Best Hotel Directory

Caribbean - English Speaking & Bahamas

Stay Cool - be happy Add the sounds of calypso, steel pan, merengue or reggae and you are conjuring up immediate music to the ears of most incentive planners.

Given the highly individual nature yet basic ingredients of sun'n'sand incentive trips, probably nowhere in the world is capable of instantly pleasing all of the people all of the time. But the Caribbean comes close. Still aspirational in appeal yet also easily accessible; compact and colourful in character yet crammed with enormous diversity and choice, the region offers virtually everything for every incentive taste and budget in the general category of 'fun under the tropical sun'.

The English-speaking islands, in particular, offer almost endless variety within a common framework of professional understanding, competitive pricing and willing service for award winning groups, large or small. Jamaica alone offers big diversity, as packaged or unpackaged as you wish it to be, from 'jump-up'all-inclusive beach resorts to luxury villas and peaceful hill retreats to luxury personalised five star service.

Jamaica's 146 by 51 miles encompass the full scenic wish list from private gold sand beaches and lush tropical plantations to rushing rivers, cascading waterfalls and the cool Blue Mountains. The island has historical sites in abundance along with championship gold, reggae and jazz festivals; river rafting; hiking; bird-watching; horticulture and scuba diving – all wrapped up in a slightly wild but easygoing, raffish charm.

Barbados, in contrast, exudes prosperity and sophistication from top to toe, being the pre-eminent choice of high society with its string of pristine resorts, manicured golf courses and well-mannered demeanour. With its studiously smart casual approach, club atmosphere and penchant for afternoon tea, cricket and cute villages or parishes bearing English names, the island is a natural for prize British incentives at the more expensive end of the market. In contrast again, Grenada is for escapists – a sleepy alternative or additive to Barbados – with fine resorts and facilities scattered around a large and beautiful island that remains largely undeveloped and unrestrained for the onset of tourism. Also for escapists and easy to marry with Barbados are St.Vincent & The Grenadines, a spectacular string of tiny islands glinting in a long pearly line through the Caribbean Sea. Sailing and total relaxation are the main pursuits here, combined with excursions or stays in chic and hedonistic retreats like Bequia, Young Island and Mustique.

Trinidad & Tobago offer another good combination. Trinidad is a bustling business island, hard-edged, upbeat, anything but tame and the home to a rip-roaring annual carnival. Tobago is the gentler sister with fabulous palm-fringed beaches, excellent golfing, forests of flora and fauna plus a growing choice of five star retreats. St. Lucia blends British and French heritage with pristine beaches, romantic retreats and spellbinding mountain and forest scenery. It also offers every conceivable style of accommodation for most budgets along with water-sports, forest discoveries, island cruising and shopping in the pleasant yachties haven of Castries. Flight-seeing or transfers by helicopter are an incentive 'must'.

Yachts and luxury resorts again, but this time to a more subdued and sedate calypso beat, in the Virgin Islands. Here, in both British and US territorial islands, the flavour and feel are positively air-conditioned American with a laid-back island spin. Together with duty-free shopping in St. Thomas, yachting and water-sports, brunch and designer deck-shoes are the order of the day in Virgin Gorda, Tortola, Peter Island, Necker Island, St. John and St. Croix. Far less formal yet boasting arguably the finest white sand beaches in the Caribbean are Antigua & Barbuda.

Antigua combines its enviable position as most prominent first landfall from Europe with an excellent range of multi-purpose resorts, a splash of old colonial history and passions for cricket, sailing and reggae. Barbuda is for nature lovers – just pure white sand, bird-life, wildlife and the extremely stylish K Club, one of the region's finest resorts. Anguilla, another neighbour to Antigua, offers yet more dazzling beaches along with good roads for exploring by rental car plus a discerning choice of deluxe resorts. Low-key and also offering laid-back luxury, this time old colonial style, are historic St. Kitts & Nevis, a relaxing combination of peaceful beaches and plantation walks. Adding to the island's incentive appeal is the plantation-style Four Seasons Nevis, complete with an 18-hole championship golf course, and among a range of superbly equipped resorts taking pride of place for incentive parties along Seven Mile Beach in the Cayman Islands, combining ultra-efficient modernity with a laid-back old colonial charm.

Grand Cayman island is one of the Caribbean's primary diving sites, with some 30 wrecks awaiting exploration. It is also noted for its wild bars, choice of restaurants and attractions including pirate caves, submarine rides and what is claimed to be the world's only turtle farm. The Cayman Island are often combined with Florida, as are the Turks & Caicos Islands, are home to flocks of mockingbirds, ospreys, hummingbirds and flamingos. A range of exclusive resorts in the islands gives access to excellent scuba diving and golf. To the north are the Bahamas, 700 islands ranging in taste and style from tiny, deserted 'Robinson Crusoe' cays to major resorts that are the last word in glitz and glamour.

The two main islands for incentives are the adjoining New Providence (Nassau) and Paradise, both blessed with superb white sand beaches along with every conceivable style of accommodation, duty-free shopping, hearty dining and a lusty, glittering nightlife. Last, but never least, in the English-speaking area is Bermuda – tiny in size but a veritable giant in terms of the facilities it offers to incentive travellers. Unique in location, climate and flavour, Bermuda is a gentle antidote to the fiery Caribbean. Quaint towns and villages of pastel-coloured homes, hotels and fully-equipped resorts combine with rich green golf courses, translucent coves and pink sand beaches to provide a pretty, charming and thoroughly upper crust incentive.

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