Jennifer

What's with the Cap Juluca love affair on this website? How come no one's every mentioning the other premium Caribbean properties like Little Dix Bay, Lyford Cay, Mill Reef, Sandy Lane, Grace Bay, etc. Casa de Campo gets an occasional mention. It can't be price since Cap J is arguable the most expensive of them all (except maybe the $100K initiation fee at Lyford to become a member). Must be down to some extraordinary p.r.

kathleen

I take it you have never been there!?! If you have, you would know. They have it all figured out, down to the smallest detail. It is a beautiful resort on a georgeous beach on one of the nicest, cleanest, safest, friendliest islands anywhere. Factor in incredible food and there you have it. No PR just wonderful!

andrea

I'm just jealous that I can't afford to to vacation there

kathleen

Don't be jealous.....just go. Off season it's quite reasonable. The summer season ends Nov 2003! We never vacation in the winter - first of all its way too depressing to come back to NY weather after a vacation in the caribbean, for me it is anyway. And you can go to great places, for less money after high season is over. What my husband and I do is put money away every week, and we have a huge water bottle that we put coins in. I will plan our big vacation 1 year in advance. I save up the down payment to reserve. Then I just save weekly for the rest. Before you know it, the vacation is paid in full - cash (no credit card debt) and you have spending money! It's painless and well worth it! There are packages at Cap that include dinners. Anguilla has great reataurants, 2 of my favorites are at Cap - Kemia &amp; Georges. The rest of the time you can eat very well without spending a lot of money, the restaurants and food are great. Also all the rooms at Cap have that wonderful view and service. Go ahead ENJOY, you only live once. You will not regret that vacation<BR>Websites: capjuluca.com<BR> travelhop.com<BR>Go Ahead....................GO

Andrea

Kathleen,<BR>You've just turned on a little bulb in my head! The trick to avoiding splurges is to plan way-ahead. I remember doing that in 1998 for my wedding-moon to Jamaica. Had everything paid for before setting foot on the plane. Thanks for reminding me that one does not have to be a Rockefeller to spluge a bit. I also travel only during off-season.<BR>Take care, Andrea

Andrea

oops, I meant to say &quot;the trick to affording splurges&quot;

kathleen

I'm glad I did. We just returned a few weeks ago and I already have money saved for our retrun trip next Nov. It's painless and it add up fast. Glad I could help. I've been reading a lot about this website also. I think you may save $$ on airfare but worth looking into, I think I'm going to use them for my next trip, thru my TA. www.classiccaribbean.com<BR>Happy Holidays!!!

Mary

Can anyone tell me approximately how much it would cost for two people to stay at CJ for one week in the off season, figuring food and drinks (we like both), and aifare from the midwest? I know there are many factors when figuring price so just general estimates would be appreciated. Thank you.

lori

Is Cap Jaluca only for honeymooners or would a small group be happy there?<BR><BR>thanks

fyi

CapJ is a lovely destination and not just for honeymooners. Many of the guests are repeat visitors who have returned and returned including families. There is generally a good cross section of ages and stages of life but during the high honeymoon season, when all resorts seem flooded with mooners, would guess the population there would reflect the season. If you want specific comparisons why not post the question.<BR> <BR>Lyford Cay, I thought was a residental community with a club atmosphere. Much larger gated grounds. It is in the Bahamas not the Caribbean. Casa de Campo has just upgraded their property with a new chef and cuisine when announcing officially &quot;a new entertainment show, its own hospitality and culinary school and a new cruise ship port. <BR>&quot;The $12 million the Casa de Campo-La Romana International Tourist Port was officially kicked off with the arrival of Costa Cruise Lines' 1,000-passenger CostaMarina.&quot; <BR><BR>&quot;This winter, other ships visiting the port will be the CostaVictoria and CostaRomantica; Celebrity's Millennium, Galaxy and Constellation; and the Carnival Paradise.&quot; Not exactly the same as Cap J or Anguilla! <BR>Imagine going to a luxury property and finding out is a cruise ship port! <BR><BR>Grace Bay Club was recently sold and undergoing some changes. It was a secret and wonderful but is now growing like Provo is. They've got some rivals now who are hyping Provo where they stood out far above the rest. Provo doesn't have the restaurants that Anguilla has Grace Bay's restaurant, Anaconda, is absolutely delightful. But Grace Bay Club shares the beachfront along Grace Bay with other properties too unlike Cap. <BR><BR>Little Dix Bay is a step back in time and isn't keeping pace with the population that does seem to enjoy those marble bathrooms and some of the luxury that Cap and others that are newer or recently rebuilt can take advantage of. Rosewood has not been a real winner in the Caribbean circle of great resorts either. The family-friendly atmosphere doesn't help LDB, IMO, as it was always a retreat and treat when it was a RockResort. They are adding two-and three-bedroom villas and now have a whole spa program. Must better sailing and snorkeling in the BVI than Anguilla. More lush, green and tropical than Anguilla also. Maybe a bit harder to get to than Cap with the puddle jumpers into Virgin Gorda and the dirt runway or EIS to Virgin Gorda. <BR><BR>Sandy Lane I have only visited since its reopening and not stayed there. Magnificant propety but again in a highly developed area. Lots more things to do on Barbados and the Grenadines are a day trip away - a very nice plus. And the private butlers are not a bad thing for sure. Hear mixed reviews on the restaurants at Sandy Lane. <BR><BR>Mill Reef? You got me on that one.

fyi

go the www.capjuluca.com website and you can see the rack rates. Seldom discounted but by using specific agents you might get upgrades and some percs. Does occassionally appear on luxurylink.com but not often since it is one of the few resorts on Anguilla that runs fairly full most of the time. It's pricey, no doubt!

