Condé Nast readers rank Cayman second in Caribbean

The Cayman Islands has been named the second-best island destination in the Caribbean and Atlantic in the 2026 Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards, narrowly missing out on the top spot.

Cayman scored 98.03 out of 100, just behind Barbados at 98.16. The results also put Cayman ahead of St. Barts, which placed third with a score of 97.57, followed by Bermuda at 97.10 and St. Lucia at 96.14.

Turks and Caicos, another major competitor in the Caribbean’s luxury tourism market, ranked sixth, while Grenada, Antigua, Dominica and the British Virgin Islands completed the top 10.

The annual awards, announced on 6 Oct., are based on travellers’ ratings of destinations, hotels, resorts and other travel experiences.

In its commentary, Condé Nast Traveller highlighted Cayman’s friendliness, describing it as a place where drivers toot their horns twice simply to say hello.

Cayman also earned recognition in the resort category, with The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman ranking 14th among the top 15 resorts in the Caribbean and Atlantic, scoring 93.00.

The regional resort rankings were led by Jade Mountain in St. Lucia, followed by Eden Rock in St. Barts and Sandy Lane in Barbados.

However, despite Cayman’s reputation for its beaches, none appeared among the world’s top 15 in the awards’ separate beach rankings.

That list was topped by Veligandu Island Beach in the Maldives, followed by Maunday’s Bay in Anguilla and Ao Nang Beach in Thailand.

Other Caribbean destinations on the top list of beaches included Grace Bay in Turks and Caicos, which ranked fifth, Mambo Beach in Curaçao in sixth place and Pink Sands Beach in the Bahamas in seventh.

The 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards were based on ratings submitted by thousands of respondents between 1 April and 30 June. Travellers assessed destinations and tourism properties using a five-point scale, with the results converted into percentage scores.

The rankings reflect the experiences and preferences of participating readers rather than an assessment by the magazine’s editors.