ANGUILLA
Anguilla sits in first class and has a first-class price tag. There are certainly more affordable ways to enjoy the sun and the sea, but for those desiring impeccable service and an exclusive atmosphere, this island is one of the premier vacation spots in the Caribbean.


ANTIGUA
Antigua and Barbuda have long been known for their exclusive resorts and private-country-club atmosphere. But you don't have to be a member to enjoy their finest amenity: miles of gorgeous beach. The powdery sand is lapped by calm turquoise water and cooled by constant trade winds.

ARUBA
Aruba shares a history and topography with fellow ABC islands Bonaire and Curacao, but is quite distinct from the rest of the Caribbean. The three were all discovered in 1499 by a Spanish expedition that claimed them for its homeland...


BARBADOS
If other Caribbean islands are trendy boutiques, then Barbados is a longtime favorite shop. One of the oldest tourist destinations in the Caribbean (wealthy residents of the U.K. have been wintering there for more than 50 years), it offers sophisticated resorts, good restaurants and dependable service.


BONAIRE
Bonaire is part of the ABC islands--Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao. Its main appeals are abundant bird life, pristine diving, and a well-protected reef. Snorkelers and divers can fin over gardens of elkhorn and staghorn coral, and through schools of parrotfish, angelfish, wrasses, and nurse sharks.

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
The yachting crowd goes to the British Virgins for a reason: The islands are surrounded by some of the best sailing waters in the world. Sailors enjoy steady trade winds...


DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Americans may be surprised to learn that the Dominican Republic is the second-most-visited destination in the Caribbean. Europeans and Canadians, however, have been arriving in droves to play at the island's luxurious all-inclusive resorts and beautiful white-sand beaches-all at lower prices than they'd find elsewhere in the Caribbean


PUERTO RICO
Part of the territorial United States since 1898, Puerto Rico is perhaps the most exotic place in the nation--a miniature Latin America set in the Caribbean. One of the oldest locations in the territorial U.S., San Juan was a thriving town while Jamestown remained an undeveloped plot of land


ST. MAARTEN
Like other islands in the Caribbean, St. Maarten/St. Martin traces its origins to before recorded history when Amerindians, known as the Arawaks, made their way from South America looking for peace and prosperity.


US VIRGIN ISLANDS
Never been to the West Indies? Not sure what you're after? The U.S. Virgin Islands is the closest thing to a Caribbean sampler that we've come across, providing several different island experiences in one territory.

TRINIDAD
Trinidad and Tobago are the southernmost islands of the Lesser Antilles, closer to Venezuela than to Grenada, the next northern island in the chain...