9. Barbados
An island with attitude, Barbados offers luxury at a low cost. From surfing in Bathsheba (home to the famed Soup Bowl) to burning the midnight oil in Holetown to ziplining in the dead center of the isle, you won't be hard-pressed to find exciting—and affordable—activities to fill your days in this British-influenced island, most well known for its ubiquitous rum shops.

Learn to windsurf with the island's biggest resident celebrity as your teacher: World windsurfing champ Brian "deAction" Talma owns and operates his own shop on Silver Rock Beach, where he offers equipment rental and surf lessons. Try out paddlesurfing, Talma's new obsession, which is typically easier to pick up from the get-go than windsurfing or traditional surfing, especially if you're on a time crunch.

If you're well versed in your drivers and irons, you'll dig the golfing side of Barbados. The Brits covet their golf courses like they do their fish and chips, so on an island so heavily influenced by our friends in the UK, it comes as no surprise that a country of just 166 square miles in size would boast 99 holes of golf—not to mention, some of the best championship courses in all of the Caribbean. Two more courses are slated to open in the next year or two—Black Bess in St. Peters and Apes Hill Club in St. James—which will up the island's total to 135 holes.

You get more bang for your buck in terms of accommodation on Barbados, too. The 122-year-old Crane occupies a quiet stretch of beach in St. Philip and boasts one of the island's best Asian fusion restaurants, Zen. It's for those who seek a peaceful respite, not guests who would rather be immersed in the scene-y opulence of Sandy Lane on the other side of the isle (definitely not for the budget shopper). Colonial-style rooms at the Crane feature high ceilings, Barbadian mahogany furniture, oriental carpets, objects d'art, four-poster king-size beds, spa showers, and more. The 28-foot disappearing pool seems to effortlessly spill into the Caribbean Sea. Even less expensive is the brand new Almond Casuarina in Christ Church, which is all-inclusive and has three pools and a spa on tap.