Warm sun, diamond clear seas, starlit nights, gentle tradewinds: Those are the constants. Service (or lack thereof), prices (inflated or realistic), and food (exceptional to mediocre or worse) are among the variables in the Caribbean at any time of the year.
Wise travelers know that, although the West Indies` climate changes imperceptibly from winter to summer–with the average temperature about 10 degrees warmer in summer and the seas the same, there are bargains to be found from mid-April through mid-December, when most hotels offer their lowest rates. Fall is generally referred to as the rainy season by West Indians. To the rest of us that means more rain at that time of year, but it`s usually at night, early morning or late in the day. So there`s plenty of sunshine for your tan. Because hurricanes often form in that area they don`t pack the wallop they do when they move farther north into the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic.
Research pays off. Questions asked of travel agents, government tourist offices, friends and fellow travelers can yield volumes of cost-saving tips for a vacation where sun is assured and seas surround.
Pick an island
This is the first challenge. Many people think of Caribbean islands as one sand-fringed Robinson Crusoe retreat. But each island has its distinct personality, often taking its cue from a European heritage that gives a now-independent country its unique flavor. All have a wash of Americanisms, however.
The dream of palm-studded beaches, sensuous seas and delicious cool drinks is reality, but not everywhere. Some islands–Saba, Curacao, Dominica and Montserrat, for example–don`t have miles of good beaches. Most do, but be sure your hotel is on or near them, if that`s what you want.
Some islands have lots of night life; others have only the moon and stars. Some have elaborate sports facilities, others have only the basics.
The variables
Knowing what they are, and planning for (and with) them is what makes for the best island vacation. Remember: When information is free, it`s probably promotional. It`s up to you to read between the lines, to scrape off the adjectives and to ask enough questions to be sure that what you want is what you get. The bargains are there, but it`s up to you to find them.
As far as tips for this summer`s vacation are concerned, here are my top 10 suggestions for traveling, with or without the family:
1. Head for a hub. With airlines grappling to get as many paying passengers as possible, price wars are yielding low fares to islands served by many flights. Consider Puerto Rico, where American, Eastern and Delta have daily direct flights from Chicago to San Juan.
Air fares through Puerto Rico to other islands are often lower than nonstop fares direct to the offbeat island of your choice. Air Jamaica has bargain fares to its home base, especially for midweek flights, and companies that package air-and-hotel often have last-minute space for their seat allotment and are willing to sell the air portion of the trip at a bargain price.
Read newspaper advertisements carefully to see what`s being offered–and be packed and ready to travel so you can take advantage of last minute
”sales.” A good travel agent, willing to pull up all the alternatives on his computer, can be a valuable friend.
2. Choose an island where the price is right. All islands have some inexpensive hotels, but some islands are inexpensive overall, usually because they`re not well-known, sometimes because they have a low wage scale and always when they`ve faced some problems–political or otherwise–as is the case with Haiti these days.
Many independent hotels in Jamaica give good value while the country continues to try to make outsiders aware that the trouble of years back no longer is a factor.
The Dominican Republic is one of my favorite islands this summer. Not only do the first-class (but beachless) hotels in the historic capital of Santo Domingo have rates far lower than comparable properties on higher-priced islands, but the beach resorts favored by Dominicans have low rates because they are priced for Dominicans paying in pesos. The new properties–and there are many–have all conveniences, plus the advantage of a unique Dominican-Spanish atmosphere. On the north coast, Sosua is a place to try and, on the south coast, the beach resorts east of the capital at Playa Juan Dolio can be fun.
Dominica, a verdant and fascinating former British country south of Guadeloupe and north of Martinique, has several small hotels with reasonable rates. But remember it`s for vacationers to whom an island in its natural state is more meaningful than lively beachside action. Shoreside hotels on St. Vincent, several miles farther south, offer West Indian style and hospitality at reasonable costs.
3. Ask about special summer package plans. To increase interest in summer vacations (since that season doesn`t draw hordes of visitors seeking escape from northern winters), many island governments and hotel associations have joined in promoting special packages. In addition to tying multinight hotel lodgings to air fares, the plans often include discounts and gifts.
