You guys know us (hopefully, if not check out our About Us Page) we love luxury holidays: fancy hotels, glamping, first class travel.. And Caribbean luxury vacations are on the tip of our tongue whenever someone asks us about our bucket-list. Massages, breathtaking beaches, fabulous foods: the Caribbean has it all - and more!!
There are hundreds of luxury retreats to choose from and all manage to satisfy both definitions of the term luxury: not only are the retreats comfortable and elegant, they are also set on islands that satisfy that hard to meet criteria - they are heaven on earth.
There are hundreds of luxury retreats to choose from and all manage to satisfy both definitions of the term luxury: not only are the retreats comfortable and elegant, they are also set on islands that satisfy that hard to meet criteria - they are heaven on earth.
2. The beaches
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| Photo credit: pixabay |
Speaking of beaches, we can hardly write about the Caribbean and not dedicate a whole section to the beaches, they are incredible!! I mean, look:
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| Photo credit: pixabay |
The Caribbean is essentially a group of tiny islands, which basically means there are beaches everywhere. And as they are so close to the equator, temperatures are hot - perfect beach-weather!
3. The diversity of the countries
With about 25 countries in the Caribbean (depending on your definition of a country), all with different histories, traditions and cultures, there is plenty of variety and thus something for everyone.
Those that want something similar to the US should try the Caymen Islands, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, and those that want something really 'foreign' should try Cuba or Jamaica.
Budget travellers should head to Barbados, Jamaica and Bonaire where as travellers with cash to spend should head to St Barts and Anguilla. Party-goers can go to The Bahamas and Trinidad and non-party-goers can go to Tobago.
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| Photo credit: pixabay |
Those that want something similar to the US should try the Caymen Islands, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, and those that want something really 'foreign' should try Cuba or Jamaica.
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| Photo credit: pixabay |
Budget travellers should head to Barbados, Jamaica and Bonaire where as travellers with cash to spend should head to St Barts and Anguilla. Party-goers can go to The Bahamas and Trinidad and non-party-goers can go to Tobago.
4. The Caribbean food
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| Photo credit: pixabay |
The Caribbean is famous for its meat dishes like jerk, roast pork, pepperpot, conch and seafood. We don't eat meat so this doesn't appeal to us at all, however we're still extremely excited for Caribbean food. Why? Spicy foods? Check. Fresh fruit? Double check. Tasty rum cocktails? Check, check, check!
Almonds, breadfruits, papayas, chenets, coconuts, pomegranates and many more exotic fruits grow in the Caribbean thanks to its fertile lands and perfect weather.
What makes the Caribbean food sound so yummy is its mix of so many different cultures - British, Dutch, Spanish and French influences from the colonisers; African influences from the poor Africans who were dragged there as slaves; and Taino influences - the indigenous people.
Almonds, breadfruits, papayas, chenets, coconuts, pomegranates and many more exotic fruits grow in the Caribbean thanks to its fertile lands and perfect weather.
What makes the Caribbean food sound so yummy is its mix of so many different cultures - British, Dutch, Spanish and French influences from the colonisers; African influences from the poor Africans who were dragged there as slaves; and Taino influences - the indigenous people.
5. It's practically uninhabited
What's better than a beautiful beach in paradise? A beautiful beach in paradise that's completely empty, of course!!! According to RoyalCaribbean.co.uk 'roughly only two percent of the Caribbean's 700-plus islands are inhabited by humans'. That means there's plenty of space, and more, for everyone!
It also means that the Caribbean is abundant with flora and fauna - New World monkeys, Neotropical otters, ocelots (dwarf leopards) and tayras can be found in the Caribbean. (We're particularly keen to see a tayra, as they are a type of weasel)!
What's better than a beautiful beach in paradise? A beautiful beach in paradise that's completely empty, of course!!! According to RoyalCaribbean.co.uk 'roughly only two percent of the Caribbean's 700-plus islands are inhabited by humans'. That means there's plenty of space, and more, for everyone!
