With its crystalline turquoise waters and powdered sands, the islands of the Caribbean are a perennial favorite among honeymooners. The region beckons with lazy days, water sports à go-go and fruity rum punch, but we understand that settling on a single island may seem a bit constricting.
Why not jump around? Go island hopping and you’ll double your enjoyment and choice of beaches. And it’s easy to do: You can go by ferry, prop plane, even helicopter. The trick is finding islands that are conveniently close, but different enough in vibe that it feels like an adventure. Here are our top picks, whether you have two weeks or a day.
Photo courtesy of Cap Juluca
If You Have Two Weeks:
It’s said that time is the biggest luxury we have, but we think a gorgeous hotel comes in a close second. Indulge in both by spending a long, lazy honeymoon at two of the Caribbean’s sexiest resorts.
Start on Anguilla
Arriving to the tiny island takes some maneuvering (you need to connect by boat via neighboring St. Martin) but it’s well worth it, for the pristine beaches and unparalleled luxury service. Cap Juluca is the island’s most iconic hotel, a striking display of white Moorish-style architecture fronting one of the Caribbean’s most beautiful beaches. Rooms are oversized and airy, with plantation-shuttered doors that open to wide patios or balconies facing the sea. Opt for the oceanfront luxury category and you’ll find another sweet perk: an oversized bathroom with an adjacent open-roofed solarium for private sunning.
There’s tennis onsite and golf five minutes away, but most couples stick close to home, enjoying the water and retreating back to their umbrella-covered chairs when the sun gets too high. Come evening, reserve a table steps from the crashing waves at Pimm’s, set on a promontory that juts into the sea. When it’s time for sightseeing, hire a taxi for a tour of the island’s art galleries or hit the friendly beach bars in Sandy Ground (room rates start at $495 a night; capjuluca.com).
Photo courtesy of Belmond
Hop to St. Martin
A ferry runs the 25 minutes from Anguilla to the Caribbean’s only dual-nation island: St. Maarten/St. Martin. (The former is annexed by the Netherlands; the latter is a territory of France). Keep the luxury going when you check into La Samanna. This 81-room Belmond hotel is located on the French side of island, yet close to the Dutch border so it’s an ideal spot to enjoy both. All of the rooms and suites here have patios or balconies facing the long, tawny Baie Longue beach. Upgrade to Baie royale suite, and you’ll have three balconies and a private plunge pool.
Dining is an event at Trellis, where Caribbean-influenced French cuisine is paired with selections from one of the region’s best wine cellars. When you want to explore the island, take a taxi to Dutch St. Maarten for casino gaming and duty-free shopping on Front Street in Phillipsburg, or head into Marigot for art galleries and the best pastries this side of Paris at Serafina’s (room rates start at $445 a night; lasamanna.com).
If You Have One Week:
Island hopping has long been a tradition in the Virgin Islands, from the 18th-century’s golden age of piracy (Blackbeard, Bluebeard and Captain Morgan all plied these waters) to today, when charter yachts bar-hop from isle to isle. This itinerary takes you from the British Virgin Islands to American’s own slice of the Caribbean dream.
Start on Peter Island
Set on a private island just across the bay from Road Town, Tortola, Peter Island spans 1,800 acres—and a maximum of 130 guests means a lot of places to be alone. The best digs are the beachfront Junior Suites, which come with king-sizebeds, oversize Jacuzzi bathtubs and wide patios overlooking the sea. Most of the action centers on Deadman’s Beach, a mile-long stretch dotted with tiki huts that’s home to the watersports center (sailing, scuba, kayaking and paddle-boarding) and a beach-bar restaurant.
For something more private, enjoy your personal slice of sand for the day. Reserve Honeymoon Beach and staffers will drop you off in the morning with a picnic, chairs and towels, then return that afternoon to pick you up. Tradewinds at the marina is a popular stop for island-hopping yachts, especially for Saturday night’s Seafood Gala dinner. Book a land-and-sea package that combines your stay with two nights aboard a 41-foot sailboat (room rates start at $400 a night; peterisland.com).
Photo courtesy of Caneel Bay Resort
Hop to St. John
There’s regular ferry service from Tortola to St. Thomas, but we suggest you get off one stop early, at the more intimate island of St. John. From here, a 15-minute private launch takes you to Caneel Bay, St. John’s premier resort. Set on its own peninsula adjacent to Virgin Islands National Park, this classic beach resort takes advantage of one of the Caribbean’s prettiest settings, with seven beaches and walking trails that wind through the landscape. It’s big, so choose your room based on what you want to be near: oceanview near the tennis courts, fitness center and pool; beachfront on main Caneel Beach near the lobby and watersports area; or secluded on one of the quieter beaches like Scott or Paradise Beach.