Be sure to read the offerings carefully so you`ll know that what you buy is what you want. Many brochures list free pool chairs and water sports equipment as a bonus for package patrons when they are free to hotel guests anyway. Ask about meals, which can double costs on some islands.
Some summer packages worth pursuing are Aruba`s Free Spree; the British Virgin Islands` Summer Steal; the Cayman Islands` Cayman Caper and Cayman Dream; Curacao`s Bon Bini Free Spree; Grenada`s Spice-filled Holiday; the French West Indies` Fete Francaise offered on Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Martin and St. Barthelemy (St. Barts); the summer version of Puerto Rico`s LeLoLai; the U.S. Virgin Islands` American Paradise available for St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas; and Trinidad and Tobago`s Just the Two of Us vacation.
4. Don`t forget the luxury hotels. Even the luxury leaders are less. A few of the best properties close in summer, but those that stay open (and that`s most of them) charge prices far below their winter highs. If you want to live in luxury, investigate the six north coast hotels that group as the Elegant Resorts of Jamaica (800-237-3237), namely Round Hill, Tryall and Half Moon in the Montego Bay area; Plantation Inn and Sans Souci in Ocho Rios; and Trident at Port Antonio.
Sans Souci has the bonus this summer of its new international spa
–planned by Chris Silkwood from the Phoenix Spa in Dallas–in sensational tropical garden-and-sea-view surroundings.
The five properties that group as the Elegant Resorts of Barbados
(800-542-5551) are offering a Platinum Club plan from May 1-Dec. 20. Available in seven- and four-night versions, the plan allows for dining at all five participating resorts, plus sports facilities and all meals including afternoon tea, as is the Barbados-British custom. The hotels are Cobblers Cove, Coral Reef, Glitter Bay, Sandy Lane and Treasure Beach, all on the island`s luxury west coast.
5. Settle at a small spot. Modest, often rustic, hotels and inns usually charge much less than $50 a night for two, often with meals included. For the best bargains, ask the island government tourist offices for listings of homes with rooms for rent and of small hotels and apartments.
The Barbados Tourist Board has a folder called ”Little Hotels of Barbados,” in addition to having a list of small hotels and apartments. Jamaica distributes an ”Inns of Jamaica” folder. The ”Small Hotels of St. Croix,” in the United States Virgin Islands, print a folder describing several hotels.
The government-assisted Paradores Puertorriquenos, small hotels in traditional Puerto Rican style, offer some of the Caribbean`s best values. Parador Perichi, near the beach on the west coast, charges $39 a night for two; seaside, pool-punctuated Parador Guajataca charges $45 to $55 for two and Villa Esperanza on Puerto Rico`s island-affiliate of Vieques charges $60 for two for an apartment at a beachside complex with pool, restaurant and boats for rent.
The Dominican Republic`s north coast beach-bordered town of Sosua has several informal places where rooms rent for $25 and up. Many are represented through the Asociacion Turistica de Sosua y Cabarete (809-571-2665).
6. Rent an apartment. Homes and apartments with kitchens seem to be the wave of the future, not only for owners/managers who have fewer staff to contend with, but also for vacationers seeking the best values. Facilities range from spartan seaside retreats to elegant, staff-tended villas.
Antigua is freckled with rental apartments. Among them are the seaside Falmouth Beach Harbour Apartments, sand-rimmed Barrymore Beach Apartments, and Sibonney on the resort beach of Dickenson Bay. Anguilla, Barbados, Montserrat, St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix are other islands with many comfortable kitchen-equipped places, usually condominiums for rent in the owners` absence. Modest but pleasant homes and apartments as well as luxurious pool-studded homes with staff can be rented through Palm-beach based Caribbean Home Rentals (305-833-4454) and several other firms.
As far as luxury service and surroundings are concerned, Jamaica and Barbados lead the list. Jamaica, for example, has a four- or five-bedroom villa with staff renting for $3,500 a week and smaller places costing much less.
