With more than 30 major islands to choose from — from the lush wilderness of Dominica to the desertlike terrain of Curaçao — the Caribbean can be almost all things to all people.

But choosing the right Caribbean vacation is not as simple as blocking out the dates and going online to find the best airfares — for the infinite possibilities of the Caribbean can cut both ways.

DAVID TULIS/AJC (ENLARGE)

Whether you're looking for quiet time or a place for your family to frolic, Aruba has it covered. Families will find plenty of chain hotels and activities ranging from windsurfing to scavenger hunts.

You can end up with the trip of a lifetime or a vacation from hell. That's where this guide comes in — a primer on island getaways, geared to the kind of vacation you might want to take, whether it's a week filled with nonstop golf or an escape to a remote island.

Just one thing: Don't forget your passport. Americans are required to carry one for air travel within the Western Hemisphere, including the Bahamas, Bermuda and the Caribbean (except for the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico).

For families: Aruba

Finding the perfect island to satisfy everyone in the family can be quite a challenge. The kids are tired of the beach by noon and need something else to do. Dad wants to play golf all morning and lie on the beach all afternoon. And Mom just wants to retreat to the spa. Any place that requires changing planes is too much of a hassle, and a resort without a baby-sitting program is out of the question.

Consider Aruba, 15 miles off Venezuela. Many airlines fly direct from Atlanta, with fares in the $400 range.

Families will find a wide variety of kid-friendly accommodations, with activities ranging from windsurfing to snorkeling to scavenger hunts. There is no shortage of chain hotels, ranging from the Holiday Inn to the Hyatt Regency, each with a kids' program. And, yes, many of them have elaborate spas.

Beyond the resorts, the island has dozens of quirky attractions, including a butterfly farm, a donkey sanctuary and "Snuba" tours, which involve a breathing apparatus that allows kids as young as 8 to descend to a depth of 20 feet with the aid of an instructor. And for grown-ups, there are dozens of casinos and nightclubs.

Because U.S. Customs and Immigration agents are stationed at Aruba's airport, American travelers can clear customs before they leave the island, eliminating long lines back home.

Where to stay: The all-inclusive Tamarijn Aruba is popular with families who don't like hidden costs. Meals and snacks at seven dining spots and many activities are included (1-800-554-2008, www.tamarijnaruba.com). The Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort Aruba (1-800-465-4329, www.aruba.sunspreeresorts.com). The Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino (1-800-223-6388, www.arubamarriott.com).

For foodies: Anguilla

For many years, foreign chefs — many of whom were brought in to run the kitchens of Anguilla's high-end resorts — dominated the culinary scene on this northernmost of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles. But over the last several years, local chefs who trained at those same resorts have been opening their own restaurants and adding twists to traditional dishes.

Among the best-known is Dale Carty, who worked at Malliouhana before opening a high-end restaurant called Tasty's in 1999. His interpretations of traditional Anguilla cuisine include Stewed Chicken Grandmas Style and Steamed Fish n' Fungi With Provisions, which Carty said uses a polenta-like cornmeal and "food from the earth" like yams, sweet potatoes and pumpkins.

Another native, Vernon Hughes, who began his career as a dishwasher at Anguilla's Cinnamon Reef resort, has opened E's Oven, on the site of his mother's old stone oven. His cousin and mentor, George Reid, the executive chef at Cap Juluca, has been fostering local talent for the past four years by hiring high school graduates to work as apprentices in the resort's three restaurants. Many of them go on to work at any of the island's 100 restaurants.

Where to stay: Cap Juluca, on the southwest coast of the island, has a beautiful beach, Moorish-style villas and three restaurants (1-888-858-5822, www.capjuluca.com). CuisinArt Resort & Spa grows its own vegetables on a hydroponic farm (1-800-943-3210, www

.cuisinartresort.com). Carimar Beach Club is at the water's edge on Mead's Bay (1-800-235-8667, www.carimar.com).

For golfers: Jamaica

For years, golf was scarce in the Caribbean, where strict development rules and lack of fresh water posed challenges. But thanks in part to a new breed of salt-tolerant turf grass, known as paspalum, golf courses have been springing up on many islands. For many avid golfers, the island of choice remains Jamaica. It has 12 golf courses, with a range in difficulty to suit every level of player. Montego Bay, a resort city on the north coast of the island, has three notable courses — Half Moon Golf Club, a Robert Trent Jones Sr.-designed course; White Witch, owned by Ritz-Carlton; and Cinnamon Hill, at the Rose Hall Resort & Country Club — all within a 10-minute drive of one another.

