It’s that perfect confluence: breathtaking beaches, walkable streets, buzzing dining scenes, vibrant communities, all in one place. The Caribbean’s best beach towns are destinations in their own right, where you can come for a day or for a week and immediately fall into the rhythm and the culture of the place.
This year’s list of our top beach towns to visit has some old favorites and some new additions you may not have journeyed to before.
Here are the must-visit Caribbean beach towns for 2023.
Speightstown, Barbados If you haven’t ventured to the north of Barbados, you’ve missed out on a very different, very wonderful corner of the island. And its epicenter is Speightstown, the island’s second largest “city,” where a row of bars, shops, gourmet markets, seafood spots line a series of picture-perfect strands of sand. Speightstown is walkable, fun and a portal into the unique charm of the north. It’s also home to some seriously good hotels, from Cobblers Cove to the lovely St Peters Bay. A must: the first thing you need to do when you get here is head for Jordans Supermarket just after twilight. It’s there that you’ll find the best fish cakes in the Caribbean, usually served on a fold-up table in front of the entrance. Just thank us later.