Hi. I hope somebody out there can help. I'm looking to &quot;steal&quot; a Carribean vacation. This will be my 3rd trip to the Carribean this year so it has to be really cheap - except I don't want to feel like I'm in some budget hotel. <BR>In August, I fell in love with St. Thomas. The beaches and water were beautiful and everything I dreamed of. Trips to lovely St. John and boating to stunning Virgin Gorda's baths filled my adventurous side. Snorkeling was great - the water was warm and clear. Megan's bay was dreamy. What a place!<BR><BR>January brought me to Grenada. Well, I loved Grenada but not for its beaches or it's snorkeling (not very good)- the rainforests, waterfalls, &amp; foliage were breathtaking - a painters paradise. Grenada was my adventure island- so much to see and do (Jeep Adventure, Catamaran sailing trips, Carriacou &amp; deserted White Island) and boy did I have fun exploring. I saw Grande Anse beach but did not stay. I'm glad I at least saw since my beach at the Rex was not very pituresque. Grenada was wonderful and I'd go again maybe for a stay at dreamy Carriacou this time. <BR><BR>Since then, I've been looking for the perfect &quot;Cheap&quot; island getaway somewhere between the two. I guess I want it all - adventure and clear wonderful water and beautiful &quot;dream&quot; beaches. The catch is the deal (iow)- the price.<BR><BR>Here's what recently caught my eye - Turks &amp; Caicos, Cayman islands, St. Kitts or Nevis. I thought I read somewhere that there is not much to do on the first 2 but sit back and lounge &amp; soak up the beauty. Is that true? I also haven't heard much about St. Kitt's &amp; Nevis in terms of beautiful breathtaking beaches. <BR><BR>I guess the bottom line is the most bang for the buck. In St. Kitts - the Marriott &amp; Timothy Beach for about 100 (I even saw a special at Timothy for 63 a night till June 10 but I can't go by then.<BR><BR>Anybody have any insight on which is the most beautiful island with the best accomodations for the best price. Can't pay more that 100/night for 2 pp. <BR><BR>I'm sorry this was so long but wanted to let you know what exactly I'm looking for.<BR><BR>Thanks<BR>Philly Girl<BR>

Hi Philly Girl,<BR><BR>I would highly recommend the Mayan Riveria, you could stay in Cozumel (island off the coast) or in the Playa del Carmen, Playacar, Tulum area. There are several nice hotels and all-inclusive resorts and plenty to do! We particularly enjoyed snorkeling off the coast on the reef through Snorkel Adventures (apparently, it is the outfitter that the locals use), spending the day at Xel-ha (an eco-park that offers swimming with dolphins, snorkeling, swiming in a cave, or just sipping the yummiest pina coladas and chilling out on a hammock) there are ruins to explore, golf, scuba, horseback riding and very nice beaches! Some people are hesitant about the area because of cancun...trust me, it is nothing like cancun. <BR><BR>As for deals...we live in Baltimore and use a travel discount hotline that offers last minute trips (usually you can plan up to 2 months), flights out of BWI. We have many friends in PA that book trips through this place because the deals are THAT good. They are usually discounted apple vacations..so the price includes airfare, transfers, hotel accomodations, tips, taxes and all meals/drinks when applicable. To give you an idea...we spent 4 nights at the Royal Hideaway Playacar, which is a luxury all-inclusive...and I think it cost about $450 per person!! Granted, this was a few years ago...but I check the hotline often and the prices still sound great. <BR><BR>Let me know if you have any questions or would like the number for the hotline. They offer a bunch of different packages and there are usually at least 2 offered for Mexico. <BR><BR>good luck!

Why don't you Priceline a room? My husband and I used Priceline last year to stay at the Westin St. John for $75 a night. This year we are going to Priceline a hotel in Aruba. Check out biddingfortravel.com - message boards that discuss bidding on Priceline. Once you have gone to the website, find the section that discusses bidding for rooms in the Caribbean. On Priceline, you can bid on St. Thomas, St. John, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Aruba, Curacao, St. Lucia, and the Bahamas. Using Priceline and FF airline miles, we have been able to have very nice vacations on a very limited budget. Good luck!

why not try anguilla?<BR>this time of year is inexpensive to stay. but food is always expensive. its a quiet island, but some nite life and 33 beaches.

Try www.cheapcaribbean.com. There are probably at least a dozen different places that they offer for $100/night, double occupancy on a variety of islands. I've not used them, but my step daughter has when her family of 6 wanted a getaway that wouldn't break the bank. You can buy travel insurance on their packages for peace of mind, if you wish.

Thanks so much for your replies. I will check out the cheapcarribean web site and price line. Becca, I can't believe you got the Westin for 75 a night. That's pretty good!<BR>Thanks again<BR>Heather<BR>

I've been checking into places in the caribbean for the October/November time frame. I found the St. Kitts Marriott to be one of the best bargains. I saw it for $99 per night on the Marriott site. The one issue might be that the hotel is only half opened, with the remainder opening in the &quot;second half of 2003&quot;, so I'm not sure if the other parts are open yet. I'm certain that you could get a straight answer if you call the hotel directly. Looks like an awesome property though. Not sure about flights to St. Kitts, but I know that USAirways only flies on weekends, so shorter trip is impossible. Frequent fliers were available though, so if you've got USAir/UA miles you can access this. Also found some great deals at Aruba hotels such as Renaissance, Marriott Stellaris and Hyatt. Good luck!

Bogart, I also live in the DC area and would love to know of the discounters you speak of. Please share their 411! Thanks!

hvt, There is a lot to do in the Cayman Islands (grand cayman). We snorkeled, parasailed and went horsebackriding on the beach. But it is definitely not cheap.

Try St. Martin (the french side). The food is cheap and hotels are not too expensive either. There is also a great nightlife too. You can also take a ferry to St. Barts for the day....gorgeous beaches.