This fabled sea, covering more than a million square miles and 7,000 islands with diverse languages, cultures, and ecosystems, has become probably the planet's premier vacation playground. Here it's all about its regional issues and allures. And yes, the (Plus) means we're including the Bahamas and Bermuda along with the Caribbean coasts of Colombia, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guayana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Suriname, and Panama.

For other individual island forums, check out Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bonaire, the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saba, Statia (St. Eustatius), St. Barth, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Maarten/Martin, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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The top 8 musts in gracious, beautiful Bermuda

  Craig Stanfill A British Overseas Territory with a land area of just 21 square miles – the size of a middling city anywhere in the world – and a population of 73,000, Bermuda is named after its original discoverer, Spanish explorer Juan de Bermúdez. It has been settled for 412 years and has been a popular tourist destination – especially for those in the United States, for whom it´s a flight of just over two hours from the East Coast – since the 1880´s, when the Hamilton Hotel (now the…

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The Island of Tobago Is a Sweet Little Slice of Old-Time Caribbean

 VisitTobago.gov.ttThe smaller of the two main islands which make up the country of Trinidad and Tobago lies 22 miles northeast of larger Trinidad (a 20-minute flight away, as well as with direct service to/from Barbados, the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany). It´s known for its unspoiled natural beauty, rich history (dating back to 1654, and vibrant culture (which besides numerous current ways to experience it is particularly on display during events such as the Tobago Heritage…

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3 of the Caribbean´s best Sandals resorts for honeymoons

  Sandals Grande St. Lucian Based in Montego Bay, Jamaica, the famous Caribbean resort chain founded in 1981 by legendary Jamaican entrepreneur Gordon "Butch" Stewart was instrumental in pioneering the "all-inclusive" concept - paying one (usually very attractive) rate to cover all food and drink as well as many activities and amenities, in addition to just a room. Sandals properties now number 18 on eight islands, and they´re especially popular with (and indeed, marketed to) couples and…

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Martinique, c´est magnifique!

  David Stanley One of the four islands of the Antilles Françaises, with around 370,000 inhabitants, Martinique was settled by the French beginning in 1635 and today is an overseas département (meaning an integral part) of France. It’s packed with a vibrant blend of French and West Indian cultures; stunning landscapes, nature, and beaches; rich historical sites; fantastic rum; and a chill, laid back vibe. I visited here around 15 years ago and still remember it fondly and fairly vividly.…

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  • Here´s a tantalizing look at 25 of the Caribbean´s most fetching places: https://www.travelandleisure.com/most-beautiful-places-in-the-carib...
  • Much of the Caribbean is still mildly to virulently homophobic, but there are a handful of cities which are an exception: https://travelnoire.com/gay-friendly-caribbean 
    The Most Gay-Friendly Cities in the Caribbean - Travel Noire
    Several Caribbean cities have experienced a wave of progress and acceptance, turning them into thriving havens for gay vacationers.
  • The Caribbean ain´t particularly cheap these days, so I found this recent T+L piece welcome: https://www.travelandleisure.com/cheap-caribbean-vacations-6833246
  • I´ve been to two of these and they´re spot on, so I´m sure they´re right about the rest: https://travelnoire.com/sink-your-toes-into-these-5-famous-caribbea...
    Sink Your Toes Into These 5 Famous Caribbean Beaches - Travel Noire
    If there’s one thing the Caribbean isn’t lacking, it’s beaches. From the sugary sands of Grace Bay in Turks and Caicos to Pig Beach in in The...
  • You can pretty much not go wrong snorkeling anywhere in the Caribbean, but Lonely Planet recently pinpointed what its writer declares are the best of the best. If you've done the mask-and-fins thing down here, do you agree with her choices? https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/best-places-to-snorkel-in-car...
    The top 8 places to snorkel in the Caribbean
    Kaleidoscopic tropical fish, spectacular coral reefs and year-round warm waters make the Caribbean one of the best places for snorkeling.
  • Looks like the Caribbean - except for Haiti - has bounced back splendidly since the pandemic - in some cases even surpassing pre-COVID visitor numbers: https://news.yahoo.com/caribbean-sees-jump-visitors-since-191600843...
    Caribbean sees jump in visitors since pandemic began
    Tourists flocked to the Caribbean last year in numbers not seen since the pandemic began, with the Dutch Caribbean and U.S. territories like Puerto R…
    • This caught my eye, I guess because I've been dealing with Puerto Rico and the Dutch Caribbean a good deal in recent months. And my perspective and takeaway is entirely different from the CTO official (whose org closed down in NYC as an active organization sometime back in 2021?) Anyway - I think there's hope ahead for Puerto Rico/USVI and perhaps the Dutch Caribbean - but, that's because they're heavily subsidized by the U.S./Netherlands. The indie countries though, and to make that leap in the generalized statement about "Caribbean sees jump..."? Not so much. I suspect, again just from recent first-hand dealing elsewhere in the wider region, and which is my region going back over 20 plus years, that much has changed and in fact very much in a financial black hole given the double whammy of COVID plus rip-roaring inflation of the past 18 months plus - all of which directly affected that predominant travel component of the past half century - namely the middle classes with the budget to take leisure travel offshore. Bascially, I observe individual entrepreneurs in those individual destinations you mention still emerging and recovering. But not the massive quantity of travelers that the all-inclusive/package deal market relied on. And if they did start to travel again - it was probably very much a one-shot deal, the so-called "pent-up demand" which also by definition also means that it was a one-shot deal for that traveler. "Near travel" is the alternative for the North American ordinary person till things get much much better. Of course, "the rich are always with us" but hey, they rent luxe villas or suites at the Four Seasons, not week packages at Sandals.
  • The Caribbean Journal recently surveyed the this year's top hotel/resort openings: https://www.caribjournal.com/2023/01/01/caribbean-hotels-new-hot-co...
    15 Hot New Caribbean Hotels to Visit in 2023 - Caribbean Journal
    We’ve gathered a list of the new Caribbean hotels we’re excited about in 2023, with some that just opened their doors and others coming soon.
  • Carnival season is around the corner, and veteran Caribbean writer Bob Curley lists eight of the islands' top celebrations: https://www.10best.com/interests/festivals-events/eight-caribbean-c...
    The Caribbean's top carnivals you can't miss
    People flock to the Caribbean to swim among colorful marine life in crystal-blue water; yet, the most vibrant colors can be found on land during carn…
  • Several months ago Le Monde's English-language edition ran a report detailing how the Dominican tourism industry is finally focusing on the dark side of mass tourism in the country, now seen as potentially strangling the goose that lays the golden egg with threats like sargassum brown algae; drinking water shortages; illegal garbage dumps; and seawater pollution/overwarming: https://www.lemonde.fr/en/environment/article/2022/07/27/dominican-...
    Dominican Republic awakens to mass tourism's environmental damage
    The nation's tourism industry is finally beginning to take responsibility for damage to its ecosystems, which are now also posing a threat to profits.
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