These often-overlooked escapes set a new standard for elevated, responsible tourism – while still delivering luxurious, laid-back vibes.

The Caribbean remains a favourite travel destination for good reason – or, rather, many reasons. Whether you're aiming to snorkel in the crystal-clear waters of Turks and Caicos, wander through Antigua's Unesco-inscribed dockyard, or simply get some good sleep, the region offers something for everyone.

Who picked the list?

Amelia Edelman is a journalist and family travel expert living in the US who has been to 40 countries and 49 states, most of them with her two kids. In addition to BBC Travel, she has written for NPR, Travel Leisure, Lonely Planet, US News and World Travel and others. As a single mother, she launched a series of city guides for families called Mom Voyage.

As a journalist and family travel expert, I've been venturing to the Caribbean for 20 years. In 2025, many of the region's countries have been innovating while preserving their own unique charms. From cutting-edge new hotel designs to interactive reef preservation efforts, our list of top Caribbean destinations sets a new standard for elevated, responsible tourism – while still delivering the laid-back vibes so often sought there.

There is no bad time to travel to the Caribbean, with its 24-29C (75-84F) year-round temperatures and warm waters. Rainy season (June-November) will sometimes bring hurricanes, but crowds are at their lowest.

If a warm-weather holiday is on your mind, consider strolling through the markets of Dominica or digging into jerk chicken on Grenada, which is affectionately known as the "Spice Isle". Learn more about these and more, on the list below.

There are few places in the world where I have felt so "away from it all" as in the jungles of Dominica. Known as "The Nature Island", it's one of the least developed and most forested Caribbean destinations and is on a mission to become the world's first climate-resilient nation. Located south of Guadeloupe and north of Martinique in the eastern Caribbean, it's home to rainforests and volcanic landscapes, including hot springs, as well as the vibrant culture of the Kalinago people, originally known as the Caribs.

Once difficult to get to, Dominica became more easily reachable in 2025 with non-stop flights from Miami International Airport on American Airlines and a new weekly United Airlines flight from Newark Liberty International Airport. The country is also expanding its accessibility for travellers with disabilities, including adding a cable car system to reach the famous Boiling Lake in the Unesco-inscribed Morne Trois Pitons National Park.

Seasoned trekkers can spend a few weeks tackling the 185km Waitukubuli National Trail, the Caribbean's longest hiking trail. Alternatively, at the world's first sperm whale reserve, a protected 800 sq km marine area off Dominica's western coast, travellers can visit as many as 500 sperm whales as they feed and nurse (November-March).

Dominica has also been revamping its eco-resorts in 2025.

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