The New York Times (30 August 2025) posted a travel piece with list of 52 places to go in 2025; here we include descriptions of those related to the Caribbean: Nicaragua, including its Caribbean islands and coasts; the Magdalena River and the Afro-Caribbean culture of Colombia; the British Virgin Islands; and the island of Montserrat. See the full interactive list at The New York Times.
#14 Nicaragua “A darling of ecotourists is ready for its next renaissance”
The less traveled sister to Costa Rica and the largest country in Central America, Nicaragua is full of attractions like tropical jungles, picturesque colonial towns, Caribbean islands, and long, sweeping beaches. This year, the country will be much easier to explore, with the unveiling of the Costanera highway, a multimillion-dollar project connecting more than 50 beaches and communities on its Emerald Coast along the Pacific, from the Gulf of Fonseca in the north to Playa El Naranjo in the south. With new nonstop flights from the United States into Managua, you can take in the country’s colonial capital before heading on a road trip along the coastline. Set up digs at the sustainable Rancho Santana, with five beaches on the vast property as well as riding stables and a turtle sanctuary. Surf retreats for beginners and couples, paired with a barefoot-chic vibe, are among the draws at Hide and Seek Resort, which opened last year in Popoyo.— Ondine Cohane
#17 Magdalena River, Colombia “Take a luxury cruise into a land of music and manatees”
It has been at least half a century since leisure cruises let passengers experience the biodiversity of the Magdalena River in Colombia. But in March and June, AmaWaterways will unveil two new luxury vessels for weeklong 450-mile itineraries on waterways between Cartagena and Barranquilla, allowing passengers to experience local gastronomy, music and dance performances, Indigenous craftsmanship and endemic fauna like manatees and caimans. Port stops, chosen for their cultural and ecological significance, include the 16th-century UNESCO World Heritage site of Mompox, a once-wealthy trading post and a cradle of the percussion-forward musical genre called cumbia; San Basilio de Palenque, the first freed-slave village in the Americas, steeped in Afro-Caribbean Colombian culture; and Nueva Venecia, a hamlet built on stilts where fishing is still a way of life. AmaWaterways is investing in regional infrastructure, including by constructing docks and training local guides.— Nora Walsh
#33 British Virgin Islands “A Caribbean paradise finally makes a full comeback”
It has taken more than seven years, but several major resorts in the British Virgin Islands are finally fully bouncing back from the devastation of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. The famous Bitter End Yacht Club, perched on the eastern end of Virgin Gorda, will debut a growing collection of timber-clad bungalows cantilevered over the Caribbean Sea, the only over-water accommodations on the islands. Not far away, the Biras Creek Resort has been reimagined as Biras Marina & Resort, with panoramic ocean views, private terraces and a new omakase restaurant. Finally, the Peter Island Resort reopened in December after a full restoration, including a 10,000-square-foot spa, a yacht club and new beachfront villas. Getting to the British Virgin Islands often means connecting flights or ferries, but American Airlines is making the trip from the continental United States easier by introducing the first-ever nonstop flights from Miami to the Beef Island airport, which serves Tortola, up to five times a day.— Nora Walsh
#52 Montserrat, the Caribbean “A new port and a somber anniversary underscore an overlooked island’s resilience”
Thirty years after a chain of volcanic eruptions buried Montserrat’s capital and displaced two-thirds of its residents, the island, a British overseas territory, is ready for a comeback. While the island’s southern half remains uninhabited, its verdant north stands poised for growth. A new seaport — part of Montserrat’s largest-ever public works investment, costing $27 million — will accommodate vessels with up to 500 passengers, in time for cruise season. It also includes protections for native wildlife and coral. The updates will ease access to Montserrat’s longstanding natural draws: Hikers can scale its green hills and visit the eerie volcanic zone. Birders can watch for the famous Montserrat oriole. The island’s African Irish heritage, impressive pop music legacy — the “fifth Beatle” George Martin recorded performers including Paul McCartney and Duran Duran in his studio here — and the national dish of goat water are ready for rediscovery.— William Fleeson
For full article, see https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/travel/places-to-travel-destinations-2025.html
[Shown above, photo by Robert Rausch for the NYT: Nicaragua.]