Atlantis Paradise Island offers a 141-acre water park, marine habitats, five miles of pristine beaches, and so much more. Courtesy of Atlantis Paradise Island

Picture sundrenched, exquisite beaches with sugar-soft sands lapped by aquamarine waves, plenty of sunshine and tropical breezes. If you’ve imagined someplace in the Caribbean, you’d be right alongside other planners who envision an island location for their next company retreat, incentive trip, or group meeting.

With a blend of natural beauty, cultural richness and diversity, easy accessibility from many parts of the U.S., and world-class resorts, the Bahamas and Caribbean islands are an ideal choice for an unforgettable event, as they have the matchless power to renew and inspire your attendees.

Selecting an island involves more than the venue — there’s the charm, history, culture and personality of the island itself. Some are linked to famous pirates and hidden treasures. Divers today still search for gold left scattered amid the reefs. Here are some to be explored as you consider your next island destination.

Aruba

Maybe Aruba’s tagline, “One Happy Island,” is because it’s located outside the notorious ‘hurricane belt.’ At 70-square miles, the island is known for its soft, white sand and crystal-clear, turquoise water where snorkelers can look down and see colorful fish and even shipwrecks lodged beneath the shallow water. Active adventures for attendees may include kitesurfing and windsurfing off Malmok Beach, waterskiing in several protected shoals, and paddleboarding just off the shore of many swimmable beaches.

If nightlife and fine dining are more to your group’s liking, you’ll find such diverse fare as traditional Dutch, Asian, African or Spanish-influenced food all in the downtown corridor of Oranjestad. One such restaurant is the intimate Ruinas del Mar, located at the 12-acre beachfront Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort, Spa, and Casino. The resort fronts miles of soft white sand, which Jason Gross, VP, Travel for Captive Resources in Itasca, IL, found particularly appealing, in addition to its downtown location. Last winter, Gross planned a gathering of 450 attendees and was impressed at the exceedingly high level of service at the property and the easily accessible array of nightclubs and restaurants within easy walking distance.

“Out the back door is deep water and a swimmable beach, while out the front door are all of the local restaurants and nightlife,” says Gross, who’s been planning events at the resort for more than 15 years. “The staff at the Hyatt is over-the-top. Their onsite CSM gets things done, and the service is second-to-none. It’s the best Hyatt I’ve ever been to.”

New to Aruba is the adults-only Iberostar Grand Aruba and The St. Regis Palm Beach Aruba Resort. Meanwhile, the Aruba Happy One Pass — a digital travel credential system that lets travelers complete pre-boarding verification to smoothly cross border checkpoints — aims to streamline arrivals to the island.

Jamaica

If you enjoy the sultry tones of reggae, you’ve got Jamaican musicians to thank for that. Emblematic of the country’s laidback lifestyle but fused with lyrics that speak to the emergence of Jamaica from British rule in the 60s, today the country is poised to be a major player in the tourism sector.

Last year, Jamaica welcomed over four million visitors and generated more than $4 billion in revenue. This year, it’s expected to add 2,000 new hotel rooms, such as the all-inclusive Riu Palace Aquarelle, the adults-only Princess Senses The Mangrove (with its own convention center), and the family friendly Princess Grand Jamaica.

“Jamaica is the third-largest island, and it’s located in the heart of the Caribbean Sea,” explains John Woolcock, manager of groups & conventions at the Jamaica Tourist Board. “We can accommodate large conferences, business events, corporate getaways or trade conventions. Additionally, you can plan an afternoon of watersports, raft on a river, hike to our highest mountain peak or explore underground caves.”

One group recently coordinated a team-building event in which each team was supplied with precut, 30-foot bamboo poles and supplies. The teams then built rafts and tested them to see if they were sea-worthy.

Group spaces in Jamaica range from the 57,000 sf Montego Bay Convention Centre to Bellefield Great House & Gardens, or Main Street Rose Hall in the Elegant Corridor. And if you’d like your group to interact in a meaningful way, the new Artisan Village at Falmouth — a historic, experiential attraction — aims to connect local artisans and food producers with visitors.

