These are varied but highly personal choices!
Best by mood
- Best for snorkelling: Trunk Bay, St. John — an underwater snorkelling trail makes the reef experience part of the beach day.
- Best for a long, quiet beach walk: Shoal Bay East, Anguilla — powdery sand, brilliant water and an unusually spacious feel.
- Best for families and easy swimming: Grace Bay, Turks and Caicos — soft sand and notably calm water sheltered by an offshore reef.
- Best for an unpolished island escape: Flamenco Beach, Culebra — broad, beautiful and relaxed, with a distinctly local island character.
- Best for romance: Pink Sands Beach, Harbour Island — its three miles of blush-coloured sand give it a glamorous, quietly unusual atmosphere.
- Best for convenience without compromise: Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman — reliable swimming, fine sand, shade, boats and strong lunch options are all close at hand.
- Best for swimming followed by lunch: Grand Anse Beach, Grenada — a long, calm shore with a lush backdrop and an easy transition into the rest of the day.
- Best for beach-bar energy: White Bay, Jost Van Dyke — shallow clear water, anchored yachts and a spirited, sociable beach scene.
- Best for wild scenery and a sense of escape: Half Moon Bay, Antigua — a broad Atlantic-facing crescent that feels well outside the resort circuit.
- Best for drama: Crane Beach, Barbados — pink-tinged sand, limestone cliffs and Atlantic surf create the most cinematic setting in the list.
| Beach | Island / country | Why it belongs |
|---|---|---|
| Trunk Bay | St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands | A near-perfect crescent of pale sand and bright water within Virgin Islands National Park, with an underwater snorkelling trail just offshore. |
| Shoal Bay East | Anguilla | Long, powdery, intensely blue and pleasingly unhurried: the Caribbean beach at its most spacious and composed. |
| Grace Bay | Providenciales, Turks and Caicos | Soft white sand, unusually calm water protected by an offshore reef and an ease that makes it exceptionally good for long swims and family days. |
| Flamenco Beach | Culebra, Puerto Rico | A broad horseshoe of pale sand and turquoise water with a relaxed, proudly unvarnished island atmosphere. |
| Pink Sands Beach | Harbour Island, The Bahamas | Three miles of softly pink sand, a luminous Atlantic edge and the rare pleasure of a beach that feels both glamorous and gently strange. |
| Seven Mile Beach | Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands | An exceptionally practical kind of beauty: clear Caribbean water, fine sand, reliable swimming and easy access to good food, boats and shade. |
| Grand Anse Beach | Grenada | A long sweep of soft sand with calm water, a greener island backdrop and room for a swim followed by lunch without abandoning the day’s rhythm. |
| White Bay | Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands | Clear, shallow water, soft sand and the happy chaos of an anchorage where sailboats, swimmers and beach bars coexist surprisingly well. |
| Half Moon Bay | Antigua | A more elemental Caribbean beach: a handsome crescent, strong Atlantic colour, open space and a feeling of being slightly beyond the resort circuit. |
| Crane Beach | Barbados | Pink-tinged sand, limestone cliffs and Atlantic surf give this beach drama as well as beauty; it rewards the visitor who enjoys a little weather in the picture. |