The 11 Best Value Caribbean Hotels

The Caribbean isn't all about five-star resorts. Often, you may want to save a bit of your vacation cash to eat in elegant restaurants or to shop for the perfect gift. Saving money in the Caribbean doesn't have to mean sacrificing comfort. Sometimes it just means going to a cheaper island, such as the Dominican Republic, Saba, or Dominica. Throughout the Caribbean, here are some unique inns and resorts where you can sleep for much less and still have a great time. By Fodor's Editors

One of three Bay Gardens properties in Rodney Bay known for their friendly hospitality, this family-friendly hotel has a prime location on beautiful Reduit Beach. High season rates from $210. See Bay Gardens Beach Resort Review.

Savings Tip: For further savings, be sure to check their website for special offers, early booking bonuses, and package deals. Also, for groups or families, rooms and suites can be combined to make two-bedroom accommodations, with full self-catering facilities in the living area and 2½ baths.

Owner Dave Goldhill built four colorful gingerbread guest cottages on this peaceful Windward hillside overlooking the Grenadines, as well as a 28-foot boat to take his guests on snorkeling trips. High season rates from $85. See Bayaleau Point Cottages Review.

Insider Tip: Book a rental car for this off-the-beaten path lodging.

Cheryl Hornsey's family home, once a tiny B&B, has morphed into a popular, 31-room beachfront hotel overlooking the sea at Villa Beach. High season rates from $99. See Beachcombers Hotel Review.

Insider Tip: Standard rooms are rather "standard." You may want to upgrade to deluxe or penthouse rooms for a relatively insignificant extra fee.

Perched on the cliffs of Negril's West End, unique bungalows blend comfort and rustic style at this, whose Casual Chic feel earned it a spot on the 2011 Fodor's 100 Hotel Awards list. Regular rooms keep costs down, but if you want to spend a bit more, the dramatic villas are worth every penny. High season rates from $160. See Rockhouse Hotel Review.

Savings Tip: Daily morning yoga classes are typically $15 but Monday's sessions are complimentary.

Rodney Bay is a beehive of activity, and this stylish boutique hotel is definitely the honey. Noted for its Casual Chic style, 2011 Fodor's 100 Hotel Award winner Coco Palm features beautiful rooms, amenities you'd expect at pricier resorts, great restaurant, and nightly entertainment. High season rates from $170. See Coco Palm Review.

Insider Tip: Nightly entertainment at the Ti Bananne restaurant and bar can get noisy, so light sleepers should avoid pool-side rooms.

An oceanfront room at this chic, palazzo-style hotel will remind you why you came to the Caribbean. High season rates from $145. See Bellafonte Chateau de la Mer Review.

Savings Tip: The hotel offers a year-round deal whereby guests who pay for six days get a seventh day free.

At this secluded country inn on La Sagesse Bay, 10 mi from town, guest rooms are 30 feet from the beach and a hop, skip, and jump from surrounding nature trails. High season rates from $185. See La Sagesse Nature Centre Review.

Savings Tip: From mid-April to mid-December, low season rates are as much as 30% off.

This small seaside inn on the southeast coast is the sweetest deal on Barbados. High season rates from $119. See Peach and Quiet Review.

Insider Tip: It's closed from May to October; so it may be hard to get information or book for the rest of the year during that time.

A marvelous little oceanfront guesthouse with a funky name offers the island's best value for those who want to keep costs down. High season rates from $218. See The Horny Toad Review.

Savings Tip: It's easy to save more by preparing some of your meals here, all rooms have fully equipped kitchens.

On the largest island in the Grenadines, family-owned Frangipani lodgings are tucked into a gentle slope filled with fragrant frangipani trees and overlook Admiralty Bay. High season rates from $75. See Frangipani Hotel Review.

Savings Tip: The hotel's restaurant and bar has a great meal deal on Thursday's with Frangi barbecue buffet (about $30) accompanied by steel-band music and a jump-up.

A stay at this spacious B&B harks back to a gentler time, when people spent the winter, rather than a week, in the Caribbean. High season rates from $125. See Carringtons Inn Review.

Insider Tip: Though the suburban location is close to Christiansted, you really need to book a rental car to get around.