The hike was hot and brutal. My wife and I started on the edge of Sabana de la Mar, a village in the Dominican Republic, after breakfast and drove our rental car until the road ended. Then we navigated patchwork farms until dipping into the jungle and heading toward the coast. Liz and I were young and unprepared, so we ran out of food and water almost immediately, eating mangoes from trees and trying to crack coconuts in our thirst.

Our goal was an isolated beach with a two-stool, open-air bar that you could only reach by boat or hike. We were tired of crowded resorts and wanted something serene. We didn’t find a boat so we hiked. And hiked. And hiked. The bar was closed when we got there, but we had the beach to ourselves: a quarter-moon sliver of sand flanked by tall palms, the Samana Bay stretched out before us.

Sometimes I want to stand on a beach or outcropping or mountaintop and know that the nearest McDonald鈥檚 is days away. But just because a destination is far-flung doesn鈥檛 mean you actually want to go there.

For example, the farthest-away spot in the United States is Saint Matthew Island, which is technically part of Alaska, but located in the Bering Sea more than 180 miles from the nearest human settlement, halfway to Siberia. You have to take a 24-hour ship ride to reach the island, which is battered by storms and shrouded in fog. Oh, and it鈥檚 cold. I鈥檓 sure Saint Matthew has its charms, but I can think of more pleasant remote places to vacation.

So, I started looking into destinations across the globe that occupy that sweet spot of 鈥渞emote鈥� and 鈥渁ttractive.鈥� There鈥檚 a variety of landscapes on this list, from dunes to hot springs, so it鈥檚 not just tropical atolls,听although they鈥檙e in here, too.

Here are 11 far-flung places worth the endeavor to see them. These spots are just the beginning. It鈥檚 a great big world out there. While this is bucket-list stuff, damn, it鈥檚 fun to dream.

1. Remote Tropical Island

Lord Howe Island, Australia

Traveling to a remote island doesn鈥檛 always mean you have to enter survival mode. is a volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea, roughly 320 miles east of New South Wales, Australia. It鈥檚 remote, sure, but it also has some pretty plush digs, and a small population (roughly 350 people) living on the northern tip of the island opens apartments and small lodges to travelers.

The south end of the island is comprised of primeval forest, isolated beaches, volcanic crags, and towering peaks. The island is only seven miles long and 1.25 miles wide, but roughly 70 percent of that mass is protected as a Permanent Park Preserve. Moreover, locals limit the number of tourists, not allowing more than 400 on the island on any given day.

While you鈥檙e on-island, spend your time snorkeling in the crystal-clear waters of Ned鈥檚 Beach, where sand leads to a coral reef teeming with mullet and kingfish. Arrange with your lodge host for a guide to take you on the three-mile trek to the top of Mount Gower. It鈥檚 an all-day adventure that has you scrambling up volcanic rock and hiking through the lush interior forest. The summit rises 2,870 feet above sea level, punctuating the south end of the island.

Or, book a to Ball鈥檚 Pyramid, the largest sea stack in the world, rising 1,807 feet from the ocean roughly 14 miles south of Lord Howe. There, you鈥檒l see turtles, wahoo, and the rare Ballina Angelfish. Trips and rates are determined once you鈥檙e on island, but you can book single-dive excursions to other sites for $160 per person.

How to Get There: A limited number of commercial flights reach Lord Howe from Sydney. It鈥檚 a two-hour flight. Accommodations are scarce on the island (there are only 400 beds in total), so book your lodging at the same time as your flight. has relatively affordable rates (from $300 a night). If you鈥檙e looking to splurge, stay at the , which has nine suites with views of both the Pacific Ocean and Mount Gower (starting at $1,900).

2. Remote Hike

Hornstrandir Nature Reserve, Iceland

The is one of the most isolated areas in Iceland, enveloping a 220-square-mile chunk of the Westfjords, a peninsula on the northern tip of the country where towering cliffs meet deep fjords. Uninhabited since the 1950s, the reserve is blossoming from an environmental perspective; since the last residents left, and with a hunting ban now in place, local species like the Arctic Fox thrive, while seals flock to the rocks against the water.

The beaches are a mix of sand and smooth stones, while ferns and wildflowers dominate the slopes up to the cliffs, with icefields above and waterfalls that drop straight into the sea. Hornbjarg, a massive buttress that rises 534 meters from the Arctic Ocean, looking like a cresting wave, is the biggest draw for hikers. The starts on the gray-sand beach on Hornvik Bay where most people are dropped off (see below) and climbs 3,500 feet up the side of the cliffs.

How to Get There: It鈥檚 a four-hour drive from Reykjavik to Isafjordur, the capital of the Westfjords, from which you charter a boat across the Bay of Hornvik, or arrange for a guide service to take you across. Arriving at the reserve, you鈥檙e on foot, as there are no roads or infrastructure. offers daily boat rides across the bay, guided hiking trips, and multi-day camping excursions into Hornstrandir (from $375 per person).

3. Remote Ruins

Rio Bec, Mexico

The , in the state of Campeche at the base of the Yucatan, Mexico, is known for its Maya archaeological sites. Here, the great ancient city of Calakmul has more than 6,000 documented structures, some towering over the surrounding jungle. You can take organized tours of these and other ruins along with thousands of other tourists every year.

Rio Bec, however, is a lesser-known Maya city tucked more deeply into the jungle of the same reserve that gets a fraction of the visitors. The ruins are so remote, and the jungle so dense, that an entire section of the structures was lost for more than 60 years after the original site discovery in 1912. Put in the extra effort (see below) to come here and you鈥檒l likely have the site to yourself as you climb the steps of stone pyramids stretching 50 feet high, built around 700 A.D.

Some of the buildings have crumbled, while others still boast the skyward-reaching twin towers indicative of the Rio Bec architectural style, unusual in that it serves no practical purpose other than to make a building look more grand. Faux steps going nowhere are even carved into the tower walls. The jungle surrounding the stone structures is full of howler monkeys, jaguars, and wild pigs, and reaching the site is half the adventure.

How to Get There: Fly into the city of Campeche (there鈥檚 an international airport) and drive 300 kilometers to Xpujil, the largest town near the Biosphere Reserve. That鈥檚 the easy part. No roads lead to Rio Bec, and most tour operators eschew expeditions to the site, as it requires an approach of 15 kilometers (about ten miles) on narrow, difficult trails. Your best option is meeting up with the local guide , who takes small groups into the jungle on ATVs and motorcycles ($450 for two people, in cash).

4. Remote Hot Springs

Uunartoq Hot Springs, Greenland

The Inuit word 鈥淯unartoq鈥� translates to 鈥渢he hot place,鈥� appropriate for this natural spring on an uninhabited island in the middle of a fjord in southern Greenland. While the island has never been permanently settled, legend says that Vikings visited this steaming pool more than 1,000 years ago.

Aside from the addition of a small wooden structure built as a changing room, the springs are the same primitive, rock-dammed pool they have been for centuries. Unlike most hot springs in Greenland (most of which are actually too hot to soak in), the water of Uunartoq is heated not by volcanic activity but by friction, as layers of the earth鈥檚 crust rub against each other, warming the water and sending it up to the surface.

The springs are usually between 98 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit, or about the temperature of a welcoming hot tub. Soak in the pool and savor the views of the iceberg-choked bay and the rocky peaks that define southern Greenland. There is no lodging on the island, but you鈥檙e welcome to camp. Keep an eye out for the resplendent northern lights.

How to Get There: Fly into the international airport at Narsarsuaq, then catch either a flight or boat to the town of Qaqortoq, the gateway to Uunartoq. A number of operators in town offer boats and tours to the springs. It鈥檚 a 1.5-hour ride across the Qaqortoq Fjord, which is full of icebergs and where you may see the occasional humpback whale. offers a half-day trip from June to September ($375 per person). The company also guides trips to the nearby Greenland Ice Cap and multi-day hikes through South Greenland that have you spending nights on local sheep farms (starting at $140 per person).

5. Remote Lookout Tower

Three Fingers Lookout, Washington

Lookout towers are by definition remote, but Three Fingers takes the concept up a notch, sitting on the summit of in the heart of Boulder River Wilderness. It requires technical climbing to approach, so you need the equipment and know-how. Built in 1933 using dynamite to blast off a section of the rocky peak, the structure is so significant that it鈥檚 on the National Register of Historic Places.

The journey to the tower is awesome but to be taken seriously. Hike for six miles through a dense forest and amid subalpine meadows to Tin Pan Gap, where the technical climbing begins. You鈥檒l need ice axes, crampons, rope, harnesses, and route-finding capabilities to negotiate snowfields and a glacier, scramble up rocky pitches, and finally climb a series of vertical ladders to the lookout on the south peak of Three Fingers Mountain.

The lookout tower sits at 6,854 feet and sleeps three or four people鈥攆irst come, first served. The views extend deep into Boulder River wilderness, and you鈥檒l be able to spot the 6,865-foot Whitehorse Mountain to the north and 5,437-foot Liberty Mountain to the south. Goat Flat, five miles from the trailhead, is a ridge-top meadow that makes an excellent campsite if you can鈥檛 score a night in the lookout.

How to Get There: Granite Falls, Washington, is the closest town. The shortest route to the tower is from the trailhead for Trail 641, the , at the end of Tupso Pass Road (FS41). It鈥檚 a 15-mile out-and-back trek into Boulder River Wilderness, with almost 4,200 feet of elevation gain. If you want a longer trip, check the Washington Trail Association website for the status of Tupso Pass Road, which was washed out at the time of publication and would add eight miles of gravel road walking. You can also take this .

6. Remote Whitewater

Middle Fork of the Salmon River, Idaho

You want the middle of nowhere? The , in Idaho, is that and then some. The wilderness comprises 2.3 million acres, making it one of the largest roadless areas in the lower 48 (only Death Valley Wilderness is bigger). With two major whitewater rivers鈥攖he Salmon and the Middle Fork of the Salmon鈥攆lowing through the Frank Church, the best way to explore this vastness is by raft.

Let鈥檚 focus on the Middle Fork, which slices through the heart of the roadless area for 104 miles, from its source at the confluence of Bear Valley and Marsh Creeks to its convergence with the Salmon. Many consider this to be the best river trip in the country, thanks to the scenery (the waterway rolls through a landscape full of 10,000-foot peaks, vertical cliffs, and thick Douglas fir) and the adrenaline rush (100 rapids, from class III to class IV, in 100 miles).

Thousands of people paddle the Middle Fork every summer. Fortunately, the river is managed for its wilderness quality, with only seven group launches allowed per day during the summer and a 30-person max for commercial trips. During the week-long trip, you鈥檒l camp on the beaches, see Native American artifacts like petroglyphs and pottery left by the Nez Perce and Shoshone-Bannock tribes, and soak in hot springs.

The most out-there you鈥檒l feel is 80 miles into the trip, paddling into Impassable Canyon, a narrow, steep-walled gorge packed with big rapids. Shortly after entering the canyon, eddy out and take a quick side hike to Veil Falls, a waterfall that drops into a cave-like amphitheater.

