CARIBBEAN VACATION OPTIONS

Budget Getaways

There's no good way to put this, but you'll find out soon enough that a trip to the Caribbean isn't cheap. Even if you select a budget hotel, transportation to the islands is a big expense that you just can't avoid.

However, some islands are less expensive than others. These destinations are high volume, bringing in commercial and charter flights on a daily basis. This may mean more crowds, but your airfare will probably be cheaper than flights to more secluded islands.

Some destinations offer packages that include air, hotel, and ground transportation for one affordable price. Jamaica, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, the Bahamas, and the Dominican Republic offer these kinds of deals.

Charter airline companies serve most of these islands as well.

Quick Getaways

If you're planning a three- or four-day retreat, make the most of your visit by minimizing travel time. These islands are the easiest jumps from the US: the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica (if you stay in the Montego Bay area; Negril and Ocho Rios are nearly two hours from the airport, Port Antonio is even farther). From the UK, you'll find the best connections to Barbados, Antigua, and Bermuda.

Mega Resorts

Twenty-four-hour room service, full-treatment spas, and satellite TV aren't commonplace throughout the Caribbean. However, the two of you can be pampered at full-service properties in Puerto Rico, Aruba, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Barbados and St. Lucia in hotels that offer more than the comforts of home.

Where to Stay

Whatever you're looking for in the way of accommodations -- high-rise hotel, seaside bungalow, bed-and-breakfast inn, small traditional hotel, or private villa -- you'll find it in the Caribbean.

Just as varied as the type of accommodations available is the range of prices at these properties. Everything from budget motels with spartan furnishings to private islands that attract royalty and Hollywood types is available.

This guidebook covers things in-between, places where the everyday vacationing couple can enjoy safety and comfort in surroundings where romance can flourish. The resorts, hotels, and villas featured on these pages offer all levels of activity. Some have round-the-clock fun and evening theme parties; others point the way for guests to find their own entertainment. Some are located on the beach; others up the mountains with spectacular views. Some are full-service properties with everything from beauty salons to jewelry shops to a half-dozen bars and restaurants located right on property; others are simple accommodations where the guests enjoy dinner in former greathouses built over 200 years ago.

Choosing a Caribbean accommodation is more important than selecting a hotel at other destinations. A Caribbean hotel, unlike a property in a downtown US city, for example, becomes your home away from home. This is not just where you spend your nights, but also a good portion of your days, languishing on the beach, lying beneath towering palms, and luxuriating in a warm sea.

What form will your paradise take? White sandy beaches? Rugged limestone cliffs perched above baby blue water? Mountainside vistas? A resort with daily activities and a pulsating nightlife? A historic inn furnished with Caribbean antiques? Or a quiet getaway where the only footprints are your own?

The choice is yours.