Caribbean Vacations

DoitCaribbean is from the Caribbean Tourism Organisation. This is a good place to start to get inspiration and information about a trip to the Caribbean. Choose an island of interest from the “Places to go” pull down menu or pick an activity or special occasion (such as “golfing” or “honeymoon”) from the “Things to do” pull down menu to find information to help you start planning your trip.

Segisys’ Caribbean Guide is an excellent source for general information about the Caribbean, detailing its history, food, art and entertainment, and more. Start by clicking on a topic of interest, often you’ll get only a few paragraphs to introduce you to each topic (such as attractions). Make sure to take a look at the menu to the left side of the page to get more specifics (in the “Attractions” section this would be beaches by region, casinos, and more). You’ll learn what sorts of vacations are available to you, and what attractions are worth visiting. This site also gives practical information, such as typical weather, and advice on how to get around.

Bookit.com focuses on the Caribbean as a whole, and has less information on individual islands. The site, which is run by a travel agency, is organized by topic, such as nightlife, attractions, restaurants, and shopping. Under each topic, various articles and personal reviews appear, with an emphasis on the specific islands that excel in each category. This is beneficial if you are not sure where you want to go in the Caribbean, but do know which activities are most important to you.

ParisandJohn.com is a good place to begin learning about the Caribbean. Produced by guidebook writers, the site is full of first-hand advice. This short passage gives you an overview of how to decide which Caribbean island to visit. Use the “Pick an Island” tool in the left-hand sidebar to discover general information and features of each, and to link to each island’s official tourism site. Also see “Our Travel Websites” to link to www.CaribbeanFamilyTripper.com, among others.

Lonely Planet is the popular travel-guide publisher, with a great introductory travel guide to the Caribbean. The interactive map on the homepage lights up whenever you click on an island, which makes learning the geography of the region easy. This site shows you every island in the Caribbean, and offers an overview of each one, providing information on culture, money, and transportation. There are beautiful images of the islands throughout the site as well.

The New York Times travel section recently featured "Affordable Caribbean," an extensive resource for 13 of the islands. The feature includes several articles touting hotels, restaurants, and activities on the selected islands; an interactive map linking to locations and corresponding amenities; and swoon-worthy photos.

Definitive Caribbean is an online travel guide specifically for the region. Click on an island of interest, and you’ll find details of to everything you’ll need or want to know, including key features, beaches, what to pack, and more. There is even a “Caribbean Island Search” that lets you select the qualities that are most important to you, such as “Large, sandy beaches.” The site then ranks Caribbean islands for you based on your preferences.

Fodor’s excels in its descriptions of places to go on each island and the clean design of the site to help you navigate. In addition to standard restaurant and hotel information, the site offers a few unique details. Click on an individual island and Fodor’s tells you when to go, the top four reasons to go, the best beaches on the island as well as other features specific to the region. 

Caribbean.com caters to many of your Caribbean island needs through customized searches. The design of this site isn’t pretty, but you can find hotels, restaurants, shopping, entertainment, and press releases for whichever island you choose. You can also specify your price range, along with additional personal preferences. Each island has an interactive map that allows you to explore beaches or entertainment centers through a panoramic view of the area.

RealTravel depends on traveler input for its vast amount of content. Users upload travel photos, create blogs chronicling their journeys, review accommodations, and generally aide their Web-surfing peers in achieving a better understanding of the locations they’ve visited. Visit the “Central America/Caribbean Blogs” section and choose the countries that interest you to view illustrated diaries of others’ experiences.