Covers 25 islands from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to Aruba, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Cozumel and Roatán, with prices, flights and entry rules checked at the source.
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April is the last full month of the Caribbean dry season and, in 2027, the first month after Easter, which falls on March 28. That combination makes it one of the best-timed months of the year: the weather on most islands is as good as March, while the spring-break and Holy Week crowds have gone home.
The ranking shifts in two places. St. Lucia, whose mountains catch more rain than its neighbors, reaches a perfect weather score and climbs to fifth. Puerto Rico goes the other way. Its rainy season starts early, and at about 4.2 inches for the month it falls out of the top eight for the first time this year. At the top, Jamaica holds first for the third month running, by 0.04 points.
Score = 55% this month's weather + 45% the island's other five factors. How we score
| # | Island | Score | High °F | Sea °F | Rain (in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamaica | 9.1 | 84 | 83 | 2.1 |
| 2 | Curaçao | 9.1 | 86 | 81 | 1.1 |
| 3 | Martinique | 9.1 | 85 | 82 | 1.9 |
| 4 | Barbados | 9.0 | 84 | 82 | 1.9 |
| 5 | St. Lucia | 8.9 | 85 | 82 | 2.0 |
| 6 | Antigua | 8.9 | 83 | 81 | 2.3 |
| 7 | Grenada | 8.8 | 84 | 82 | 1.7 |
| 8 | St. Thomas | 8.7 | 80 | 81 | 2.1 |
1Jamaica leads April for the third straight month, with a 9.9 weather score, 84°F (29°C) days and an 83°F (28°C) sea. Its non-weather half is the strongest on the page: 24 US nonstop airports, $53 rooms in our check, and room to spread out. April's thinner crowds make it a good month for Negril and the river rafting at Rio Grande near Port Antonio, which the Tourist Board lists as open. The caveat stands: Montego Bay still has big resorts closed until some point in 2027.
2Curaçao is second, tied with Martinique, and is the safest bet on rain: about 1.1 inches in April, with 86°F days. It scores a perfect 10 for weather and nearly 10 for value, with Willemstad rooms from $62. Shore snorkeling at Playa Lagun and the Tugboat wreck is at its calmest in the dry months. It trails Jamaica on access and crowding: six US nonstop airports and a busy cruise port. Every visitor must complete the free Digital Immigration Card before landing.
3Martinique has perfect April weather at 85°F, the end of its carême dry season, which makes it the best month for the steep Mount Pelée climb and the Route de la Trace rainforest drive. Its things-to-do score of 8.5 matches Jamaica's, and rooms in Les Trois-Îlets started at $82 in our July check against $102 in January. It ranks third because only Miami has a US nonstop. Grande Anse des Salines and Anse Dufour, where turtles graze close to shore, are the beach days.
4Barbados scores a perfect 10 for April, with 84°F days and about 1.9 inches of rain, and the second-best beaches on the page at 8.5. It is the easy, English-speaking choice, with eight US nonstop airports. It ranks fourth because its cheapest south-coast room, $140 in mid-January, is the dearest here, and because it is one of the busier islands for its size. Stay on the west coast for flat water at Mullins Bay, and watch for sargassum on the south and east coasts as spring goes on.
5St. Lucia climbs to fifth in April, its best month: a perfect weather score, 85°F days and about 2.0 inches of rain, so the rainforest trails and the Gros Piton climb are at their driest. Its things to do score 8.5, from Sulphur Springs to boat days down the west coast to Soufrière. What holds it back is the beach score, 6.5: Reduit Beach is good, the rest are mostly small coves. Rodney Bay rooms started at $81 in our January check, among the lowest here.
6Antigua has the top beach score on this list, 9 out of 10, and a 9.9 weather score with 83°F days. It ranks sixth because things to do score 7 and beachfront rooms are expensive. Late April brings Antigua Sailing Week, April 21 to 25, 2027, to English Harbour: good for spectators, bad for anyone wanting a cheap room nearby. Dickenson Bay and the long southwest beaches at Darkwood and Ffryes stay calm and are far enough from the regatta to stay relaxed.
7Grenada has one of the driest Aprils in this top eight, about 1.7 inches, with 84°F days and an 82°F sea. It is also one of the least crowded, with about 186,000 stay-over visitors in 2025. It ranks seventh because only four US airports fly nonstop and its beach and activity scores sit at 7.5. Grand Anse is long and calm enough for children; Grand Etang's crater lake and Seven Sisters Falls make the inland day. Rooms in the southwest started at $96 with taxes.
