 On the Gulf of Mexico, about halfway in the lineup of barrier islands between Galveston and South Padre Island, Matagorda has been hammered by storms over the last two centuries – and that, in some ways, has been a blessing. There are no major developments stretching along the shoreline here; instead the island today is a park and wildlife reserve, geared to beachcombers, nature lovers, and those simply seeking a quiet corner of the world.
The only access to Matagorda Island State Park is by boat and ferry (from nearby Port O’Connor), and facilities are mostly limited to primitive campsite...
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 Honduras Bring your underwater watch. Dive masters have charted more than 100 scuba and snorkeling sites on Roatan, the largest of the three major Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras, and it's easy to see why this island chain has become one of the Caribbean's diving meccas. A barrier reef (which extends north to Belize) lies just a few hundred feet offshore from the northern side of Roatan, and the warm, clear waters are home to nearly all of the tropical fish and corals of the Caribbean. Divers here have a smorgasbord of choices, from caves and canyons to swim-throughs and sand chutes.
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 The Baths sound like something out of an Indiana Jones movie: massive granite boulders, grottoes, secret passages, hidden saltwater pools illuminated by shafts of light. That helps explain why this stretch of beach at the southern tip of Virgin Gorda is the most memorable mooring in the Virgin Islands.
The British Virgin Islands, more laid-back than their U. S. Virgin Island neighbors, have long been the province of sailors, including Columbus, who was an early visitor. Today these are the most popular cruising waters in the Caribbean, thanks to steady winds, a perfect climate, and easy de...
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