It also means that the Caribbean is abundant with flora and fauna - New World monkeys, Neotropical otters, ocelots (dwarf leopards) and tayras can be found in the Caribbean. (We're particularly keen to see a tayra, as they are a type of weasel)!
6. The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef
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| Photo credit: wikipedia |
We all know about the Great Barrier Reef, but have you heard of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef? This bad boy is the world's second biggest barrier reef (!) running at 1000km (620 miles)!! YES please to scuba diving, snorkelling and swimming here!
The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef is ripe with biodiversity. There are over 500 species of fish here and you can also find sea turtles, manatees and whale sharks!
7. The Caribbean's volcanoes
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| Photo credit: pixabay |
Like lots of people, we think volcanoes are fascinating and hence the volcanoes are another reason we want to visit the Caribbean.
There are a few active volcanoes like Soufriere on Montserrat, Mount Pelee on Martinique and La Soufriere on Saint Vincent.
We love volcanoes because they are beautiful, awe-inspiring and slightly terrifying. We'd also love a chance to try some thrilling volcano related activities like boarding down a volcano and flying in a helicopter over one!
There are a few active volcanoes like Soufriere on Montserrat, Mount Pelee on Martinique and La Soufriere on Saint Vincent.
We love volcanoes because they are beautiful, awe-inspiring and slightly terrifying. We'd also love a chance to try some thrilling volcano related activities like boarding down a volcano and flying in a helicopter over one!
8. Pigs that swim
Never-mind swimming with whale sharks, sea turtles and manatees (which we also want to do), did you know you can swim with PIGS in the Caribbean?!
Pigs are one of our favourite types of animals and thus we are dying to go to the Bahamas where wild pigs swim in crystal blue waters!
Nobody is quite sure how the pigs got to this beach - they might have survived a ship wreck and swam there, they might have been dropped off by sailors who never returned, or they might have been planted there to attract tourists.
No matter how they got there, they are now a popular tourist attraction and their beach is unofficially called 'Pig Beach'.
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| Photo credit: pixabay |
Never-mind swimming with whale sharks, sea turtles and manatees (which we also want to do), did you know you can swim with PIGS in the Caribbean?!
Pigs are one of our favourite types of animals and thus we are dying to go to the Bahamas where wild pigs swim in crystal blue waters!
Nobody is quite sure how the pigs got to this beach - they might have survived a ship wreck and swam there, they might have been dropped off by sailors who never returned, or they might have been planted there to attract tourists.
No matter how they got there, they are now a popular tourist attraction and their beach is unofficially called 'Pig Beach'.
9. The Pirates of the Caribbean
I would be lying to myself if I assumed my love of the Caribbean didn't originate from the Pirates of the Caribbean films. I was only 12 when the Black Pearl came out, and I wasn't that great at geography so this was probably the first time I'd heard of the Caribbean. The clear blue waters, the sandy beaches, Johnny Depp's eyeliner... It was more than enough to firmly place the Caribbean on my bucket-list.
10. You can truly get to know a Caribbean island
We love truly getting to know a country - not quickly passing through to tick it off or say 'we've done that country'. A disadvantage of this is that it takes a long time, (hence why we enjoy slow travel). But the advantage of the countries in the Caribbean is that they are small, so it doesn't take as long to get to know them properly.
So there you have it, a slightly strange list of reasons we want to visit the Caribbean!
Have you been to the Caribbean? Would you like to? Let us know!
We love truly getting to know a country - not quickly passing through to tick it off or say 'we've done that country'. A disadvantage of this is that it takes a long time, (hence why we enjoy slow travel). But the advantage of the countries in the Caribbean is that they are small, so it doesn't take as long to get to know them properly.
So there you have it, a slightly strange list of reasons we want to visit the Caribbean!
Have you been to the Caribbean? Would you like to? Let us know!
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