Bridgetown, Barbados' UNESCO-listed capital, blends colonial history, rich culture, and white-sand beauty. At The Careenage, pastel buildings overlook the Constitution River, with a plaque marking the city's role in the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Nearby Carlisle Bay offers turquoise water, soft sand, and shipwreck dives with turtles and tropical fish. Explore street food, Broad Street shopping, rum bars on Roebuck Street, and Nidhe Israel Synagogue and museum.

St Lucia is a vivid Caribbean island of turquoise seas, green volcanic Pitons, jungle waterfalls, and bright coral reefs. Its beaches and dive spots are rich with colorful fish, while marigot Bay, once a backdrop for Doctor Dolittle, adds cinematic charm. Spot parrots in the palms and dolphins offshore, relax on Vigie Beach, and photograph the dramatic Pitons. In Castries, visit the Cathedral Basilica and the lively market for spices, bananas, and mangos.

Martinique, the largest Windward Island, lies 4,261 mi (6,817 km) from Paris but feels distinctly French with West Indian flair. Its cuisine blends French and Creole influences. The island is lush with tropical flowers, fruit trees, banana and pineapple fields, sugarcane, mountains, and rain forest. Hiking, snorkeling, scuba diving, tanning, and duty-free shopping are popular, and cruises often visit St-Pierre, buried by ash from Mont Pelée's 1902 eruption.

Deshaies' natural, sheltered harbour-the deepest in the Caribbean-once drew buccaneers, and legend says treasure is still hidden there. Pretty creole houses and a little church make it a postcard-perfect gem. On Basse-Terre, protected land and sea support rich biodiversity: rainforests, hot springs, waterfalls, a volcano, botanical gardens, beaches like Grande Anse, turtles, sunsets, and Antillean cuisine. Since 2011, it's also been the setting for Death in Paradise.

How about enjoying the smallest most idyllic of the three United States Virgin Islands, St. John? Choose from our different selection of cruises to savor this island's dozens card perfect white sand beaches, turquoise bays abounding in colourful corals & rainbows!

Les Saintes, "Islands of the Saints," is a stunning Caribbean archipelago named by Columbus in 1493. Of nine islands, only two are inhabited. Expect crystal beaches, shallow turquoise seas, lush volcanic cones, rich reefs, kayaking, snorkeling, and catamaran trips. Visit Pain de Sucre Beach and Fort Napoleon, now a cactus park and gardens, and watch for iguanas.

Bequia Island is a rustic, unspoiled Grenadine gem: virgin beaches, quiet bays, rum shacks, and a laid-back feel with only about 6,000 locals. Admiralty Bay is a stunning natural harbor, and tiny Port Elizabeth has a market, turtle sanctuary, and model-ship stalls. Hike Mount Peggy for views, then relax on Princess Margaret Beach or other golden-sand coves. It's a place to slow down, swim, read, and enjoy fresh catch, barbecue, and rum cocktails at beach bars.

Bridgetown, Barbados' UNESCO-listed capital, blends colonial history, rich culture, and white-sand beauty. At The Careenage, pastel buildings overlook the Constitution River, with a plaque marking the city's role in the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Nearby Carlisle Bay offers turquoise water, soft sand, and shipwreck dives with turtles and tropical fish. Explore street food, Broad Street shopping, rum bars on Roebuck Street, and Nidhe Israel Synagogue and museum.