How to Get There: Most boaters and commercial trips put in at Indian Creek and take out at Cache Bar, after the rivers converge. offers six-day trips on the whole river ($3,599 per person) with catered meals. If you want to lead your own group, apply for a , to be assigned via a random lottery ($6 reservation fee and $4 per person per day recreation fee). Applications for lottery permits to raft between May 28 and September 3 are accepted from December 1 to January 31, with results announced on February 14.

7. Remote Hike

100-Mile Wilderness, Maine

The 2,000-mile Appalachian Trail is legendary, but it鈥檚 not exactly remote, considering that it crosses roads and dips into towns along the Appalachian chain up the East Coast. The section, in Maine, is an entirely different story, however, offering a stretch of trail interrupted only by the occasional forest road and fishing camp/hiker lodge.

Hike this piece of the A.T. from highway 15 to Abol Bridge in Baxter State Park if you want a bit of solitude, but be prepared to work for it. The route typically takes 10 days and features more than 20,000 feet of elevation gain up and over the Barren-Chairback and Whitecap Mountain Ranges. You鈥檒l ford rivers and traverse ankle-turning scree. You can filter water along the way, but will need to carry your food, so count on a heavy pack, too.

Cranberry bogs and isolated ponds punctuate the landscape of dense pine and hardwood forest, and you can see Lake Onawa from the rocky peak of Barren Mountain. As for fauna, you may well spot moose as you hike. You can add another 14 miles to the hike to tack on Katahdin (5,268 feet), Maine鈥檚 highest peak and the official end of the A.T.

How to Get There: It鈥檚 easy to reach the southern end of the 100-Mile Wilderness; it鈥檚 located off highway 15 in Monson. But traversing the truly remote stretches of the A.T. through this stretch of wilderness is up to your legs and lungs. July is the best month, as the black flies have mostly disappeared and the north-bound thru-hikers haven鈥檛 showed up yet. in Monson offers shuttles and can arrange for food drops to lighten your load. The 100-Mile Wilderness isn鈥檛 completely devoid of civilization; the Appalachian Mountain Club operates a few lodges in the area, but you won鈥檛 see them from the trail.

8. Remote Surf Break

Santa Rosa Island, Channel Islands National Park, California

Channel Islands National Park protects five islands off the coast of Southern California, and all offer the kind of remote setting many of us crave after spending time in a generally populous region. While coming here is an effort, the 53,000-acre Santa Rosa Island promises secluded backcountry beach campsites on soft patches of sand tucked into coves and surrounded by cliffs and sea caves, with wilderness-style surfing where you鈥檒l never have to wait in a lineup for a wave.

The only access is via boat. If you take the ferry operated by Island Packers (see below), you鈥檒l be dropped off at a pier in Becher鈥檚 Bay. Just 1.5 miles from the pier is the 15-site Water Canyon Campground, with drinking water and shelter from the sun. There are even flush toilets. You could feasibly base out of here and day-hike to various beaches on the southern coast of Santa Rosa, where the surfing is the most consistent in summer. Water Canyon also has its own beach that extends from the pier to East Point for several miles during low tide.

But the best surfing is further south, as the coast picks up south-southwestern swells during the summer. There are breaks along the beaches starting at East Point and moving south down the coast. After a drop-off at the pier (see below), follow Coastal Road south from the pier for several miles through grassland and Torrey Pines until it wraps around East Point. This means carrying your surfboard and camping gear. You鈥檒l see small beaches along the rugged coast that are open for camping between August 15 and December 31. Look for the high-tide line to determine which beach is safe for camping (and then pitch your tent way above that mark). Larger beaches are just another mile down the coast.

Santa Rosa offers loads of other adventures as well. The water is surprisingly clear compared to what you find off the mainland, so snorkeling is primo, with reefs and kelp forests hiding abalone and lobsters. And there鈥檚 no light pollution, so the night sky is popping.

How to Get There: If you have a friend with a boat, call in a favor, as you could cruise the 40 miles from SoCal to Santa Rosa and surf one of these remote breaks without needing to camp. Otherwise, catch a ferry with (from $45 per person, one way) and get dropped off at Becher鈥檚 Bay and start hiking. Make sure you have a in advance (from $15 per night), because you鈥檒l need that to reserve a spot on the ferry.

9. Remote Safari

Mount Nkungwe, Tanzania

Africa is brimming with remote places, but , in the western edge of Tanzania, has a special mix of isolation, exceptional wildlife, and beauty. There are no roads within the 632-square-mile park, so all travel is on foot, and Mahale occupies a peninsula jutting into the massive Lake Tanganyika, one of the largest lakes in the world, so the only way to reach it is by plane or a day-long boat ride.

The park was established in 1985 to protect the world鈥檚 largest known population of chimpanzees, which today are thriving at 1,000-strong. It鈥檚 also one of the few places in the world where chimps and leopards share the same terrain. The park鈥檚 landscape quickly shifts from white sandy beaches on the shore of Tanganyika to dense forest and steep mountain slopes cloaked in mist.

Reaching the park alone is a feat, but if you really want to tick off a far-removed spot, climb Mount Nkungwe (8,077 feet), the tallest mountain inside the park鈥檚 borders. It鈥檚 a grueling 10-day hike, requiring that you go up and over two sub-peaks and gaining more than 6,000 feet in elevation to reach the summit. Most hikers break the trip up into three days, camping along the way. The views from the top are astounding鈥攜ou can see all of the Mahale Mountains and Lake Tanganyika below鈥攂ut the summit isn鈥檛 the real highlight of this journey. In addition to chimpanzees, you鈥檒l have the chance to see elephants, giraffes, and buffalo, not to mention the red colobus monkeys that live in the higher elevations of the park.

How to Get There: The fastest way to reach Mahale Mountains National Park is by plane, but most people arrive by boat. It鈥檚 easy to charter a boat from the town of Kigoma, and speedboats make the journey in four hours. , a six-tent luxury property on the white sands of Tanganyika, is the most popular place to stay, especially since a family of chimps lives in the jungle nearby (from $2,250 a night during high season between June and September, all inclusive). Published fees to enter the park are $40 per person, but reports from some previous visitors indicate the price fluctuates. All hikes require accompaniment by a ranger. Reach out to the directly for timing, fees, and other information.

10. Remote Dunes

Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Park, Saskatchewan, Canada

The Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Park covers 62 miles of sand dunes in far north Saskatchewan. These are the most northerly sand dunes on the planet鈥攁 slice of the Sahara in the midst of Canada鈥檚 boreal forest. But unlike the Sahara, Athabasca, which is flanked by a large lake and dissected by three rivers, has plenty of fresh water.

You can only reach the dunes by float plane or boat, and there are no services within the park. No roads, no cell service, no rangers or structures, so be prepared to take care of yourself in a wilderness setting. Head to the William River Dune field, where the longest, largest dunes are. Land on the shore of Thomson Bay and hike west across the smaller Thomson Bay Dune Field for four miles to the Williams River. If the water鈥檚 low enough, you can wade over to explore the largest dunes in the park. You can within the park from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

How to Get There: Stony Rapids, on the eastern edge of Lake Athabasca, is the closest gateway town, though 90 miles east of the dunes. It has a float-plane base, making chartering a plane easy (but not cheap). Fly to Thomson Bay and start hiking west. offers a guided six-day backpacking adventure that includes the flight into the park from Fort McMurray ($3,900 per person).

11. Remote Mountain Peak

Mount Khuiten, Mongolia

A trip up Mount Khuiten (14,350 feet), the tallest peak in Mongolia, presents experiences in both solitude and culture. Khuiten sits in the heart of Altai Tavan Bogd National Park, which preserves 6,362 square miles of lakes, glaciers, and snow-capped mountains in western Mongolia. Altai is one of those places where you want to have a good map and a local guide, because if you get lost here, you could end up in either China or Russia (the park shares a border with both countries). This is a dream trip but a demanding one, so be experienced and prepared, and arrive fit and with top-flight warm gear. See below for intel on finding a guide.

The park encompasses groupings of petroglyphs and burial sites that illustrate the development of Mongolian nomadic culture over a 12,000-year time period, earning the area status. You have the chance to see some of these petroglyphs on the multi-day journey to the summit of Khuiten. You鈥檒l also see modern-day nomadic culture, as the road into the park passes communities in traditional yurts.

As for the approach, the 10-mile trek from the edge of the park to basecamp ends at the 8.5-mile-wide Potanin Glacier, with camels to carry your gear. Most people climb the smaller sister mountain, Malchin Peak, to acclimatize to the altitude before navigating the crevasses of Potanin Glacier to High Camp on the edge of Khuiten. The final push to the top of Mount Khuiten is 3,000 feet up steep, snow-covered slopes requiring crampons, ice axes, and ropework. The view from the snow-capped summit encompasses all of the Altai Mountains as you gaze down on three countries: Mongolia, China, and Russia.

How to Get There: Fly into UlaanBaatar, Mongolia, and take a domestic puddle jumper to the village of Olgii, on the edge of the park. From there, it鈥檚 a six-hour drive over rough roads to the ranger station just inside the park. Next you鈥檙e on foot for days, depending on how much you want to acclimate, before your summit bid. The trek requires mountaineering skills and local knowledge, so hire a guide. is a trekking company owned by locals that offers a variety of expeditions on and around Khuiten (from $2,600 per person).

How to Be a Conscientious Visitor

Keep in mind some basic rules when you鈥檙e traveling to these far-flung locales. Follow Leave No Trace principles, taking everything you brought to the destination back home when you leave. Respect local cultures and customs, and learn about whose land you鈥檙e on. Whenever possible, stay in a lodge where the money goes directly to local entrepreneurs, and use local guides and services. Buy something if you can afford it. Always protect the wildlife and natural environment, which means keeping your distance and minimizing your impact.

Graham Averill is 国产吃瓜黑料 magazine鈥檚 national parks columnist. If he has to choose between a remote beach and a remote mountaintop, it鈥檚 going to be sand and surf every time.

