Celebrate the holidays with Vanessa Williams

Samaná, Dominican Republic

Candy-colored houses and sugar-sand beaches give this sweet port town a fairytale appeal. One of the quieter spots on this island, the Samaná Peninsula allows easy access to coves and bays straight out of a picture book. Playa Payita, known to the locals as The Little Lagoon, offers aquamarine water to dip into and the shade of bamboo and banana leaf umbrellas to retreat beneath. 

Oranjestad, Aruba

Aruba is a long, narrow island, located just 15 miles from Venezuela's coast, with a dry and sunny climate year-round. Its distinctive beauty lies in the stark contrast between the sea and its countryside. Next to arid deserts, which host an array of wild rock formations, curiously bent divi-divi trees, and cactus jungles, are magnificent beaches that shelve into transparent blue waters.