The legendary Antilia, and later the colonial West Indies, the Caribbean nestled comfortably in the geographical “hollow” between North and South America. Large and small, windward and leeward, heavily populated by tourists and uninhabited, the Caribbean is a paradise for downshifters and drug lords, and at the same time one of the most popular destinations for beach exotics. Fifty odd islands in the Caribbean are a real and well-balanced paradise, the perfect combination of natural and man-made: the rich heritage of the colonial past in the form of a mass of museum houses and pompous mansions perfectly complements the exotic nature, where the green of tropical forests alternates with volcanic landscapes, and expanses of coffee plantations are replaced by thickets of sugar cane and bananas.
Leaving sentiment aside and turning to dry facts, we learn that the Caribbean includes the Greater and Lesser Antilles. The first include 4 large islands “stretching” to the mainland: Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and Puerto Rico; to the second – a round dance of all sorts of trifles, in turn dividing into leeward and windward islands: the noisy Bahamas and the authentic Turks and Caicos, the Virgin Islands divided between the United States and Great Britain, the outlandish Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe discovered by Columbus and the birthplace of Josephine Beauharnais Martinique, Grenada, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, finally – Dominica, famous for the saga of Jack Sparrow. Incidentally, the island Curaçao (the one that gave the popular liquor its name) is also here.
The reasons for the popularity of the Caribbean in the tourist market are obvious: the warm sea all year round, amazingly beautiful nature, a large selection of hotels and a whole bunch of entertainment – water and “dry” sports, nightclubs, discos, restaurants, interesting excursions. Let’s take Cuba or the Dominican Republic as an example . Here you can not only enjoy the sea and the sun, but also wander around old Havana, walk through coffee and tobacco plantations, listen to the singing of street singers, rock out at the disco and, in general, breathe the air of freedom in every possible way.
Among other things, there are a lot of visa-free states for Russians, including Jamaica, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Turks and Caicos.
A distinctive feature of the Caribbean region is a wide variety of recreation options, because each state has its own “specialization” here.
In Barbados, for example, many English traditions are firmly rooted in life. There is a large selection of hotels, and not all of them accept small children: rest here is mostly calm and relaxed.
Grenada is known as the “Island of Spice”, there are many botanical gardens, museums, attractions, and magnificent beaches invite you to lie down on soft white sand. The Turks and Caicos attract the attention of a respectable public with its magnificent five-star hotels, as well as good diving conditions and high-level SPA centers.
Saint Lucia has the proud title of “Garden Island” and is one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean. In contrast, Aruba is a desert island with great hotels and vibrant nightlife. St. Maarten has a variety of hotels of all levels, and the Bahamas offers a huge range of accommodation options, from secluded hotels to bustling urban complexes.
Finally, in Curacao, it is absolutely necessary to go to one of the bars and order a glass of a wonderful blue drink!
Caribbean countries
According to Countryaah, Caribbean has the following countries:
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Aruba
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Bonaire
- Grenada
- Dominican Republic
- Cuba
- Curacao
- Nicaragua
- Saint Barthélemy
- Saint Lucia
- Turks and Caicos
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Jamaica
