16 cool holidays in the Caribbean — away from the mega-resorts - The Times

It’s easy to make sweeping generalisations about holidays in the Caribbean, reducing them to a kind of horizontal existence, with the beach (and perhaps a good book) the focus of the week, punctuated by rum punches and plates of grilled snapper. And, of course, there’s much to be said for the particular art of doing very little.

When I was pregnant with my first child — nauseous, exhausted and conscious that any holiday after her arrival would be a different proposition — our compass shifted towards the Caribbean. Antigua’s boast of “a beach for every day of the year” made it hard to resist. While there we moved at tortoise speed between the Inn at English Harbour, Carlisle Bay and Jumby Bay in an absurdly spoiling hotel crawl. It was precisely what I needed. 

However, in some ways that trip was shamefully blinkered — we had barely scratched the surface. We didn’t visit Nelson’s Dockyard with its naval traditions, nor the old sugar plantations, or even a roadside grill, where saltfish and ducana dumplings would have revealed more of island life than any restaurant menu. Can we blame the morning sickness? Frankly, we could have been anywhere. 

And this is the thing about the Caribbean: each island has its own distinct rhythm, a drumbeat shaped by its history, language, music, food and people. There are rainforest trails, urban art scenes, surf cultures and mangroves teeming with wildlife. Then there’s the wondrous world offshore, waiting to be discovered. The beach is a fine place to begin, but definitely don’t stop there.

All recommendations within this article are informed by independent expert editorial opinion. This article contains affiliate links and links to our in-house travel agency, Times Holidays, all of which will earn us revenue.

The Cayman Islands flag features a rather unexpected golden pineapple, but on 12-mile-long Cayman Brac, the easternmost island of the archipelago, there’s plenty more to feast on.

The 20-acre organic plot at Hotel Le Soleil d’Or yields the sweetest guavas, dotty dragon fruit, citrussy guineps (from the lychee family), peppery rocket and lush green canopies of broccoli and kale. Much of the produce, drawn from 300 varieties of fruit and veg, goes straight from kitchen garden to table at the hotel’s restaurant, the Farm, where it’s served alongside local snapper and lobster tail. The rest is sold to the community at the hotel’s farmers’ market.

The farmstay trend may be top of every travel publication’s hot list right now, but Le Soleil d’Or is 12 years old and well ahead of the pack. Check in to the three-bed Farmhouse and you can wander out and pluck your own mangoes for breakfast. This is an earthy, rooted, food-led stay: part working farm, part beach retreat, and worlds away from Grand Cayman’s polished resorts.B&B doubles from £457. Fly to Cayman Brac

Barbuda is the Caribbean for those who want to get properly away from it all — to be surrounded not by other people but by magnificent frigatebirds, mockingbirds and laughing gulls. To share the water not with yachts and jet skis but with sea turtles, reef sharks and dolphins. And on land, to spot free-range donkeys, sheep, goats and pigs as they roam the island.

Barbuda Belle takes seclusion seriously. The family-run hideaway sits at Cedar Tree Point on pink-tinged sand between the sea and the mangroves of Codrington Lagoon, accessible only by boat. Eight rooms are on stilted bungalows with views right out to the horizon and the small restaurant whips up delicious seafood.

Meanwhile, the south of the island is on the cusp of change. Nobu Beach Inn, part of Robert De Niro’s wider hospitality project on Princess Diana Beach, is due to open in 2027 in the spot where the renowned K Club resort used to be. But for now Barbuda Belle is a charming way to experience this still sparsely developed spot before the next wave of visitors arrives.B&B doubles from £740 (barbudabelle.com). Fly to Barbuda

The world’s smallest island shared by two nations goes by St Martin or Sint Maarten, depending on which side of its 34 square miles you happen to be standing on. Divided between France and the Netherlands by the signing of the Treaty of Concordia in 1648, this unusual set-up works rather harmoniously. And while you don’t need your passport to get around as there is no hard border, the differences are crystal clear linguistically, culturally and gastronomically.

The French town of Grand Case likes to unofficially call itself the culinary capital of the Caribbean, with a run of fine-dining restaurants and beachfront barbecue “lolos” loved by Anthony Bourdain for stuffed conch and Creole-style chicken. The Dutch side is livelier and more fast-paced, with cruise ships and casinos but also roadside shacks for johnny cakes and ribs — the Original Fat Boy BBQ Jimmy’s in Philipsburg is an institution.

Marion Dufaur and Emmanuel Schmitt’s hideout Le Martin Boutique Hôtel, set back from Cul-de-Sac Bay on the French side, is the smartest spot to bed down at. Its six bedrooms are styled like something straight out of Elle Decor and there’s a heated saltwater pool.B&B doubles from £217. Fly to Sint Maarten

The idea of a Caribbean cruise gets some people’s heartbeats racing, while causing others to break out in a cold sweat. For those in the latter camp, French-owned and operated Ponant is worth a look.

