Caribbean

Oh, the Caribbean! Stretching from the east coast of the USA all the way past Central America and down to South America, this has got to be one of the world’s most stunning yet diverse litter of islands.

There are over 700 islands, cayes and archipelagos in the Caribbean where blonde beaches combine with the beating heart of Caribbean culture. It’s no surprise the Caribbean is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.

Where to start with your exploration? That depends what you’re after. Jamaica serves a vibrant mix of culture and cuisine alongside its beaches. And a trip sailing around the British Virgin Islands still represents one of the best trips I’ve ever taken. Cuba is an experience in time-travel.

I also experienced my first ever cruise in the Caribbean, exploring the ABCs – Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao as well as St Kitts and Nevis. Meanwhile, St Lucia and Puerto Rico have merited trips all of their own.

And then there are the lesser known islands off the coast of Mexico and Latin America that I’ve explored independently (because I like an adventure) and while some of them may not technically form part of the Caribbean islands, they sit right there on the Caribbean coast: Caye Caulker (Belize), Isla Holbox and Isla Mujeres (off the coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula), San Andres (Colombia) and San Blas Islands (Panama).

Whichever Caribbean island you choose, it won’t really matter; visit one and you’re likely to want to keep going back to explore them all.

I often travel quicker than I write blog posts so drop me a line if you’ve got any questions about Caribbean travel and any places I’ve been that I’ve not written about yet. Otherwise, you can sign up to my newsletter here.

Caribbean Blog Posts

An Itinerary Through Real Jamaica

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Real Jamaica

Looking to explore real Jamaica? With a detailed itinerary, tips on what to see, where to stay, where to eat and advice on safety, you can put together your own trip to this beautiful Caribbean island. Read on… I had my reservations about Jamaica. Despite being one of the most popular islands for visitors in the Caribbean, a quick search online told me that tourism in Jamaica has developed substantially since the glitterati jetted to the island in the 1950s. These days, all-inclusive resorts have become one of the major ways to visit. And, if you’ve read this blog before, you’ll know … Read more

21 Must Try Traditional Jamaican Food & Drinks

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Real Jamaica

Eating the traditional food of a country is one of the best parts of travel for me. In fact, if I don’t enjoy the local food, I’ve been know to get food depression. Fortunately, Jamaica has some fantastic flavours to try. Whether you’re about to visit Jamaica or are looking to pull together a tropical feast of Jamaican recipes for the family at home, here’s my guide to traditional Jamaican food. 1. Jerk chicken Ask someone to name a traditional Jamaican food and they’ll most likely mention jerk chicken. Ubiquitous throughout Jamaica from roadside shacks to fancy restaurant twists, jerk … Read more

A Year Told In Pictures of Sunsets

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Pictures of Sunsets

As the sun (almost) sets on another year I’m so happy to be sitting here writing these words: “I’ve had an amazing year of travel”. They’re the kind of words that can make people want to push your smug little face into the dirt, but I hope you’ll forgive my boasting because my amazing year of travel came directly off the back of  my worst travel year yet, and as the sun rose on a new year I was terrified that my travel curse would follow me into the New Year. So much so, that when I boarded my first … Read more

How To Go Hiking in Toppes de Collantes, Cuba

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Hiking Toppes de Collantes, a nature reserve in the southwest of the Escambray Mountains was never in my original travel itinerary for Cuba. However, for each day that I lingered at the beach in La Boca, staring out at the ominous peaks and troughs of the distant range, I became increasingly drawn to the mountains, until I reached a point of no return and I knew without a doubt that I had to visit Toppes de Collantes. Why visit Toppes de Collantes and the Escambray Mountains After nearly two weeks in Cuba bouncing between cities and beaches, fighting against the … Read more

10 Essential Things To Know Before Visiting Cuba

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Cuba is a unlike any other country I’ve visited and it’s safe to say that this out-of-kilter Caribbean island requires a bit more research and planning than your average trip. Having recently completed my second trip, here’s my list of 10 essential things to know about Cuba before you visit covering everything from visas to money to internet access to scams to US visitors. 1. Visas for Cuba I’ve not got the best past record for complying with visa requirements (I very nearly got kicked out of the Philippines before I even got chance to board the plane, and the … Read more

La Boca: One of the Best Beaches in Cuba

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Being one of only two foreign faces in the tiny beach town of La Boca in Cuba is one of those travel experiences that will likely endure right down to my dying days. I hadn’t set out on a quest to find one of the best beaches in Cuba, but leaving La Boca I’m confident I’d found one. Why finding the best beaches in Cuba is not as easy as you might think I’ll be honest, I had pretty grim expectations for my time in La Boca, a tiny collection of thrown-together streets in the Sanctus Spiritus Region of Cuba. … Read more

Visiting Disco Ayala in Hotel Las Cuevas, Trinidad, Cuba

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As I engaged in my rapid departure from what had become an ugly experience at Varadero’s beach resorts, I was desperate to replace my memories with something novel and exciting. Fortunately, within 24 hours, my wish was to be granted when I found myself at a rave in a cave at Disco Ayala, an exceptionally unique nightclub attached to Hotel Las Cuevas in Trinidad, Cuba. It turned out to be one on my best experiences in Cuba, but I’d be lying if I said it was my first rave in a cave. In fact, I hosted my very own (somewhat … Read more

Varadero Beach Resorts in Cuba: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

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“Varadero beach is full of tourists” seems to be the automatic response I get from any independent traveller who I speak to about Cuba. It’s a curious response given most of these self-professed “non-tourist” travellers I meet (otherwise known as backpackers) have never actually visited Varadero beach. They are simply citing a stereotype that has been cited to them by someone who has…probably also never visited Varadero beach. For the record (and to address an ongoing annoyance), here is the Oxford English Disctionary of tourist: “a person who is travelling or visiting a place for pleasure”. Guess what, Mr (or … Read more

The Hershey Train in Cuba: The Slow Way To Varadero

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The Hershey Train in Cuba is the epitome of how travel should be. Lazy, unpredictable, social and slow. As someone who crammed herself into London’s commuter trains for the best part of a decade, always watching the clock, multi-tasking the entire journey (sipping coffee, sleeping, standing, emailing and reading all in one shot), travel was a chore. Modern public transport has, at our request, become perfunctory, clinical and uninspiring. Even air transport, which was once the most exhilarating way to travel has, somewhere along the way (ok, more specifically since the events of 9/11), stopped being fun. Line after line, … Read more

The Best Casa Particulares (Homestays) in Cuba

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If you could trace the origins of the phrase “Mi Casa es Tu Casa” (translation: my house is your house), I’d put money on the phrase being invented in the casa particulares in Cuba. To many people, particularly those most familiar with staying in hotels when they travel, renting a room in a casa particular in cuba is a strange concept. “What? You stay in the spare bedroom in somebody’s house?! You eat breakfast and often lunch and dinner with them?” “Yes,” is my simple answer. But it’s one that is very quickly followed by a strong reassurance: “And I … Read more