For more by Graham Averill, see:

7 Most Adventurous Ways to See the Total Eclipse聽of 2024

The 6 Most Adventurous Train Trips in North America

The Best Budget Airlines鈥攁nd 国产吃瓜黑料 Locales They Go To

The post 11 Remote Destinations That Are Definitely Worth the Effort to Visit appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

In case you haven鈥檛 heard, minimalism is in. Everyone from Marie Kondo to #vanlifers聽are聽preaching the value of cutting back on clutter and replacing stuff with experiences. There鈥檚 research to back them up: a from Cornell University showed that experiential and uncommon purchases, like flights, tend to bring young people more happiness and are better remembered than material gifts. So聽if you鈥檙e stuck on what to get your friend, family member, or partner for the holidays this year, consider buying them a plane ticket for a trip they won鈥檛 forget聽instead of the latest tech that will be obsolete in two years anyway.听

Given the fact that Americans receive 聽time than workers in other countries, gifting a plane ticket seems like a risky endeavor. But聽sites like Gotogate or Spirit鈥檚 Flight Flex allow you to book flexible tickets, while ,听, ,听, and聽聽also have the option to buy, gift, or transfer miles, so your loved ones can book their flights when it works best. Other companies also offer 聽for airline travel. The only thing left to do is to decide where to send them. These six destinations will work for whatever type of traveler you have in your life.听

For the 国产吃瓜黑料 Seeker

Sinai Peninsula, Egypt聽

While Egypt is usually known for its history and culture, the Sinai Peninsula offers abundant . has stunning coral reefs that are home to many of the Red Sea鈥檚 100 fish species. Experienced scuba divers should check out the Blue Hole, off the coast of Dahab, a sinkhole with crystalline water that鈥檚 more than 300 feet deep.听Those who want to stay on dry land can tackle the Sinai Trail, Egypt鈥檚 first long-distance walk. Opened in 2015, the trail stretches 150 miles from the Gulf of Aqaba, just east of Sinai, then聽takes聽hikers to the top of 8,625-foot Mount Catherine, Egypt鈥檚 highest peak. Note: the route takes about 14 days to complete, and all visitors must .听

Best time to go: June through August
Price tag: Round-trip airline tickets to start at around $1,200 from Los Angeles and Chicago聽and $900 from New York City.听

Boquete, Panama

One of the most noteworthy aspects of Boquete is the hike to the peak of Bar煤聽Volcano, 笔补苍补尘补鈥檚 highest point at 11,398 feet. Reaching the top of the active stratovolcano involves a strenuous eight-mile trek from the Volc谩n Bar煤 National Park ranger station, but it鈥檚 worth it as it鈥檚 one of the few places in the world where you can see both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea at the same time. The nearby Lost Waterfalls Trail, about 20 minutes from Boquete, in Los Naranjos, is a more moderate four-mile round-trip hike to three falls through the thick rainforest of a private nature reserve. It offers the chance for both swimming and spotting monkeys, sloths, and tapirs. Along the way to the Lost Waterfalls, stop at Los Ladrillos, a natural basalt climbing wall featuring聽top-rope climbing on more than 30 easy-to-expert routes.

Best time to go: February through March or September through October
Price tag: Round-trip flights to 聽start at around $700 from Los Angeles and $800 from Chicago and New York City.听

For the One Who Needs a Vacation聽

Lake Louise, Alberta

Located in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies, Lake Louise is the epitome of Instagram-photo tranquility, with bright blue waters ringed by soaring peaks. Along with plentiful skiing and hiking opportunities, Banff offers tons of opportunities to kick back. Banff Upper Hot Springs has mineral water rising from 1.8 miles below the earth鈥檚 crust, naturally heated to 104 degrees. Or聽 for a scenic, relaxing paddle on the lake鈥檚 turquoise waters. For a treat, book your loved one a room at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise (from $260), which has programs in meditation, yoga, and creativity coaching.听

Best time to go:聽Late June through mid-September聽
Price tag: Round-trip flights to start at around $300 from Los Angeles and $500 from Chicago and New York City.

Provence, France

Best known for , Provence also caters to outdoor enthusiasts. The nine-mile Blanc-Martel Trail winds through the Gorges du Verdon river canyon, often called Europe鈥檚 most beautiful,听with views of turquoise-green water and dramatic cliffs. There鈥檚 also the three-hour P锚cheurs circuit trail, a moderate walk that climbs down to the water and back up again, with聽options to paddle and boat along the river. Or take a tour of the blooming lavender fields at S茅nanque Abbey in Gordes between June and August. And聽of course, don鈥檛 leave without sampling ros茅 at the famous Ch芒teau聽de Berne.听

Best time to go: March to May and September through November聽
Price tag: Round-trip flights to 聽start at around $650 from Los Angeles, $550 from Chicago, and $500 from New York City.听

For the History Buff

Mexico City, Mexico

Museum lovers can spend days traversing the hallways of the National Museum of Anthropology, right across from Chapultepec Park, which houses one of the world鈥檚 largest collections of pre-Columbian artifacts. Then聽there鈥檚 the living history: the famed , a Unesco聽World Heritage site, has over 2,000 ruins, including the Pyramid of the Moon, the Pyramid of the Sun, the Ciudadela (Citadel), and the Temple of Quetzalcoatl. There鈥檚 also Templo Mayor Museum, the most prominent temple of the Mexican people, located near Z贸calo, the city鈥檚 main public square. More modern history can be found at the National Palace or while walking the streets of Coyoac谩n, home to Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera鈥檚 colorful Casa Azul, as well as Marxist revolutionary Leon Trotsky鈥檚 house and place of death. While primarily an urban landscape, outdoor offerings abound within two hours from the city center, including hikeable聽volcanoes聽like聽Nevado de Toluca (15,354 feet) and Iztaccihuatl (17,126 feet).

Best time to go: March through May
Price tag: Round-trip flights to start at around $250 from Los Angeles, $260 from Chicago, and $290 from New York City.听

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic聽

Santo Domingo is one of the Caribbean鈥檚 oldest cities and a Unesco聽World Heritage site. The Zona Colonial is the town鈥檚 historical center, which includes Catedral Primada de Am茅rica聽(the first cathedral in America),听Fortaleza Ozama, a retired military fort, and Calle Las Damas, the oldest street in the city. About a five-mile drive from the city聽sits , with three open-air limestone caverns, each holding an iridescent lagoon. Even the area鈥檚 natural wonders are steeped in history: once used for ceremonies, the caves feature pottery shards and petroglyphs.听

Best time to go: November through March
Price tag: Round-trip flights to 聽start at around $290 from Los Angeles, $250 from Chicago, and $220 from New York City.听

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As a lifelong solo traveler and a writer who has made it my mission to inspire as many people as possible to聽, I鈥檓 constantly bombarded with questions, anxieties, and doubts from would-be adventurers worried about going it alone. What if they get lost, sick, stranded, or worse?聽It certainly doesn鈥檛 help when major news outlets like The New York Times focus on the bad side of travel with articles titled 鈥溾�� That only gives fodder to our mothers to justify their 鈥渨hy can鈥檛 you just stay at home and be safe鈥� sermons. As if staying home is any safer than travel, right?聽While it鈥檚 natural to be nervous before your first solo trip鈥攁nd things can indeed聽go wrong鈥攖hat shouldn鈥檛 stop anyone from booking their dream vacation. In my experience, traveling by yourself is not only a lot safer than you might think, but it鈥檚 also incredibly rewarding. I鈥檝e also found that the best way to combat the fear is with knowledge. With that in mind, I racked my brain and came up with a list of six things everyone should know before they head abroad alone.

Ignore Everyone Who Doesn鈥檛 Give Real Advice

People love to plant seeds of doubt in your mind when you say you鈥檙e going on a solo adventure. Though that鈥檚 frustrating, I find it almost always comes from people who don鈥檛 travel at all. For example, before I visited Turkey a couple of years ago, everyone told me it was dangerous and that I was an idiot for going there alone, especially as a woman. But when I pressed and asked what their experience in the country was like, lo and behold, none of them had actually been there. So take any advice you receive with a grain of salt, and instead聽do your own research and talk to travelers who鈥檝e actually been to the places you want to go. Instagram and the internet are brimming with people like me who love oversharing our adventures.

Be As Prepared As Possible (But Be Flexible, Too)

Speaking of advice, one of the most common tips you鈥檒l come across is to be open-minded and flexible when you travel. While you can prepare to the moon and back, you鈥檙e still going to get smacked in the face with surprises and mistakes. That鈥檚 part of what makes international travel so fun and life changing. That said, there鈥檚 a big difference between going with the flow and rolling into a city like Paris when you鈥檙e on a tight budget without a place to stay, only to find that every hostel is full (like I did on my first solo trip).

Doing a bit of research and prep work goes a long way. Make a list of the places you鈥檙e planning on visiting,听look into the risks those places might present and ways to mitigate them, and check for tips specific to the areas you鈥檙e planning on visiting. Nowadays, at a minimum, I have my flights booked in advance聽and my first night鈥檚 accommodation booked, so that when I arrive, I am guaranteed to have somewhere to stay. Then I usually have an outline of what I want to do during聽my trip and play the rest by ear. After all, some of the best suggestions or ideas won鈥檛 come up until you鈥檙e on the ground. I would聽never have visited , in southern Italy, one of the coolest places I鈥檝e ever been, if I hadn鈥檛 met a couple of grandmas on an island in Greece who raved about it.

Share Your Plan with Others

Another blinding flash of the obvious, I know, but no matter where you鈥檙e traveling, it鈥檚 a good idea to share your plans, even if they鈥檙e tentative, with someone, and check in regularly. This is especially true if you will be out of communication for an extended period of time. I often go out hiking alone for days without service, and I always make sure to give an ETA to friends who can alert the authorities if I don鈥檛 show up when I鈥檓 supposed to. And even though I take an average of 100 flights per year, my mom still has all my flight numbers and tracks them, and I check in with her when I land. I also pass along my hotel details to my family so they know a basic outline of where I鈥檒l be and when I’ll be there.

Embrace Your Gut Feelings

I鈥檓 not talking about that聽rumble in your聽stomach after eating a questionable street kebab in Bangkok, though if you鈥檝e read my piece on the聽darker side of solo travel, you鈥檒l know to listen to those feelings, too. I鈥檓 talking about the聽feeling that says, Hmm, this situation seems a bit weird聽or This person is giving off odd vibes.听That sensation聽should guide your solo travels. Do not ignore it. Embrace it, and get the hell away from whatever is causing it. The more travel you do, the better you鈥檒l get at reading new, unfamiliar situations, but until you鈥檝e fine-tuned your spider-sense, if something feels weird,听it probably is. So fuck politeness, and don鈥檛 try and make it work. Just move along and get somewhere safe.

Take Risks

That said, don鈥檛 be afraid to take risks. Some of the best experiences I鈥檝e ever had as a solo traveler came about by聽saying yes to adventures and opportunities that I might not have done otherwise. So if the situation feels right, don鈥檛 be afraid to go out to dinner with people you鈥檝e just met聽or spontaneously join a hike somewhere cool with fellow backpackers. Just tell someone what you鈥檙e doing first, OK?

It鈥檒l Be One of the Best Life Lessons

Here鈥檚 what the in this age of intense media scrutiny, true-crime podcasts, and an unhealthy love for the macabre: solo travel is one of the most rewarding and special experiences you can have in your lifetime. I don鈥檛 know if I鈥檝e ever met anyone who regretted it. Traveling alone opens your mind, broadens your horizons, and teaches you things about yourself you never knew, like how to be strong, confident, and competent without someone else to lean on. Just do it. Book the ticket and take the ride. You won鈥檛 regret it, I promise.

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You’ve likely seen the infamous and ubiquitous , which turns gaping at the city’s hard times into a sort of uncomfortable quasi-art.听Now, in South America, a suffering tourist economy is turning to another sort of ruin tour: A once-popular glacier that has become a victim of climate change.

As recently as the 1990s, the Pastoruri glacier was a hot destination for tourists in Peru’s , located in the southern stretches of the Cordillera Blanca range. Now, it’s mostly just hot. The glacier is half the size it was two decades ago, , and it’s hurting tourism. In its heyday, Pastoruri saw 100,000 visitors annually; in 2012 that number shrank to just 34,000.

The rapid deterioration has also led to bans on climbing the actual (and increasingly tiny) glacier, but you’re more than welcome to come hike the “climate change route” to its base. The route is part of a larger circuit through the region that’s been in the works since 2010. It’s designed to inform visitors鈥攖hrough signage, tours and an interpretive center鈥攁bout how the shifting climate is erasing Pastoruri and many other glaciers in the region.

