Caribbean holidays: the best lesser-known islands

For an easy-going, character-rich little getaway, this Grenadines island
(seven square miles, population 5,000) excels in virtually every way.
Verdant and hilly, Bequia is exceptionally pretty – Admiralty Bay, dotted
with yachts, is one of the Caribbean’s most pleasing-on-the-eye natural
harbours. At its rear, the villagey capital of Port Elizabeth is a friendly,
hassle-free place, and, enlivened by regular ferries from St Vincent and the
other Grenadines, has just the right amount of bustle. The island has a
decent choice of enticing, laid-back bars and restaurants. Some back on to
the waterfront Belmont Walkway on the edge of Port Elizabeth – a great place
to gather in the evening. Around the island are several lovely, long
golden-sand beaches, a handful of high-quality, small hotels and
self-catering to suit all budgets, from lavish villas to simple apartments.

Getting there: BA or Virgin to Barbados, then SVG Air or Mustique
Airways to Bequia.
Sample package: with Just Bequia (01373 814244; justbequia.co.uk),
£1,295 bb in the smart Bequia Beach Hotel, on the peaceful
Friendship Bay beach.
More information: bequiatourism.com

Nevis

Little green Nevis has a slow-paced, old-fashioned charm to it. This is
evident in Charlestown, the pretty, diminutive capital, with its “skirt and
shirt” buildings (stone ground floors, wooden first floors), and in the
elegant and utterly relaxing plantation-house hotels that date from the
island’s sugar-cane-producing era in the 17th and 18th centuries. The
classiest is Montpelier Plantation, while Nisbet Plantation Beach Club is by
a beach – unusual for a plantation hotel; the rural, antique-filled
Hermitage, dating from 1680, is the most atmospheric and homely. These
hotels are what make Nevis most memorable, though the island does have a
lovely long sandy beach (Pinney’s) and a dormant volcano (Nevis Peak) if you
fancy a challenging climb.

Getting there: BA to St Kitts, then a 45-minute ferry or quicker water
taxi to Nevis.
Sample package: with Kenwood Travel (020 7749 9220; kenwoodtravel.co.uk),
£1,295 bb at The Hermitage.
More information: nevisisland.com.

Read Telegraph Travel’s full guide to Nevis at telegraph.co.uk/destinations.

^{Nevis (Alamy)}

Dominica

Come to dramatic, mountainous, rainforest-coated Dominica to be active. Hike
along some of its 300 miles of trails – the most popular tough trek heads
out to the Boiling Lake, a flooded fumarole. Bathe under towering
waterfalls, tube down rivers, snorkel over geothermal springs at the
Champagne Reef, and go whale watching – sightings of sperm whales off
Dominica are common in the winter months. To rest up, there are a number of
delightful, nature-oriented guest houses and small hotels. Big cruise ships
include Dominica on their itineraries, but it is easy to escape from their
crowds.

Getting there: British Airways or Virgin to Antigua, then Liat to
Dominica.
Sample package: with MotMot Travel (01327 359622; motmottravel.com),
£1,250 bb at Rosalie Bay, a riverside and beachfront hotel with
lovely gardens, good food and a wide programme of hikes and tours.
More information: discoverdominica.com

Bonaire

Dry, cactus-covered Bonaire is the sleepiest and least populated of the Dutch
Caribbean’s so-called ABC islands that lie outside the hurricane belt off
Venezuela (the others being Aruba and Curaçao). Its biggest draw is diving
and snorkelling. The entire coastline is protected by the Bonaire National
Marine Park – hence the rich diversity of underwater life – and the majority
of the 80 plus sites are accessible from the shore, so excellent for
beginners. Windsurfing is also first rate for all ages and abilities at
shallow, reef-protected Lac Bay, and for a change from watersports, there’s
flamingo watching – thousands nest on the island’s lagoons and saltpans.

Getting there: KLM to Bonaire, changing planes in Amsterdam.
Sample package: with Caribbean Fun Travel (01604 882929; caribbeanfuntravel.co.uk),
£1,497 bb at the Harbour Village Beach Club – on one of the
island’s few white-sand beaches, and with an on-site dive centre.
More information: tourismbonaire.com

^{Bonaire (Alamy)}

Harbour Island, The Bahamas

The Bahamas offer two very different holiday faces. On the one hand, there are
the enormous high-rise resorts, casinos, cruise-ship hordes and party-loving
weekenders from Florida on main islands such as New Providence/Paradise
Island. On the other hand, peace, space and pristine beaches set the tone on
the Out Islands, the most fashionable of which is three-mile-long Harbour
Island. Running along virtually its whole length is famous Pink Sands Beach,
composed of powdered coral. Almost as photogenic is neat and chic Dunmore
Town, with its colourful old clapboard houses and white picket fences, art
galleries and enticing cafés. The preferred means of transport on the island
are golf buggies.

Getting there: BA to Nassau, then an onward flight to North Eleuthera
Airport, and a 10-minute water taxi to Harbour Island; also daily fast ferry
Nassau-Harbour Island.
Sample package: with Bahamas Flavour (0870 066 9975; bahamasflavour.co.uk),
£1,550 bb for six nights at the recently spruced-up Coral Sands
Hotel, right on Pink Sands Beach and a short stroll in to Dunmore Town, with
a one-night stopover on New Providence.
More information: bahamas.co.uk

Montserrat

Another British Overseas Territory, Montserrat is dominated by the active
Soufrière Hills Volcano. Its eruption in the 1990s blanketed Plymouth, the
former capital, in debris, and resulted in the emigration of more than half
of Montserrat’s 12,000 population. Two-thirds of Montserrat is still an
exclusion zone, with life now focused in the north. You can take in the
volcano from safe viewing points, including the Montserrat Volcano
Observatory, and on boat trips. Other reasons to visit include birdwatching
(twitchers revel in the chance to spot the island’s rare national bird, the
Montserrat oriole), snorkelling and diving – and the island’s wonderfully
unhurried pace.

