Few places beat the Caribbean if you’re looking for a tropical getaway: the white sand beaches and warm waters are a great antidote to the winter blues. UK winter is peak season in the Caribbean, but with so many travellers looking to thaw out, it can mean crowded beaches and busy resorts.
Some of the most visited islands, like Jamaica, the Bahamas and Puerto Rico, offer a perfect location for a sunny getaway, but if you want something more low-key, there are several “out of the way islands” that will appeal to all different types of travellers.
Here are 10 places in the Caribbean that promise an uncrowded getaway.
1. Saba
Best for hikers
Often referred to as the “Unspoiled Queen of the Caribbean,” Saba is home to around 2,000 year-round residents and has just one road running through it. While there are no year-round beaches (the single, small beach only appears a few times a year), there’s fantastic hiking in the island’s lush hills. One of the best hikes on the 13-square-kilometre island is up Mount Scenery, the highest peak in the Dutch Kingdom, where, on a clear day, you can see St. Maarten.
After working up an appetite, enjoy a meal at one of Saba’s many restaurants, which range from French cuisine at Brigadoon to Caribbean dishes at Tropics. To get to Saba, you’ll have to first fly into St Maarten and then take a ferry or commuter flight, landing on a 400m runway, the shortest in the world.
Saba’s lush, forested hills are perfect for hiking – robertharding / Alamy Stock Photo
How to do it
Air France flies from London to Paris to St. Maarten from £606 return. The Cottage Club Hotel offers doubles from £122 per night, not including breakfast.
2. Pine Cay, Turks and Caicos
Best for families
Known for its dazzling white beaches, Turks and Caicos is the ultimate vacation destination for those who want to fill their days with sunbathing and little else. Made up of a chain of idyllic islands, the most populated island in Turks and Caicos is Providenciales, known as Provo to locals. Provo is pretty uncrowded, but if you want something even more remote, head to Pine Cay, which is just a short boat ride away.
The private island is the epitome of barefoot luxury, and you’ll be privy to 323 unspoiled hectares during your stay. The island is home to Pine Cay Resort, which offers 13 accommodations, including beachfront rooms, stand-alone cottages and five private homes, ideal for families who want space to stretch out. Once you arrive, you’ll have everything you need at your fingertips. The resort rate includes meals, non-motorised water activities and access to tennis, basketball and volleyball courts.
Pine Cay’s dazzling white beaches are spacious and tranquil – Pine Cay Resort
How to do it
Air Canada flies from London to Providenciales via Toronto from £634 return. Pine Cay offers Premium Beachfront rooms from £1,528 per night, including three gourmet meals daily, and afternoon tea.
3. Barbuda
Best for bird watchers
Visiting Barbuda feels like you’ve travelled to the end of the earth – in the best way. It’s Antigua’s sister island and is accessible from there by commuter flight or ferry. Though it’s been flying under the radar for years, those who venture out to the tiny island will be rewarded with gorgeous, crowd-free beaches. One of the island’s best is Princess Diana Beach, a picture-perfect arc of pearly-white sand that was renamed after the iconic royal took a holiday there.
Today, you’ll find a branch of the famous Nobu chain that opens seasonally, and Shack-A-Kai, a local lobster shack, but not much else. The island is also home to the Frigate Bird Sanctuary, which has over 170 species of birds, including over 5,000 frigate birds. There are also two beaches, Low Bay and Palmetto Point, which turn pink from October to May. The island is expected to get a few luxury hotels in the next few years, so go while it’s still quiet.
Barbuda is home to a sanctuary of over 5,000 frigate birds – by Marc Guitard/Getty
How to do it
Virgin Atlantic flies from London Heathrow to Antigua from £539 return. Barbuda Cottages cost from $499 (£381) per night, excluding breakfast, with a three-night minimum stay.
4. Dominica
Best for solo travellers
Dominica continues to be one of the best-kept secrets in the Caribbean. Nicknamed the “Nature Island,” Dominica offers 750 square kilometres of lush mountains, rainforests and volcanic black sand beaches. The low-key island also has hot springs and sulphur springs for a natural outdoor wellness experience.
Dominica has some great hikes, too: Titou Gorge is a secluded swimming cave that leads to a hidden waterfall (parts of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest were filmed here), and Trafalgar Falls is at the end of a short hike in Morne Trois Pitons National Park. There are lots of ways to see the island: on horseback, by catamaran, or from the view of your balcony overlooking the glassy ocean. The island is also known for its fresh produce and spices, so pick up some island-grown nutmeg before you leave.
Dominica is flush with waterfals and volcanic black sand beaches – Kyle Monk/Getty
How to do it
Fly British Airways to Bridgetown in Barbados; then interCaribbean Airways from Bridgetown to Dominica from £491 return. InterContinental Dominica Cabrits Resort & Spa has rooms from £456 per night, excluding breakfast.
5. Nevis
Best for history lovers
Another often overlooked island is Nevis, the sister island to St Kitts, which is reachable by a 15-minute ferry. Nevis has kept a low profile for a few reasons: the island doesn’t have a cruise port, high rises or street lights. What it does have is quiet, white beaches, geothermal hot springs and a peaceful botanical garden.
Nevis also boasts a lot of history: it’s the birthplace of one of America’s founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton, and you can learn more about him at the Museum of Nevis History. Nevis was also home to Horatio Nelson, the famed British naval commander who married Francis “Fanny” Nisbet at the Montpelier Plantation, now a boutique hotel. Nevis has some great beach bars too – visitors often take the ferry from St Kitts to visit Sunshine’s Beach Bar and Grill and Lime Beach Bar.
