I Found Lesser-Known Caribbean Islands That Make Turks & Caicos Look Like a Tourist Trap

While everyone fights for beach chairs in Jamaica and St. Barts, I’ve spent the last decade discovering Caribbean islands where barefoot luxury still exists and locals outnumber tourists. Here’s what paradise looks like.

1. Saba, Dutch Caribbean

Picture a volcanic island so small it fits only one road (literally called “The Road”), with a runway shorter than most aircraft carriers. That’s Saba. Most pilots won’t even attempt landing here, which is exactly why you should visit. The locals joke that God built the Caribbean and Saba was his masterpiece – after spending a week here, I believe them.

Don’t expect beaches – Saba trades sandy shores for something better. The diving here makes the Great Barrier Reef look ordinary. I found underwater hot springs where warm freshwater mixes with the Caribbean Sea, creating a natural jacuzzi teeming with seahorses. Ask for James at Sea Saba Dive Center; he knows where hammerhead sharks gather during full moons.

2. Bequia, St. Vincent & Grenadines

Seven square miles of paradise where sailors still build wooden boats by hand and whaling captains’ descendants run waterfront bars. The local fishermen taught me their secret technique for finding lobsters at night using a flashlight and free-diving skills. Princess Margaret Beach might be the most perfect stretch of sand you’ll ever see, and most days you’ll have it entirely to yourself.

Stay at the Sugar Reef plantation house – it’s not the fanciest option, but Miss Pearl makes coconut bread every morning that’s worth the trip alone. She might share her recipe if you help her collect fallen coconuts. Time your visit for the Easter Regatta when wooden sailing boats race between the islands.

3. Nevis

Alexander Hamilton’s birthplace feels frozen in time. Wild donkeys roam freely, vervet monkeys raid mango trees, and the only traffic jam is when someone stops their car to chat with a friend. Last month, I found hot springs hidden in the rainforest that locals swear can cure anything from heartbreak to arthritis.

Don’t miss Sunshine’s Beach Bar – not for the famous “Killer Bee” rum punch (though that’s worth trying), but for the secret menu, Miss Sunshine keeps for people who ask nicely. Her goat water stew recipe hasn’t changed since 1984. Visit during mango season (June-August) when the island produces 44 different varieties.

4. Dominica

The “Nature Island” makes Hawaii look tame. This is the only place where you can snorkel in champagne bubbles (thanks to underwater volcanic vents) in the morning and hike to a boiling lake in the afternoon. The local Kalinago people showed me how to find edible ferns that taste better than any store-bought greens.

Book a cottage in the Roseau Valley – the ones without AC are better because mountain breezes keep them perfectly cool. Ask for Albert as your guide; he knows where wild parrots nest and can spot the rare sister parrot that appears on Dominica’s flag. The island’s best-kept secret? Natural hot springs that only appear at low tide along the volcanic beaches.

5. Marie-Galante, Guadeloupe

This round island looks like someone dropped a giant cookie into the Caribbean. Old windmills dot the landscape, each one telling stories of the island’s sugar-producing past. But here’s why you come: the rum. Small distilleries still use horse-drawn carts to harvest sugarcane, and each one produces unique rhum agricole you can’t find anywhere else.

Stay at a traditional case créole – wooden houses painted in bright colors with gingerbread trim. My host, Madame Baptiste, makes rum arrangements (like flower arrangements, but better) and teaches guests how to properly taste rum like a local. Visit during the ox cart festival when the whole island celebrates its agricultural heritage.

6. Culebra, Puerto Rico

Everyone knows about Vieques, but Culebra is its wilder, more beautiful sister. Flamenco Beach consistently ranks among the world’s best, but the real magic happens on its secret southern beaches. I found a spot where sea turtles nest in such numbers that you have to watch your step at night.

The island has exactly two food trucks that serve better seafood than any Michelin-starred restaurant. Look for Carmen’s place – there’s no sign, but everyone knows it. She serves fresh-caught fish tacos that would make a Mexican chef jealous. Time your visit for winter when humpback whales pass so close to shore you can hear them singing.

7. Salt Cay, Turks & Caicos

Population: 108 humans, countless humpback whales. This tiny island is a living museum where donkeys still roam the salt flats and everyone knows everyone else’s business. Between January and March, migrating whales pass so close to shore that you can swim with them – the locals know exactly when and where they’ll show up.

Stay at a restored salt merchant’s house where you can still find 200-year-old graffiti from sailors. The island’s only restaurant doesn’t have a menu – Debbie cooks whatever her husband caught that morning. During whale season, she makes picnic baskets for whale watchers with her famous johnnycakes.

8. Montserrat

The “Emerald Isle” of the Caribbean is half paradise, half modern Pompeii. The still-active volcano creates black sand beaches that sparkle in the sun, and the exclusion zone offers a fascinating glimpse of a city frozen in time. Local guides (all five of them) know exactly when it’s safe to approach the volcano for the best photos.

Book a hillside villa for a fraction of what you’d pay in St. Kitts. The owner will probably invite you to their family’s Sunday lunch – don’t miss it. Local tradition says if you eat goat water (a spicy stew) with a view of the volcano, you’ll return. So far, it’s worked for me three times.

9. Mayreau, St. Vincent & Grenadines

The smallest inhabited island of the Grenadines has one road, one village, and the most perfect beach bar in the Caribbean. At Salt Whistle Bay, Robert serves lobster fritters that people sail for hours to taste. He won’t share the recipe, but after enough rum punch, he might let you help cook.

The real secret? The unnamed beach on the Atlantic side where locals collect rare thunderballs (volcanic stones believed to bring luck). Time your visit for the full moon – that’s when everyone gathers at Dennis’s bar (the island’s only bar) for dominoes and storytelling that lasts until sunrise.

10. La Désirade, Guadeloupe

This former leper colony turned paradise feels like the Caribbean of 50 years ago. One road, zero traffic lights, and beaches are so untouched you’ll find rare shells just lying on the sand. The lighthouse keeper’s granddaughter now runs the best beachfront restaurant – her grilled langouste makes people forget about Maine lobster forever.

Stay in one of the restored fishermen’s cottages near the beach. Mine came with a resident iguana who liked to sunbathe on my porch. Ask about the hidden petroglyph cave – locals say it predates Columbus, but only a few people know how to find it.

The Real Caribbean Still Exists

Last week, someone asked if these islands were “worth the extra effort” to reach. That evening, I watched the sunset from a secret beach in Bequia, sipping rum that was distilled less than a mile away, while fishermen pulled their wooden boats onto shore singing traditional songs. Some questions answer themselves.