Offering trekkers a “last chance” look at the Pastoruri or other receding glaciers could boost traffic to the park and bring in much-needed tourism money, but that remains to be seen. As for the glacier itself? Over the years, the park has implemented interventions like spreading sawdust on the glacier to insulate it, and painting rock outcroppings white to decrease the snow’s reflectivity. These measures slow melting, but only by a hair.听

And Pastoruri鈥檚 not alone. In what was once the ice-choked Northwest Passage, Crystal Cruises sees 鈥渢he beginning of a new era of exploration鈥濃�攎eaning that for $20,000 you can spend a full month luxuriating in, uh, climate change? Of course, the company spins it much more favorably in its marketing materials: 鈥淐rystal Serenity becomes the very first luxury ship to ever traverse the Northwest Passage, a mystical Pacific-Atlantic sea route far beyond the Arctic Circle that for centuries captured the imaginations of kings, explorers and adventurers.鈥� It’s a fair bet that none of those adventurers figured that one day, the ice would be replaced by a cruise ship carrying 1,700 vacationers hoping to glimpse polar bears or narwhals.

The company notes that 鈥減rominent luminaries in exploration, science, and/or politics鈥� will join parts of the expedition, but mentions nothing about how climate change helped make the venue what it is today. No surprise, since the company is really not known for being green. In the , which tracks the progress, or lack thereof, various cruise lines are making toward environmental friendliness, Crystal Cruise Lines earned an F, and so did Crystal Serenity, the boat headed into the passage.

In a more hopeful turn of events, some companies are seeing climate change as an opportunity to introduce activist tourism. On Pele Island in Vanuatu, tourists can add聽聽to their snorkeling itinerary. As they snorkel, they look for broken coral pieces and fasten them to grids mounted underwater, where (fingers crossed) they’ll grow into healthy coral systems again. Tourists to can do the same thing. In both places, a portion of tour revenues goes toward wider conservation and climate change adaptation efforts.

Clearly, climate change tourism is a thing now. The degree to which it will exasperate or respond to climate change, however, appears to be up to the companies and local economies that foster the trend.

As for Peru, even if this climate change tourism scheme works, it is at best a Band-Aid. Eventually, Pastoruri will be gone and locals will need to find other, and hopefully more sustainable, means of making a living. Because merely pointing to scree and saying, “Here once sat a glacier,” does not have quite the draw (no matter how uncomfortable) of pointing to a dilapidated building and saying, “Here once sat a gear in the engine that ran Motor City.”

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Overrated destinations don鈥檛 exist鈥攐nly unimaginative travelers. You can turn any trip, even to the lamest of foreign tourist traps, into a cultural adventure with a little planning and research. So, instead of focusing on a specific 鈥渙verrated鈥� country or town, I鈥檒l point out a couple of popular, well-known resorts鈥攚hich we鈥檒l call 鈥渙verrated鈥濃�攖hat you can probably erase from your must-visit list. (Hint, you鈥檒l notice that I can鈥檛 stand massive, self-contained, all-inclusive resorts filled with Americans who never venture off-property.) I鈥檒l also recommend some quiet spots鈥攆or our purposes: 鈥渦nderrated鈥濃�攖hat might be off your radar.

Coconut Beach Club, Antigua
Excellence, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Jungle Bay, Dominica
The Royal, Cancun, Mexico

Underrated Caribbean Retreats: Coconut Beach Club, Antigua

I鈥檓 a huge fan of the safe, placid island of Antigua and its uncrowded beaches. The people鈥攆rom the sailing partiers of Falmouth Harbor in the south to the shopkeepers of St. Johns on the north end鈥攁re warm and welcoming, as long as you remember to drive on the left side of the road. offers 59 wooden, open Caribbean-style cottages perched above the ocean, where you can watch the waves fall onto the long, white beach from the hammock or Adirondack chairs on your balcony. Rates start at $375 a night.

Overrated Caribbean Retreats: Excellence, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

To say that Punta Cana, on the eastern side of the island, gets a little overrun with American tourists is like saying that Wisconsinites sort of have a thing for cheese. It鈥檚 with good reason, though. Punta Cana鈥檚 sugary beaches, warm, shallow waters, and tropical climate are ideals of a Caribbean vacation. But if you鈥檙e going to the deservedly world-renowned, adults-only , you鈥檙e probably not planning to ever leave the property, which occupies a mile-long stretch of beach all to itself. Boasting nearly 450 rooms, nine restaurants, and a 4,500-square-foot fitness center, it practically dares you to find a reason to venture off its secluded confines. Rates start at $462 a night.

Underrated Caribbean Retreats: Jungle Bay Resort, Dominica

Sleepy, barely-discovered Dominica is kind of like Costa Rica, just on its own island鈥攙erdant, hilly, and filled with tropical beauty. Domica attracts an outdoorsy set who prefer zip-lining and hiking through volcano-carved jungles over sunbathing. And the finest of the island鈥檚 small selection of eco-resorts is . Its hardwood-framed cottages, etched into the steep hillside on stilts鈥攕ome that require a 200-step climb from the main path鈥攐verlook the water and offer seclusion within the jungle. Rates start at $283 a night.

Overrated Caribbean Retreats: The Royal, Cancun

Cancun. Need I say more? The beach bars are like Venus flytraps filled with Jell-O shots, or something, but you really can have some non-Spring Break fun here if you try. There are the archeological sites at Chichen Itza and Tulum, the magnificent island of Isla Mujeres, and, of course, the beach at Cancun itself. One of the more highly-regarded resorts is 鈥攊f you鈥檙e into sprawling, soul-sucking concrete palaces with 288 satellite-TV-equipped rooms, eight restaurants (with cuisine covering four continents), 14 bars, a jewelry store, and unisex beauty salon. Ugh. But hey, if that鈥檚 your thing, by all means. Rates start at $647 a night.

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Places that get lots of rain鈥攍ike tropical countries covered in rainforest鈥攇enerally have raging rivers. Go figure. But most travelers to these places are too busy lubing up with sunscreen at the beach to notice or care. The advantage to rafting in the rainforest is that it’s generally a lot warmer than the Snake or Colorado. Plus, the monkeys swinging in the canopy above you make for great pictures.

Honduras
The runs near the Caribbean coast of this Central American country are short, but get the heart pounding. One of the region鈥檚 most famous is a 20-mile stretch of the Cangrejal River, which drains into the sea from the heart of the Nombre de Dios mountains. The upper and middle portions are strewn with Class V rapids, but become more navigable as the river plummets through the jungle, down to Class II through IV runs in the lower section. runs eight-hour trips, starting in the upper section, for $135.

Dominican Republic
The lifeblood of the Dominican Republic is the twisting, 80-mile-long Yaque del Norte River, which originates in the country鈥檚 central mountains and eventually dumps into the sea in the Bahia de Monte Cristi to the northwest. Trips begin near the high-elevation town of Jarabacoa, and last for about a half-day, passing through a washboard of churning Class III rapids (and maybe class IV if the water is high). is one of a handful of operators. Trips cost $75.听

Costa Rica
Though I didn鈥檛 do the math myself, I’ve heard claims that there are more rivers per square mile in Costa Rica than in any other country in the world. Given the amount of rain that drops onto the slopes of its tall volcanic peaks, this statistic doesn鈥檛 seem like a stretch. The premier paddling waterway is the 100-mile-long Pacuare River, ornamented with class IV and V rapids, and home to last year鈥檚 World Rafting Championships. Day trips will take you through the rollicking lower stretch, but the best way to see the river is to take a three-day excursion that starts on the upper half and heads down through a world of virgin rainforest. offers day trips that start at $95.

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Let’s get this straight: you wan place that’s beach-filled but mountainous, and fun and luxurious鈥攂ut cheap. I’ll do my best to achieve the near-impossible here. My first suggestion is to go with a Caribbean destination. There are tons of fantastic islands with mountainous terrain not too far from the beach. Second, to keep costs down you should pick somewhere that can be accessed by a lot of direct flights from the States. With those suggestions in mind, here are a couple of possibilities.

Port Antonio, Jamaica, as seen from Folly Point Lighthouse

Port Antonio, Jamaica, as seen from Folly Point Lighthouse

Port Antonio, Jamaica
This port town on Jamaica’s northeast coast, about 90 minutes from Kingston, has never firmly established itself on the tourist map, thank goodness. As a result, its sugary beaches stay relatively empty, the resorts are cheaper, and it’s not tacky or overbuilt. The Port Antonio area is also the prime base for hiking and backpacking adventures into the rugged Blue Mountains, which rise as high as 7,400 feet.

Stay: Nowhere else but , a 45-acre beachside estate (which calls itself the first-ever all-inclusive resort) where Queen Elizabeth and her royal rugrats once stayed in the 1960s but you can now get a one-room villa for $95 a night, or a three-bedroom one for $295 a night.

Cabarete, Dominican Republic
Forget the town of Puerto Plata, which has become a hive of all-inclusive resorts鈥攚here people go to enjoy the benefits of a tropical land with all of the culturally barren comforts of home. A better compromise for adventurous you and your stick-in-the-sand friends would be nearby Cabarete, slightly further east on the Dominican Republic’s north coast. It’s grittier than Puerto Plata, and overrun with Europeans (not that there’s anything wrong with that) and kitesurfers, but incredibly lively and diverse. It’s also the jumping-off point for the three-day climb up the Caribbean’s tallest mountain, 11,000-foot Pico Duarte.

Stay: is one of the Caribbean’s low-cost luxury gems (although officially, it’s on the Atlantic). The resort boasts an infinity pool, the suites have kitchenettes for budget-minded groups, and yes, cabana boys will serve fruity drinks with toothpick umbrellas in them at the beach, rates start at $99). Local adventure outfitter will arrange your hike up Pico Duarte.

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Getting far, far, far away from it all is easier鈥攁nd cheaper鈥攖han you think. Presenting seven adventure-packed Caribbean island escapes.

The Over-Under

SABA, NETHERLANDS ANTILLES

The most challenging part of a trip to Saba, a five-square-mile volcanic island 28 miles southwest of St. Maarten, is the arrival. Saba has the shortest commercial runway聴1,312 feet聴in the world. Think of it as an aircraft carrier made of rainforest and cliffs. But once you touch down, your toughest decision is whether to hike into a cloudforest or dive among coral-covered seamounts. Base yourself in a hot-tub-equipped cottage at Dutch marine biologist Tom van't Hof's Ecolodge Rendez-Vous (doubles, $85; ). Then hike past sweeping ocean vistas on the way up 2,877-foot Mount Scenery. Post-hike, head for the centrally located village of Windwardside, home to Sea Saba Advanced Dive Center. The outfitter leads half-day snorkeling trips and four-day scuba-certification courses in Saba National Marine Park, which van't Hof founded 20 years ago (snorkeling trips, $35; dive course, $450; ). Winair flies daily from St. Maarten to Saba (from $150; ).

