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, Barbados, Bonaire, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saba, Statia (St. Eustatius), St. Barth, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Maarten/Martin, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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Chilling on Tortola and Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands

  Victor Block My husband Victor and I are travel writers. Which means when we get to a destination, we explore every aspect, constantly seeking out stories. Until we got to Tortola, capital of the British Virgin Islands, with a population around 15,000. That didn’t happen. And it was almost like — dare I say the word? — a vacation. But let’s back up a bit. We are a lot older than our last trip here 30 years ago when my husband had the temerity to actually hazard driving. To put the roads in…

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Rum and much more in Barbados

  Victor Block Most travelers know that most Caribbean islands are soaked in rum, but Barbados goes the rest one better because here, locals say, is where rum was discovered. In capital Bridgetown one early-17th-century day, the story goes, a tavern owner was searching for an empty shipping barrel when he inadvertently stumbled across one filled with a concoction worth selling -- a barrel of sugar cane fermented over time. Well, Mr. Rumball -- the tavern owner -- knew a good thing when he…

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7 cool things to see/do on Saba

  Richie Diesterheft Never heard of it? You´re far from alone – last year just 5,700 flights – by one of the Caribbean´s lowest arrivals figures – landed on its third smallest island (just five square miles/13 sq. kilometers sitting on an dormant volcano Mount Scenery, with a population of just under 2,000). But those in the know realize that the self-styled "unspoiled queen," part of the Caribbean Netherlands (along with Bonaire and Sint Eustatius, aka Statia) and first settled in the 1640s,…

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  • I have lived in St. Thomas on two separate occasions and St. Thomas has always had a violence problem. Most of this violence is between rival families and gangs. It is unusual that visitors would be attached or even involved. This last unfortunate incident was accidental (not a justification) and a case of somebody being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I hesitate to condemn the the Virgin Islands as a whole, The British Virgin Islands territory has a history of low crime rates and respect for outsiders.
  • Having just returned from St. Thomas less than a month ago, I would have to say I felt safe there. From the destinations I have visited, it seems that there are always areas that you would want to avoid but don't reflect upon the entire island. What are everyone else's thoughts?
  • I would go in May when most visitors leave. In May I like sailing between the islands, French Town, Water Island, hiking on Jost, visiting friends in Coral Bay, snorkeling on Anegada, and I would like to see Culebra. In May, I even like the grittiness of Road Town and Charlotte Amalie. It was on a winter trip that I came to actively dislike the VIs, and on a spring trip that I rediscovered them.
  • First an innocent kid gets killed in the Virgin islands and now the news says homicide rates are up there. This is why I wont go to the Virgin islands. Who would?
  • Caribbean Vacation Properties is a privately held company specializing in three key areas of Real Estate on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic; Luxury Villa Rentals, General Real Estate Sales, and Property Development.
    Its principals have successfully owned, operated, and managed hotels and condominium hotels for over 20 years in the South Florida area.
    This group of professionals has maintained a single focus on condominium resorts disbursing over $15,000,000 in unit owner’s annual rental revenue. This same group of professionals has expanded their target market to include the north coast of the Dominican Republic where they soon became one of the most recognized resort managers and developers on the north coast. With their expansion into the Caribbean, this group has become successful in cross marketing their Caribbean properties with their international marketing program for their Florida hotel operations.

    In 2003, CVP’s principles made the corporate decision to invest heavily on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic. In five short years CVP was able to establish themselves as the leading authority in luxury villa rentals catering to very select clients. Bringing true professionalism to the North Coast real estate industry, CVP quickly earned the respect and reputation it enjoys in this industry today. Currently, Caribbean Vacation Properties enjoys the reputation as one of the largest luxury property developers on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic and offers a unique selection of exclusive properties and real estate developments.
  • Love shopping? Check out the recently posted Part 2 of the Tripatini blog's survey of best off-the-beaten-path s....
    blog.TRIPATINI.COM
  • Please help a member seeking advice on a Caribbean cruise.
    What's the best Caribbean cruise for January?
    We moved to Florida last October and are interested in taking a cruise in January to the Caribbean (not Mexico) to experience the diverse tropical is…
  • Caribbean ? Did they mean Islands ? or the caribbean sea ? Spanish or the English Islands ? The former Dutch or the French colonies ? It is indeed true that some islands cater to mass volume, and some are quite inaccessible (i.e direct flights from US)

    The character and attitude of island/town where cruise ships make a port of call are much different than say, Saba, or Martinique, or take your pick. So the proposition that "Caribbean is Chuck E. Cheese." is unsustainable.
  • Not to start a flame war or anything, but someone on Tripatini who shall remain nameless said today that Bermuda is Spago and the Caribbean is Chuck E. Cheese. What do you all think about that??
  • Click HERE to help a Tripatini member looking for advice on gay-friendly all-inclusives in the Caribbean. Thanks!
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