The Caribbean's Best Beaches
Date: 09/20/2005
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
The Caribbean
Dear International Living Reader,
To create our new and expanded World's Best compilation, we called upon our regular correspondents all over the world (more than 200 of them) and asked that they send us their personal world's bests-their picks for the world's best art museum, sunset, surfing, scuba diving, opera house, ski resort, canyon, champagne, castle, nightclub, island, garden, market, train ride, travel bargains, restaurants, cafés, and neighborhoods. To their lists we added our own superlatives-our choices for the biggest, the oldest, the smallest, the cheapest, the grandest, the prettiest, the tallest, the coziest, the most remarkable…and, of course, the world's most beautiful beaches.
Here are our picks for the best beaches in the Caribbean. Enjoy.
* St. Barthélemy-the beaches of the rich and famous
St. Barthélemy has the most gorgeous beaches in the Caribbean. This millionaire's island is dotted with vacation homes of such illustrious families as the Rockefellers and the Rothschilds. Mick Jagger, Beverly Sills, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and Billy Joel frequent this island. They are drawn to St. Barts (as the island is affectionately known) by the seductive languor of its lifestyle and its sophisticated French atmosphere.
The island's most beautiful beach is Anse du Gouverneur, on the south coast. The sand is as soft as talcum powder, and jagged cliffs protect the beach on two sides, giving it a secluded air. It is never crowded. Despite the jet-setters who frequent the island, life on St. Bart's is homey and small scale. However, it has become pricey. One of the island's most exclusive resorts is Sapore di Mare, tel. (590)276173, founded by a financier on the board of the American Ballet.
St. Barthélemy is one of only two completely free trading ports in the Caribbean (the other is St. Martin), and it sells French perfume and champagne at prices lower than in Paris.
* St. Thomas's most beautiful beach
Magens Bay Beach, below Drake's Seat, is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, according to National Geographic.
* Martinique's best beaches
Martinique has both silvery beaches and rocky cliffs. Inland are rain forests and a volcano. The island's most appealing beaches, as well as several petrified wood savanna forests, are in Ste. Anne. The church in the center of town is planted with beautiful tamarind trees. Ste. Anne has two good restaurants: Chez Jack and l'Etoile de Mer. Off Martinique's coasts are the wrecks of 13 ships, which can be explored by scuba divers. For equipment, visit the Carib Scuba Club in Carbet.
* Montserrat's best beaches
Montserrat's black-sand beaches (which set it apart from other Caribbean islands) were formed from volcanic ash. The only white-sand beach is also one of the best (and least accessible): Rendezvous Beach. To get to the beach, board a local charter from the Vue Point Hotel, tel. (809)491-5210. The Vue Point is also a lovely place to stay.
* Aruba--the world's most beautiful beaches
The southwest coast of the island of Aruba is fringed by seven miles of white-sand beaches, considered the most beautiful in the world. In fact, Sports Illustrated was so impressed that it featured the beaches in past Swimsuit Issues.
* The most beautiful beach in Jamaica
Jamaica's longest, most beautiful white-sand beach is Negril, discovered by hippies almost two decades ago. The hippies have gone, but Negril is still a place for the younger crowd. Nude sunbathing is allowed on a section of the beach.
Prepared by the staff of International Living
* This postcard is excerpted from The World's Best, IL's ultimate guide for the world traveler. Read on for more about the world's best, quirkiest, and most appealing destinations…and the very best things to do and sights to see once you arrive.
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