Surf and Slip

BARBADOS

Among diehard surfers, Barbados is famous for Soup Bowl, a nasty curl off the eastern shore. Less known聴and far more appealing for mortals聴are the dozens of forgiving swells surrounding the 166-square-mile island. Newbies will find Freights Bay, near Barbados's southern tip, plenty welcoming. Fryers Well, outside of Speightstown, is a good intermediate option. And Tropicana, a left-hand break north of Holetown, offers hairball thrills. Seek lessons from Christ Church Parish聳based surf master Melanie Pitcher ($70; ). On land, do as the locals do: Drink the world's best rum. First, hit the Mount Gay distillery (), where charred-oak barrels give the rum its caramel flavor. Then make for the parish of St. James, home to the John Moore bar, one of Barbados's finest rum shacks. Here, cricket matches are fiercely debated over strong punch and grilled bonita. A solid oceanside crash pad is the Peach & Quiet, in Inch Marlow (doubles from $110; ).

Little Big League

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

In this nation of 9.5 million, b茅isbol is not the pastime we know in the States. It's a way of life. Discover as much in Santo Domingo's training grounds, where teams like Aguilas Cibae帽as play in front of crowds that make the Fenway faithful look like sushi eaters (tickets generally cost less than $20; schedule available at ). The pro season runs from October through January, but baseball never stops. Coming this winter? Head to Boca Chica, 45 minutes east of Santo Domingo, and see tomorrow's stars at the New York Mets' new 37-acre training complex. For off-field thrills, drive 2.5 hours north to the adventure ranch Rancho Baiguate, outside Jarabocoa (doubles, $145; ). The guides here are versatile. One day they'll float you eight miles down the Class II Yaque del Norte River ($50). The next, they'll start a multi-day trip up 10,417-foot Pico Duarte, the Caribbean's tallest peak ($385).

Where the Wild Things Are

MONA ISLAND, PUERTO RICO

Think of this as Puerto Rico's version of the Gal谩pagos. Mona Island, 46 miles west of Cabo Rojo, is open to just a few hundred visitors at a time, with the only overnight stays at campsites along its white-sand beach. Inland, nearly 90 percent of the terrain is 200-foot cliffs, riddled with half-mile-deep caverns. These contain the skeletons of many a conquistador and pirate. (Legend has it Captain Kidd once stayed here.) But come for the wildlife. On a four-day trip with mainland-based Acampa 国产吃瓜黑料 Tours, let four-foot Mona iguanas come to you like poodles, chase after blue-footed boobies, and spy on feral boars (you can also hunt them with bow and arrow in winter). Acampa arranges pickups throughout Puerto Rico, and trips should be booked one month in advance (roughly $750 per person for groups of ten; ).

Ghost Fish

SOUTH ANDROS ISLAND, BAHAMAS

Bonefish are hard to catch. Don't let anyone tell you differently. They look alternately like the white sand and mirrory water they swim between, and hooking them can require pinpoint casts of up to 70 feet. And that's the easy part聴they fight like Japanese motorcycles. A good guide is not just recommended but necessary. Raised within sight of the water they traffic, the crew at Andros South, a fishing-first lodge situated on the eastern shore of South Andros, are as good as it gets. Expect about ten of the hardest-fighting fish you've ever encountered on a fly rod, every day. Back at the no-frills lodge, munch on conch fritters and swill Kalik (Bahamian beer) as the sun gets low. Three-day trips from $2,000 ().

Blue Yonder

ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

The 32 islands and cays of St. Vincent and the Grenadines offer the most varied cruising in the Caribbean. Find Barefoot Yacht Charters, the region's best outfitter, off the southern tip of St. Vincent. Their six-night, American Sailing Association聳certified cruise school, aboard a 40-foot yacht, teaches guests to clear the anchor, trim the main, and laze on the beaches of Mayreau ($1,300; ). Already skippered? Hire a sail from Barefoot and drift ($1,800 per week). Your destination: the 16-square-mile Tobago Cays Marine Park, home to a sand-bottom lagoon and six island playgrounds (). Kick your feet up, bounce between islands, and tell your friend the hawksbill turtle you're never going home.

Time Out

CORN ISLANDS, NICARAGUA

Two chunks of sand 40 miles east of Nica颅ragua, the Corn Islands are the Caribbean in its primal state. Beaches are empty and wet-T-shirt contests won't make landfall for another 20 years. What to do? Just wander around with a snorkel, a cerveza, and a grin. The puddle-jumper from Managua leaves twice daily for the airstrip on Grand Corn ($165 round-trip; ). The “Grand” part is relative聴the island is about four square miles. Dive Nautilus runs trips out to a sunken 400-year-old Spanish galleon ($20; ). Sleep in a bungalow at Casa Canada, where the owners arrange guided jungle hikes (cabanas from $115; ). For dinner, spiny Caribbean lobster runs about $15 at the restaurants near the dock (try Lidia's Place). A trip to Little Corn, a patch of sand 30 minutes north via speedboat, is a must. The Dive Little Corn shop rents snorkeling gear (from $15; ). Crash at Casa Iguana, a wind-and-solar-powered eco-lodge (doubles from $35; ).

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Trinidad and Tobago
Language: English • Music: Calypso
Get Down: Join tens of thousands of revelers in Port-of-Spain, where after-hours on February 6 brings J’Ouvert, in which men and women in devil outfits smear each other with mud and oil. For the next two days, parade through the streets with costumed bands. Get Dirty: Catch the 15-minute flight to Crown Point and mountain-bike along seaside singletrack. Sleep: Base at the Coblentz Inn Boutique Hotel, a five-minute stroll from the parades.
Access & Resources
Flights from Port-of-Spain to Crown Point on BWIA cost $35; 800-538-2942, . Mountain Biking Tobago charges $40 per person for guided tours; 868-639-9709, . Coblentz Inn Boutique Hotel: doubles, $120; 868-621-0541, .

Guadeloupe
Language: French • Music: Zouk
Get Down: These isles kick off the festivities with a nationwide pajama party in early February. Things peak in the capital of Basse Terre on February 9, when thousands in wolf costumes lead a processional to the beach for a Burning Man–like torching of wooden Carnival kings. Get Dirty: Scuba-dive in Jacques Cousteau Underwater Park. Sleep: Rent a mountain suite with ocean views at Domaine de Malendure, 45 minutes by taxi from Basse Terre.
Access & Resources
Dive with CIP Guadeloupe, $47 per person; 011-590-590-988-172, . Domaine de Malendure: doubles, $170; 011-590-590-989-212.

Salvador da Bahia, Brazil
Language: Portuguese • Music: AX脡
Get Down: From February 3 to 8, some two million swingers turn this colonial beach town into a raucous rave. Seek out the rumblings of Afro blocos, enormous drum troupes pounding out soulful rhythms in the Pelourinho District. Get Dirty: Take a 40-minute flight to Ilh茅us, portal to Brazil’s wild Itacar茅 region, and raft the Class III Rio de Contas. Sleep: Stay at Hotel Redfish, a groovy guesthouse/art gallery in Salvador’s historical center.
Access & Resources
Ilh茅us flights on Varig Brazilian Airlines cost $99 one way; 800- 468-2744, www.varigbrasil.com. Run the Contas with Sul da Bahia, $26 per person; 011-55-73-251-3142, . Hotel Redfish: doubles, from $80; 011-55-71-243-8473, .

Dominican Republic
Language: Spanish • Music: Merengue
Get Down: Here the celebration lasts throughout February, climaxing on the 27th—the nation’s independence day—in the valley town of La Vega, where locals don grotesque demon masks featuring bull horns and dog teeth, then march between the two main parks as the beats blast. Get Dirty: Slip and slide on a canyoneering adventure. Sleep: Natura Caba帽as, on the popular north coast, is a blissfully lazy resort and spa.
Access & Resources
Canyoneering with Iguana Mama, $85–$100 per person; 800-849-4720, . Natura Caba帽as: doubles, $140; 809-571-1507, .

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To zero in on the most idyllic resorts this side of paradise, we dispatched a crack squad of writers to the Caribbean. They came back with a hit list of places where creature comforts and adventure are not mutually exclusive. Now it’s your turn.

By Katie Arnold

By Janine Sieja

By Randy Wayne White

By Hampton Sides

By Bonnie Tsui

By Grant Davis

By Sally Schumaier

By Mike Grudowski

By Karen Karbo

By Lisa Anne Auerbach

PLUS:
Swimming in Mosquito Bay, sailing the Grenadines, climbing 10,000-foot Pico Duarte, and five other don’t-miss dream outings.

Laluna

A minimalist’s idea of maximum bliss

Caribbean Resort, Grenada

Caribe, anyone? Laluna’s mod seaside lounge overlooking Portici Bay.

ON OUR THIRD MORNING IN GRENADA, we roasted the Chicken. Then we did what any sensible traveler in the Caribbean would do: We beelined it back to Laluna, a sublime refuge tucked into a hidden bay on the island’s southwest coast, and made straight for the sea. We were ridiculously filthy, splattered with mud from a three-hour mountain-bike ride with Chicken—a wiry, calf-strong Grenadian guide who’s such a fanatic cyclist, he’d already pedaled 25 miles before breakfast. (No wonder we beat him up the hills.) Salty but clean, we retired to the private plunge pool on our cottage’s wide wooden deck, taking in the uninterrupted view of Portici Bay. Time to debate the next move: Grab a book and sprawl across the teak settee on the veranda, wander down to the open-air lounge for a cold Caribe and a game of backgammon, loll poolside on a chaise, or have a massage? There’s only one house rule at this tiny, tony anti-resort: Make yourself at home. After three days, we felt so at home, we thought we were home—that is, if home were a stylish, thatch-roofed cabana notched into a hillside above an empty crescent of Caribbean beach. In our dreams.

The Good Life // Designed in 2001 by Gabriella Giuntoli, the Italian architect for Giorgio Armani’s villa on an island off Sicily, Laluna has a pared-down, natural aesthetic: Indonesian teak-chic meets spare Italian elegance. All 16 one- and two-bedroom concrete cottages—painted in cheerful shades of pumpkin, lapis, teal, and plum—are well-appointed but unfussy: Balinese four-poster beds draped with sheer muslin panels, earth-colored floors covered with sea-grass rugs, open-air bathrooms with mod metal fixtures. The same soothing mix of wood, cane, cotton, and thatch prevails in the resort’s beachfront courtyard. On one end is the breezy restaurant, where Italian chef Benedetto La Fiura cooks up Carib-Continental dishes like callaloo soup (an island specialty made from dasheen, a tuber with spinachlike leaves, and nutmeg) and mushroom risotto. On the other is the open-air lounge, with a fully stocked bar and comfy Indonesian daybeds with plump throw pillows, and low tables that double as footrests. Between the two is pure R&R: a sleek square pool with a perfect curve of beach beyond.

Jaw Dropper // Swinging the cottage’s mahogany-and-glass doors wide open at night and being lulled to sleep by the wind in the bougainvillea and the gentle rolling of waves below.

Sports on-Site // There’s no set agenda at Laluna, but there’s plenty to do. Guests with sailing experience can take out one of two Hobie Cats, as well as single and double sea kayaks, for the easy cruise to Morne Rouge Bay, the next cove over. There’s a small stash of snorkeling equipment available (keep an eye out for yellow-and-black-striped sergeant majors near the rocky points at either end of the beach) and Specialized mountain bikes for tooling around.

