Caribbean is a holiday paradise.

PALM trees swaying over white-sand beaches, clear blue skies, crystal clear waters and killer rum cocktails brought directly to your sun-lounger - this is the Caribbean, everyone's favourite tropical fantasy.

And this weekend the Monarch Beach in Chamberlain Square will be celebrating the vibrancy of the Caribbean with steelpan music, limbo dancing, Cuban dance classes and a reggae band. Cool Runnings will also be showing as the family film matinee on Sunday afternoon. For further information see www.monarch.co.uk/beach Each island within the Caribbean archipelago is unique with culture and traditions influenced by previous rulers including Africa, Spain, Britain, France, the Netherlands and India.

Famed for forests fragrant with cinnamon, allspice, cocoa and nutmeg, Grenada is actually a three-island nation including Carriacou and Petite Martinique in the Grenadian chain of islands. Carriacou is a mecca for scuba divers and snorkeling and on Petite Martinique, many inhabitants build boats or make their living by fishing.

Trinidad and Tobago are vastly different islands just off South America and are two of the most exciting, under-explored and uncon-triveof the Caribbean islands. Tobago is the smaller, sleepy sister and is a haven for those seeking cozy resorts, picture postcard beaches and stunning marine environment.

The Dominian Republic occupies more than half of Hispaniola, the second largest of the Caribbean Islands. Visitors can indulge in a variety of activities from canyoning and windsurfing to hiking up Pico Duarte, the Caribbean's highest mountain at 10,000 feet.

Jamaica offers everything from fish-filled coral reefs and white-sand beaches to breathtaking waterfalls and cloud-shrouded rainforests. The island also boasts busy towns and cities such as Kingston, which inspired the music of Bob Marley.

The Caribbean's largest and most popular island, Cuba, has been a socialist republic since the 1959 revolution when Fidel Castro seized power. The capital, Havana, is a UNESCO city of world heritage. Here wide boulevards are still graced with 1950s American cars and crumbling cathedrals vie with glorious squares. Cuba is a beach lovers paradise and home to some of the finest beaches in the Caribbean.

For more information on Monarch Holidays offers and to book visit www.monarch.co.uk.

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Lost in time: 1950s cars still grace the boulevards of Havana.