Over a million square miles of crystal-clear waters, boasting all the bluish hues anyone can imagine, beaches like no other on the face of the earth and that in this world region are so commonplace anywhere. They are there for visitors to choose the one the like the most or make a personal pick from those they once saw in their wildest dreams.

Acknowledged by travelers as the perfect destination to spend unforgettable days basking in the sun and taking a swim in the sea, the Caribbean features such an assortment of beaches that anyone will have to come back time and again and probably need more than a lifetime to see them all. In this neck of the woods there are beaches cherished by the soft breezes blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean and hemmed in by a range of majestic mountains, like the ridge of Costa de Ambar in northern Dominican Republic. And there are other quasi-untapped, like Cuba’s offshore keys: Cayo Largo del Sur, the Villa Clara keys, Jardines del Rey and Jardines de la Reina. There are dozens of them to choose from. Dream beaches also embellish Puerto Rico. They boast white sands and turquoise waters –the typical idyllic colors of the Caribbean foreshores. And they are also great for full relaxation and the practice of a variety of water sports. Seven Mile Beach in Jamaica; Martinique’s Cap Chevalier, where the coral reefs turn it into a breathtakingly beautiful crystalline lake; Playa Caribe on Isla Margarita, and the ones running along the Los Roques archipelago in Venezuela; Playa Langosta in Cancun; or Tortugas and Chac Mool, Paraiso and Playa Encantada in the Riviera Maya, are must-sees on this rushing list. But also topping that list are the Colombian beaches of San Andres, bathed “by the sea of seven colors” and Bahia Sardina, Cocoplum, San Luis or Sound Bay. The same happens in Trinidad & Tobago with Maracas, Tyrico, Las Cuevas, Chagville, Iros and Quinam beaches, whose waters turn reddish in certain times of the year due to the outflows of the Orinoco River. In Barbados, Dorada Beach –so called for the beautiful brownish sands- is a spectacular foreshore, and so are the ones in Curacao and Aruba. Blessed by nature and perfect geographical location, the Caribbean islands are some of the finest travel destinations in the world. The common denominator in each and every one of them is highly coveted as well: permanent sunshine, see-through beaches of turquoise waters, white powder-thin sands, water sports, fancy and large resorts or just small hotels and inns.

This is quite common both on the Greater and the Lesser Antilles, a promise of satisfaction guaranteed for anyone hailing from anywhere. As soon as the green light starts flashing at the airport to indicate it’s time to hop on the plane, you’ve already embarked on this trip to a magical universe of treasure islands where the only thing you can expect is to bask under the sunrays of the tropic and take back home an illusion of immortality as your most precious keepsake.

Regardless of the names, choices or possible suggestions, beaches in the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Turks & Caicos, the Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Antigua & Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Grenada, Trinidad & Tobago, Aruba, Curacao and the Cayman Islands can be counted by thousands of miles. You deserve to see each and every one of them at least once in a lifetime. That’s something anyone would appreciate. And top it all off, there are the great beaches of Central America. Walking down Mexico’s Caribbean coastline all the way to Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, featuring archipelagos full of dreams, on to Colombia and Venezuela, you’ll feel the sweet sensation that non-countable stuff should never be put out of its actual scope. Since the invention of tourism, the Caribbean has captivated visitors with its balmy weather, exoticism and motley lands. What’s more, the region has touched people’s heart for its sandy shores of crystal-clear waters, for that dream factory only its beaches can provide, where the air is fresher and purer, the sky is endlessly bluer and nothing but ultimate plenitude should be expected.

From the Riviera Maya in Mexico to Panama, to Cuba and the Lesser Antilles, to Leeward and Windward islands, on to Puerto Rico and the north coasts of Colombia and Venezuela, visitors can find hundreds, thousands of beaches teeming with so many wonderful details. That explains why the region has always been considered a paradise of sands and turquoise waters in which everything seems to be cut out for a laidback enjoyment of sea pleasures.