Getting there: British Airways or Virgin to Antigua, then Fly
Montserrat on to Montserrat.
Sample package: with MotMot Travel (01327 359622; motmottravel.com),
£1,645 room only staying six nights at Olveston House – set in tropical
gardens, the former plantation home is owned by Beatles producer Sir George
Martin – plus a one-night stopover on Antigua.
More information: visitmontserrat.com

Baracoa, Cuba

Away from its bland resorts, Cuba has many special places, but none more so
than remote Baracoa near the far eastern end of the island. Dating from
1512, it’s Cuba’s oldest settlement, with ancient, brightly-painted
clapboard houses on its streets, a casa del chocolate serving drinks made
with local cocoa, and an atmospheric casa de la trova (live music venue).
The surrounding countryside is Eden-like in its fertility, with banana,
cocoa and coconut groves blanketing hillsides. There are quiet dark- and
golden-sand beaches nearby, such as Maguana, and a striking flat-topped
mountain – El Yunque – to ascend.

Getting there: Virgin to Havana, then on to Baracoa with a Cuban
airline. Or drive (though it’s a long way): some Cuban airlines have dubious
safety records.
Sample package: with Esencia Experiences (01481 714898; esenciaexperiences.com),
£1,378 bb staying five nights at hilltop El Castillo, a
characterful but simple hotel converted from a fort – plus two nights in
Havana.
More information: travel2cuba.co.uk

Northern Grenada

Tourism on Grenada concentrates in the south-west corner, with few visitors
making it up to the lush, slow-paced north. Those that do are normally on
day trips, heading for Belmont Estate (a good-quality agri-tourism
attraction), River Antoine Rum Distillery (possibly the oldest still
operating in the Caribbean) and Bathway Beach, a mile of windswept sands
with natural rock pools for safe swimming. The only hotel up here is highly
recommended Petite Anse. Set above a wild beach (swimming is often not
safe), it’s run by a couple from Worcestershire, and has something of the
atmosphere of a laid-back English country-house hotel. The owners can
arrange guided hikes, and trips with a fisherman to a deserted offshore
island.

Getting there: BA or Virgin to Grenada; transfers from the airport to
Petite Anse take around 75 minutes.
Sample package: with Just Grenada (01373 814214; justgrenada.co.uk),
£1,125 bb at Petite Anse.
More information: grenadagrenadines.com.

Read Telegraph Travel’s full guide to Grenada at telegraph.co.uk/destinations.

Port Antonio, Jamaica

With jungle-coated hillsides descending to unspoiled beaches, Jamaica’s
north-east corner is the most scenic. Port Antonio, its main town, was once
a banana port, but is now a snoozy, dilapidated backwater. The most
picturesque beach is river-fed Frenchman’s Cove; other attractions include
waterfalls with pools in which to swim, gentle river rafting down the Rio
Grande, and barbecued food from the roadside “jerk centres” at Boston Bay. A
playground for Hollywood stars in the 1950s and 1960s, the Port Antonio area
is undergoing a revival, notably with the recent re-opening of the very
stylish Trident Hotel. Its sister property, Geejam, is a gorgeous hideaway
with a professional recording studio.

Getting there: BA to Kingston, from where it is a two-hour drive up to
Port Antonio.
Sample package: with Caribtours (020 7751 0660; caribtours.co.uk),
£2,245 bb at the Trident Hotel.
More information: visitjamaica.com.

Read Telegraph Travel’s full guide to Jamaica at telegraph.co.uk/destinations.

^{A shop in Port Antonio, Jamaica (Alamy)}

East coast Barbados

Just 45 minutes’ drive from the busy and developed west and south coasts,
Barbados’s eastern shore is a different world – palm-smothered slopes
running down to little villages and empty beaches bashed by Atlantic
breakers. Bathsheba, with its eroded, mushroom-shaped rocks, is a beautiful
spot: swimming is unsafe, but the waves attract experienced surfers. At the
fishing hamlet of Tent Bay are two excellent places to stay: the Atlantis,
dating from the 19th century, and restored with a colonial-chic look; and
rustic-casual Sea-U Guesthouse (seaubarbados.com; from £100 bb a
night per room), with hammocks strung up on bedroom verandahs. A walk up the
hill brings you to the delightful Andromeda Botanic Gardens.

Getting there: BA or Virgin.
Sample package: with Tropic Breeze (01752 880880; tropicbreeze.co.uk),
£1,398 bb at the Atlantis; packages possible combining stays at
the hotel with its sister property Little Good Harbour on Barbados’ west
coast.
More information: visitbarbados.org.

Read Telegraph Travel’s full guide to Barbados at telegraph.co.uk/destinations.

Read more

Caribbean
travel guide
Caribbean
cruise guide
The
best Caribbean beaches
How
to fly to the Caribbean for less

Win
one of 40 holidays worth £800,000
Telegraph Travel Awards 2014: vote for your favourite destinations and travel
companies for the chance to win one of 40 luxury breaks worth a total of
£800,000

Travel
Guides app
Download
the free Telegraph Travel app, featuring expert guides to destinations
including Paris, Rome, New York, Venice and Amsterdam

Follow
Telegraph Travel on Twitter
Follow
Telegraph Travel on Facebook
Follow
Telegraph Travel on Pinterest
Follow Telegraph
Travel on FourSquare