NEW YORK—After a hectic end to 2007, what
better way to start the new year than unwinding on a beach in
the Caribbean with magazine Travel + Leisure coming up with a
list of its 10 top Caribbean islands.
Reuters has not endorsed this list that
appears in the December issue of Travel + Leisure, published
monthly by American Express Publishing Corp:
1. St. John - Best for Unspoiled Nature. The
least populated and least developed of the U.S. Virgin Islands
sits just east of St. Thomas. Two-thirds of St. John is
protected from development as part of the Virgin Islands
National Park.
2. Virgin Gorda - Best for Peace and Quiet.
The easternmost of the British Virgin Islands, scrubby Virgin
Gorda is at once laid-back and empty; like St. John, much of the
island is protected parkland.
3. Harbour Island - Best for Shopping. One of
the oldest settlements in the Bahamas, this 3.5-mile-long spit
is a five-minute water taxi ride from North Eleuthera.
4. Saba - Best for Adventure. A
five-square-mile dormant volcano with a thin, winding road,
Dutch-controlled Saba is one of the best-preserved islands in
the Caribbean.
5. Nevis - Best for an authentic Caribbean
experience. This island has a flat coastline that soars up to
the rain forest enshrouded 3,200-foot Mount Nevis. It feels
intimate, in part because it’s tiny (population 11,000), but
also because development has been controlled with no high-rise
hotels.
6. Anguilla - Best for Beaches. Almost in the
shadow of nearby St. Martin, with St. Bart’s visible on clear
days, Anguilla is flat and sandy and remains relatively
undeveloped compared with its neighbors but it’s still home to
some of the most luxurious resorts and villas.
7. Bermuda - Best for Golf. The British Crown
colony sits in the middle of the Atlantic, some 645 miles off
the Eastern seaboard, at roughly the same latitude as Savannah,
Georgia.
8. Grenadines - Best for Sailing. More than
30 tiny isles (most uninhabited) stretch out like an unfurled
sail for 45 miles in the southeastern Caribbean. Each has its
own distinct flavor.
9. St. Bart’s - Best for the Scene.
Glamorous, star-studded and ultra-exclusive, St. Bart’s manages
to keep the masses away, despite the fact that it’s just 15
miles (a 10-minute flight) from touristy St. Martin.
10. Vieques - Best for Relaxation. When the U.S. Navy closed
its base on Vieques, northeast of Puerto Rico, the cognoscenti
predicted that this tranquil getaway would emerge as the next
St. Bart’s. Significant upgrades are in the works but it’s still
rustic and relaxed. —Reuters