Green fees range from $23 for the nine-hole Manchester Golf Club in Mandeville, the oldest golf course in the Caribbean, to $200 at the White Witch. Caddies are mandatory at most courses and will cost $14 to $45 more.

Where to stay: Half Moon Resort, in the Rose Hall area of Montego Bay (1-866-648-6951, www.halfmoon.com); the Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort, Montego Bay, (1-800-241-3333, www.ritzcarlton.com); Rose Hall Resort & Country Club (1-866-831-1313, www.rosehallresort.com).

For adventurers: Dominica

Situated between the French islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique in the eastern Caribbean, Dominica (pronounced dom-in-EEK-ah) is the largest and most mountainous of the Windward Islands, with an area of nearly 290 square miles. More than half of it is covered with tropical forests offering a range of outdoor adventures. Hikers, bikers and horseback riders can explore more than 300 miles of trails that wind across valleys, past waterfalls and up mountains reaching heights of nearly 5,000 feet. There are three national parks, more than 365 rivers and streams and at least 40 dive sites just offshore.

The island has at least eight potentially active volcanoes and other geothermal features like hot sulfur springs, a boiling lake and warm bubbles that rise up from vents in the ocean floor off a beach the locals call Champagne.

Most beaches are of the rocky or black-sand variety.

Where to stay: Jungle Bay Resort & Spa, Pointe Mulatre, is an eco-lodge on 55 acres, with 35 free-standing cottages (767-446-1789, www.junglebaydominica.com). The seven-room nature lodge Papillote Wilderness Retreat, above Trafalgar village, has its own hot springs and a botanical garden (767-448-2287, www.papillote.dm). Beau Rive is a small inn on the wild eastern shores of Dominica, near Castle Bruce (767-445-8992, www.beaurive.com).

For budget travelers: Dominican Republic

A wide swath of all-inclusive resorts and relatively low-cost flights make this country, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, the best option for bargain-seekers.

Expect to pay about $400-$450 to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, from Atlanta. Most all-inclusive resorts are in Punta Cana on the eastern tip of the island. Package deals abound — check with Club Med Punta Cana or Apple Vacations.

Where to stay: Allegro Playa Dorada, Puerto Plata (1-800-858-2258, www.occidentalhotels.com). Sofitel Nicolas de Ovando, a luxury hotel in the heart of the colonial city of Santo Domingo (1-800-763-4835, www.sofitel.com).

For clubgoers: Trinidad and Tobago

Just off the tip of Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago is a small dual-island nation where three distinctive musical sounds — steel-pan drum, calypso and soca — evolved. Calypso, a lilting style of Afro-Caribbean music, developed as a means of communication between African slaves. Soca is a modern form of calypso with an up-tempo beat. Half a century ago, Trinidadian percussionists invented pan by hammering out the ends of discarded oil drums. Today, visitors will find musicians practicing at so-called panyards throughout Port of Spain, the capital.

Tobago will play host to its third annual jazz festival the last week in April. Elton John and Gladys Knight are among the stars scheduled to perform.

A word of caution: Incidents of violent crime, including armed robberies of tourists, have been on the rise. The U.S. Embassy advises that when making reservations, visitors ensure that 24-hour security is provided. The government of Trinidad and Tobago has stepped up police patrols in tourist areas.

Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott (1-888-236-2427, www.marriott.com), Hilton Trinidad & Conference Center (1-800-445-8667, www.hilton.com) and Coblentz Inn (868-621-0541, www.coblentzinn.com).

For hermits:

Marie-Galante

Marie-Galante, one of the larger islands of the Guadeloupe archipelago, is a throwback to a bygone era. Nineteenth-century windmills dot the island, and ox-drawn carts, once the chief means of transportation on the island, are not an uncommon sight.

"It's a place which looks like Guadeloupe did 30 years ago," said Luigy Ssosse, a representative of the Guadeloupe Committee of Tourism.