While the brand is perhaps best known for its adventurous polar expeditions, its original ship, Le Ponant, spends the winter months in the warmer waters of the Caribbean. The three-masted, 88m vessel feels more like a private superyacht than a floating resort, with just 32 guests accommodated in 16 chic cabins designed by Jean-Philippe Nuel.

The cruise departs from Marigot, on the French side of St Martin, and sails to Guadeloupe via Anguilla’s Prickly Pear Cays, the high life of St Barts and historic landmarks including Nelson’s Dockyard in Antigua and Fort Napoléon on Îles des Saintes. Spa treatments, paddleboarding and clear-bottom kayaks keep everyone busy by day; at night it’s all about dinner. On the only ship in the Relais & Châteaux portfolio the food is heavily French-focused with a menu overseen by Alain Ducasse’s academy.Seven nights’ full board from £9,860pp (uk.ponant.com). Fly into Sint Maarten and out from Guadeloupe

One of the Caribbean’s great diving destinations, Bonaire has more than 80 marked sites to explore. The protected Bonaire National Marine Park wraps around the island and its neighbour Klein Bonaire, with shallow coral gardens for snorkellers and deeper drop-offs for experienced divers. If you know what you’re doing there’s no need to book a boat — just pull up beside one of the painted yellow stones that act as dive-site markers, kit up and wade straight into the water, where schools of parrotfish, angelfish and sea turtles patrol the reef. For guided dives, courses and kit, VIP Diving leads everything from first underwater breaths and Padi courses to advanced explorations (guided dives from £48; vipdiving.com).

On the sheltered lagoon at Lac Bay, Sorobon Luxury Beach Resort is a collection of thatched chalets with creamy neutrals, driftwood and rattan interiors. The water here is better known for windsurfing than scuba, so the hotel works as a laid-back base between dives, with sushi lunches and rum-laced cocktails at the Reef Bar to keep everyone entertained.Room-only doubles from £139. Fly to Bonaire 

The Dominican Republic’s capital, Santo Domingo, deserves more than an overnight stay before you head to the beach. The Ciudad Colonial (Colonial City) is a Unesco world heritage site with an impressive roll call of historic firsts: it was the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas, and is home to the region’s oldest paved street and oldest cathedral.

Among the cobbled lanes and crumbling convents, an emerging scene of independent cafés, cocktail bars and restaurants makes the centre feel very much alive. Explore the Alcazar de Colon, once the palace of Christopher Columbus’s son, the Fortaleza Ozama fortress and the National Pantheon mausoleum before stopping at Parque Colon to watch city life unfold around the cathedral.

To stay right in the heart of it all, Casas del XVI is a collection of restored 16th-century Spanish colonial houses and villas, with quiet courtyards and cool plunge pools. For something more low key, there’s Mosquito Boutique Hotel, with a great cocktail bar, or Fixie Lofts’ spacious suites. Whatever your base, allow two or three days to do the place justice, leaving time for museums and late-night merengue.B&B doubles from £270. Fly to Santo Domingo 

The best way by far to explore the British Virgin Islands is from the water. Nautica Collective, founded last year by a pair of British travel entrepreneurs, provides a skipper and private chef aboard each catamaran. You’ll have a private en suite cabin and enjoy a curated itinerary alongside a small group of fellow travellers. It’s cleverly geared towards curious adventurers who appreciate lunches of coconut-fried shrimp Caesar salad, wagyu brioche bites and chilled rosé after snorkelling the caves at Norman Island, wing-foiling around Virgin Gorda or swimming with turtles off Peter Island. But it will also appeal to people who appreciate sundowners at old-school Caribbean haunts such as the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke and the notoriously naughty Willy T’s. A sociable and extremely fun way to see the BVIs with the freedom of someone else handling all the logistics.Five nights from £2,850pp, including food and drink on board, departing Mar 13 (nauticacollective.com). Fly to Tortola

There’s a cottage at the Golden Rock Inn where a sign above the door says “Paradise”. It would be hard to argue. The 100-acre estate was restored by Helen and her late husband Brice Marden, the artists behind New York’s Hotel Tivoli. A collaboration with the renowned architect Ed Tuttle transformed the old mill buildings of the 1800s sugar plantation, while the landscape architect Raymond Jungles created a landscape of lush tropical vegetation and lava boulders. It’s utterly unique. The unbridled threads of red (on shutters and awnings, sunbeds and bar stools) look as fresh as when the place opened 20 years ago.

