Jamaica is the third largest island in the Caribbean covering an area of approximately 10,991 sq km, and lies 145 km off the south coast of Cuba, entirely surrounded by the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea. Its population of 2.65 million people provide an atmosphere of peace and harmony prompted by existing in a place of outstanding natural beauty and permanent sunshine. For a relatively small island, the diversity of landscape is quite impressive, ranging from narrow coastal plains and broad flatlands in the south, through the dramatic limestone terrain of the interior to the mighty presence of the Blue Mountains in the east, which peak at 2220m. On the north coast the vegetation is lush and the beaches are of white sand, making this part extremely attractive to tourists with idyllic holiday apartments in Jamaica available, as well as luxury beachside hotels and self catering villas, some with private pools.

A holiday in Jamaica can be taken at any time of the year due its tropical maritime climate that sees very few temperature fluctuations. Weather patterns can change quickly and rain is more likely between May and November, although never enough to dampen your travel agenda. However, coastal regions enjoy almost constant heat and temperatures rarely dip below 20 degrees Celsius in the high ground of the Blue Mountains at any time of year. The most popular season for holiday visitors runs from December to April, peaking at Christmas and Easter, when vacation home rentals are best booked in plenty of time to take advantage of the tropical delights and laid-back lifestyle this paradise island has to offer. A guesthouse in Jamaica will give you the perfect opportunity to explore the richness of this island's natural environments, breathtaking scenery and beautiful array of native flora before relaxing on a white sand beach gently lapped by the crystal waters of the Caribbean Sea.

Barbados is situated on the far eastern fringes of the Caribbean Island chain and covers an area of roughly 430 sq km. The bulk of the island has been formed by the accumulation of coral on sedimentary rocks over the ages that have been eroded by water permeation to form vast underground systems of streams and springs and dramatic limestone caverns, notably Harrison's Cave, which attracts many of the visitors to Barbados who inhabit the impressive selection of holiday apartments and villas available all year round. A coral reef surrounds much of the island, and the coastline varies from the calm, blue waters in the west to the more turbulent Atlantic shores of the east. Much of the island terrain is flat, but the interior is undulating, hilly landscape and the north-eastern Scotland District, as it is known, rises to 340m at Mount Hillaby.

Barbados' population of 264,000 people have been historically influenced by the British, but West Indian culture is still strongly evident in family traditions, food and music. Sugar cane plantations can be found across much of the flatter ground, offering a common source of income for the islanders, but there are native woodland areas providing many examples of hardwood and tropical trees and flowering plants, and beautiful cultivated gardens are open to the public. The climate in Barbados is tropical in nature providing year round guaranteed heat and almost perpetual sunshine, but humidity levels can be oppressive in the latter part of the year, so the most popular time to visit Barbados is during the cooler months from February to May. Self catering accommodation can be found to suit all budgets and every holiday requirement; from luxury hotels to modest guesthouses, or a self catering apartment to a villa in Barbados, many available with private pools. The stunning scenery, idyllic beaches and cultural diversity of this island make Barbados a tropical haven of tranquillity that is the perfect destination for the holiday of a lifetime.

Trinidad and Tobago occupy an area of roughly 5,130 sq km at the south eastern boundary of the Caribbean Island sweep, a stone's throw from the coast of Venezuela. The larger island of Trinidad is home to the Northern Range of mountains, which is actually a continuation of the Andes, and is rich in oil and gas reserves. The rest of Trinidad's landscape consists of undulating hills, plains and mangrove swamps interspersed by numerous rivers and smaller water courses. Tobago lies 20 km to the north-east of Trinidad and also has a central mountain range peaking at 620m. Its terrain of deep, fertile valleys run downwards from the highest ridges towards a beautiful coastline that is indented with peaceful bays and glorious sandy beaches. Trinidad and Tobago has a wide variety of flora and fauna supported by their rich diversity of natural environments, from mountain interior to rainforest. The population of almost 1.30 million is largely concentrated in Trinidad, where an eclectic, cosmopolitan mix of people offer a different type of atmosphere than if you were to rent a holiday villa in Tobago, where life is more relaxed and the countryside less developed.

The southerly location of Trinidad and Tobago means that climate remains at a fairly even keel all year round with the most rainfall occurring from June to August. February to May see the most tourists arrive and vacation rentals booked up rapidly, especially to indulge in the Carnival that always happens just before Ash Wednesday, but outside this period self catering holiday villas and apartments in Tobago are easier to come by and the idyllic beaches are quieter giving any visitor the perfect opportunity to discover the breathtaking scenery of Trinidad and Tobago, the wealth of cultural heritage and history, and the sheer delights of life on a Caribbean island.

St Lucia is one of the Windward Islands and situated at a geographical location where the eastern Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean - a point of great ocean floor activity spanning millions of years that has provided St Lucia with rugged volcanic landscape more mountainous than many other Caribbean Islands and a skyline interrupted by St Lucia's most famous topographical feature, the Piton mountains, and Mount Gimie rising up to 950 m above sea level. With an abundance of national park environments and botanical gardens displaying even more of the island's incredible natural diversity, not to mention the world's only drive-in volcano, there are so many other reasons for renting a holiday apartment in St Lucia than simply the opportunity to get married on one of the most pristine white sand beaches in the Caribbean!

Antigua has a topography that contrasts the peaks and valleys of St Lucia with a landscape that is relatively flat and devoid of the central mountains that are a common feature of so many other Caribbean Islands, although high coastal cliffs broken up by picturesque bays, paradise beaches and undulating hills in the southwest of the island show a natural heritage that is both scenically breathtaking and entirely unique. Covering an area of roughly 108 sq miles, Antigua also exists on a boundary between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean - albeit further north than St Lucia in the Leeward Islands - so a tropical climate of high temperatures all year round and low rainfall is consistent with its sister island, Barbuda, and similar to so many other Caribbean destinations. With commercial, social and cultural activities centred largely around the capital of St John's, holiday villas in Antigua are popular in this colourful coastal location with a laid-back attitude and atmosphere of calm that seems far more appropriate in such a beautiful location than the hectic noise and confusion you would normally expect in a cosmopolitan, urban environment.

The Dominican Republic occupies two-thirds of Hispaniola, the second largest island in the Greater Antilles group, and is a destination that is as naturally diverse as it is historically fascinating. Home to the highest mountain peak and the largest lake in the Caribbean and with a heritage that reaches as far back at least until 1492 when Christopher Columbus explored Hispaniola during his first voyage to America, holiday apartments in the Dominican Republic are highly sought after by those with a vacation agenda that includes a whole lot more than simply relaxing on tropical beach for a fortnight! With such a long and spectacular coastline however, there's much to be said for spending plenty of time taking advantage of the perfect conditions that exist around the island for watersports, even if that means a leisurely swim with dolphins as opposed to the more energetic aspects of windsurfing or deep sea fishing. And with an abundance of mountainous countryside to investigate as well a wide variety of culture-loaded towns and cities, you'll need more than a two-week break in the Dominican Republic to cram in all there is to see and do!

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