8St. Thomas returns at eighth as the best-scoring no-passport island in April, now that Puerto Rico's rain has pushed it to tenth. April days are mild at 80°F, with an 81°F sea and about 2.1 inches of rain. It has nonstops from 16 US airports and the cheapest US Virgin Islands rooms, $93 in Charlotte Amalie. Things to do score 6.5, so plan on the 15-minute ferry to St. John. Use mineral sunscreen only: USVI law bans oxybenzone, octinoxate and octocrylene.
In this guide
April weather counts for 55% of each score: daytime high, sea temperature, rainfall and sunshine for the month, from our climate dataset. The other 45% is the island's year-round profile: our editors' beach and things-to-do scores, plus access from the US, hotel value and crowding from data. A conditional verdict on an island's own page, as on Jamaica's, costs 0.4 points on that 45%. Read the details in how we score islands.
The Windward Islands peak. St. Lucia, Martinique, Grenada and Barbados all score a perfect 10 for April weather, with sea temperatures of 82°F (28°C). If you have waited for the Gros Piton climb or the Mount Pelée hike, this is the month.
Puerto Rico turns wetter. Its April weather score drops to 9.0, and it slides to tenth, 0.45 points behind the leader. It is still a reasonable trip, with the most to do of any island in the region, but you should expect showers and plan El Yunque for mornings. The ABC islands go the other way: Aruba gets about 0.7 inches of rain in April, the least of any island we score in the Caribbean, and Curaçao about 1.1.
With Easter on March 28, 2027, most US school spring breaks will be over by mid-April, and the second half of the month should be noticeably calmer than March. We did not price April nights; our hotel checks cover only January 13 and July 14, 2027. On most islands, the July rate is lower than January's (Barbados $92 against $140, Martinique $82 against $102), so April rates after Easter may sit between the two; check before you book. Antigua is an exception in our data: its cheapest town room was dearer in July than in January.
The regatta's organizers list the 2027 dates as April 21 to 25, based at English Harbour on Antigua's south coast. It fills Nelson's Dockyard, Falmouth Harbour and the small hotels around them, and it is the reason English Harbour is busy in late April. If you want to watch, book early and stay nearby; the Shirley Heights lookout gives the classic view over both harbours. If you want a quiet beach week, choose Dickenson Bay or the southwest coast, or move your dates. See our Antigua page for the beaches.
In some months, sargassum seaweed piles onto east-facing and south-facing beaches on some islands, including parts of Puerto Rico, Barbados's south and east coasts, Martinique's Atlantic side and St. Thomas. Amounts vary greatly from year to year. Check the University of South Florida's monthly sargassum outlook in the weeks before you travel, and favor west-facing beaches such as Barbados's Mullins Bay or Antigua's Darkwood.
April is still outside the Atlantic hurricane season, which NOAA's National Hurricane Center gives as June 1 to November 30. There is no storm penalty in this month's scores. For a later trip, compare the May ranking, the last month before the season opens.
Admission to both sites is included; meals, water shoes and tips are not. Pickup is free around Ocho Rios but costs extra from Montego Bay, about 90 minutes away.
Rating as shown on Viator
It is short for the price and has no hotel pickup. A good option for non-swimmers who want to see the reef.
Rating as shown on Viator
Drinks and a fruit snack are included. Boarding is from Fort-de-France or Case-Pilote; check which when you book.
Rating as shown on GetYourGuide
Booking through these links supports this site at no cost to you. Prices move by date, so we do not print them here; the official prices we checked are in the page above.
Yes. It is still the dry season on most islands, the sea is warming, and in 2027 the Easter crowds peak in late March. Seven of the eight islands on this list score 9.9 or 10 for April weather.
Curaçao, Martinique, Barbados, St. Lucia and Grenada all score a perfect 10 for April in our data. Curaçao is the warmest, with a typical high of 86°F (30°C). Aruba is the driest in the region at about 0.7 inches of rain.
It is wetter than most of its neighbors. Our dataset puts San Juan's April rain at about 4.2 inches, against 1.1 to 2.3 inches on the islands in our top eight. That is why it falls to tenth this month despite having the most to do.
April 21 to 25, 2027, according to the event's own dates page. It is based at English Harbour, where rooms fill quickly that week.
No. The Atlantic season begins June 1, per the NOAA National Hurricane Center. See our hurricane and cyclone seasons guide for how risk builds from June.
Further reading
