affordable beachfront
 

looking to take a trip out to the caribbean in late march. we have 4-5 people going.

does anyone have a recommendation on a beachfront house thats affordable?

criteria:
*beachfront house
*swimmable nice water and beach in front of house
*some sort of small town nearby
*affordable
*the house doesnt need to be state of the art, but should be fairly decent.

we were looking at ambergris caye in belize but its pretty expensive there. we were also looking at dominican republic.

help!!!!

It's hard to give you specifics without knowing what your definition of "affordable" is. If you can give us some idea of your budget it would help. Beachfront acomodations are always going to cost more than non-beachfront places. Consider going on your trip in Low season (late April through October) as prices will be at their lowest.

tortola,bvi ... www.indigohouse.org or www.tortolabeach.com both are in/on cane garden bay...great place to be !! one of my favs...the pink house on jost van dyke,bvi. this is on the most stunning beach . www.caribbeanvilla.com , this villa and jost are so unique !!

I would like to keep it around 1800 dollars a week. We have 5 people going.

Is that budget impossible for beachfront?

If you think Belize is expensive, you might need to do some homework as it's one of the more affordable places in the caribbean. You are also trying to find beachfront during prime season. I think your budget is tight, but probably doable in a different season.

Also keep in mind, if you want a nice beach for swimming, I'd stay away from Ambergris, as it is nice, but definitely not known for a great beach. We spent 10 days there, and never used the beach once due to seaweed.

Your budget of $1,800 for 5 people for a week is unrealistic, especially for beachfront house in the middle of high season. That comes to a tad over $51 per night per person - for that price you'd have trouble finding a basic motel room soewhere miles from the beach. Try increasing your budget, looking for accomodations that are a short drive from the beach or going in "off-season.

Traditional "budget" destinations are certain parts of Mexico (areas south of Cancun), Belize, Costa Rica and perhaps the Dominican Republic - maybe you can find something in one of those places, assuming you set your sights a bit lower or increase your budget.

As others have indicated, "beachfront" and "affordable" in March can be a challenge.

There are a number of small resorts with cottages or apartments right on the beach in Grenada. I've only personally stayed at one of them -- Coral Cove -- and that was 15+ years ago (though at the time it was basic but very clean). None of the places I'll list below is particularly close to any town, short of renting a car or taking a taxi.

There is also a catch, I'm afraid. For while Grenada is a spectacular and well-priced destination, both in terms of lodging and food (especially if you eat local food), it is quite difficult to get to and flights can be expensive.

That much said, consider the following:

Coral Cove - 2 bedroom cottage at $200/night (right on the beach, but while it's a good snorkeling beach, it's not an especially good swimming beach; use the pool or go to nearby L'anse Aux Epines for that)

La Sagesse - duplex for $195/night (sleeps 4) and $25/night per extra person (this is my favorite beach on Grenada, and one of my favorite restaurants, but it's quite a remote location)

Lanse Aux Epines Cottages - 2 br/2 ba cottage for $245/night; 3 br/2 ba for $335/night (right on the aforementioned L'anse Aux Epines aka Prickly Bay, and in walking distance to a number of good restaurants, including the Red Crab -- yum!)

Gem - $213/nt for 5 people in an apartment (on lovely Morne Rouge, one of the best beaches on the island, but seems to be a very basic lodging; close to Grand Anse, which has shops and restaurants)

Learn more about Grenada on www.grenadaexplorer.com; and be sure to search out ejcrowe's wonderful trip reports.

Aside from Grenada, there are some very well-priced cottages in St. Maarten/St. Martin, especially in Grand Case. La California is right on the beach, and has a 2 bedroom apartment that sleeps up to 6 for just $1300/week, high season. Dove's Nest is up the hill in Grand Case (not on the beach) and has a 2 bedroom/2 bath unit for $180/night. Grand Case is a charming village on a beautiful beach, with the most amazing collection of restaurants -- all in a row -- in the Caribbean, including all price ranges. SXM, overall, and the Dutch side in particular, is a mass-tourism destination, so you'll have more choices in flights (and potentially pricing of flights).

We have a few beachfront villas on Jamaica's South Coast in non-touristic Treasure Beach that might suit in the US$1700-$2200 range, with tax,staff gratuities, food/drinks, airport transfers additional. See Coquina,
La Casa Duna, Driftwood and Sandy
Rose at jamaicaescapes.com.