There are five restaurants and a variety of meal plans to keep budgeting easy. For a unique souvenir, spend a session with Caneel’s onsite artist-in-residence, who will provide the materials and instruction while you make the masterpiece. Don’t miss an outing to the charming town of Cruz Bay, home to cute shops and friendly beach bars worthy of a Kenny Chesney song—the avowed U.S.V.I. fan has a home on the island (room rates start at $459 a night; caneelbay.com).
If You Have Four Days:
What’s not to love about the Bahamas? The closest Caribbean country to the United States (only 50 miles from Florida at its closest point), this archipelago is home to hundreds of low-lying islets and cays, and the prettiest water this side of Tahiti. Close proximity between islands makes it an easy place to hop around, even with a limited amount of time.
Start on New Providence
Most international flights arrive in New Providence, the Bahamas’ most populous island and home to its capital, Nassau. You’ll technically be island hopping when you cross the bridge from Nassau to Paradise Island, home to the Caribbean’s largest, glitziest resort, Atlantis. This mega-hotel with more than 3,000 rooms spread across three separate towers boasts a Las Vegas-style casino, multiple bars and restaurants, the beautiful Mandara Spa and a lavish 141-acre waterpark with themed high-speed water slides and a mile-long lazy river. There are also multiple swimming pools, beaches and 14 different aquarium-style lagoons showcasing stingrays, sharks and every hue of tropical fish.
Stay close to the fun but apart from the crowd by checking into The Cove, a hip resort-within-a-resort set apart on the western edge of the complex. Elegant rooms come with marble-clad interiors and French balconies facing the sea. Just outside is Cain at the Cove, Atlantis’s sole adults-only pool area complete with outdoor bar, a house D.J., casino tables and decked-out cabanas. A quick stroll (or shuttle service if you’re feeling lazy) takes you to the resort’s central complex for nightlife from dining at Nobu to clubbing at Aura (room rates start at $959 a night; atlantis.com).
Photo courtesy of The Cove Atlantis
Hop to Andros
South Andros may only be a 15-minute charter flight from Nassau, but it feels like another planet. Once you arrive, a taxi and quick boat transfer take to you to Kamalame Cay. (The resort now offers helicopter service from Nassau if you want to speed things up.) Life moves at a much slower pace in the Out Islands, and this secluded private-island resort is a great place to mellow out after the energy of the capital.
Your agenda here is simple: sunning and strolling on three miles of white-sand beach and exploring the island’s unique limestone caverns on a hiking or diving tour. Don’t miss a couple’s massage at the over-water spa, set on a long pier jutting out into the sea. Dinners are presented at The Great House. Thirteen plush guest rooms are tucked inside Bahamian-style cottages with pastel exteriors and wooden verandas. Each is stocked with board games and stereos in lieu of TVs and telephones. Or spread out in one of the new luxury villas for a barefoot-chic experience with the emphasis on chic (room rates start at $407 a night; kamalame.com).
Photo Credit: Anais Ganouna
Day Trips
Don’t want to switch hotels on your honeymoon? Plan an island-hopping day trip instead. Here are our favorites:
1. Antigua to Barbuda
It’s just 90 minutes by boat, or 20 minutes by air, to Antigua’s sparsely populated sister isle. Start off with a boat excursion to the Frigate Bird Island Sanctuary, tucked inside a protected lagoon; the sight of so many creatures in one place is unforgettable, as is your first glimpse of a miles-long stretch of pink sand, another of the isle’s hallmark sights.
2. St. Martin to St. Barths
A semi-circle of red-roofed buildings surrounding a tidy marina, Gustavia is one of the Caribbean’s most picturesque ports. Spend the morning exploring the chic boutiques and galleries downtown before heading out on an ATV excursion that takes you up and down the island’s hills, past stunning villas and down into narrow coves for a cooling dip.
3. St. Vincent to The Tobago Cays
Island hopping is a natural in the Grenadines, where great ferry and water-taxi service make it a cinch to get around. Multiple charter companies on the capital island of St. Vincent offer day trips with stops on Mayreau, Palm Island and the Tobago Cays for snorkeling and picnicing. Do the vistas look familiar? You likely saw them in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, parts of which were filmed here.
4. Virgin Gorda to Anegada
This coral atoll 15 miles north of Virgin Gorda is a favorite destination of Caribbean-faring yachties. Dive boats and charter catamarans make the trek daily (as does the ferry from Tortola), lured by stellar snorkeling and diving. After you hit the reef, head topside to spy on the resident flamingo colony and indulge in the local specialty, grilled crayfish washed down with a Painkiller, the B.V.I.’s signature rum cocktail.