Beyond the Sand // Fight the urge to cocoon at Laluna and head inland and upward to Grand 脡tang Forest Reserve, a 3,800-acre tract of rainforest at 2,350 feet, along the island’s jungly spine. We spent a day in the charming company of 64-year-old Telfor Bedeau, known to all as the father of Grenada hiking. He led us on a four-hour ramble around Lake Grand ƒtang, a rogue crater left over from the island’s volcanic past, and along an overgrown tunnel of a trail to a series of five waterfalls (popularly, if erroneously, dubbed the Seven Sisters) and up a hidden path to a bonus cascade called Honeymoon Falls (half-day hikes, $20 per person; 473-442-6200). At A&E Tours, Chicken guides half-day, full-day, and multi-day mountain-bike rides along the coast or through the reserve (our three-hour pedal from the harbor capital of St. George’s over the serpentine, near-vertical Grenville Vale Road cost $25 per person, including bike rental; 473-435-1444, ).

The Fine Print // American Eagle (800-433-7300; ) flies the two and a half hours to Grenada daily from San Juan, Puerto Rico (round-trip from Chicago, about $785); Air Jamaica (800-523-5585; ) flies nonstop from New York’s JFK four days a week (about $400). From December 20 to April 13, rates at Laluna (473-439-0001, ) start at $530 per night, double occupancy, including water activities and bikes (the price drops to $290 in summer). A modified meal plan (breakfast and dinner) is $65 per person per day. Henry’s Safari Tours can take care of your on-island transportation and guiding needs (473-444-5313, ).

The Hermitage

Frangipani breezes, volcano view

THE SOUNDTRACK TO NEVIS, a volcanic bit of emerald-green pointing skyward in the West Indies, lacks a badass steel-drum reggae riff. Nevis, blessedly, is not that Caribbean. Its rhythms require closer attention: nocturnal, chirping bell frogs and murmuring trade winds that rustle the coconut palms and spread the sweetness of frangipani across 50 square miles of overgrown hills and dignified former sugarcane plantations. The most charming of these mansions, the Hermitage, is perched 800 feet above sea level on the southern flanks of dormant-for-now 3,232-foot Nevis Peak. The 15 gingerbread cottages and 340-year-old British colonial lodge are embellished with pastel-shuttered windows and four-poster canopy beds. Despite this dollhouse decor, you won’t feel embarrassed to take your lunch of grilled-flying-fish salad on the veranda after a muddy five-hour hike up the volcano. Just hose yourself off in the front yard first. The Good Life // Amiable American transplants Richard and Maureen Lupinacci bought the Hermitage 33 years ago. Its Great House, reputed to be the oldest wooden building in the Caribbean, is where guests dine by candlelight or sidle over to the bar for rum punch at cocktail hour. (The free-flowing mixture of dark Cavalier rum, syrup, lemon juice, and a dash of cinnamon is part of why the refined Hermitage vibe never crosses over into stuffiness.) Most of the cottages are restored originals—whitewashed, light-filled retreats furnished with regional antiques. All have hammock-equipped balconies for horizontal views of Nevis Peak and the white clouds that usually shroud its summit. The three-acre grounds are dotted with citrus, mango, and cashew trees, and have two pools and a tennis court.

Jaw Dropper // Roam trails crisscrossing the Gingerland District on one of the lodge’s 16 thoroughbreds, or charge up Saddle Hill to an old lookout used by British admiral Horatio Nelson in the 1780s.

Sports on-Site // Explore the terraced gardens of lilies, ginger, and hibiscus or take the ten-minute shuttle to four-mile Pinney’s Beach, the loveliest of Nevis’s sandy stretches. Just a quarter-mile from the inn is the trailhead for the mile-long climb to the summit of Nevis Peak (contact Top to Bottom; $35 per person; 869-469-9080).

Beyond the Sand // A wild donkey—an odd trail obstacle—brayed his displeasure as I pedaled the sea-grape-lined singletrack of Tower Hill. Windsurf ‘n’ Mountain Bike Nevis (869-469-9682, , ) offers half-day rides from $40, including use of a Trek front-suspension bike. At Oualie Beach, on the island’s northwestern coast, let marine biologist Barbara Whitman introduce you to four-eyed butterfly fish, goat fish, flame coral, and pink sea anemones. Under the Sea (869-469-1291, ) charges $40 for a three-hour snorkel, including gear.

The Fine Print // American Airlines (800-433-7300, ) is the only major U.S. carrier serving Nevis. The daily flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico, takes an hour and 15 minutes (round-trip airfare from New York City costs about $725; from Denver, about $980). From December 15 to April 15, rates at the Hermitage (800-682-4025, ) start at $325 for a double, including a full breakfast (low-season rates from $170).

Anse Chastanet

This is jungle luxe

Caribbean Resort, St. Lucia

Petit Piton looms as Anse Chastanet’s yacht heads out for a day at sea.

Caribbean Resort, St. Lucia

Walls optional: a hillside villa at Anse Chastanet

MY FIRST DAWN on St. Lucia, a big teardrop of an island wedged between Martinique and St. Vincent in the Lesser Antilles, was disappointing. I’d flown in on the dark of the moon and arrived at Anse Chastanet, a 600-acre resort perched on the rugged southwestern shore, too late to see anything but a macrodome of stars. The next morning, I awoke to warblers singing in the cedars and the scent of begonia shifting in the trade wind. My villa-size room, I realized, barely had walls. Wait, it gets worse. Below was a bay so clear, the coral shimmered like a field of wildflowers. Twin peaks spired out of the forest. The rockier one, 2,461-foot Petit Piton, was unavoidably phallic. Gros Piton, at 2,619 feet, was more rounded and feminine. I looked from the Pitons to the beach, then at my empty bed. What a blunder! Here I was in the most achingly romantic setting in all my years … and I was alone.

The Good Life // I didn’t feel weepy for long. The resort has a five-star list of activities to match the cuisine (spiced-carrot-and-coconut soup, grilled dorado, mango trifle), an attentive 250-person staff (serving no more than 100 guests), and pleasantly esoteric options at the Kai Belt茅 spa. (Try a wosh cho hot-stone massage.) Trou au Diable, a thatch-roofed bistro, sits on a half-mile of secluded beach, while the Piton Restaurant is set among the 49 villas up the hill. My Hillside Deluxe room, with its louvered doors and green heartwood furniture, was like a tree house built by Swiss castaways. Very rich Swiss castaways. But considering the absence of phones or TVs, they didn’t seem to mind being stranded on St. Lucia.

Jaw Dropper // Tucking into a plate of locally raised lamb and fresh snapper cooked under the stars by chef Jon Bentham on an antique cane-sugar pot the size of a kettledrum.

Sports on-Site // Anse Chastanet is famous for spectacular diving; there’s a Platinum/PADI Scuba and Water Sports Center, and boats ferry you out to several world-class dive sites along the Pinnacles reef. But I chose to explore a lesser-known offering: 12 miles of mountain-bike trails winding through the ruins of a 19th-century French sugarcane-and-cocoa plantation next door. Full disclosure: I expected crappy equipment but a fun ride. What I got was a first-class trail system partially designed by NORBA phenom Tinker Juarez and my choice of 50 Cannondale F800s, all fitted with hydraulic shocks and brakes. The ride, over rolling jungle paths, was excellent—I broke a sweat but still had time to stop and pick wild avocados, bananas, and guavas.

Beyond the Sand // Ever bagged a Piton? Me neither. The climbs are notoriously steep and muddy, but if you’re game, the front desk recommends a guide named Meneau Herman ($50 a person for the day). For the rest of us, there are ample opportunities to explore St. Lucia via horse or sea kayak. On my last day, I hit the water with Xavier Vernantius, the head kayak guide. Born on St. Lucia, Xavier, 33, knew all the secret caves to explore. As we paddled around a rocky outcropping called Fairyland, the view of the Pitons in the distance left me speechless. “I grew up here, and I still find them beautiful,” Xavier said.

The Fine Print // US Airways (800-622-1015, ) flies to St. Lucia from New York City for about $700, from Chicago for $760. From December 20 to April 7, a double at Anse Chastanet (758-459-7000, ) costs $455 per night, including breakfast and dinner ($220 per night in the off-season, not including meals). The spa and scuba diving are extra.

Tiamo Resorts

Check your Blackberry at the door and get way, way offline

THE MOST IMPRESSIVE thing about Tiamo is how unimpressive it is. Even as my sea taxi pulled up to the unassuming scallop of beach on the southern half of Andros, I still couldn’t see the resort that was right in front of me. Once ashore, I had to wade through thickets of sea grapes and gumbo-limbo trees to find the central lodge—an unpretentious wooden structure with screened porches and a corrugated metal roof. Was this the place? The sleepy Brazilian jazz seeping out the front door said yes. Hacked out of the Bahamian bush and opened in 2001 by Mike and Petagay Hartman, Tiamo is a fascinating—and so far successful—experiment to test whether assiduous eco-consciousness can coexist with rustic luxury. The ethos here is part Gilligan’s Island, part Buckminster Fuller. With only 11 open-air bungalows, powered by the sun and outfitted with compost toilets, everything is small-scale, low-impact, phosphate-free, and relentlessly off the grid. Accessible only by boat or seaplane, the resort sits on 12 acres of pristine beach along an inland waterway, surrounded by 125 acres of preserved wilderness. There are no air conditioners, no TVs, none of the whirs and bleeps of the digital age. Nope, at Tiamo, messages are delivered strictly by iguanagram. The Good Life // By day, watch a heron or one of the resident iguanas trundle by your screened porch. At night, the hemp curtains billow in the breeze. The bright-green-and-yellow louvered shutters, exposed copper pipes, and bare-metal faucet levers are sleekly utilitarian. My solar-heated beach-rock shower looked out on a mighty specimen of local cactus known as—I kid you not—the Bahamian dildo. The lodge has the same casual vibe. Browse for dog-eared paperbacks and board games in the library; dine on sesame seared tuna and mahi-mahi with mango beurre blanc at the large communal table; or simply fritter the evening away at the rattan bar, clutching a mind-warming Petagay Punch as a local “rake-and-scrape” band sings you back to bed.




Jaw Dropper // A spectacular network of “blue holes” riddle the limestone bedrock all over southern Andros. Kayak out to the Crack, a fabulously deep gash in the seafloor where two temperature zones collide in a thermocline, and snorkel or dive the nutrient-rich broth alongside hosts of wrasse, lobster, sea cucumbers, and freakishly large angelfish.

Sports on-Site // Tiamo is not a destination for hyperactive folks who expect a brisk regimen of “activities.” Basically, Mike shows up at breakfast and says, “What do you want to do today?” Choose between swimming, bonefishing, kayaking, snorkeling, scuba diving, bushwhacking, or my new favorite sport, extreme hammocking. Hikes (led by Shona Paterson, the on-staff marine biologist) are free, as are snorkel trips to the blue holes. There’s a modest fleet of trimarans and sea kayaks at the ready. But the most elaborate activity is … horseshoes. Somehow, that says it all.