With rich history, volcanoes and geothermal hot springs, Nevis punches well above its weight – Mark Meredith/Getty
How to do it
American Airlines flies from London to St Kitts via Miami from £677 return. Four Seasons Resort Nevis has rooms from £847 per night, not including breakfast.
6. Virgin Gorda, BVI
Best for yachting types
The British Virgin Islands (BVI) are made up of four main islands: Tortola, Anegada, Jost Van Dyke and Virgin Gorda, along with 50 other diminutive islands and cays. Most travellers head to Tortola, the largest and most populated of the BVI, and yet, compared to other Caribbean countries, it remains virtually untouched.
Virgin Gorda is the third largest, and is one of the most geographically stunning Caribbean islands, where you’ll find The Baths, a maze of boulders and caverns that lead to secret rock pools. The beaches are fantastic too. Savannah Bay has powdery white sand and clear water, and Pond Bay is a practically deserted beach with panoramic views of Tortola. The BVI’s calm waters, temperate year-round climate and easy navigation between the islands also make this an ideal place to hop via yacht, which has earned the BVI a reputation as one of the world’s best sailing locations.
Virgin Gorda is one of the best and most beautful sailing locations in the world – alexeys/Getty
How to do it
British Airways flies from London to Tortola via Miami from £908 return. Oil Nut Bay has rooms from £1,900 per night (minimum two-night stay), not including breakfast.
7. Tobago
Best for wildlife seekers
Half of the dual island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, Tobago is the smaller and less visited of the two. This ruggedly handsome place is home to the cascading Argyle Falls, the award-winning Tobago Cocoa Estate and plenty of beaches.
One of which, Bacolet Bay Beach, was the filming location for the 1960 Disney adaptation of Swiss Family Robinson and also where the Beatles liked to vacation in the 1960s and 1970s. Perhaps they were drawn to the golden sands, dazzling sunsets and relative isolation.
If you’re into wildlife, some popular activities on the island include bird watching in the Tobago Main Forest Reserve and exploring Corbin Wildlife Park.
Tobago is one of the best islands in the Caribbean for bird-watching and wildlife – Chelsea Sampson/Getty
How to do it
Fly Virgin Airways to Barbados, then Caribbean Airlines to Tobago from £690 return. Castara Retreats has rooms from £213 per night, not including breakfast.
8. St Vincent
Best for couples
The lesser-known St Vincent and the Grenadines is a collection of 32 islands and cays in the Eastern Caribbean. St Vincent, the largest in the island chain, is an underrated gem. Some of the best things to do are on the water: the island boasts unique black-sand beaches, rushing rivers and a 91m waterfall, Dark View Falls.
The island’s first all-inclusive property, Sandals St Vincent, opened in 2024. Nestled on Buccament Bay, it still manages to feel secluded. St Vincent is also a great jumping-off place to visit the nearby, even more remote Grenadines. Nearby Mustique and Bequia are popular for day trips, and Basil’s Bar on Mustique is a beachside bar that royalty and rock stars are rumoured to frequent.
Bequia Island in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is stunning yet remarkably quiet – Demetrius Theune/Getty
How to do it
Fly Virgin Airways from London to Barbados to St Vincent from £575 return. Sandals St Vincent has rooms from £1,288 per night, including all meals and drinks.
9. Eleuthera, Bahamas
Best for group trips
The Bahamas is a perennial vacation spot for travellers looking to relax on white sand beaches, and its capital, Nassau, is home to some of the biggest resorts in the Caribbean. For something more understated in the Bahamas, head to Eleuthera via a 30-minute flight. The 110-mile-long underdeveloped island translates to “freedom” in Greek (it was supposedly named by Puritan colonists known as the “Eleutherian Adventurers”, who arrived in 1648 from Bermuda).
The island is known for its pineapple farm, the sapphire blue cenote-like hole on the north end of the island, and the Queen’s Bath, a set of rocky, natural whirlpools. Some of the top beaches on Eleuthera include Lighthouse Beach, a beach framed by cliffs and a towering lighthouse, and Twin Cove Beach, which has shallow water that’s perfect for kids to splash around in.
The Cove, Eleuthera offers the chance to stay right on the sands
How to do it
British Airways flies from London to Nassau from £915 return. The Cove Eleuthera has rooms from £796 per night, not including breakfast.
10. Vieques, Puerto Rico
Best for kayakers
Often referred to as the Spanish Virgin Islands, Vieques is one of the small islands off Puerto Rico’s east coast and can be reached by ferry or plane. Much of the island is made up of the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge, and it’s not unusual to see wild horses roaming the interior. The wildlife refuge offers bays, mangrove forests and secluded beaches.
Some cultural activities include visiting Fortin Conde de Mirasol, the last fort built in the Americas, or Faro Punta Mulas, a 1890s lighthouse turned maritime museum. Vieques is also home to Mosquito Bay, the brightest bioluminescent Bay in the world, and you can arrange a glass-bottom kayak ride at night to see the magical light show up close.
Vieques is home to Mosquito Bay, the brightest bioluminescent Bay in the world – Efrain Padro / Alamy Stock Photo
How to do it
JetBlue flies from London to Puerto Rico (via New York) from £677 return. Hix Island House has rooms from £170 per night, not including breakfast.
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This article was first published in December 2024, and has been revised and updated.
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