Diving, beaches and celebs in the Caribbean

Some of the Caribbean's smallest islands really let you get away from crowds.

Just getting to them can be an adventure. Hundred-foot cliffs line Saba's quarter-mile-long airstrip, for example, making for a white-knuckle landing. Ferries are the main and sometimes only way to get to some islands, including St. John, and you generally don't need a reservation. From unspoiled beaches to ruins of sugar plantations, here's what five of the smallest islands offer:

ANGUILLA

Size 35 square miles

Population 12,000

Best for Sunbathers, who can choose from 33 uncrowded white-sand beaches.

Getting there Fly to San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Antigua or St. Maarten, then catch a smaller carrier. For example, from Antigua, it's a one-hour flight on LIAT (about $250 round-trip, liat.com). Or take a 20-minute ferry from Marigot, St. Maarten, to Blowing Point, Anguilla ($30 round-trip, anguilla-vacation.com).

What to do Snorkel and sail ... hike to Koal Keel, a former sugar and cotton plantation, and Sandy Ground, an old salt factory ... ride horses on deserted beaches ... attend the annual music festival (March 25-28 this year) ... meet the locals, including fishermen, boat builders and sailors.

Lodging Choose from a few dozen hotels, guesthouses and mini-resorts, plus villas and condos. Low-end options include the Sea View Apartments ($60 year-round, inns.ai/seaview). A midrange choice is Eden House Villa, which has a three-bedroom main house that sleeps up to six and a pool house suitable for two (from $1,810 a week, edenhousevilla.com).

Info 877-426-4845, anguilla-vacation.com

ST. BARTS

Size 8 square miles

Population 8,450

Best for Fans of seashell-covered beaches (rare in the Caribbean), a French vibe, nightclubbing and celebrity-spotting.

Getting there Fly to San Juan, Guadeloupe or St. Maarten, then catch a smaller carrier. From St. Maarten, it's a 15-minute flight on Saint Barth Commuter (about $167-$180 round-trip, stbarthcommuter.com) or Winair (about $200 round-trip, fly-winair.com). From St. Maarten, several ferries make the 45-minute trip, including Edge ($90 round-trip,stmaarten-activities.com).

What to do Windsurf, water-ski, sail ... fish for barracuda and blue marlin ... play on 14 white-sand beaches, many secluded ... stop in Corossol, where women in Breton sunbonnets weave palms, and see the Inter Oceans Museum's 9,000-specimen seashell collection ... shop duty-free for Hermès and Cartier in Gustavia ... eat crepes at sidewalk cafes.

Lodging About half the beds are in houses and apartments, including Villa Casa Coco (from $1,600 a week, casacoco.fr) near Gustavia and Salines Garden beach cottages (about $125 a night, salinesgarden.com). Family-run hotels include the 21-room Tropical Hotel (from $189, st-barths.com/tropical- hotel) and Le Village St. Jean, where cottages and rooms are in a tropical garden (from $188, villagestjeanhotel.com).

Info 011-590-590-278-727, st-barths.com

NEVIS

Size 36 square miles

Population 10,000

Best for Beach and water sports lovers, as well as nature, history and archaeology enthusiasts.

Getting there Fly to St. Maarten, San Juan, Antigua or St. Kitts, then take a smaller plane or ferry. From St. Maarten, catch a 10-minute flight on LIAT ($70-$132 each way) or Winair ($96-$139 each way). From the St. Kitts airport, take a taxi to the ferry, which costs $16-$19 round-trip.

What to do Hike to the top of a 3,300-foot extinct volcano ... listen to monkeys chatter on a rain forest hike ... visit the sleepy Victorian capital, Charlestown ... smell orchids at the Botanical Garden ... scuba around shipwrecks ... tour Herbert Heights Village's thatched-roof cottages ... ride horses along the 9-mile Upper Round Road Trail ... visit refurbished plantation houses and see ruins of sugar plantations ... check out the Culturama festival July 25-Aug. 5.

Lodging With 416 hotel rooms and suites and more than 100 villas, options range from apartments and guesthouses to historic plantation inns and a five-star resort. Options include the Hermitage Plantation Inn (from $150, hermitagenevis.com), the stone-cut buildings of Old Manor Hotel (from $220, oldmanor nevis.com) and Banyan Tree B&B (from $135, banyantreebandb.com), a working farm with Barbados Blackberry sheep.

Info 866-556-3847, nevisnaturally.com

ST. JOHN (U.S. Virgin Islands)

Size 28 square miles

Population About 5,000

Best for Nature lovers and families.

Getting there Fly to St. Thomas, then taxi over to the Charlotte Amalie waterfront (about $7) or Red Hook (about $14) to catch a ferry to Cruz Bay. From Red Hook, passenger ferries take 20 minutes (about $10 round-trip); from Charlotte Amalie, 40-45 minutes (about $22 round-trip, stjohnusvi.com). Or take a car ferry ($42-$50 round-trip, including passengers).

What to do Hike the Reef Bay Trail in Virgin Islands National Park ... explore more than 35 beaches, including Trunk Bay, renowned for its snorkeling trail ... go bird-watching; there are 140 species, including an abundance of hummingbirds ... dodge wild goats while trekking from Salt Pond Bay to Ram Head Point ... see the Annaberg Plantation sugar mill ruins ... snorkel, dive, sail, kayak and windsurf ... ride horses and donkeys.

Lodging St. John has everything from park camping to exclusive resorts. B&Bs include Garden by the Sea (from $160, gardenbythesea.com) and Hillcrest Guesthouse, where a tropical garden includes an Amish gazebo (from $175, hillcreststjohn.com). The Caneel Bay resort has 166 luxe rooms, sans phones and TVs (from $390, caneelbay.com). Camping at Cinnamon Bay costs $30 for a bare tent site, or $64-$88 including tent; cottages start at $77 (cinnamonbay.com).

Info 800-372-8784,usvitourism.vi

SABA

Size 5 square miles

Population 1,700

Best for Divers, who can explore Saba Marine Park, and hikers.

Getting there Fly to St. Maarten, then either fly (12 minutes) or take a ferry (80 minutes). The only airline that goes to Saba is Winair (about $107 round-trip in March); ferries are the Edge ($100 round-trip) and the Dawn ($90 round-trip, sabactransport.com).

What to do Shop for Saba lace, made locally since the 1870s, and Saba Spice rum-and-herb liquor ... visit the Harry L. Johnson Museum, a former sea captain's cottage with Victorian furnishings and artifacts from archaeological sites ... cut loose at Carnival, the last week of July ... choose from 15 eateries, ranging from Pop's Place Snack Bar to the elegant Willard's.

Lodging About 120 rooms are available in eight small hotels, several villas and 14 cottages. Options include Scout's Place and Hotel (from $109, saba divers.com). Daphne's Cottage, built in 1850, is in a windwardside neighborhood ($130, sabadaphnecottage.com). The House on the Path is 1,500 feet above the sea and a 5-minute hike from neighbors and vehicles ($175, houseonthepath.com).

Info 011-599-416-2231, sabatourism.com