Beyond the Sand // Andros boasts some of the finest bonefishing in the world, and Mike can easily hook you up with a guide ($350 per boat for a full day; each boat holds two anglers). Ask for Captain Jolly Boy, a corpulent former bar owner turned Baptist preacher who stalks “the gray ghost” with all the biblical fervor of Ahab. “I feel you, Mr. Bones!” Jolly Boy whispers as he poles the flats. For divers, the Andros Barrier Reef, one of the world’s largest contiguous reefs, lies less than a mile offshore; its sheer wall, home to thousands of species of fish, drops nearly 6,000 feet into the Tongue of the Ocean. Scuba excursions motor out daily, but you must be PADI-certified ($100 for a one-tank dive, $145 for two tanks).

The Fine Print // Delta (800-241-4141, ) and American Airlines (800-433-7300, ) fly to Nassau from L.A. and New York for $600 or less. From there, make the 20-minute hop with Western Air (242-377-2222, ) to Andros; flights are about $100 round-trip. The bungalows at Tiamo (242-357-2489, ) cost $275 per person, double occupancy ($360 per person, single occupancy) year-round; rates include everything but your bar tab, bonefishing, and scuba diving. The resort is closed August 1 through September 30.

Punta Caracol Acqua Lodge

The lullaby of lapping waves

Caribbean Resort, Isla Colon, Panama

The H20 cure: cabanas on stilts at Punta Caracol

TRANQUILO IS THE OPERATIVE WORD at Punta Caracol, located just off the serenely beautiful island of Isla Col贸n, an hour’s flight by puddle jumper from Panama City and a 15-minute boat ride from the small town of Bocas del Toro. Sheltered by the surrounding archipelago and, about three miles away, mainland Panama, the resort’s six two-story thatch-roofed cabanas are suspended over the water on wooden stilts, spiraling out from a long central walkway to face Almirante Bay. Each solar-powered duplex has its own private terrace and deck, and the sound of lapping water lulls you to sleep. This vision of calm luxury perched at the edge of the world is just what founder and Barcelona native Jos茅-Lu铆s Bordas had in mind when he designed Punta Caracol in 1997 as his final project for business school. At dusk on my first evening, I’d already showered and dressed for dinner, yet I couldn’t help heeding the call of bath-temperature, cerulean water. In record time, I changed back into my swimsuit and threw myself—with a war whoop—off the back deck. It’s the kind of place where glittering-green tropical fish jump up to meet you in rapid-fire succession and bioluminescent plankton are the only lights shimmering offshore after sunset. Every detail of the resort, from hand-woven hanging textiles to fresh papaya and pineapple-covered panqueques at breakfast, is well executed by Bordas’s competent local staff. At the end of my four-day idyll, I could tell him honestly, “Es mi idea del para铆so, tambi茅n.” The Good Life // Each bungalow has native-hardwood floors and French doors that open to the bay, as well as wooden lounge chairs and woven floor mats. Bathrooms are lined with clay tiles with a lime-green-and-pl谩tano-yellow trim—brightly Caribbean without being gaudy. Upstairs, the open-air bedroom has a canopied king-size bed with natural-cotton drapes that double as mosquito nets, but you won’t need them; the cool breezes off the water at night are enough to blow pesky insects away. As for eats, you won’t find fresher seafood: The open-air restaurant-cum-lounge—also on stilts over the water— gets regular deliveries from local fishermen cruising by with just-caught lobster and red snapper, weighed with a portable scale brought out from behind the bar. A must-have: grilled lobster with tomatoes stuffed with rice, fish, and vegetables. (Chase it down with a warm, sweet pineapple slice glazed with caramelized sugar.)

Jaw Dropper // While you’re dining alfresco on flame-grilled shrimp, you can watch dolphins, pelicans, and parrot fish trolling for dinner on the reef below.

Sports on-Site // Swim, snorkel, or paddle in clear, calm Caribbean water along a mile of coral-reef coastline; there’s no beach at Punta Caracol, but your cabana’s private dock is just as enticing. It’s an easy paddle inland, via cayuco (traditional wooden canoe), to Isla Col贸n’s mangrove swamps—home to howler and white-face monkeys and the unbelievably slow-moving two-toed sloth, or oso perezoso (“lazy bear”).

Beyond the Sand // Pilar Bordas, the miracle-working sister of Jos茅-Lu铆s, can arrange outdoor activities on demand: surfing at Bluff Beach, on the far side of Isla Col贸n; mountain-biking across the center of the island; scuba-diving with queen angelfish near San Cr’stobal Island, four miles away (two-tank dives with Starfleet Scuba, $50; 011-507-757-9630, ). Hire a guide for the 40-minute boat ride to Bastimentos Island National Marine Park, where you can hike through sugarcane to Red Frog Beach ($30 per person).

The Fine Print // American Airlines (800-433-7300, ) flies direct from Miami to Panama City for about $300 round-trip. From there, Aeroperlas (011-507-315-7500, ) has two flights daily to Bocas del Toro for $116 round-trip. The Centers for Disease Control recommends a yellow-fever vaccination and the antimalarial drug chloroquine for travel to the Bocos del Toro region. Double-occupancy rates at Punta Caracol in high season (December 16 to May 15) start at $265, including breakfast, dinner, airport transfers, and use of cayucos and snorkel equipment (from $215, off-season; 011-507-612-1088, ).

Bitter End Yacht Club

Fat sails in the sunset

Caribbean Resort, Virgin Gorda, BVI

Even type A’s need some downtime: the Bitter End

Caribbean Resort, Virgin Gorda, BVI

The North Pier deck at Virgin Gorda’s Bitter End Yacht Club

THE BITTER END, ON THE REMOTE NORTHEASTERN TIP of Virgin Gorda, is a sprawling community of people with one thing on their minds: boating. In addition to the club’s 78 rooms, freshwater swimming pool, and teakwood Clubhouse restaurant, there’s a marina with charter-boat service, a dive shop, a market, a pub, and 70 boat moorings. All the action takes place offshore, specifically in the protected waters of three-square-mile North Sound, with the club’s flotilla of 100-plus vessels, ranging from sea kayaks and windsurfers to Hobie Cats and 30-foot oceangoing yachts. This is no mellow-rum-drinks-on-your-private-beach kind of resort: It’s a playground for Type A’s in topsiders.

The Good Life // The best rooms are the 48 cottages set on a steep hillside, with wraparound decks and views of Eustacia Reef (30 air-conditioned suites climb the sunset side of the hill). Meals (think surf-and-turf) are served under the blue canopies of the Clubhouse.

Jaw Dropper // The staff at the BEYC remembers everyone. It had been two years since my last visit, yet when I walked to breakfast, watersports staffers greeted me by my first name.

Sports on-Site // Thanks to warm water and 15- to 20-knot winds, North Sound is the perfect place to hone your tacks and jibes. Private sailing lessons for beginners cost $25 per hour, and advanced sailing sessions run $50 per class. Use of all the small boats is included in your stay, as are snorkeling trips to nearby reefs. Two-tank dives cost $85, all equipment except wetsuit included, and deep-sea fishing for blue marlin runs $275 a day.

Beyond the Sand // The 30-minute hike to the top of 1,359-foot Gorda Peak offers a commanding view of the entire Virgin Islands region. Don’t miss a trip to the famous Baths, a jumbled collection of giant boulders and knee-deep tide pools.

The Fine Print // Round-trip airfare on American Airlines (800-433-7300, ) from New York to Tortola’s Beef Island Airport is $525. From January 5 to April 30, the five-night Admiral’s Package at the BEYC ($2,925 to $3,850; 800-872-2392, ) includes three meals a day for two (low season, $2,150 to $2,625). The annual Pro-Am Regatta ($2,940) takes place the first week of November.

Maroma Resort & Spa

A mystical hideaway on the Mayan Riviera

Caribbean Resort, Yucatan, Mexico

Your palapa or mine? Get a massage or just toll in the sun on Playa Maroma.

EVER SINCE ARCHITECT Jos茅 Luis Moreno followed a machete-beaten path through 200 acres of tropical jungle, in 1976, to build this exclusive beachfront resort, Maroma has been deliberately hard to find—tucked off an unmarked gravel road, 20 miles south of Canc煤n. On my first evening, I followed the flickering lights of a thousand candles along a maze of stone walkways, wandering through gardens of orchids and palm trees until I found myself on a narrow crescent of fine white sand: a heavenly border between jungle and sea.

The Good Life // Designed simply, the 64 rooms in ten low-lying, white-stucco buildings are an elegant mix of saltillo tile, handwoven rugs and bedspreads, mahogany beams, and bamboo shutters. Dine on fresh grilled snapper at the cavernous El Sol restaurant or on the beach-view terrace. Jaw Dropper // The world’s second-longest barrier reef, which runs 450 miles from Canc煤n to Honduras and teems with coral and fish, is just 200 yards offshore.

Sports on-Site // At the beach kiosk, set up snorkeling and reef-diving trips, sea-kayaking excursions, and day sailing on a 27-foot catamaran ($15 to $120 per person). On land, mountain-bike through 250 acres of protected jungle. Spa offerings include a two-hour Maya steam bath and cleansing ceremony ($90), yoga classes, and nine types of massage ($50 to $120).

Beyond the Sand // The Yucat谩n is cratered with more than 700 cenotes—limestone sinkholes that offer otherworldly snorkeling, diving, and rappelling opportunities. The resort can arrange a trip 40 miles south to Dos Ojos cenote for $90.

The Fine Print // Continental Airlines (800-523-3273, ) flies from Houston to Canc煤n for $400 round-trip; American Airlines (800-433-7300, ) flies nonstop from New York for about $700. Double-occupancy rates at Maroma (866-454-9351, ) start at $400 in high season (November 14 to December 18 and January 4 to May 15) and $340 in low season.

Caneel Bay

The true-blue classic

WITHOUT A DOUBT, ST. JOHN’S alluring natural charms get star billing at Caneel Bay. Frigate birds, as angular as pterodactyls, soar over no fewer than seven stunningly pristine on-site strands, from vest-pocket hideaways like Paradise Beach, which you can have all to yourself, to Caneel Beach, shaded by coconut palms and sea grapes and sprawled out in front of the resort’s main lobby. Some 170 manicured acres are cordoned off from the rest of the island—and the rest of the world, it seems—by a trio of 800-foot-high forested ridges. Philanthropist and conservationist Laurance Rockefeller founded Caneel Bay in the fifties, and the place still feels like a summer camp for blue bloods. There’s no shortage of diversions—day trips to the British Virgins, guided shoreline hikes, couples yoga at the resort’s Self Centre. But most of the clientele seem to be seeking stillness and seclusion rather than pampering. Rooms contain no phones, TVs, radios, or even alarm clocks. Management, for its part, tries mightily to preserve an old-money sense of decorum: Collars for gents, please, even on the tennis courts, and evening resort wear for ladies. Expect to see plenty of newlyweds, espadrille-shod martini sippers, and the occasional jackass: Wild donkeys sometimes roam past just in time for cocktails.