Karen

Hi Mary,<BR><BR>Went to Cap Juluca last week of off season which was Nov 8 to 15 this year. We stayed in a Jr Suite and had the Romantic Rendezvous Package (which was great by the way!)Here is my exact total from my recent trip as I keep a travel journal:<BR><BR>Jr. Ste Rom Rendezvous pkg $4950.00<BR>Air fare from NYC $1700.00<BR>limo r/t to airport $220.00<BR>Trip Insurance $189.00<BR>Spending Money $2200.00 (lunches, dinners, drinks, snacks, tips, car rental etc..what we spent on Anguilla)<BR><BR>Grand Total = $9259.00 and worth every penny<BR><BR>The Romantic Rendezvous package includes 4 dinners for 2 at their restaurants and 1 beach bar b que dinner. 1 day car rental included, we rented for 5 days, we loved driving around and going everywhere. Cab fare is very expensive and R/T cab fare may cost more than 1 days car rental, and is more fun to drive! We also went to Scilly Cay &amp; Georges for lunch, Altamars, Mangos and Straw Hat for dinner. We had afternoon and evening drinks and went to the store and bought snacks and vodka. We also tipped a lot of people before we left. The couples massage that comes with the package was the best, I was never so relaxed!<BR><BR><BR>There were couples of all ages there and is perfect for any couple wanting some R&amp;R<BR>

Mary

Karen: Thanks for such detailed info. I guess I'll wait until I win the lottery. Sounds absolutely wonderful though.

Karen

Mary,<BR><BR>Don't let the price scare you. You can stay in a luxury room (less expensive) eat in less expensive restaurants, all of which are great, Tasty's being one of my favorites and not a lot of money. Breakfast is included and we had great lobster and crayfish at Elodias and Uncle Ernies. You could easily shave a lot of $$ off what we spent. Altamars restaurant was very expensive and we will not return there next year. We are from NYC and can get better than/less expensive than Altamars, which is French. Although we loved the food and service and the setting, I would prefer to enjoy more of the local food eateries where the food is not so overly done. It's like going to Paris and eating McDonalds. The island is very casual, so theres no need to get &quot;dressed up&quot;. Look at it this way, it does not cost anything to find out. With the help of this website, you can find an affordable way to get to Anguilla. If Cap is out of your $$ range all together, there are many other places to stay. Most on the beach with beautiful views

Mary

Thanks for the follow-up Karen. I'll definitely keep it in the back of my mind for our 10th anniversary. <BR><BR>While my husband and I love to vacation and we feel it's vital to our mental health (not to mention it's just so much fun), we opt for $5k or under vacations just because our pocketbooks dictate that and we want to pay cash - not credit. <BR><BR>But I think it's definitely worth a splurge for our 10th - especially if we start saving now.

xxx

and start saving those miles. You might need a zillion of them by the time you go but it sure does save on airfare. But there are many other wonderful places on Anguilla too but Cap is a spectacular place saved for by many people for the once in a lifetime splurge. <BR><BR>

Mary

Thanks xxx. That reminds me (once again) to find a credit card that pays out miles. Anybody know any off hand?

Karen

Mary,<BR><BR>Call your Travel agent there are wholesalers that may be able to save you some air fare $$. They can only be booked thru a Travel Agent. My husband and I do not do any kind of business travel so even with 2 vacations per year it takes forever to build up miles. I agree, we pay our vacations in cash too, we book it and send our TA a check, no credit cards. We put our spending money cash into our checking acct and use our debit master card...this way you cannot spend what you do not have. Theres no sense on paying for a vacation long after you have retuned.

xxxx

many cards do have some airline miles/ points redeemable for all kinds of things including vacations. There is a annual fee for most of them but it is small. Can't count how many flights I've done and two vacations were on Amex. Of course everything goes on the credit card and it gets paid off every month. I run all business expenses through the card too so that helps a lot. Credit cards can be an evil but only if you misuse them. <BR>You can also sign up for email alerts for air specials at the airline websites and some consolidators and wholesalers do not restrict their business to travel agents for sure! The only ones who Cap deals with is Custom Classic and Virtuoso who will get you some percs and Custom Classic will package it with air at a good price usually. But often those deep discounted tickets are not upgradable - another great perc of using that credit card!

James

We booked our trip to CJ through Custom Classic last summer and it was fabulous. We got the Romantic Rendezvous package that included dinners, a rental car for a day, massage for two, a bottle of champagne, and flowers in the room. Two of the meals were on the beach in the evening, all you can eat. It was absolutely fabulous. CJ was definitely our best vacation ever. Eating out is pricey, so expect to pay between $75-$100 for dinner. But the food is terrific. We love Anguilla; it's beautiful, friendly and safe. This package cost us about $5,000; it would have been about $3,500 without the Rendezvous Package. Do visit Shoal Bay East. It's the most amazing beach I've ever seen. Right out of a postcard.