Cayman Islands · Caribbean
Grand Cayman does the polished Caribbean thing better than almost anywhere. Seven Mile Beach — actually about five and a half miles, but who's counting — is the kind of beach that makes you wonder why you ever swim anywhere else: wide, white, calm, and backed by low-rise resorts instead of concrete towers. Stingray City is the headliner, where you wade into chest-deep water and hand-feed southern stingrays, and it's actually as good as the brochure says. The diving is world-class, especially the wall dives along the North Wall where the reef drops into deep blue. George Town has enough restaurants and bars to keep you busy after dark. It's pricier than some Caribbean spots — this is a financial hub, after all — but the infrastructure and water clarity are hard to beat.
The Cayman Islands have no nude beaches and no clothing-optional resorts. What that means on Seven Mile Beach, the islands' best beaches in swimwear, and legal nude beaches nearby.
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Solo travel in the Caribbean works best on Puerto Rico, Barbados, Curacao, Aruba, the USVI and Cayman — walkable, bus-linked, Level 1 advisories. The real cost is the single supplement.
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The best Caribbean markets: Castries (St Lucia), Marigot (St Martin), St George’s spice market (Grenada) and Willemstad’s Floating Market. Go before 9am, bring cash, skip conch and coral.
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Four Caribbean ferry chains work without a plane: the Virgin Islands from $25, Guadeloupe to St. Lucia on L’Express des Îles, the Grenadines, and St. Maarten to Anguilla in 20 minutes.
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Caribbean wellness retreats ranked: BodyHoliday St. Lucia includes a daily treatment, COMO Parrot Cay and Six Senses La Sagesse run the deepest programmes, Sivananda Bahamas is the budget pick.
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The Caribbean's historical beaches worth a detour: Salt River Bay on St. Croix, Long Bay on San Salvador, Port Royal, Playa Girón, English Harbour, Pigeon Island and Holetown.
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