Daily Times

Have you ever jumped off a waterfall? There is nothing more exhilarating than plunging into a perfect azure pool below.

If that’s not enough excitement for you, how about swimming alongside a majestic green turtle, or exploring eerie, underwater sculptures, frozen in time and covered in coral? The Caribbean may be best known for beaches of silky white sand lapped by gin-clear waters, but it is also an adventurer’s paradise.

Take Barbados, with its east coast surf beaches, or Jamaica with its bobsled experience, flying down a jungle-covered mountain.

Or perhaps tiny Grenada, which boasts the region’s largest wreck, dubbed Titanic of the Caribbean by avid scuba divers.

Of course, relaxing under swaying palms while soaking up calypso beats and sipping a rum punch is just the kind of postcard-perfect activity that draws sunseekers to the Caribbean.

But when you get there, you realise there is so much more to see and do.

Nobody knows the Caribbean better than Virgin Atlantic Holidays. For more than 20 years, it has been creating unforgettable holiday experiences for British travellers. With flights to a total of seven islands, its experts know the perfect beaches for relaxation, as well as the ideal spots for adrenaline-pumping adventure.

Now, when we need something to look forward to in 2021 more than ever, Virgin Atlantic Holidays has put together Caribbean getaways that are both safe and flexible.

If you need to postpone or want to change your destination, you can do so completely free of charge. And if you need more time to make payments, there are options for that too.

Many getaways include free Covid-19 cover, which works alongside your regular travel insurance to give you peace of mind on holiday.

Plus, you can feel confident stepping aboard Virgin Atlantic’s

clean and sanitised aircrafts. Although that’s not to say you won’t enjoy the same comforts as before.

When you fly to the Caribbean, you’ll still have a choice of two hot dishes in your ‘Fly safe, eat well’ meal box and if you’re on a daytime flight, you’ll even be served sweet treats created by celebrity pâtissier Eric Lanlard.

So which Caribbean destination would you like to visit? How about glamorous Barbados, where the A-list like to holiday?

From its UNESCO-listed capital Bridgetown to elegant 300-year-old plantations set among sugar cane fields, this is an island steeped in history.

It’s also a place where you can visit lush botanical gardens to spot hummingbirds and monkeys or visit underground caves with cascading waterfalls.

If you prefer an epicurean adventure, Barbados is considered both the birthplace of rum and the culinary capital of the Caribbean.

Visit one of the many distilleries to learn how rum is made and enjoy a tasting, of course. Or enjoy the national drink the local way, stopping off at a rum shop for a tipple and a game of dominoes.

When it comes to food, you’re spoilt for choice.

African flavours fuse with West Indian delights, and European tastes meet Caribbean spice in Bajan cuisine.

Add in exotic local fruit and vegetables, and everything from tuna to red snapper and lobster caught fresh just offshore, and you have all the ingredients for an unforgettable feast.

Perhaps you’d rather discover the mountainous island of Jamaica, with its jungle-clad interiors fringed by ribbons of white sand.

Tear yourself away from the beach and you could find yourself flying among the trees on a rainforest zip-wire adventure.

Make like the Cool Runnings crew and try bobsledding in the Caribbean sunshine, or if you’re feeling really brave, jump off a 20ft waterfall.

In Negril, you can even try a cliff dive, jumping from dizzying heights right into the sea, or simply sit back and watch others take the leap with a cold drink in hand as the sun goes down.

And don’t miss a dusk swim at the Luminous Lagoon, which glows with bioluminescent water, or a serene bamboo raft ride along a river, surrounded by tropical birds.

Idyllic hideaway Grenada is the Caribbean’s hidden gem.

Known as the Spice of the Caribbean, here nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla and ginger all flourish, not to mention cocoa beans producing some of the world’s best chocolate, along with avocado, mango and banana. It’s a foodie delight.

Beaches of the softest sand give way to beautiful underwater gardens.

Snorkel the world’s first underwater sculpture park and you’ll discover an amazing exhibition of human figures by artist Jason deCaires, designed to create a home for coral and marine life.

Or scuba dive down further still and visit the Bianca C, the largest wreck in the Caribbean

Back on shore, rainforest hikes and playful Mona monkeys await. You can tour the island on a 4×4 safari adventure, or head into pretty capital St George’s, perched on a hillside, all colourful buildings and gorgeous marina views.

Whichever island you choose, you’re in for an adventure beyond the Caribbean’s breathtaking beaches. Mountains and rainforests, monkeys and turtles are all ready to tempt you away from the sunlounger.

And with Virgin Atlantic Holiday’s Covid-safe holidays, you can enjoy a break you’ll remember forever.

If you want a much-deserved holiday in the Caribbean sunshine with a no-quarantine guarantee, leave it to the Virgin Atlantic Holidays experts. You get a holiday with none of the stress, and they take on all the organising for you.

With the new Escape Pass, all you have to do is say what sort of holiday you like, how long you want to go for, and your chosen hotel rating and the Virgin Atlantic Holidays experts will get to work. They’ll plan around any rules and restrictions and reveal your Caribbean destination two weeks before you fly. You get that break you deserve and all you need to worry about is how many holiday outfits to pack.