and with the number of packages now available it will be well worth your time to have a chat with your tour operator’s agent. Don’t forget that there are a large number of Caribbean islands so cruise liners have arranged packages which reflect certain island themes as they cannot visit every island in such a short space of time.

Disco loving people that don’t like to sleep will enjoy those cruise vacations that arrange activity filled days and non-stop party evenings. Whilst your travel agent can give more details, so can the Caribbean cruise liner website and information on the types of packages should be more in depth.

One important thing to remember is the type of clothes you pack for your trip as you will have the opportunity to wear all you normal holiday clothes plus those for dressing up in the evening. Women may want to take two or three evening dresses and men will need a tuxedo, they will probably get to wear it for a number of evenings.

The great thing about cruise vacations is that if you take your children along you can be sure they will have a fun filled time. In actual fact there is specially trained staff to take care of children that can provide entertainment activities throughout the entire day and during the voyage.

Couples can take a romantic Caribbean cruise vacation and you will have the holiday you look forward to on a vacation vessel that is for adults only. Honeymooners and couples celebrating wedding anniversaries can also have cruise liner packages tailored to suit them as well.

A Caribbean cruise vacation is the ideal venue for singles, couples and for families as everyone is looked after with a multitude of activities available no-one ever feels left out.

When one speaks about the Caribbean resorts, one normally thinks about the beautiful blue sea, clear blue sky and wonderfully white sandy beaches. One would not believe that this is a country rich with history, which has shaped its culture today. Some of its historical tales include colonisation, slavery and cultural diversity. This can often be seen by visitors and tourists, through specific monuments and island features.

The Caribbean is a place of exotic beauty, with many people visiting it for its attractive features and year round sunshine. Many people see this as the ideal spot of celebrating wedding ceremonies and honeymoons. All of which could not have been possible without its diverse history and the major influences it has had upon modern fictional entertainment.

Pirates were also prominent figures in the Caribbean resorts. This explains the title of the movie ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’, as they were very real and indeed did reside in the Caribbean. One of the areas in which pirates were renowned to have lived in Nassau, Bahamas, whereby visitors can view some of the historical come Disney influenced artefacts of the piracy period. This is described as the golden piracy era and is captured in a more exaggerated form than what they really were.

The pirates were viewed as rebels and terrorized much of the American continents, France, Britain and Spain. They were so called pirates for their reputation for robbery and causing crime across the continent, and travelling by sea. The word piracy is defined as robbery and other violent actions. It was towards the end of the seventeenth century that saw a large number of pirates take over the islands, with many of them using Tortuga as their main base.

The piracy colony was more troublesome in the Caribbean resorts and was a reaction to the end of the War of Spanish Succession. The piracy period lasted thirty years, it was a short period but one that had had a lasting effect onto Caribbean history. Although, many of the factual written records and fictional records are very much blurred, and some of the recorded information is still unknown as to whether they are true or false.

Due to the war there a lot of unemployed sailors, with a severe lack of employment in the legal sector, which raised the profiles of the pirates. As there was a lack of legal operations, the pirates were able to operate at a more public level and so grew in population. Infamous pirates such as Captain Bartholomew and Blackbeard were amongst the wanted criminals, however, unbelievably there is surprisingly very little evidence and recordings of their lives.

Both of which were known for their fierce nature and terrorism across the Caribbean, whilst many argue that they have played a strong part in influencing the stereotypical depictions of the modern day pirate characters in films and books.

One thing is for certain and that is pirates were grouped together as a way of undermining the Spanish rule and to break the rules on trading across the sea. Trading became highly regulated due to the pirate activities and so the Spanish found themselves unable to control the situation. This enabled the pirates to eventually establish their own colonies.

People visiting the Caribbean resorts today will be able to relive the glory days of piracy in a well-preserved Museum based in Nassau, which retells the stories of fact and fictional pirate characters. Much of the artefacts and relics include models, paintings, weapons and tour guides. Tourists are also able to experience a true pirates cuisine, which mainly consists of conch and other seafood delicacies.

Probably one of the most appealing honeymoons for most people is a trip to a tropical Caribbean island. And one of the easiest ways for the soon to be newlyweds to plan their after wedding trip is to look at all inclusive Caribbean honeymoons. There is one little problem though.

How do you choose which Caribbean island you want to spend your honeymoon on? After all, there are over 7000 Caribbean islands that you can choose from. Well not all 7000, not all of them are inhabited, but that’s still a lot of possible destinations to choose from. And each of these islands, whether big or small, has its own cultural flavor that will have an appeal for just about everyone. And the best part is almost all the islands boast at least one all inclusive resort that is ideal for a honeymoon.

There are three easy steps to follow when it comes to planning an all inclusive Caribbean honeymoon.

1. Choose an Island – As mentioned above there is a lot to choose from but somewhere in that group of islands is one that will be a perfect fit for the newlywed couple. With such a wide diversity of islands available no matter what the couple likes to do they will find one that fits what they are looking for. Of course all of them are great if you like lounging on the beach, enjoying water sports and just plain relaxing.

If you are looking for the total Caribbean honeymoon experience then Jamaica may be the way to go. It is a big island with large cities that offer everything more metropolitan areas are known for, including shopping and clubbing until all hours of the morning. You can also get away from it all by taking hikes in lush tropical forests and climbing warm cascading waterfalls with deep plunge pools for swimming. Jamaica also has an abundance of all inclusive resorts that make honeymoon planning very simple.

If intimacy and seclusion are more of what is needed then any of the number of smaller islands will fit the bill. Culebra and Dominica are two such islands that are off the beaten path. There isn’t a whole lot to do there other than enjoy the warm Caribbean waters and lounge the days away in blissful peace with each other.

2. Choose an All Inclusive Resort – Just as there are many islands to choose from so are there resorts to choose from. One thing to look for is adults only or couples only resorts that cater exclusively to couples getting away for romantic holidays. You can also be assured that if you do choose a couples only resort that you will not have to deal with families and rambunctious kids during this romantic time together.

3. Get packing – Once the reservations are set and the trip is paid for all you have to do is get your bags packed and ready to go. That’s the beauty of all inclusive Caribbean honeymoons; everything is included in the price of the package. This includes meals, drinks, resort activities, beach privileges and water sports, entertainment and a whole lot more.

Taking all inclusive Caribbean honeymoons is easy. The hard part is figuring out which island to go to and then ultimately which resort offers the amenities and activities, or lack thereof, the newlywed couple is interested in. But no matter which island and resort you choose taking a Caribbean honeymoon at an all inclusive resort is one of the most romantic and intimate settings you can find.