Need some compelling evidence to convince your significant other that this is the year for a trip to the Caribbean? We found 30+ hot new activities, resorts, and airline routes that are the cherry on top of an already ideal tropical escape. From Aruba to Grenada, here are 10 islands you shouldn’t miss in 2012.
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St. Lucia
Play: If you think flinging treetop-to-treetop in broad daylight is a thrill, try Rain Forest Adventures' new AdrenaLUNA nighttime zip-line tour. It's St. Lucia's only after-dark zip-line experience. With a headlamp strapped to your helmet, you see and hear the rainforest from a completely different perspective—by moonlight.
For chocolate lovers, The Hotel Chocolat, which opened last year, has a new Tree-to-Bar experience, where guests walk the on-site cocoa estate and pick pods to roast and make into their own chocolate bar. Try a fresh cacao Bellini or martini in the restaurant, Boucan.
Stay: This year the Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort starts construction on 16 new overwater bungalows expected to open in 2013. Perched on a deck over the sea, the thatched-roof suites—with see-through glass floors, hammocks slung over the water, and outdoor showers and whirlpools—will be the first of their kind in the Caribbean.
Fly: JetBlue has new St. Lucia vacation packages posted online.
St. Lucia
Play: If you think flinging treetop-to-treetop in broad daylight is a thrill, try Rain Forest Adventures' new AdrenaLUNA nighttime zip-line tour. It's St. Lucia's only after-dark zip-line experience. With a headlamp strapped to your helmet, you see and hear the rainforest from a completely different perspective—by moonlight.
For chocolate lovers, The Hotel Chocolat, which opened last year, has a new Tree-to-Bar experience, where guests walk the on-site cocoa estate and pick pods to roast and make into their own chocolate bar. Try a fresh cacao Bellini or martini in the restaurant, Boucan.
Stay: This year the Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort starts construction on 16 new overwater bungalows expected to open in 2013. Perched on a deck over the sea, the thatched-roof suites—with see-through glass floors, hammocks slung over the water, and outdoor showers and whirlpools—will be the first of their kind in the Caribbean.
Fly: JetBlue has new St. Lucia vacation packages posted online.
Puerto Rico
Play: Just over an hour's drive west of San Juan in Isabela, Puerto Rico's newest golf course is taking shape along rugged coastal cliffs. It's set to open in April, and already the dramatic Royal Isabela course has caught the attention of Fairways + Greens magazine, which says it's destined for top-100 status worldwide. The course is part of the 1,800-acre Costa Isabela community.
Stay: Under renovation now, San Juan's iconic Water Beach Club Hotel on Isla Verde Beach is adding more glam with daybeds and scented towel wraps at the rooftop pool. After dark, the space becomes a trendy tapas lounge. Cool visual effects create an underwater feel at the new Zest restaurant, where executive chef and local celeb Raul Correa Soto is at the helm.
Fly: In its 2012 Caribbean index, PriceofTravel.com ranks San Juan the third least expensive destination in the Caribbean, based on a comparison of airfare and hotel rates among 32 of the area's most popular destinations.
Aruba
Play: Locking down its status as the most fashion-forward Caribbean island, Aruba premiered its first annual fashion week, Aruba In Style, in November 2011. The same company that organizes fashion weeks in Miami and New York plans this soiree, a long weekend of runway shows and celeb-hosted cocktail parties.
Want to see the island's culture but can't get there during Carnival (January/February)? See the new Carubbian Festival in San Nicolas. On Thursday nights year-round, people flood the streets for a 45-minute stage show, activities, and local food.
Stay: In 2011, the Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa completed a major renovation, and the Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort & Casino began one. The Hyatt unveils its new aloe-themed (yes, the plant is cultivated and processed locally) ZoiA Spa this February.
Fly: Aruba's Queen Beatrix International Airport is building two new hangars for Tiara Air 737 jets, which will start daily service to the United States. AirTran recently initiated weekend nonstops from Baltimore. JetBlue just added flights from Boston and New York/JFK.
Curacao
Play: Repurposing retired forts has become a serious preoccupation in this former Dutch colony. You can dine inside the Waterfort's stone arches and Fort Nassau's fortress walls, see a concert at Fort Amsterdam, and shop in other restored forts. October saw the latest move into the fort market when Okeanos Spa took up residence in the seaside Rif Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was originally built to protect the island from pirates and other invaders. We can't imagine a more appropriate place for a Turn Back Time body wrap.
Stay: New deals in 2012: The Avila Hotel's Dutch Treat promotion runs through December 19 and gives you 13 to 30 percent off rack rates. Check out the 2012 lineup of musicians performing in the hotelâs Art in Avila concerts.
Fly: COPA Airlines has a new direct flight from Panama City, allowing U.S. passengers to connect through Panama en route to Curacao.
St. Kitts
Play: In January USA Today named Brimstone Hill Fortress on St. Kitts one of its "10 Great Places To Explore The World's Best-Kept Secrets." Visit at the end of March and you'll see staff and locals at the impressive seaside mountain fortress reenacting the 1782 Great Siege of Brimstone Hill.