To really get under the skin of the island, the adventurous can hike the rainforest route that climbs towards the cloud-wrapped summit of Nevis Peak. The ascent is a serious and steep undertaking, scrambly and often muddy, so a local guide is well worth arranging. For waterfall-spotting, Russell’s Rest Trail is just as breathtaking if you want to see all six falls and the reward is a cool dip there or a swim in the spring-fed pool back at Golden Rock.B&B doubles from £295. Fly to St Kitts

Antigua sometimes gets unfairly dismissed as an all-inclusive hotel circuit, but look outside the gates and there are some great lunches to be had. The British chef and entrepreneur Alex Grimley has led the charge. In 2010 he transformed Sheer Rocks, overlooking Ffryes Beach, from a quiet dinner spot into the west coast’s most popular hangout (two courses £63; sheer-rocks.com). In 2017 he worked his magic on Catherine’s Café on Pigeon Point Beach, where seafood and bottles of Provençal rosé are the order of the day (mains from £25; catherines-cafe.com).

More recently the Asian-leaning restaurant Rokuni (mains from £17; rokuni-antigua.com) joined the flock, but the latest opening is the most fun. Fat Urchin at Jolly Harbour Marina is exactly the sort of place you want to fall into for a post-sail pint — a seaside joint with pub energy and a crowd-pleasing menu (mains from £18; fat-urchin.com). It’s not a total monopoly, though. The Isle of Wight export the Hut has popped up for the past two years on Little Jumby, a tiny islet just off the north coast where you can rent a cabana and settle in for an extremely long lunch, just like at its UK sibling (mains from £41; thehutlittlejumby.com).

The three-bedroom Waterfront Escape villa on the northern nib of the island is the place to stay. Rooms are spacious and stylish, there’s a lush garden and your group can loll in the private infinity pool gazing out at the Caribbean Sea.One night’s self-catering for six from £1,185. Fly to Antigua

The islands of Trinidad and Tobago may be Caribbean by administration, but geographically they are right on South America’s doorstep. For serious birders that means extremely high avian diversity, last logged as 489 different species. The wildlife travel expert Reef and Rainforest has a finely tuned itinerary of specialist birding excursions between the two islands, taking in the rainforest and wetlands of Trinidad and Tobago’s tropical seabird-rich coastline.

It begins at Asa Wright Nature Centre in Trinidad’s Northern Range, where you’ll stay for three nights in an old coffee plantation house as hummingbirds and honeycreepers dart around the veranda. Colonies of nocturnal, fruit-eating oilbirds shelter at nearby Dunston Cave and dusk boat trips through Caroni Swamp chart the scarlet ibis returning to roost in the mangroves. Next stop is the wild northern coast to see the elusive Trinidad piping guan as you stay at a beachfront eco-lodge. And then it’s across to Tobago where its seabird population drives the conversation and you’ll stay by the beach at the Mt Plaisir Estate Hotel, set in tropical gardens. Trips inland include Tobago Main Ridge reserve, the oldest protected forest in the western hemisphere.Ten nights’ half-board from £2,950pp, including transfers, guided excursions and some extra meals (reefandrainforest.co.uk). Fly to Trinidad 

The BodyHoliday is one of the great longstanding wellness institutions, drawing early adopters since the late Eighties. It has weathered successive shifts in the spa industry while keeping an eye on what’s next as loyal repeat guests arrive each week. Its all-inclusive holistic programmes have the same restorative pull as the island itself, but the carrot and the stick have equal billing. Tennis, sailing, scuba diving and long afternoons on the beach are all very much part of the prescription.

This year a newcomer has opened, making a more clinical play for the serious health-focused traveller. TheLifeCo St Lucia deploys all the tech and medical diagnostics to tackle specific health goals alongside raw food menus, fasting for those who can hack it and a rigorous schedule of treatments ranging from IV drips and neurofeedback to hyperbaric oxygen therapy and bloodwork. There’s a compelling argument that if you’re going to sweat or starve, you might as well do it in the sunshine with your toes in the sand. And with rainforest trails, volcanic peaks and mineral-rich springs as the backdrop, St Lucia has a head start on the feelgood factor. Full-board doubles at TheLifeCo from £445pp, including treatments (thelifeco.com). Fly to St Lucia. Elegant Resorts has seven nights’ all-inclusive at the Body Holiday from £4,285pp, including flights, transfers and UK airport lounge access (elegantresorts.co.uk)

Leave all perceptions of what the Caribbean should look like at the door. Dominica, dubbed “the nature island”, has a colour palette of deep green vegetation, rust red earth, dark, mineral-rich volcanic sand beaches and emerald rock pools. The terrain is just as dramatic with mountains and waterfalls, hot springs and lush rainforests. To come here and simply lie on the beach would be silly. The 115-mile Waitukubuli National Trail, the first long-distance trekking route in the Caribbean, weaves in and out of primordial giant ferns and dense forest. A separate hike to Boiling Lake brings you face to face with the reality of an island with nine active volcanoes — bubbling mud pools, sulphur vents and steaming fumaroles.

