For those who think life really is a beach
Boil down the Caribbean ideal and you have the beach: powdery white sand, aquamarine water and warm sun soaking into your skin and melting away the rest of the world. Choose one of these island destinations, and you can sample the sand at a different fabulous site every day.

Anguilla
Long and lean with flowing blonde sand, Anguilla is the rising starlet among beach lovers’ ultimate getaways. Get up each morning and pick a beach depending on your mood, anything from Shoal Bay East for people-watching and bar-hopping to secret Little Bay for snorkeling and picnicking on a crescent of sand just big enough for two. Top picks for beachy bases:

Carimar Beach Club on Meads Bay, from $170 per day in low season ($390 high). 264-497-6881; www.carimar.com.

Cuisinart on Rendezvous Bay, from $400 in low season ($995 high). 800-943-3210; www.cuisinartresort.com

Vieques
The U.S. Navy bogarted some of this island’s best beaches for 60 years, but after a long-fought battle, they’re now open to the public. Rent a Jeep and set out each day to enjoy Sun Bay (most active, with beach bars and facilities), Punta Arena (exotic), Navio Beach (secluded, wave action, cliffs and caves), Media Luna (protected, with calm water), Green Beach (good snorkeling at southern end) and others. Base at:

Hacienda Tamarindo From $125 per day through November 21. 787-741-0420; www.haciendatamarindo.comInn on the Blue Horizon From $125 in low season ($160 high). 787-741-3318; www.innonthebluehorizon.com

Antigua
The cliché about Antigua is that there’s a beach for every day of the year. Race around and count them all if you want, but it’s more of a No-Brainer to choose just one a day and relax.

Zach Stovall Enjoy the all-inclusive, palm-fringed beaches of Curtain Bluff, Antigua.

Galley Bay is where you’ll find sand smoother than a silk sheet and a superb all-inclusive of the same name. From $625 per person per day in low season ($800 high). 800-858-4618; www.eliteislandresorts.com

Curtain Bluff: Another terrific base for beach lovers is this clubby all-inclusive that guards a spindly isthmus of palm-fringed sand on the island’s south side. From $595 per person per day through August 25. 268-462-8400; www.curtainbluff.com

For those who want to pack light
Of course, every Caribbean vacation should include some surreptitious skinny dipping. For some, though, that’s not nearly enough nakedness. If you want to go beyond the occasional au naturel episode, these are the places where you can spend your entire vacation wearing only sunscreen.

Club Orient Resort, St. Martin
This laid-back little community of the unclad lies at the far end of one of the world’s truly wild and wonderful party beaches. Club Orient’s 137 low-key accommodations include kitchens and air conditioning. Within the resort are bars, restaurants, a food store, a wellness center and a water-sports operation. The No-Brainer excursion here is to simply cover up a bit and wander beyond the all-bare border to sample Orient Beach’s bevy of bars, restaurants, sports shacks and beach boutiques. From $276 per day in low season ($520 high). 800-690-0199; www.cluborient.com

Sorobon Beach Resort, Bonaire
On a choice piece of spectacular Lac Bay — perfect for nude snorkeling, nude windsurfing and nude kayaking — Sorobon offers naturism within a nature reserve. The resort’s 29 rooms and one three-bedroom villa (all with full kitchens and air-conditioned bedrooms) provide views of the shallow, electric-blue bay and the fringing coral reef. From $162 per day in low season ($269 high). 011-599-717-8080; www.sorobonbeachresort.com

Hidden Beach Resort, Riviera Maya
What could be easier and more liberating than stepping out of bed in your birthday suit, slipping into the heated pool that laps at your door and breast stroking to the swim-up bar for a bloody mary? An hour south of Cancún, near Akumal and Riviera Maya ruins and attractions, Hidden Beach features 42 suites, all with in-room Jacuzzis, but it’s definitely a No-Brainer to reserve one of the swim-up suites. With 24/7 nudability, guests can keep it all off in the pool, at the restaurant and even while they’re at the disco, jiggling the night away. All-inclusive from $210 per day in low season ($240 high). 888-754-3907; www.hiddenbeachresort.com

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