christine79

So I am thinking of booking a beachfront room in May, but when you include the taxes and service charges, the price comes out to a little higher than I'm looking to spend. Do you think if I waited until the spring to book, they would have specials where it's a little less to book for a whole week? I would probably wait to book my flight until then. Or do they normally not have specials like that, or would there be no availability if I waited? What do you think?

christine79

Just to clarify, I'm talking about Rendezvous Bay Hotel and Villas in Anguilla.

MarionCK

Christine,

I don't think that you'll find any specials for beachfront rooms at RBH. They sometimes run specials for their "garden rooms", but I don't think you'd be happy with that choice.

It's always worth a phone call, but RBH really is a bargain for Anguilla.

Thre are places on Shoal Bay that might work for you.

Hopefully, the Anguilla experts, Howard and Penny will post with some information and current links

Marion

MaryD

RBH's specials do tend to involve the garden rooms which I wouldn't want to stay in. If you love Rendezvous Bay (it's my favorite beach on the island), you might look next door at the Anguilla Great House -- not as nice as RBH but definitely okay to stay at and, hey, same beach; same water; same view.

Allamanda on Shoal Bay East is reasonable (though not directly on the beach) & you may want to look at Shoal Bay Villas -- I don't know what their off-season prices are.

Finally, Carimar & Turtle's Nest on Meads Bay are also very reasonable although I hear that you have to rent an a/c unit ($8/night) at Carimar.

Having said all that, I'd try to make RBH happen -- fabulous staff & manager; great restaurant on the premises; water 20 feet from your door. But, most importantly, I think it's going to be gone after this season (going high-end like the rest of the island) so it may be your last chance to stay there.

MarionCK

MaryD:

Thanks for posting helpful information for Christine ! I should remind myself that you are one of the Anguilla experts too

Marion

MaryD

Marion, I still remember your sweet story about RBH & Bart -- I will sorely and surely miss that place when it goes "high end" on us. We'll be there in less than a month for our annual trip -- I hope the changes aren't too overwhelming!

christine79

Thanks for the advice! Yeah I saw their current special had to do with the Garden Standard room. I wanted to spoil myself and husband, so I think I'll just book the Beachfront room. I will just really make sure to know what the affordable restaurants are beforehand because I surely can't spend too much for dinner everyday.

That's unfortunate it'll be becoming high-end and less affordable. Are you sure the prices will definitely increase? I'll definitely take advantage of it then while I can. 5 nights, yay!

MarionCK

MaryD,

I'm not typing with green ink ;-) ! Have a wonderful time and please give my best regards to Bart and staff.

I hope that Christine will be able to stay at RBH ! I know that Jeremiah would wish for RBH to continue to be *affordable*

Have a great trip and please let us know what may be planned for the future.

Marion

MaryD

Still lots of affordable restaurants -- ask again before you go and the suggestions will just pour in.

christine79

I'm a little upset and pissed. I wished when I was younger and applied for a credit card affiliated with frequent fliers, I would have tried for AA instead of Delta. I looked at AA and they have flights for 30,000 each. Delta doesn't go to Anguilla but goes to St. Maarten but only has a Skychoice option which is 60,000 a ticket, and I just have around 60,000. This really stinks. I could have saved so much money if I had it with AA!

christine79

Oh yeah, and even if you're flexible with the dates, it's still 60,000 per ticket with Delta. I don't think they even offer Skysaver to St. Maarten.

MarionCK

Now Christine I'm sure you're familiar with the phrase "hindsight is 20/20" ;-)

I understand your frustration...but would advise being pro-active about your airline tickets. Do some searching on Orbitz, Cheap tickets or other resources that are out there.

I'm assuming that the 79 following your name might be your birth year ? If so, give yourself a break...live and learn...and look forward

Good luck !

Marion

christine79

Yeah I know, it's just a little frustrating. I just think if I had it with another carrier like AA, I could have booked this vacation today and just thought of how much I saved, and not feel guilty at all if I spent a lot of money on hotel and food. And now instead I have to try to be frugal.

Who knows though, I'll call and see if there's absolutely any tickets that are 30k each. I'm very flexible. True, at least I've learned.

mah1980

The Citibank AAdvantage card is far superior to any other mileage card based on my research. It's not too late- they have incentives to join. Also, they have reduced mileage awards on a quarterly basis (e.g., right now you can fly to St. Martin for 17,500).

christine79

Thanks, I will definitely apply for that then.

I was trying different days on Delta before and I came up with one combination that was Skysaver to St. Maarten. Just have to keep my fingers crossed and wait to make sure that week won't be my niece and nephew's communion. Hopefully I'll find out soon!

mah1980

On the U.S. board there is a germane thread going on regarding how crappy Skymiles are; it seems like most people share your sentiments.

I believe if you get an AAdvantage Citibank card right now you'll get 20,000 miles after spending $250 (that will be enough to get a Caribbean trip). You'll also get a free companion air certificate.

We use our card for all of our purchases, including groceries and gas, as well as the bills that we can pay with a credit card (e.g., utilities, cell phones, car insurance). We pay it off every month and it's amazing how many miles you accumulate quickly. Also, it's good for your credit to demonstrate that you spend a lot, and pay it off every month.

christine79

I just applied and was approved! It gives me 15,000 miles after I spend $250. The one that was for 20,000, I believe was for if you have a small business. So if I buy one AA ticket that's over $250 (or whatever amount it said), the second ticket will be free? That's what a free companion air certificate is?

Yeah by the time I double my skymiles where I have more choice of flights, they will probably have increased it even more.

I'm totally going to see if I can pay utilities and things like that through the card every month. Thanks for your help!

mah1980

Most utility companies now allow you to pay your bill online. A big bill that adds up is car insurance- we have LM and we pay it online.

The key is having discipline and paying it off every month. We get paid 2x/month, and immediately after we get paid I pay the Citibank bill.

This is the link to look at the reduced mileage awards: http://www.citibank.com/us/cards/car...card/globe.jsp

We have the platiunum card and there are a good number of 17,5k flights. I looked at the gold level card and it looks like the same flights are 20k miles, which is still a good deal.

And also make sure that you look on Citibank for deals. I think they have an ongoing deal that you get 10% off AAvacations purchases w/your Citibank card.

mah1980

I forgot to add one thing that will be great if you do online shopping.

AAdvantage has an e-shopping program that is essentially a portal to online shopping. The vast majority of stores that I shop online with are there (e.g., Macy's, Sephora, Nordstrom) and when you enter those sites through the link on http://www.aadvantageeshopping.com/

you get increased mileage activity. For instance, I sent flowers last month and received 5 miles for every $1 dollar purchased. So a $100 purchase ended up giving me $500 miles.

christine79

Thanks for all your help.

I just have another question. I think it takes 8-10 weeks to get the travel companion certificate. If I wait to book the flight and hotel until December, how is the availability of beachfront rooms at Rendezvous Bay? Should there still be availability if I wait until then to book for a trip in May. I know some places book fast.