On my first trip to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands a decade ago, I was struck by the island 's laid-back north coast, ribboned with tranquil coves of plush white sand. One that stayed planted in my memory was idyllic Cane Garden Bay. It wasn't quite virgin, but it was still a pretty special hideout.

Since then, Tortola's cruise-ship pier has greatly expanded, and the island -- with a population of just 22,000 -- now hosts almost a half-million cruise visitors a year.

Last winter I swung through Tortola on one of my regular island-hopping ventures. I was dismayed to discover that sunburned day-trippers in search of gift shops clogged the main town, and speeding cars cluttered roads outside the capital. Worse, hundreds of beach loungers, rented for $5 a day, lined little Cane Garden Bay.

Shortly after my Tortola visit I found myself on Anguilla, less than 100 miles east. I walked resplendent Shoal Bay East at dawn, when I shared it only with scampering shore birds, and I walked it at dusk, when a few ramshackle beach bars pulsed with easy reggae for a crowd of five or eight. I crawled down a sea cliff to Little Bay, which I had all to myself.

When I ventured downtown or to the port I mostly encountered locals conducting their daily business. It was peaceful and much closer to the Caribbean I fantasize about when I'm home.

The big difference: Anguilla does not have cruise-ship calls.

Cruising the Caribbean is a big business, and islands like Grand Turk, Grenada and St. Kitts are adding or expanding ports to be accessible to more and bigger behemoths. Dominica, which sells itself as "the Nature Island," recently trumpeted that the island will be the eager recipient of 242 cruise-ship calls in the eight months leading up to this May.

I'm happy cruise passengers are getting out into the world and that they bring needed income to these islands. But for those of us who prefer to spend a few days and nights on an individual island experiencing the Caribbean of old, cruise-ship crowds get in the way. Here are eight islands, small and large, that deliver a cruise-ship-free escape.

ANGUILLA

Why come here? Anguilla is ideal for those seeking peace and quiet, easy-going islanders, superlative restaurants and spectacular beaches of loamy white sand, all of which makes it a big hit with celebs who can afford the often-spectacular price tag.

The environment: Undistinguished recumbent hills, splotched with scrub, outlined by beaches up to 2 miles long.

Don't miss: Lounging on Shoal Bay Beach with live jazz at Uncle Ernie's on Sunday afternoons.

Noteworthy new restaurant: Island tropical is served at Sunsets, a Sandy Ground venue created by a New Jersey restaurant couple and Anguillians ($$$).

Tried-and-true hotel: The 98 Moorish-style rooms of swank Cap Juluca look like an African oasis ($$$$; 1-888-858-5822; www.capjuluca.com).

X Factor: New this year is the Greg Norman-designed Temenos Golf Club, the island's first golf course, plus the Anguilla Tennis Academy, the Caribbean's largest tennis facility, with seating for 2,000 spectators.

More information: 1-877-426-4845; www.anguilla-vacation.com.

BONAIRE

This low-key corner of the Netherlands Antilles boasts some of the region's finest diving, easily accessed from shore (which keeps dive costs down). Outdoors lovers will enjoy bird-watching, hiking, kayaking and cycling in a stark, natural setting that looks little like the Caribbean we expect.