There are thousands of islands in the Caribbean. But even if you're a regular to the region, some of its most secluded beaches and waterfront establishments might still remain secret. So, here is a list of a few must-see spots on your next island getaway.
BEST BEACHES
Little Bay Beach, Anguilla To reach this remote cove, you'll need to hire a boat or climb down 66 feet on the fishnet ladder carefully tied to the bluff's top. The difficult approach is worth the work; you're rewarded with 80 yards of talcum sand, walled in by high cliffs on three sides.
Curtain Bluff, Antigua The wide, golden beach is fringed with palms and mangrove wetlands on one side, water clear enough to see your feet in on the other. The only way to set up camp under one of the private waterfront palapas, though, is to spend a night at the luxurious Curtain Bluff Hotel.
Dos Playa, Aruba Fronting a jagged, limestone coast that's perpetually awash in salty surf, this isolated sliver of sand has rolling dunes and Dr. Seuss—like cacti burrowed into the rocks. Leave your snorkel at the hotel—the waves are too wild for swimming—and watch the wind surfers from the safety of a picnic blanket.
Anegada, British Virgin Islands More than 300 ships have crashed into the sharp reefs surrounding this deceptively tiny islet. The part you see is only 15 miles around. But on the north end's Loblolly Bay, the reef is so close to the crescent-shaped shore that waves are reduced to lapping white foam.
La Sagesse, Grenada A nature preserve at the end of a one-mile, rock-studded road (note the grazing cows), this half-mile of sand curves along a cliff dense with coconut palms. Have lunch at the rustic seaside restaurant, then rummage through booksellers' stalls beneath the almond trees.
Honeymoon Beach, St. John One of seven beaches that make up Caneel Bay, Honeymoon Beach is part of the 5,000-acre Virgin Island National Park. There are no huts or cabanas, just empty stretches and neon-colored coral reefs. Lie on the endless white sand and watch the sailboats—and the world—go by.
Anse Chastanet, St. Lucia Reachable by water taxi (or by an hour's walk along a hilly dirt road from Soufrière), Anse Chastanet has some of the island's best snorkeling. A resort of the same name crawls up just behind the dark-sand beach, its whitewashed guest cottages peeking from the Day-Glo green hillside.
Manzanilla Beach, Trinidad The island's eastern coast is rough enough to deter development, and that keeps this beach free from the masses—well, almost. Roaming water buffalo, herons, and egrets regularly parade down the 17-mile strip of brown sugar—like sand, which is bordered by coconut and mangrove trees.
WATERSIDE RESTAURANTS
Hemingways at the Hyatt, Grand Cayman New Zealand—born chef Justin Mayall gives Caribbean cuisine an international spin at the Caymans' top beachfront restaurant. Tuna comes crusted in coconut and peppercorn and laid atop pad thai; sea bass is blackened and set on a plantain-potato cake. And that's just lunch. Lunch for two $48, dinner for two $75 345/949-1234 or 800/832-2302; www.hyatt.com
Aquarium Restaurant & Beach Club, Grenada This thatched-roof restaurant has one side open to the sea; the other is a sheer rock face, glistening beneath a waterfall. Crepes and freshwater crayfish are doused in Creole spices every evening, but the best night is Sunday, when lobster is barbecued in an open pit. dinner for two $75 Point Salines, St. George's; 473/444-1410; www.aquarium-grenada.com
Norma's Restaurant on the Beach, Jamaica Norma Shirley is Jamaica's Mario Batali, and her new place, on a wooden deck with steps right down to a seven-mile white beach, is the most exciting culinary development on the island's north coast. Norma is famous for her sauces: smoked pork loin is marinated in Red Stripe beer and caramelized fruits; roast chicken comes in creamy coconut sauce. Dinner for two $60 at the sea splash resort, Negril; 876/957-4041 www.seasplash.com
Blue Room, Puerto Rico Daniel-trained chef Aaron Wratten's bistro fare is genuinely unpretentious: lobster over mashed potatoes, just-caught grilled fish with plantain fries. Guests are served in a small blue-tiled dining room or outside on a grassy terrace by the sea. After, they retire to the gazebo bar for digestifs. Dinner for two $100; at the Horned Dorset Primavera, Rincón 787/823-4030; www.horneddorset.com
Maya's, St. Bart's At the end of a winding road on the island's west side, this laid-back version of Morton's is the sort of place where Lee Radziwill—or women who want to be her—wash up. Sip a glass of champagne, watch the harbor lights twinkle, and finish off your Thai-French fusion meal with a sorbet. Dinner for two $150 near Gustavia; 590-590/27-75-73
Trou Au Diable Beach Restaurant, St. Lucia Sample Creole rotis with mango chutney, crab and toasted-corn salad with lime-ginger dressing, and pineapple poached in lemongrass, in a room overlooking a secluded beach. Twice a week, dinner is served in front of the restaurant on the white sand, illuminated by flambeau candles. Buffet dinner for two $90; At Anse Chastanet Resort; 758/459-7000 www.ansechastanet.com
Restaurant at La Samanna, St. Martin At this open-air restaurant, French-Creole is elevated to haute cuisine by new chef Erwan Louiasil, formerly of Daniel. Every ingredient that's not flown in daily from France or the United States is harvested on the island—from the dried hibiscus garnishes to the sea salt. Dinner for two $90 590-590/87-64-00; www.lasamanna.com
AFTER DARK
Mullins Beach Bar [Now known as Suga Suga], Barbados Come six o'clock, the wooden deck is crowded with hip Bajans who are there to drink Cockspur rum and watch the sun descend. By midnight, some even strip down to wade into the water. Mullins Bay, St. Peter 246/422-1878
Moskito Bar, Bequia Wooden seats swing on ropes beneath an awning. Each bartender has his own secret rum drink, but don't even bother asking for the recipe. At the Friendship Bay Hotel; 784/458-3222
Soggy Dollar Bar, British Virgin Islands This yacht on isolated White Bay got its name from the wet money of its patrons, who can reach the bar only by swimming out 100 feet. By the time they leave, their dollars are usually dry. Jost Van Dyke, off the Sandcastle hotel; 284/495-9888; www.sandcastle-bvi.com
Firefly Bar, Mustique Keep an eye out for minor royals and choose from one of 14 bug-themed concoctions—like the Firefly (banana liqueur and pineapple juice) or the Bumble Bee (cointreau and grapefruit juice). St. Vincent and the Grenadines; 784/456-3414 www.mustiquefirefly.com
First Historical Café & Bar, Tobago Inside a building made of bamboo pillars and crushed-coral bricks, owner Kenneth Washington serves Tobagonian beer and rum-based blends. Studley Park; 868/660-2233
Inn on the Blue Horizon, Vieques Set amid 20 acres of tall grass, mesquite trees, and bougainvillea sloping to the sea, this tin-roofed, open-sided bungalow, with a dizzying choice of cocktails, is the hottest scene on Vieques. Puerto Rico; 787/741-3318
ISLAND DRINKS
Eye-opener, Jamaica Half Jamaican white rum, half cold water; drunk in one gulp
Nutmeg Colada, Grenada Coconut cream, fresh-grated nutmeg, and, of course, lots of rum
Painkiller, British Virgin Islands Pusser's dark rum, pineapple and orange juices, coconut cream, and nutmeg, mixed in the blender
Vanilla Rum, St. Bart's Locally distilled rum; drunk as a shot
Sunday, February 24, 2008
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