7. Go all-inclusive. The best buys in medium-priced places seem to be the all-inclusive hotels, but be aware that styles and what`s included differ. All-inclusive should mean that all costs are included for a multinight stay
–and that should mean room, meals, drinks, entertainment, sports, transfers to and from the hotel, tips and taxes.
But that`s not always the case. Air fare is sometimes included from major cities such as Chicago, but often it is extra. Some places do not include lunch, others do not include drinks. Always ask for specifics.
The French-born Club Mediterranee introduced the concept, but it is being challenged by West Indian versions on Jamaica. The Club Med plan is most effective at Buccaneer`s Creek on Martinique and Caravelle on Guadeloupe, two French islands where a summer week often includes air fare. Club Meds also operate on Haiti, St. Lucia, the Dominican Republic and in the Bahamas on Paradise Island and on Eleuthera, as well as on the island of Providenciales in the little-known Turks and Caicos Islands.
For truly West Indian flavor, Jamaica has become the all-inclusive capital of the Caribbean. The concept started with Couples, now dowager of a family of Super Clubs that includes Jamaica Jamaica, Hedonism II and Boscobel Beach along the north coast of Jamaica plus Couples II on the island of St. Lucia.
Also in Jamaica, Sandals and Sandals Royal Caribbean offer all-inclusive vacations, as do Carlyle Beach, Trelawny and several other places.
(By way of very general guidelines, Couples and the Sandals resorts offer the highest quality for adult heterosexual twosomes; Eden II, Jamaica Jamaica, Hedonism II and others are more casual; Boscobel Beach, east of Ocho Rios, is planned especially for families, with activity areas for each age group.)
On Antigua, Pineapple Beach at Long Bay is an all-inclusive property. A few places on other Caribbean islands are adapting the concept with personalized flourishes.
8. Choose a campsite. St. John, one of the United States Virgin Islands, claims the leading campsite in the Caribbean. Not only is the Laurance Rockefeller-inspired national park the 29th in the U.S. system, but it is also the best maintained and organized campsite in the Caribbean.
In addition to cabins, there are tent sites for rent–all at modest cost
(and in great demand). Also on St. John, privately-owned Maho Bay Camp on a hillside overlooking a beautiful bay at the fringe of the park has canvas-and- wood cabins for rent. On St. Croix, another of the U.S. Virgins, there`s Cheney Bay Beach resort, with cabins on a quiet sand-bordered cove near Christiansted.
Jamaica`s Pine Grove in the Blue Mountains at a coffee plantation overlooking Kingston, is a special aerie miles removed from the city in mood although only a 45-minute drive away. An active Jamaica Camping and Hiking Association lists many possible sites, some on private estates and others at the shore.
On small Carriacou, north of Grenada (and part of the three-island country of Grenada, Petit Martinique and Carriacou), Camp Carriacou is again being readied for guests. It may have a new name in the next few months, but its location in the quiet countryside–overlooking, but not on, the sea
–remains the same and would appeal to nature lovers.
Guadeloupe and Martinique have firms that rent small caravans, as RVs are known in European circles. With accommodations akin to those of a cabin on a boat, the small vehicles are ideal for island touring and for setting up camp at whim-chosen parking places.
9. Buy a sports-oriented package. If you want easy access to a sport, or to learn a new one, book a lesson program at one of the resort hotels. Tennis, golf and scuba diving are subjects for many special packages, well-known to your travel agent. Many of the golf and tennis holidays include clinics and tournaments. All American Sports (800-223-2442) arranges tennis weeks at Jamaica`s Half Moon Club, Palmas del Mar on Puerto Rico and Antigua`s St. James`s Club.
The four 18-hole courses at Hyatt`s Dorado Beach and Cerromar resorts, on the northwest coast of Puerto Rico, can be played as part of a summer golf package, and at Palmas del Mar, on Puerto Rico`s southeast coast, golf packages are also offered.
The Trent Jones course on the north coast of the Dominican Republic at Playa Dorada`s resort area can be enjoyed from any of several hotels. The two 18-hole Pete Dye courses on the southeast coast at Casa de Campo are available for several golf holidays. The resort also has tennis programs.