For a base that takes its surroundings seriously, Secret Bay near Portsmouth is a standout. Its villas are tucked into the trees, built with sustainably sourced timber and designed to minimise disturbance to the landscape. The hotel’s organic farm supplies its restaurant, Zing Zing, and there’s a firm zero-waste policy. A great example of environmentally conscious Caribbean hospitality.B&B doubles from £741. Fly to Dominica

The Atlantic-facing east coast of Barbados, with its pounding surf, giant coral boulders and small fishing villages, feels like a totally different island from the ritzy west. Hire a car and start up north, heading down along the slow coastal roads via the rock pools and limestone cliffs at Little Bay and the amazing views from Cherry Tree Hill to Bathsheba, where the Soup Bowl draws serious surfers to one of the Caribbean’s best-known breaks. Even without a board it’s worth watching the waves roar and crash against the rocks.

Further south, Martin’s Bay is the place to seek out the Nothing Box Glamping, Bar and Cafe for a feast of macaroni pie, spiced corn, shrimp skewers and breadfruit chips (mains from £8; thenothingbox.co). Inland, Andromeda Botanic Gardens, created by the award-winning Barbadian horticulturalist Iris Bannochie, offers a different perspective on the island’s lush, tropical landscape (£13; andromedabarbados.com).

For a few days exploring this rugged unspoilt stretch, ECO Lifestyle + Lodge is a charming base. Its ten rooms are decorated with hand-woven baskets and pottery by local artisans. On the verandas, hammocks swing in the breeze. It’s Barbados’s wilder side taking centre stage.B&B doubles from £255. Fly to Barbados

Soho House may not be the first place you think of when you want to get away from it all, but this is by far the group’s most lo-fi address. Canouan is a tiny wildlife-rich Grenadine island with a disproportionate share of billionaires and private jets. Alongside the big-gun villas of Canouan Estate and the Mandarin Oriental, Soho House feels a little unexpected. It has the group’s familiar design-conscious sensibility, but in a barefoot, sandy, charming sort of way. Its 40 bedrooms are spread across three whitewashed buildings curving round the shallows of Grand Bay. Behind the plantation shutters, there are slouchy linen sofas, painted bamboo-style four posters and lots of cane and rattan, nailing a contemporary Caribbean beach house look.

You can flop horizontally for your entire holiday, but there’s plenty going on beyond the sunlounger. Canouan means “island of turtles” in Kalinago and red-footed tortoises far outnumber people on land, while green and hawksbill sea turtles swim in abundance close to shore. A Soho House social scene with an entirely different cast of characters — and you don’t have to be a member to stay.Room-only doubles from £646. Fly to Canouan

A rich mix of French and Caribbean influences have fostered a distinctive creative culture on Martinique, spanning painting and sculpture, photography, craft and street murals. Fondation Clément, a contemporary art centre set within a historic sugar plantation and rum distillery in Le François, is a great place to start (free; fondation-clement.org). One of the region’s most compelling venues for contemporary work, its changing exhibitions showcase Martinican and international artists. In Fort-de-France, the arts centres of Tropiques Atrium Scène Nationale and SERMAC as well as independent hubs around La Station Culturelle offer a window into the capital’s cultural life, while the vibrant street art brings an edgier, urban dimension.

This artistic spirit extends to French Coco in the fishing village of Tartane, where works by local artists including Christophe Mert and Vincent Gayraud lend the boutique hotel a strong sense of place. Hidden away within lush botanical gardens on the Caravelle peninsula, its 17 suites feature raw wood finishes, breezy verandas and private plunge pools, and the beach is just moments away.B&B doubles from £270. Fly to Martinique

Not many people have heard of Mayreau, the smallest inhabited dot in St Vincent and the Grenadines, but kiteboarders will know exactly where it is. With one of the longest and most dependable trade wind seasons in the Caribbean, consistently warm temperatures and a remote island setting, it’s an incredible place for cruising the open water. And Windward Mayreau is in the perfect spot. Its 15 boho bungalows seem to have taken a leaf out of a Tulum design manual with limewashed walls, rattan lamps and all sorts of tonal textures. It’s simple but extremely effective, leaving all the attention on what’s outside.

Beginners can arrange kiteboarding lessons with Happy Kite on Union Island, where the glassy shallows are perfect for easy first runs (two hours from £211; happykitegrenadines.com). More experienced riders can launch straight from the hotel’s beach out to the reef-fringed lagoons of the Tobago Cays Marine Park. You can also get there by boat, to see the turtles swimming along Horseshoe Reef and the tiny uninhabited Petit Tabac, where some scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl were filmed. Days finish over craft beers from the local microbrewery and plates of yellowfin and mahi-mahi at the beach club.Room-only doubles from £157. Fly to Barbados or St Vincent

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