Christopher Columbus gave the island its name, after his flagship Maria Galanda, when he landed there during his second New World voyage in 1493.

Today, sugar production remains the principal industry, and three distilleries produce high-quality rum. Marie-Galante can be reached within 45 minutes by boat or 15 minutes by plane from Pointe-a-Pitre in Guadeloupe.

Where to stay: Le Village de Ménard, St.-Louis, Marie-Galante (590-590-97-09-45, www.villagedemenard.com). Cap Reva at La Feuillere beach (590-590-97-50-00, www.cap-reva.com).

For sailors:

St. Vincent

and the Grenadines

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is an archipelago of 32 islands and cays at the southern end of the Caribbean. With relatively calm waters, a steady breeze and short distances between anchorages, the islands have long been a draw for the sailing and yachting crowds.

Barefoot Yacht Charters (www.barefootyachts.com), one of the longest-running operators in the islands, organized about 400 sailing trips last year. Prices for staffed yachts vary, depending on the size and amenities. Footloose Sailing Charters (www.footloosecharters.com), a 12-year-old company based in Florida, opened a new base on the island of St. Vincent in October.

A typical seven-day itinerary setting sail from St. Vincent might include Bequia, an island with a strong seafaring history and where model boats are ubiquitous; Mustique, a private island famous for its celebrity beachcombers; and the numerous islets, coves and coral reefs of the Tobago Cays.

Where to stay: If you need a night on land, the Frangipani on Bequia is a favorite hangout for the yachting crowd and overlooks the island's harbor (784-458-3255, www.frangipanibequia.com). On Mustique, the high-end Cotton House offers cottages (784-456-4777, www.cottonhouse.net). Petit St. Vincent is the only resort on the island by the same name (1-800-654-9326, www.psvresort.com).

For the celebrity-starved: St. Barthélemy

Like Aspen and St-Tropez — this tiny island in the French West Indies remains a playground of the rich and famous.

For years, models, music moguls, and corporate tycoons have flocked there for its elite hotels, water-side restaurants, unspoiled beaches and laid-back attitude. David Letterman and Diddy, aka Sean Combs, are among the regulars. Pop star Usher has been spotted on the island. So has Paul McCartney.

Want to join them? Be prepared to pay. Demand is high at the two dozen hotels, which pushes room rates up. During high season, November to April, it's not unusual to find prices for basic rooms starting around $600. One-bedroom villas, which are more plentiful, can often be had for less.

The main dock in Gustavia Harbor is the place to see the big wigs and their big boats.

Among the newest options: The Eden Rock Hotel St. Barths has just completed a $25 million renovation.

Where to stay: The Eden Rock, St. Jean Bay, St. Barthélemy (590-590-29-79-99, www.edenrockhotel.com). Hotel Guanahani, on the northeast side of the island, overlooking Marigot Bay (590-590-27-66-60, www.leguanahani.com). Le P'tit Morne, about a 10-minute drive from the beach (590-590-52-95-50, www.timorne.com).

For beach bums: Eleuthera

With very few exceptions, travelers in search of soft sand, crystal-clear waters and balmy breezes will find a good beach on almost any island in the West Indies. There are a few standouts, however, which www.frommers.com summarizes in its list of "best beaches."

One island that's not on that list — and thus might offer a better chance to find a beach of your own — is Eleuthera, one of the so-called Out Islands of the Bahamas, about 60 miles from Nassau. There are few direct flights from the United States: You either have to fly to Florida first and get a connecting flight, or else fly to Nassau, where you can catch a flight or a ferry. (It's not technically in the Caribbean. But who cares?)

Once there, you'll have your pick of beaches. About 110 miles long and roughly a mile wide, the island is basically one big sand bar. There is Surfer's Beach for wave riders, Winding Bay for windsurfers and Ten Bay Beach has soft sand and shallow waters for young children. You can also take a water taxi to Harbour Island, a 3 1/2-mile-long cay just off Eleuthera's northern shore with pink sands that run along the island's eastern side.

Where to stay: On Eleuthera: The Cove, outside Gregory Town (1-800-552-5960, www.thecoveeleuthera.com), and Pineapple Fields, south of Governor's Harbour (1-877-677-9539, www.pineapplefields.com. On Harbour Island: Rock Island House (242-333-2053, www.rockhousebahamas.com).