On Antigua, Half Moon Bay offers golf packages, with Saturday departures from New York in May and June and from September through early 1988.
The Cayman Islands, Bonaire and the United States and British Virgin Islands top the list for scuba facilities. Many hotels on these islands have resort courses as well as facilities for experienced divers.
10. Charter a yacht. Days can be spent skimming across sun-dappled seas, anchoring in quiet coves on many islands. You can launch your plans with several charter yacht firms and can often include a learn-to-sail program with your booking. The Moorings (800-535-7289) quotes a week-long bareboat (sail yourself) charter on a Moorings 37-foot sailboat at $2,289 for a maximum of four people. Rates depend on boat size, accompanying crew, and provisions for their yachts, which sail out of two Caribbean marinas: Marigot Bay on St. Lucia and Road Town on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.
The United States and British Virgin Islands are home port for hundreds of yachts, but charters can be arranged out of Antigua, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada and the French West Indies of Guadeloupe, Martinique and the French and Dutch sides of St. Martin/Sint Maarten.
TOURIST OFFICES TO CONTACT FOR UP-TO-DATE OFFICIAL INFORMATION
ON CARIBBEAN GETAWAYS
For more information about the Caribbean, contact the Caribbean Tourist Association, 20 E. 46th St., New York, N.Y. 10017, or call 212-682-0435 or contact the following tourist offices:
Anguilla Tourist Information: 1208 Washington Dr., Centerport, N.Y. 11721, 516-673-0150.
Aruba Tourist Office: 1270 Avenue of the Americas, New York, N.Y. 10020, 800-862-7822 or 212-246-3030.
Antigua Department of Tourism: 610 5th Ave., New York, N.Y. 10020, 212-541-4117.
Barbados Board of Tourism: 800 2d Ave., New York, N.Y. 10017, 800-221-9831 or 212-986-6516.
Bonaire Government Tourist Board: 275 7th Ave., New York, N.Y. 10001, 212-242-0000.
British Virgin Islands Tourist Board: 370 Lexington Ave., New York, N.Y. 10017, 800-835-8530 or 212-696-0400.
Cayman Islands Tourism: Suite 1260, 980 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611, 312-944-5602.
Curacao Tourist Board: Suite 311, 400 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10017, 212-751-8266.
Dominica: Caribbean Tourism Association, 20 E. 46th St., New York, N.Y. 10017, 212-682-0435.
Dominican Republic: 485 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10022, 212-826-0750. Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Maarten, St. Barthelemy (St. Barts): French West Indies Tourist Board, c/o French Government Tourist Office, 645 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611, 312-337-6301.
Carriacou and Grenada Tourist Office: Suite 701, 141 E. 44th St., New York, N.Y. 10017, 212-687-9554.
Haiti National Tourist Office: Suite 3311, 919 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611, 312-337-1603.
Jamaica Tourist Office: Suite 1210, 36 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60603, 312-346-1546.
Montserrat: c/o Thomson Monroe, Inc., 40 E. 49th St., New York, N.Y. 10017, 212-752-8660.
Puerto Rico Tourism Office: Suite 902, 11 E. Adams St., Chicago, Ill. 60603, 312-922-9701.
St. Maarten, Saba, St. Eustatius Tourist Information: c/o Mallory Factor, 19th Floor, 275 7th Ave., New York, N.Y. 10001, 212-989-0000.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Information: 21st Floor, 801 2d Ave., New York, N.Y. 10017, 212-687-4981.
Trinidad and Tobago Tourist Board: Suite 712-714, 400 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10017, 800-232-0082.
Turks and Caicos Islands Tourist Board:P.O. Box 592617, Miami, Fla. 33159, 800-441-4419.
U.S. Virgin Islands Tourism: Suite 1003, 343 S. Dearborn St., Chicago, Ill. 60604, 312-461-0180.
Club Med: For information about Club Med, see a travel agent or call 800- CLUB-MED.
