What magical images are conjured up when someone refers to ‘a Caribbean Island’ – a white sand paradise with glowing turquoise waters lapping gently at the shore, and lush jungle behind. In fact the Caribbean can be all things to all people, offering a great variety of holiday types to suit a range of different tastes. Just like cruising, if you are going to stay in the Caribbean, you need help to choose the product which is right for you – but just because one destination does not suit you, that is no reason to reject the whole area out of hand.

The Caribbean Sea is the shallow sea which lies between North and South America, to the west of the Atlantic Ocean and to the east of Central America. Within the area you can visit a wide choice of island groups, some larger islands, and fascinating coastlines of Guyana and Venezuela, Costa Rica and Panama, Mexico and Belize. You can dive and snorkel, explore tropical rainforest and deserted beaches, and for lovers of natural history, the flora, fauna and marine life is varied and fascinating. As for the history, well stories of piracy, the slave trade and pioneering explorers are to be heard – as you would expect, for the ownership of many of the islands is European – whilst in Mexico you can find traces of the great Inca civilisation.

The low-lying Bahamas, sweeping down from the Florida coast to the UK’s Turks and Caicos islands, are a group of cays and rocks, some over-run with tourist dollars, others deserted. The group comprises Grand Bahama, tiny New Providence with capital Nassau, the serene Abaco islands and out islands each with its own, distinct personality. Even the terrain and weather varies, as the islands are scattered over 100,000 sq miles of ocean. With so many islands, cays, and around 2,000 islets, the country could take months of exploration.

To the west of the Bahamas lies the huge island of Cuba. This alligator-shaped island is by far the largest and most populated of Caribbean countries. Once the number one travel destination in the area and known as the Pearl of the Antilles, Cuba became a Red Pearl after a revolution placed communist Fidel Castro in charge. Known for the finest rum and cigars, the People’s Republic of Cuba has been off-limits to most Americans for the past 35 years, but it is a regular haunt for British travellers, many of whom never leave the compound of their hotel.

To Cuba’s east, the single island of Hispaniola comprising Haiti and the Dominican Republic. In Haiti, just about everybody is involved in the creative arts. Of late, tourists have passed it by because of its political instability, and whilst it was once the New World’s richest place and the crown jewel of the French overseas empire, today poverty is everywhere in evidence. Meanwhile the mountainous, beach-fringed Dominican Republic occupies the eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola and Santo Domingo, oldest city in the New World, is the historical capital, revelling in restored treasures of its Spanish imperial days.

The sweep of the Antilles continues to US owned Puerto Rico. San Juan, the capital, is steeped in history. The city was founded in 1521 by the island’s first governor, Juan Ponce de Leon. For the nature lover, Puerto Rico offers El Yunque, the only tropical rain forest in the U.S. National Park system, while for the bargain lover San Juan boasts tax free shopping.

To its east lie the British Virgin Islands, yachtsmans paradise, where Tortola and Virgin Gorda offer a laid-back lifestyle totally geared to the water, and we picture the Pirates of the Caribbean roaming free.

The Lesser Antilles curve down towards the coast of South America, comprising the Leeward Islands and such jewels as Antigua, Barbuda, Anguilla, Montserrat and St Kitts, where contrasting scenery delights the visitor, and the major Windward Islands with French pearls, Guadeloupe and Martinique, then St Lucia, St Vincent, Grenada and the Grenadines. Tiny islands dotted around the major ones include Princess Margaret’s favourite, Mustique, and locations which are increasingly desirable the harder they are to reach. Off to the East is that British jewel Barbados, whose rugged atlantic facing coast stands in stark contrast to the gentle white sand beaches of the west. As you travel southwards, each island becomes more laid-back and relaxed – here you are far from locals chasing the tourist dollar – these people know they live in paradise and enjoy every minute.

Off the coast of Guyana lie Trinidad and Tobago. The twin-island nation is independent and the first in the West Indies to become a republic rather than retaining the British monarch as Head of State. The smaller laid-back island of Tobago is believed to be the place Robert Louis Stevenson had in mind when he wrote Treasure Island with its lush scenery and mountain tops.

Continuing the circle of the Lesser Antilles, magical islands lie off the coast of Venezuela – here you will find Islas Los Roques, and Dutch owned Bonaire, Curacao and Aruba.

A vast stretch of shallow seas, rich in wildlife and largely unvisited, lie to the west all the way to the Central American coast. Tiny islands and cays provide a captivating home to a range of marine life, and this of course attracts the sea birds. And to the north, before you reach the giant Cuba, lie Jamaica and the tiny tax haven Grand Cayman.

Within the Caribbean, you find a huge range of hotels in every style from the lavish resort which is Sandy Lane in Barbados, to the exclusive retreat of Petit St Vincent, and from the all-inclusive Sandals chain to little Dix Bay in the BVI. As you would expect, the style is geared to the tourists they expect, so the northern islands are far more accessible from the US, whilst Barbados boasts no fewer than three daily flights from the UK, and Guadeloupe and Martinique are, as you would expect, almost exclusively French. Picking a Caribbean cruise is a great way to explore, and select the islands you would return to, and those you would reject. Whilst the standard 7 day itineraries on the large ships out of Florida offer little variety, any vessel offering longer Southern Caribbean itineraries will be of greater interest, as will the off-the-beaten-track itineraries of SeaDream Yacht Club or Star Clippers, where you explore in closer to yachtsmans style, or indeed Fred. Olsen’s captivating programme on their pretty ship Braemar.

HOW TO GET THERE
Depending on where you are going, you will find regular flights with British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and BWIA. For the smaller islands, onward connections using the services of LIAT are available. San Juan really must be reached using American Airlines connections over Miami – a great nuisance with current immigration problems in the States, and tight connections are certainly to be avoided. Why not go by ship? Many of the repositioning voyages in Spring and Autumn travel the southern route from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean or vice versa.

WHEN TO GO
With climate change and a particularly violent hurricane pattern, it is hard to predict exactly when is ‘too early’ to go – certainly avoid August to early November, and you might expect overcast skies and some rain into December. The perfect time should be the early part of the year, from January to April, after which it becomes a little more sticky. But remember, Caribbean islands do not have a single climate, so further investigation is necessary.

DOCUMENTATION
A full British passport is of course required, but no visas are necessary for any of the Caribbean islands. Remember if you are transitting over the States,though, that normal restrictions apply even if you do not plan to stop over.

WHAT TO WEAR
Obviously it depends when you travel but remember you are only a little way north of the Equator, so lightweight natural fabrics are ideal. Make sure you take plenty of sun cream, rubber shoes for snorkelling, and some prefer to take at least their snorkel mouthpiece with them. In addition if you normally wear glasses you might consider a prescription snorkel mask if you plan to spend a lot of time in the water. Take light wraps for cool evenings. Casual wear is acceptable more or less everywhere, but check dress requirements in the restaurants of some of the smarter hotels.

HOW TO CHOOSE A SHIP
Many of the mainstream vessels cruise in the Caribbean year round – they were specifically built for these waters and are not positioned elsewhere. Obviously the advantage of travelling by ship is that when poor weather is scheduled, the itinerary can be adjusted. The standard 7 day Western and Eastern Caribbean itineraries from Florida often include one day at a private island, and key ports of call in Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Mexico (western Caribbean) or San Juan, St Thomas and St Maarten(or similar) (eastern Caribbean). Luxury vessels tend to be there in prime months only (November to April) and offer more interesting itineraries. For a very casual experience look at SeaDream and Star Clippers.