Bermuda

If you’re looking for a VIP experience that’s on a more intimate scale, consider Bermuda: a 21-square mile nation made up of 181 islands and islets. Some unique venues include the Unfinished Church — with soaring stone arches and a fairytale atmosphere; the Spirit of Bermuda —a 19th-century tall ship; the Bermuda National Gallery or the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute.

Another outdoor venue is Snorkel Park with space for 5,000 attendees, a shallow reef with sunken cannons, or Hawkins Island, a 25-acre private island 10 minutes by boat from Hamilton.

The Bahamas

Melissa Halliday, director of administrative services for Amergis Healthcare Staffing in Columbia, MD, coordinated an incentive trip to the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island. The group of 780 attendees came from all over the U.S., so Halliday needed to find a property big enough to accommodate her group but accessible enough for a myriad of events.

“We’d been trying to find a place that could cater to all our needs,” explains Halliday. “With the size of Atlantis, we recognized we could take care of our programming needs and still have everyone experience the full benefits of the resort.

“It’s a large property, so we were mindful of having to get our group from one place to another. An unexpected thing happened on one of my first nights on property when some band members came out and played music. I asked the manager if we could hire them for one of our events. So, he put together a group of about 20-25 musicians. They met us in the meeting space, then walked us to the pool where our welcome event was being held. It really was an awesome experience.”

Another Bahamian resort of note, especially for group events is the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar in Nassau. Featuring eight pools, watersports, a wildlife sanctuary, arcade and the Baha Bay Waterpark, the resort also includes unlimited activities, shopping, 45 dining outlets, poolside cabanas, a full-service spa and a casino.

Cayman Islands

This enclave of British manners and sensibilities is a veritable playground for sports like cricket, rugby, croquet and golf, but it’s also where you’ll find Seven Mile Beach. Located on Grand Cayman Island, it’s been named an “Ultimate Beach” by Caribbean Travel + Life and one of the top 25 beaches in the world.

The Cayman Islands offers a Meet & Greet Service at the airport designed to expedite entry into the country for groups of up to 190, where a customs officer will meet them as they depart the plane, fast track them through the entry process, then escort them to the transportation area.

New additions to the island include the Hotel Indigo Grand Cayman, which opened this spring. The 282-room property offers more than 11,000 sf of meeting space including a 6,700 sf ballroom, outdoor patio and pool deck. Dining options run the gamut from Peruvian to Polynesian.

As for next year, new hotels include the 100-room Mandarin Oriental Grand Cayman, located in Bodden Town on a 67-acre property, the 354-room Grand Hyatt Grand Cayman Hotel & Residences, which will feature six restaurants, and the 177-unit One/GT, a boutique hotel with a rooftop venue.

Puerto Rico

According to Discover Puerto Rico, air arrivals to the island last year were up 21% over the previous year. So perhaps it’s not surprising that more accommodations are being added to the unincorporated U.S. territory’s hospitality inventory this year.

Part of the island’s largest developments are from Hilton, which intends to double its presence by 2025. “The company is introducing 10 new hotels, representing five different brands, in San Juan, Ponce and Dorado, amounting to Hilton’s largest growth market in the Caribbean by number of hotels,” states Travel Pulse, which also lists a new $500M Hard Rock Hotel in Old San Juan and the boutique hotel Don Rata Boutique Hotel & Residences in Miramar as venues of note.

Planners looking to create one-of-a-kind experiences in Puerto Rico — a Caribbean destination that does not require a passport for U.S. citizens — can look at booking rum tastings and tours at Casa Bacardi, the world’s largest premium rum distillery. They can also explore Castillo Serrallés, a luxurious 19th century mansion, as well as coffee tours at locally run plantations like Hacienda Lealtad or the Museo de Café, or coordinate salsa dance lessons with a local instructor.

Puerto Rico offers other venue choices such as the Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, with a total of 5,443 sf of event space, including a ballroom and boardroom with ocean views. Dorado Beach was founded in 1958 by Laurance Rockefeller, who transformed a former plantation on the island’s north shore into a 50-acre luxury resort with access to the beautiful beach. The 11-mile Rockefeller Nature Trail wends its way through the resort, offering attendees night walks, stargazing sessions, as well as scuba diving and underwater photography excursions.

