ISLAND HOPPING Hop, skip and a sail
When you island-hop you get to experience just how wide the cultural diversity is in the Caribbean, from the Latin beat of Cuba to the very English feel of Barbados. Where to start?
you have hundreds to choose from? You could be speaking Spanish in Puerto Rico one day, Dutch in St Maarten the next, and be greeted with ‘bonjour’ in St. Martin before heading to English-speaking Anguilla.
W
Bahamas make a great example. The Out Islands are such an incredible contrast to the razzmatazz of Nassau and Paradise Island. There’s exclusive Harbour Island, wild and rugged Eleuthera, Andros, Cat Island and Abaco to name just a few. If your budget stretches, go for a private charter flight.
In the Turks & Caicos, Providenciales and Grand Turk make an excellent twin centre option. Upbeat Providenciales is home to 12-mile Grace Bay Beach, while its capital Grand Turk maintains its colonial charm. Or you could head out to the private island resort of Parrot Cay where the likes of designer Donna Karan and actor Bruce Willis own villas.
The British and US Virgin Islands are on top of the list for island-hopping by boat, whether via day sails, weekly charters or on public ferries. Hop to the outlying coral atoll of Anegada and eat the most sumptuous lobster on the beach. Or stay a week on Tortola followed by a week on Virgin Gorda, only a 30-minute ferry ride apart. The Cayman Islands are made up of cosmopolitan Grand Cayman and the two out islands of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. Both are easy to get to and offer Robinson Crusoe-style living, plus excellent diving. St. Vincent and the Grenadines has 32 islands and cays all within easy reach of each other. The main island, St Vincent, is a great base from which
The easiest way to island hop is to stay within island groups. The Islands of the
to explore on day trips or two centre vacations. Good combinations with St Vincent are – Young Island, less than a five minute boat ride away, and Bequia with its local market and scenic hill drives or Canouan for a taste of luxury at Raffles Canouan.
Declared a wildlife reserve by the government,
the Tobago Cays are a cluster of four tiny uninhabited islands sheltered from the open sea
hy visit one
island when
Top: Sailing - St. Vincent & the Grenadines Tourism Authority Below: Splash of yellow - Jean-Marc Lecerf for Comité Martiniquais du Tourisme
Go Dutch and visit the Netherland Antilles Islands for great beaches and
Dutch-inspired architecture 06
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