Choosing the right island can definitely make a difference in your vacation experience. Many travelers assume the islands of the Caribbean are all alike, with beautiful beaches, plenty of sunshine and warm turquoise waters. . . and most of the islands offer many of the above. I say this because most of the islands of Dominica and Saba are not on any list of beachgoers.

Apart from spending time on the beach, most tourists enjoy a lifestyle or activities such as shopping, gambling, Nightlife, quiet and safe, Hiking, Golf, Photography and Nature, History and archeology buffs, snorkeling, diving, sailing, all inclusive, Family Islands, and the list continues.

Just remember when spending your hard earned money, choosing the right Caribbean island will ensure the "perfect" the Caribbean vacation.

SHOPPING IN THE CARIBBEAN – You can shop on any island, but if you are looking til a "store you drop" experience, head to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Curacao (pronounced cure-uh-sow). Both islands have large warehouses, shops and designer boutiques that U.S. rivals any or European city. Other islands that offer a wide variety of shopping are Barbados, Grand Cayman, Puerto Rico and St. Martin / St Maarten.

CASINOS CARIBBEAN – The largest gambling casinos in the Caribbean are in Aruba, the Bahamas (Cable Beach and Paradise Island), Curacao, San Juan, Santa Cruz, and San Martin.

Barbados and Jamaica have only slot machines. Antigua, Belize, Bonaire, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St Kitts, St. Vincent and the Turks and Caicos Islands have the gambling operations significantly less.

NIGHT OF THE CARIBBEAN – Lots of fun when the sun goes down in the Caribbean are Barbados, Curacao, Republic Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Martin / St Martin and St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Stillness and solitude – Travelers looking for a world more peaceful, isolated find holiday at Parrot Cay, which is located in Turks & Caicos, St. Kitts, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Virgin Gorda Islands British Virgin Islands.

HIKING IN THE CARIBBEAN – Dominica – Valley of Desolation and Boiling Lake, Dominican Republic – Pico Duarte Ascent (Caribbean the highest peak), Grenada – Mt. Qua Qua, Guadalupe – La Soufriere volcano, Jamaica – Blue Mountains, Puerto Rico – El Yunque National Forest, St. Kitts – Bloody Rivers Stream; Tobago – Cayo Little Tobago, Trinidad – Asa Wright Nature Center and the U.S. Virgin Islands – 2 / 3 of the San Juan Island is a nature reserve.

GOLF – is find the best golf courses in the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Nevis, Puerto Rico, St. Croix and St. Thomas.

CARIBBEAN AND NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY – Dominica, Jamaica, San Juan, St. Lucia are wonderful islands for photography and nature lovers. In fact, Dominica is called the Nature Island of the Caribbean.

ARCHEOLOGY AND HISTORY fans are in the Caribbean islands of Barbados, Curacao, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, very interesting.

SNORKELING – Antigua, Bonaire, Grand Cayman, Curacao Marine Park, St. Maarten, the Grenadines, Tobago, St. Thomas, Turks and Caicos, St. Croix and St. John offer the best snorkeling in all the Caribbean islands.

DIVING – Caribbean Diving enthusiasts prefer Bonaire, Grand Cayman, Saba, The Bahamas, St. Croix, Turks and Caicos Islands and Virgin Gorda.

SAIL – the best navigation in the Caribbean can be found in Antigua, Barbados, St. Maarten, the Grenadines, U.S. Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.

Caribbean all inclusive – Both Jamaica and the Dominican Republic Do not have an infrastructure provides for tourism. This is why both islands offer a wealth of all-inclusive hotels and resorts. Jamaica is the largest island in the Caribbean, and has many attractions, however, the roads are very bad. It should be noted that Jamaica was one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean, and travelers should be careful in choosing which part of Jamaica to visit. English is spoken in the resort areas, however, once you get into the Dominican countryside, Spanish is required.

Family Caribbean Islands – Anguilla, Antigua, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Tobago and Turks & Caicos. In addition, the Four Seasons on the island of Nevis offers a program great guy, and all the Hyatt Regency Resorts across the Caribbean offer family friendly vacations.

Hopefully this will give travelers a guide to choosing an island Caribbean to suit any lifestyle.

Linda Thompkins is a Caribbean Travel Consultant and owner of Travel 2 the Caribbean Online Agency. Travel 2 the Caribbean offers visitors and clients both online booking, and travel agent services. Linda lives in the Midwest USA, and has traveled the islands of the Caribbean extensively.

Visit Travel 2 the Caribbean [http://www.travel2thecaribbean.com]

Diving Grand Cayman