Goodbye Trunk Bay, So Long Seven Mile Beach: Visit This Secret Caribbean Escape With Pink Sand Beaches

Sun seekers are always on the lookout for the next secret beach, a secluded spot with clear blue water, soft sand, and breathing room to soak in the gentle lapping of waves on the shore in peace. It's a rarity in the Caribbean these days, and once you do find that perfect beach, you'll never want to leave — but neither will anyone else who finds it. The trick to finding these gems is to put in the extra effort to get there. If it were easy, it wouldn't be a secret. That's where Pink Sand Beach, Barbuda, comes in. It takes some planning to get here, but once you do, you'll have miles of empty, rose-pink-hued beaches to explore.

Antigua and Barbuda is a small Caribbean island country at the northern end of the Lesser Antilles, a little more than 300 miles southeast of Puerto Rico. Antigua is the more popular of the two main islands with a deep-water port for cruise ships and an international airport serving major airlines, but Barbuda has long been a secret Caribbean escape for the wealthy and elite, including, most famously, Princess Diana. While Antigua's sandy shores are beautiful and worthy of a visit, many of Barbuda's beaches are not just uncrowded but empty. They're also a rare natural pale pink color, and you'll feel like you've stumbled onto your own private Caribbean paradise. There's purposefully very little infrastructure on this island, with just a handful of local shops, restaurants, and one or two hotels — a true escape from the more typical overcrowded Caribbean experience. So, say goodbye to popular spots like Trunk Bay and Seven Mile Beach, and head to Pink Sand Beach in Barbuda instead.

Barbuda has a few pink sand beaches, but there is one actually named Pink Sand Beach, and it's very close to the ferry dock, about a 5-minute walk away. A combination of finely crushed shells and coral fragments tints the sand a pale pink. Depending on the lighting and how rough the surf is, the color ranges from the subtlest rosé to a bolder cotton candy pink. The color is easiest to see in the early morning or late afternoon when the sun is not glaring brightly directly overhead, so take your time to explore the island and come back when the light is softer.

Codrington is the only town on Barbuda, a 10-minute drive from Pink Sand Beach. It's mostly quiet local streets with a restaurant or shop or two, but visitors won't find much else to do here. Instead, the Frigate Bird Sanctuary is located nearby in Codrington Lagoon and is the largest frigate bird colony in the Western Hemisphere. Local guides can take you into the sanctuary for the best bird-watching and photography before returning you to town or to Pink Sand Beach. Back at the beach, a few seasonal bars operate, but amenities are otherwise scarce. There's a good chance you'll have this beauty mostly to yourself.

Compared to the rest of the Caribbean, Barbuda is pleasantly underdeveloped and one of the most affordable places to retire in the Caribbean. It's surrounded by beautiful beaches, clear water, and pristine marine habitat. If you ever feel like taking a break from the solitude, Antigua is just a ferry ride away, with its own underrated stretch of coast with a protected coral reef haven.