Christophe Harbour, a new mega-yacht marina on southeastern St. Kitts, opens in February. It's part of a development that will include hotels, restaurants, shops, and a golf course.
The Carambola Beach Club restaurant on South Friar's Bay beach debuted in January. Its Caribbean-influenced European cuisine pairs well with a 4,000-bottle wine cellar and notes from the baby grand piano.
Stay: With the island-wide Feel the Warmth of St. Kitts program, you can stay seven nights for the price of six (a savings of 15 percent) or six nights for four or five (a savings of 33 percent) at participating hotels.
Fly: Last December the U.S. and St. Kitts and Nevis signed an open-skies air-transport agreement, which will likely result in expanded air service and price competition among airlines.
British Virgin Islands
Stay and Play: It doesn't take long to find your sea legs in the British Virgin Islands. Calm seas and consistent trade winds make island-hopping a breeze, even for first-timers on a crewed sailboat. Plan the trip of a lifetime on SAIL and Cruising World magazines' 2012 Best Boat of the Year: the Sunsail 444 catamaran, based in Tortola. The four-cabin yacht boasts an open forward cockpit area and other innovative features not yet seen on production catamarans.
If you're on a budget, Footloose Sailing Charters bills itself as the most affordable bareboat and skippered sailing-vacation provider in the Caribbean, and it will beat competitor pricing by $100. A five-day charter for two starts at around $2,100, or with a skipper, $3,200.
Fly: The most direct route to BVI is via San Juan, Puerto Rico, where various airlines offer connecting service. If you arrive via St. Thomas, you can take a connecting flight or ferry to Tortola or Virgin Gorda.
St. Maarten/St. Martin
Play: Two governments share this Dutch/French island, but more than a dozen nationalities are what have earned the "Culinary Capital of the Caribbean" global props for fusion cuisine. Visit in November for the first annual Culinary Month, when chefs from the island's 365 restaurants present food shows, classes, and tastings. On Tuesday nights from January to April, the restaurant mecca of Grand Case transforms into an Arts in the Plaza pedestrian zone with art vendors, live music, and other street entertainment.
Stay: For special offers and hotel deals in 2012, check the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau and St. Martin Tourist Office websites.
Fly: In November 2011 JetBlue began running daily, direct flights between Puerto Rico and St. Maarten. The new route provides connections for travelers from New York, Boston, Hartford, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, and Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood. Sunwing now offers flights to the island from Montreal and Toronto.
Grenada
Play: Intrigued by what lies at the bottom of the sea? Grenada is a Caribbean hot spot for shipwrecks. In Scuba Diving magazine's 2012 Readers' Choice Awards, Grenada was named #1 for both wreck diving and advanced diving in the Caribbean. Explore the wreck of the enormous 600-foot Bianca C cruise liner and dive into her upper-deck swimming pools. For something new, see the Underwater Sculpture Park's two new statues, which were added late last year.
Non-divers can visit the Grenada National Museum's new Bianca C exhibit to learn about the "Titanic of the Caribbean," which sank in 1961 near Grand Anse.
Stay: Last year the all-inclusive spa resort LaSource in St. George's launched the Caribbean's first scuba-yoga program, which features breathing exercises to aid dive performance and give beginners confidence.
Fly: Grenada has seen a recent increase in air service with Delta's and Caribbean Airline's nonstop flights from New York, American's nonstops from Miami, and American Eagle's connections via San Juan.
Dominican Republic
Play: If you're a baseball fan or a coffee connoisseur, there are a few must-sees on any trip to the Dominican Republic. A just-launched global travel company called Excursionist runs 22 tours in the DR that connect your personal passions with a local expert. Tour a ballpark with a member of the Dominican national team or meet farmers in small villages along the Coffee Trail.
Stay: On the island's east coast, two ultra-luxe resorts recently opened—the sprawling Fishing Lodge Cap Cana, which surrounds the Cap Cana Marina, and Eden Roc at Cap Cana, which has 33 freestanding suites and three bungalows.
Fly: American Airlines introduced new flights from Miami to Santo Domingo and New York/JFK to Punta Cana. JetBlue launched nonstop service from JFK to La Romana. Starting in March, Delta will add flights from JFK to Santo Domingo and Santiago. Apple Vacations also offers new packages to the DR.
St. Vincent And The Grenadines
Play: New this year, St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism is helping you achieve the impossible: "de-teching" for an entire week, cold turkey: no phones, cameras, TV, or Internet. The seven-night Digital Detox getaway is $3,799 per person. Hand over the gadgets and you get flights from NYC, three nights at the Young Island Resort, four nights at Palm Island, meals, a private crewed catamaran transfer, a session with a life coach, and a digital de-teching how-to guide.
These islands ooze luxury, but you can find a must-see list of free or nearly-free natural and historical treasures at VisitSVG.com. On St. Vincent, don't miss the lush plants, colorful parrots, and the start of a three-year restoration effort at Kingstown's 20-acre Botanical Gardens; originally planted in 1765, the gardens are among the oldest in the Western Hemisphere.
Stay: A recent visit by Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, to Mustique has put the private island and celeb holiday haven on the radar of U.S. travelers. Villa rentals start at $7,000 per week in low season.
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