The Caribbean's unbeatable beaches and relaxed pace of life makes it the perfect destination to enjoy a villa holiday.

Lying south of Florida and north of Venezuela is the ribbon of islands of varying shapes and sizes that together make up the Caribbean.

Their geographical location has attracted explorers and opportunists from a host of European nations across the centuries, from the French and the British to the Dutch, Portuguese and Spanish. The infamous slave trade introduced a rich African heritage that has blended with a range of colonial and other cultural influences to ultimately create the fabulous melting pot that is today’s Caribbean.

Though they share many attributes, each Caribbean island is unique and our villas have been chosen from five of our favourites: the sizable Dominican Republic and Jamaica to the north and the much smaller Antigua, Barbados and St Lucia further east.

With their tropical climate, the islands of the Caribbean enjoy sunny days, balmy evenings and delightfully warm seas for much of the year. December to April is considered to be one of the best periods, with wall to wall sunshine, daytime temperatures around 26°C, low humidity and pleasantly cool nights.

By May and June, temperatures are beginning to rise a little, cooled by the odd tropical downpour while heavier storms may occur from July to November. The official hurricane season is June to November, however most tend to arrive during September and October, and even then they rarely affect more southerly islands such as St Lucia and Barbados.

With their fascinating collective and individual history, the islands of the Caribbean have an intriguing range of museums, tours and heritage sites to share with their visitors. Many seventeenth century plantation houses, sugar mills and old government buildings have been preserved and restored and offer an insight into the lives of the settlers and the slaves who were brought over to cultivate the sugar plantations.

Countless naval battles between European rivals gave Caribbean ports a highly strategic importance and it’s well worth taking the time to stroll around them and picture scenes from their past.

Music and sport, are two of the more modern cultural highlights you’ll want to check out during your Caribbean villa holiday. From folk to reggae, calypso to steel pan, you won’t have to go far to catch the beat, nor to discover the islands’ ultimate passion: cricket.

• Join Antigua’s Shirley Heights Sunday sunset barbecue with steel bands, jerk chicken and rum punch. Visit the beautiful English Harbour, Nelson’s former dockyard, now graced with luxury yachts from around the globe.
• Visit Bridgetown, Barbados – the island’s bustling capital and home to beautiful colonial buildings and the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Barbados Garrison. If you’re a cricket fan, pop along to the Legends of Barbados Cricket Museum for a trip down memory lane.
• Explore Jamaica’s stunning rainforest interior with its incredible rivers and waterfalls and enjoy a view of Mystic Mountain from a chair lift or zip wire.
• Explore St Lucia’s underwater world with a chance to spot octopus, turtles, eels and parrot fish. The island’s iconic Piton Mountains offer some superb hiking trails for those with an adventurous spirit or you may prefer to simply admire them from a far.