Product Review - The Best Island Shoes

I can spot a palm tree monogram, crab logo, or anything slightly beach related yards away in any store. While most items remain in the store for lack of need, the one area I can't resist is apparel. Classic beach pieces are a worthwhile investment for any avid traveler, and island appropriate shoes are an even smarter buy.

Somehow, I managed to avoid the Crock craze even though there were plenty of times my family and I were exploring deserted beaches (i.e. ones not cleaned daily of seaweed and rocks) that I eyed with envy the ginormous hole-filled fuchsia plastic shoes of my daughter. She ran along these beaches with lightening speed... my flip-flopped footing was not as sure. Still, I resisted the urge and have trekked many a beaches happily in my Havaianas. Here's my short list of the best shoes to include on a Caribbean vacation:

Havaianas: The Brazillians know BEACH... so their version of the flip-flop is arguably the best. They come in every shape, color, or pattern imaginable. So popular now that they even have "seasons". My favorite from the 2008 collection are the stripes with gold thong:

Who can resist the Baby Havainas? Also available in all colors and patterns but these little froggies are too cute:

I crave these shoes in every design pattern available! I am not exactly sure how long Stubbs and Wootten have been around, but I've seen them on well-heeled clients for many, many years. Their slippers, mules, and slides come in the coolest patterns. Perhaps better suited for evening cocktails on your yacht than the sandy beach bar, these two current styles evoke island visions for sure:

No compilation of island shoes is complete without a Stephan Bonanno's Sandal mention. A company founded in the 1960's they are still going strong and even earned a coveted spot on Oprah's 2002 list of her "Favorite Things". The cool feature to Bonannos is their custom design available. You can create your own dream shoe with the perfect complimentary color combo, logo, or image design. The personal monogram is one of the most popular styles:

Enjoy!