The Good Life // Architecture keeps a low profile here. Low-slung rows of 166 guest rooms—done up in dark wood, Indonesian wicker, and botanical prints—are scattered around the property in clusters of a dozen or so and linked by winding footpaths. As a rule, the food in the four dining rooms is tasty if not particularly innovative; standouts include the steaks, aged and tender, the breakfast buffet served on an open-air terrace overlooking Caneel Beach, and the 265-bottle wine list at the Turtle Bay Estate House.

Jaw Dropper // Request one of 20 rooms along Scott Beach. After you’ve spent hours snorkeling with hubcap-size hawksbill turtles, your private deck offers a front-row seat for virtuoso sunsets that give way to the lights of St. Thomas, four miles across the sound.

Sports on-Site // Aside from the 11 tennis courts, built into a terraced hillside, a compact fitness center, and a small pool near the courts, most action takes place on the coral formations a hundred yards from the waterline. Use of snorkel gear—plus a generous selection of sailboards, kayaks, and small sailboats—is complimentary.

Beyond the Sand // Two-thirds of St. John’s 20 square miles fall within Virgin Islands National Park. Sample them by renting a jeep (from $65 a day at Sun-n-Sand Car Rentals, available at Caneel Bay from 9 to 10 a.m. daily) and heading for the Reef Bay Trail, at 2.4 miles the longest of the park’s 20 hikes. Other options include half- and full-day sails to some of St. John’s excellent anchorages, and sea-kayak excursions to offshore cays ($60 to $70 per person through Caneel Bay).

The Fine Print // Most major U.S. airlines fly direct to St. Thomas from various East Coast cities (about $550 round-trip from New York); Caneel Bay guests go by ferry to the resort. From December 17 to March 15, rates at Caneel Bay (340-776-6111, ) start at $450, double occupancy ($300 in low season).

Turtle Inn

The Godfather’s eco-resort

I SIT AT THE DESK OF TURTLE INN’S VILLA ONE, staring through wooden shutters at the Caribbean, hoping for some Maya magic. Turtle Inn is owned by Francis Ford Coppola, and he was here, on the southern coast of Belize, working at this very desk, only a few weeks ago. I’m a huge fan of Mr. Francis (as he’s called by the people who work here). I love the Godfather trilogy, but what I really love is Villa One’s outdoor garden shower, designed by the auteur himself, surrounded by a high wall built by Maya stonemasons and illuminated with Balinese lanterns. I also love the Italian-for-the-tropics cuisine—white pizza topped with garlic and arugula grown from Sicilian seeds in Turtle Inn’s garden, soup made from local lobster—served in the snazzy open-air restaurant. A few nights at the inn, I thought, and maybe I’d absorb some of the creative mojo.

The Good Life // The 18 bungalows, all steps from the beach, are built in the style of traditional Balinese thatched huts, with large screened decks, ample living spaces, and ornate carved doors imported from Bali. The lovely Belizean wait staff (one soft-spoken boy responds to requests with “Don’t worry; I gotcha”) wear white linen shirts and sarongs. Marie Sharp’s Belizean Heat Habanero Pepper Sauce is on every table, the perfect addition to the spaghetti carbonara. All proof that here at the Turtle Inn, the weird fusion of Balinese- Belizean-Coppola culture actually works. Jaw Dropper // The inn is located near the end of Placencia Peninsula—a 16-mile noodle of land with the Placencia Lagoon on one side and the sea on the other. At the Turtle Inn dive shop, on the lagoon, an American crocodile named Jeff has taken up residency near the boat dock. He’s not housebroken, but he’ll pose for pictures.

Sports on-Site // The thatch-roofed bar is about 20 yards from every bungalow, on the ocean’s edge, which allows for a pleasant daily routine: Snorkel a bit, collapse on your chaise, order Turtle Juice (a house specialty made with coconut rum), kayak a mile or so up to Rum Point and back, collapse on your chaise, snorkel, Turtle Juice, rinse, repeat. Some of Belize’s finest beaches—narrow, sandy, palm-fringed—grace the peninsula. When you feel in need of an outing, beach-cruiser bikes are available for riding into the tiny Creole village of Placencia, a mile down the road. Or, from the inn’s dive shop, head out to Belize’s barrier reef—prime location for diving or saltwater fly-fishing. The rub is that it’s an hourlong speedboat ride on sometimes choppy waters. But once out there, it’s not unusual to see spotted rays or even nurse sharks cruising along a 2,000-foot wall, or for anglers to hook bonefish, tarpon, or snook.

Beyond the Sand // Turtle Inn is a great base for venturing into the jungle. The front desk can arrange day trips to Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (the world’s first jaguar reserve) and a number of large Maya ruins. Monkey River is 45 minutes to the south by boat, through mangrove estuaries that are home to manatees. While cruising upriver, you’ll encounter tiger herons, gargantuan butterflies, six-foot iguanas, and howler monkeys.

The Fine Print // American Airlines (800-433-7300, ) flies to Belize City for about $500 round-trip from both Miami and Dallas. From there, it’s a 35-minute flight on Maya Island Air ($140 round-trip; 800-225-6732, ) to the Placencia airstrip. From January 4 to April 30 (excluding the week of Easter), seafront cottages at Turtle Inn (800-746-3743, ) are $300 per night, double occupancy, including Continental breakfast and use of bikes and sea kayaks (from $200 per night in low season).

Jake’s

How does it feel to be one of the beautiful people?

Caribbean Resort, Jamaica

You can almost see the Pelican Bar from here: a cottage at Jake’s

“IF WE DON’T ENCOURAGE GUESTS to leave the property, they wouldn’t,” says owner Jason Henzell. He ought to know. Ten years ago, Henzell, 34, and his mother, Sally, opened a small restaurant on six acres overlooking Calabash Bay and named it after a local parrot. A small guest house followed, and each year, as the Henzells’ gospel of sophisticated laziness spreads beyond the fishing village of Treasure Beach (pop. 600), on Jamaica’s southwestern shore, more rooms are added. Which only makes it easier to give in to inertia. Lounging under the acacia trees next to the tiled saltwater pool, a pair of still-pale English thirty-somethings allow that they’ve been devouring books from the well-stocked library for four days. They reel with shock when my boyfriend and I start naming off the places we’ve been (Great Pedro Bluff! Black River fruit market!) and the things we’ve seen (dolphins! crocodiles!) and eaten (grilled conch! jerk crab!) in just two days. Soon, they wobble off on mountain bikes, determined to find out what they’ve been missing.

The Good Life // From modest wooden cabins with funky mosaic bathtubs to bright adobe bungalows topped with open-air rooftop chill zones, the 15 cottages at Jake’s are a m茅lange of Moroccan style and iconoclastic tiling—all sans TVs or phones but avec CD players. (The bar has a stellar music collection for your listening pleasure.) Lucky us, our pink palace came with a wooden porch overlooking the surf and an outdoor shower with claw-foot tub, plus swanky Aveda potions. There are two chow houses: Jake’s, the poolside bistro, where the coffee’s delivered fresh daily by a woman who roasts it over a wood fire; and Jack Sprat’s, a beachfront joint where Fabulous (yep, that’s his name) serves up jerk crab and coconut ice cream, and a DJ spins dance-hall reggae into the wee hours.

Jaw Dropper // A pilgrimage to Shirley Genus’s wooden zareba—basically a hut with a sauna—is required. Strip down next to a steaming terra-cotta pot filled with a healing soup of organically grown lemongrass and other herbs, then sweat like the dickens. Afterward, let Shirley hit all the pressure points ($30 for steam bath, $60 for massage; book through Jake’s).

Sports on-Site // Sea-kayak or snorkel through the rocky maze that hugs the beach. (Kayaks are free; snorkel gear can be rented at the bar for $10 a day.) Or hire a local to take you out fishing for snapper, jack, kingfish, and grouper; trips can be arranged at the front desk ($35 an hour per person).

Beyond the Sand // One day, on our way to ogle crocodiles along the Black River, 16 miles northwest, our boat chugged past the Pelican Bar, a tiny shack on a lick of sand. Our captain shouted out a lunch order to Floyd, the owner, and on the way back we parked, waded ashore, and dug into $6 plates of steamed fish, grilled onions, doughy white bread, and bottles of Red Stripe ($35 per person for Black River boat tours; book through Jake’s).

The Fine Print // Air Jamaica (800-523-5585; ) flies round-trip to Montego Bay from New York for about $600, from L.A. for $800. From December 19 to April 20, a double-occupancy room at Jake’s (877-526-2428, ) costs $95 to $395, meals not included ($75 to $325 in low season).

The Essential Eight

Had enough paradise? Add some intensity to your Caribbean life list.

Kayak the Exuma Cays Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, in the Bahamas, spans 176 square miles of reeftop emerald water that laps the marine caves and white-sand beaches of hundreds of undeveloped limestone islands. Shallow, calm seas are perfect for paddling, snorkeling, and swimming. Do all three on a nine-day trip with Ecosummer Expeditions. ($1,695; 800-465-8884, )

Climb Pico Duarte More travelers each year are tackling the Caribbean’s tallest peak. At 10,414 feet, the rocky summit of Pico Duarte rises up from the tropical lowlands of Armando Bermudez National Park, along the Dominican Republic’s Cordillera Central. Iguana Mama runs a three-day, 29-mile mule trek to the top. ($450; 800-849-4720, )

Hike to Boiling Lake Deep in the heart of Dominica, hot magma warms the rocks and pushes volcanic gas through vents to keep one of the world’s largest boiling lakes at an eerie, gray simmer. Getting there requires a muddy three-hour rainforest slog on seldom-signed paths. Reserve a guide through Ken’s Hinterland 国产吃瓜黑料 Tours. ($40; 767-448-4850, ) Swim in Mosquito Bay Every night, a bright concentration of bioluminescent organisms lights up Mosquito Bay, on the south side of Vieques, just east of Puerto Rico. Paddle 15 minutes from shore with Blue Caribe Kayaks, then jump overboard for a glow-in-the-dark swim. ($23; 787-741-2522, )

Sail the Grenadines The unspoiled Grenadines—30 small islands, 24 of them uninhabited, from St. Vincent to Union Island—have long been favorite waters of the yachting elite. Now you can sail them without chartering an entire boat: Reserve one of five cabins aboard Setanta Travel’s 56-foot luxury catamarans for a seven-day cruise. ($3,990 per week per cabin, double occupancy; 784-528-6022, )

Dive the Bloody Bay Wall Just off Little Cayman’s north shore, the seafloor takes a half-mile-deep plunge along Bloody Bay Wall, where you’re sure to spy huge eagle rays and hawksbill turtles. Paradise Divers offers two-tank boat dives. ($80; 877-322-9626, )

Kitesurf Aruba Plan a pilgrimage to Aruba’s arid eastern shore, where 80-degree water and consistent winds make Boca Grandi the ultimate surf zone for seasoned kiters. Vela’s Dare2Fly offers a three-day introductory course in calmer waters ($350; 800-223-5443, ).

Fish the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve In the protected white-sand flats on the south side of 90-square-mile Ascensi—n Bay, in the Yucat谩n, bonefish run wild. Sign on for a week of guided fishing, eating, and lodging at the funky, thatched cabanas of Cuzan Bonefish Flats. ($1,999 per person, double occupancy; 011-52-983-83-403-58, )

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