My Caribbean pick for postcard-worthy beaches without the crowds
The powder sand and turquoise water you've been picturing, with a laid-back luxury vibe.
Hey travelers,
If someone asks for the best beaches in the Caribbean, there’s a good chance they’re thinking of Turks and Caicos.
Grace Bay, the main strip of Providenciales, has consistently landed near the top of World’s 50 Best Beaches rankings. Turks & Caicos has luxurious hotels, the quintessential crystal-clear water and white sand beaches, and it’s popular for a reason.
So popular, in fact, that it’s in the middle of a real construction boom, with well over a thousand new rooms coming online in the next few years. Local reporting has started tying the pace of it directly to the erosion showing up on the beach that made the island famous in the first place. You can still have a beautiful vacation there. It’s just becoming a busier, more built-up version than it used to be.
Anguilla is the Caribbean island I’d point you to instead.
There are no towering hotels here, and no cruise ship crowds either, the harbor was never built for mega-ships. Jet skis are banned in Anguilla’s waters too, in an effort to protect its marine environment and preserve its beach tranquility. It was also just named one of the safest destinations in the Caribbean.
The 35-square mile island has 33 beaches to choose from. Shoal Bay is the true gem, a two-mile stretch of powder sand lined with a few beach bars grilling fresh seafood right on the sand. Rendezvous Bay runs even longer and provides the opportunity to have a stretch of pristine white sand all to yourself. Western-facing Meads Bay is the spot for sunset.
As if the beaches weren't enough, the food is the part most people don't expect. Anguilla's dining scene holds its own. Small, family-run places and everything from beachfront shacks doing fresh-caught lobster and conch straight off the boat to upscale dinners from chefs who trained in places like Paris before deciding an island was worth the trade. The best meal of the trip is just as likely to happen barefoot as it is in shoes.
Where Anguilla’s laid-back luxury vibe really shines is in the accommodation options.
Cap Juluca, a Belmond hotel, is the pick for couples, especially honeymooners and anniversary trips. It's 179 acres of Greco-Moorish white architecture curved around Maundays Bay, which has the finest sand on the island. With Pimms, its upscale restaurant right on the water, it's genuinely one of the most romantic settings in the Caribbean.
Malliouhana is Anguilla’s original luxury hotel. It’s been fully restored and sits above Meads Bay with tiered infinity pools cascading toward the sea. The colorful rooms are done up in pale yellow and aquamarine, feeling more timeless than trendy. Celeste, the cliffside restaurant, and Leon’s beach bar are worth a visit on their own. This is the pick for the boutique traveler.
And Zemi Beach House is for that true barefoot luxury style. It works just as well for a wellness reset or a relaxed family trip as it does for a couple’s getaway. It sits directly on Shoal Bay, with 76 rooms & suites across six oceanfront acres, with complimentary kayaks, paddleboards, and snorkeling gear for the reef just offshore. The spa inside a 300-year-old Thai teak house is a can’t miss.
With one of the smaller airports in the Caribbean, Anguilla is usually reached by flying into St. Maarten and either taking a short ferry or a puddle-jump flight over. The best time to visit is between December and April, for drier weather and calmer seas, and to steer clear of hurricane season, which peaks from mid-August through October.
Currently Obsessed
Something I can’t stop thinking about.
Schwa, in Chicago's Wicker Park, has to be one of the most unique Michelin-starred dining experiences out there. The chefs are the servers and it's BYOB on purpose because Chef Michael Carlson wanted an anti-pretension, neighborhood feel instead of what you usually get with fine dining. The 26-seat dimly lit restaurant plays loud music and feels more like a house party than a Michelin restaurant, except for the exceptional food. The famous truffle and quail egg raviolo has been on the multi-course tasting menu since Schwa opened in 2005, and I think about it often. I've been lucky enough to visit twice and I'm counting down the days until my next visit later this month. Pro tip: bring a little extra to drink for the kitchen staff and finish the night with a celebratory cheers, they've earned it.
Worth Packing
One thing that earns its spot in the bag.
Vacation's Classic SPF 50. This is the rare sunscreen I actually look forward to putting on. It smells incredible, somewhere between a real vacation and the best parts of childhood summers. It's also Hawaii Act 104 Compliant, meaning it skips oxybenzone and octinoxate, two ingredients linked to coral damage, so it's perfect for your next tropical getaway. Because protecting the ocean and your skin is cool.
If this got you thinking about your next trip to the Caribbean, I'd love to help you bring it to life. Gold Dust Travel is where to start.
If someone came to mind while you were reading this, feel free to forward it their way.
— Kelsey, founder of Gold Dust Travel