Anguilla

Tucked away in the Eastern Caribbean is the secluded island of Anguilla, a British Overseas Territory. New on the scene is Entertainment Park, located at the Aurora Anguilla Resort & Golf Club in Rendezvous Bay. The property boasts Anguilla’s only golf courses on beachfront property.

Slated to open this year at Cap Juluca, a Belmond Hotel in Anguilla, is Cap Juluca Spa by Guerlain, a $8M facility inspired by the Arawak Indians, Anguilla’s earliest inhabitants. The historic Malliouhana — a combination of low-key glamour and historic heritage — is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year with a new program led by James-Beard award-winning sommelier Shelley Lindgren that showcases unique food and wine pairings.

Meads Bay is another great area, consistently ranked among the top beaches in the world. One venue to note is The Four Seasons Resort & Residences, with 181 guest rooms, 13,127 sf of event space. It is near Barnes Bay Beach, and provides snorkeling gear and other beach equipment.

Dominican Republic

Located on one of the few islands in the world shared by two independent nation-states, the Dominican Republic comprises two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola. Considering its robust size — for a Caribbean island — it might not be a surprise to learn there’s a resort property that stretches more than 7,000 acres.

Originally opened 50 years ago as the first resort in the country, Casa de Campo Resort & Villas is regarded today as the best golf resort in the world. The property includes the Pete Dye course Teeth of the Dog®, which is on many golfers’ bucket lists. But for Salwa Scarpone, director of events & supplier marketing for Bluewave Technology Group in Parsippany, NJ, the main reason for selecting the resort was the overall experience she knew her group would have.

“I’ve taken three different groups there because it is an amazing venue,” says Scarpone, who recently coordinated an incentive trip for 15 salespeople and their plus-ones. “It’s an all-inclusive property, which makes things easy for the planner and the attendees. All activities are included — like skeet shooting and horseback riding — and there’s an opportunity to go out on a catamaran to a private island where you can snorkel and have a chef prepare you lunch. Though the property itself is vast, each villa comes with a golf cart so people can get themselves around independently.”

Casa de Campo also features such unusual venues as an outdoor amphitheater which is located at Altos de Chavón, a replica of a 16th century Mediterranean village, that can be rented out for special events.

Saint Lucia

Rising out of the Caribbean Sea are the volcanic Piton mountains. Considered some of the most iconic mountains in the world, the twin peaks of Saint Lucia are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and many visitors count a climb to the top of Gros Piton among their top things to do.

But outside of nature hikes, Saint Lucia offers incredible rainforests, a multitude of animals and its own diverse history.

Cornucopia Events, which caters to the meetings and events industry, coordinates an array of activities for groups from exclusive gala dinners at the Governor General’s house, to a boat trip to the town of Soufriere to visit Hotel Chocolate, where attendees can taste, shell and grind cocoa beans, to a St. Lucian Creole cookoff or a “Pirates of the Caribbean” themed dinner party.

In recognition of the island as an ideal choice for smaller events, last year the St. Lucia Tourism Authority announced it had won the Caribbean’s Best Corporate Retreat Destination 2023 at the 4th Annual World MICE Awards.

U.S. Virgin Islands

At this year’s U.S. Travel Association’s International Pow Wow, the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism shared that Trunk Bay, located on St. John, was ranked #1 on the list of The World’s 50 Best Beaches™ 2024.

On St. Thomas, one of the three islands that make up the U.S. territory, is Frenchman’s Reef Resort, where attendees can experience two distinct properties: the Westin Beach Resort and Morningstar Buoy Beach Haus Resort, an Autograph Collection Hotel. Collectively offering more than 85,000 sf of indoor and outdoor event venues, the property can accommodate up to 1,000 attendees.

Forbes recently declared the Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas, to be the Best High-End Hotel in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The hotel has partnered with local rum brand, Rock City Rum, to create an exclusive rum in the hotel’s signature flavor and scent — lemongrass — which is only available at the property.

Look only as far as the Bahamas and the Caribbean for an island location. With their blend of natural beauty, a wealth of cultural experiences, exceptional dining, and stunning sea and mountain views, these island destinations offer high-level venues that set the stage for a successful event. C&IT