Caribbean Weddings

The Caribbean has much to offer, but the beaches are extraordinary. There’s one to suit every mood, and here some well-known favourites.

AWAY-FROM-IT-ALL BEACH The Abacos and other Out Islands of the Bahamas have blissfully empty beaches. Most, like Tahiti Beach, take a little extra effort to reach. It’s about four miles from Hope Town, which has almost no cars, so renting a bike or golf cart to make the trek on sand and gravel paths is a great option, as is chartering a Boston Whaler. The sand is whiter than white, and the strand is often deserted, with water that’s calm and warm.

ADVENTURERS’ BEACH Haiti has some of the loveliest unspoiled beaches, particularly on La Tortue (aka Tortuga Island), an island six miles off the north coast, which was at one time riddled with pirates. At the west end is Pointe Saline, a broad, 1.5-mile spread of creamy sand against a brilliantly aquamarine sea. A village of thatched huts is inhabited only by fishermen.

WINDSURFING BEACH The curving strand at Cabarete in the Dominican Republic is nice enough for swimming, and those looking to add a little more action to their beach time will find world-class windsurfing and kiteboarding here. Steady winds average 20 to 25 knots in winter and summer.

STROLLING BEACH Rendezvous Bay on Anguilla is a sweeping, 2.5-mile stretch of luxurious white sand. Observe the glittering lights of St. Martin while strolling along. This beach is rarely busy and at one end is local reggae star Bankie Banx’s Dune Preserve, the definitive “ramshackle beach bar”.

LONG BEACH Antigua claims to have 365 beaches, but its sibling Barbuda has one strand on the west coast that continues virtually unbroken for 17 miles. The sand varies ever so slightly along its length – mostly it’s sugar white, but in some sections tiny remnants of broken shells give the beach a beautiful pink hue.

A history built on courage and fortitude has created a Caribbean community of peoples who welcome and respect visitors from all over the world.

In the great historical sweep of exploration and migration of the past 500 years, the Caribbean played a central role in proving beyond doubt Christopher Columbus' theory that the world was round. That fact triggered an explosion of trade that changed the economic and political structures of the world.

Older civilisations of the Americas, from the Carib Indians who gave our region its name to the Mayans of the American mainland, had already been attracted by the physical beauty, fertile soil and mineral wealth of our islands and have left astonishing reminders of their time

The men, women and children who arrived here from Europe, Africa and Asia have also contributed to the creation of humanity’s richest melting pot. The renowned Caribbean culture of peace and aversion to war is the result of our mutual understanding of others' beliefs and lifestyles, and our own ability to adapt. The Caribbean today is one of the few places free from internal aggression. The results of this unique melt of history and culture can be seen in our faces, our buildings, our languages, our food, our museums and our monuments.

At the highest levels of achievement, there are Nobel prize winners for literature – Derek Walcott of St. Lucia, Octavio Paz of Mexico, Saint-John Perse of Guadeloupe and Sir V. S. Naipaul of Trinidad. And for economics Sir Arthur Lewis of St. Lucia and Alfonso Garcia Robles of Mexico.

The Caribbean has also produced some of the world's most renowned artists, musicians and novelists, such as Trinidad's V S Naipaul.

Travellers to the Caribbean have become part of our history by finding inspiration and insight here. Famous incomers include Gauguin, Hemingway, Graham Greene and Nöel Coward – and you can visit the Caribbean retreats where they lived and worked today.

Wherever you are in the Caribbean you are likely to find something or somewhere that will remind you of your homeland – and always something more to expand your horizons.