Joe

I have an intersting predicament. My wife won tickets to anywhere AA flies to in the Caribbean. Where should we go? <BR>I've read the postings and it sounds like St.John might be the place to go... <BR>We are looking for a nice, quiet week in the Caribbean. No casinos, shopping or touristy stuff... We'd prefer secluded beaches, lots of warm, clear water for snorkeling or sailing with occasional hikes. Also need a nice hotel to stay at ($100/night range). <BR>If you won tickets, where would you go? <BR>Thanks a bunch!

Christie

A few words of advice from someone who's been in the exact same situation: <BR>1. Call AA and find out the blackout dates on those tickets. Trust me- you can't go over President's Day! <BR>2. Don't go during hurricane season (July-Nov) or you are taking a big risk. (See many posts on this BB that agree!) <BR>3. Start researching islands and see what you can come up with. Keep in mind that some islands usually have higher airfares, so get the most value for those passes! <BR>4. RESERVE EARLY!!! You are most likely flying on a T pass, which means you're one step above cargo, and the allotment of seats fills quickly. Be flexible on your times and layovers- connections, unfortunately, will be a must. <BR> <BR>$100 a night will get you a nice hotel, but it won't be all-inclusive. However, you will most likely find some good villas or condos for that price range. (We went to Antigua and had a wonderful time!) <BR>Good Luck! <BR>

Joe

Thanks for the tip. I think in doing more research, we are strongly leaning towards St. John. <BR>Now, where to stay. It sounds like there are three good ones Westin, Caneel Bay and Gallows Point. Has anyone stayed in these before? Thanks a bunch again.

Keith's Nan

Joe, none of these resorts can be had for $100 a night. Now that you have tickets, I would presume that a package deal is out. There are a couple of Inns, check at www.caribbeanvillas.com and check the Inn and condos. Also, on <BR>www.cloud9villas.com there is a small studio. Check this out. St. John is wonderful. Great beaches, excellent food and so relaxing. Depending on the time of year, prices vary.

Louis

If you are flexible pick a date after the middle of April. All rates start going down then. May through July is a good time. August is getting too far into the hurricane season. St. John is a good safe choice for a start. If you want to get more into the real caribbean that is safe and friendly, I would suggest Tortola next in the BVI. Here I would look at http://www.frenchmans.com. They have a some of packages in the summer almost in your price range. Remember that food is not inexpensive in the Caribbean and if not otherwise included you add about 17% in service and tax to every quoted rate. Tortola offers a wide variety of options from Frenchmans Cay with an auto. In St. John you would need an auto to to get to the beach and still be in your room price range unless you stayed at one of the modest places in the park. It is hard to work on a $100 budget in the Caribbean and on the beach including service and tax. The closest I could come to that, based on our experience, is Cooper Island in the BVI. You can see them at http://www.Cooper-Island.com. In the spring or summer you can get 7 nights including 2 meals, service and tax. for the $100 range. If budget is your consideration and if you are fun, easy type of people, you can't beat it. We love the place. The food is good. You even have cooking facilities if you bring groceries over from the mainland. The beach is fine and the snorkeling is ok in the general area. Almost as good as you will find anywhere. If you are a diver this is a good spot. I have a feeling you would love it if you want to be out of the touristy stuff. Also there is a bit of activity around in the evenings as people from the yachts come ashore for dinner. As I am writing this, my mouth starts to water. Pick anytime from May to July. The people that own the place are great. There is a little hiking there, but the weather in the Caribbean is not condusive to hiking, but the snorkeling off the end of the island is good. The rooms are small but we find them ok and we are not campers. We have been to both Caneel Bay and Little Dix but they are not in your budget and we don't go there anymore because we like the low keyed places like Cooper Island better. The are more fun and enjoyable. Also, it is a no brainer since with a senior citizen coupons we can get to San Juan for about $250 RT from San Diego and a little more to Tortola. Add a $100 a day for room and good meals where can you beat it where the weather is beautiful, the water is warm and the people are friendly.

Karen

Keith's Nan ... you give sound advice! But, I would not stay on Tortola but if I did, I definately would stay at either Frenchman's Cay or Lambert Beach! I would approach the "problem" differently and try to find an island that I might like where the air is outrageously high ... and get the most bang for my buck, so to speak! There is no way that you are going to get Caneel to fit your budget but the Westin offers all kinds of "specials" but they usually include airfare and it is a very medicore spot to stay! Gallows is a condo complex on the edge of the Bay overlooking the ferry docks. Many people report good stays there ... but there is no beach to speak of! You could do St. John easily if you choose to stay in one of the campsites, Maho (my preference) or Cinnamon Bay. Maho has tent cottages on platforms on a hill overlooking the Bay and it is a fun thing to do (if you are young and advernturesome). You might also want to look at a November, I think it was, Travel and Leisure for 25 Caribbean hotels that were less than $200 a nite. Might give you some pointers in the right direction!

sissa

You might want to check out some of the condos/hotels on Turks and Caicos - they might be out of your price range but it's worth a try-try the condos near Whitehouse. Allegro also used to have a place there,not sure what the prices are but it's a gorgeous beach and some of the condos look great. Check out their web site or the back of some of the travel mags.

Joe

Thanks everyone for your advice. I think we will go in April as our second honeymoon. <BR>Now, I do still need a good hotel to be had for a reasonable price. I think I was overstepping with the hotels before. So let's say $100/night kinda place. Anyone? Thanks.

Melissa

Joe <BR>check out www.stjohnusvi.com - under accommodations there are some inns/guesthouses listed for your price range. Highly recommend suzuki rental for at least part of the time to see the island. I lived at Maho for a year, so I have a list of favorites (beaches, eats, fishing, etc.) email me directly if you would like. Have fun. Oh - do not go during hurricane season. Too risky.

Diane

I am in the same situation, altho my tickets are US Airways. We also knew we wanted to go back to Negril, Jamaica. Lots of people don't like Jamaica, but our experience there was fabulous and we sent our daughter and her friends there last year for Spring Break. We are going in May and will spend 4 nights on the beach and 4 on the cliffs. I found out when I went to "cash in" my tickets, that I had to be flexible with dates. That meant leaving on a Wednesday and returning on a Thursday. Haven't made our hotel selections yet, but we've got several options...just depends on who gives us the best deal. We are looking in the $80-120 per night range (summer rates) and there are a lot of options. Plus having been there, we have a good idea of what we want. We also may take a puddle-jumper flight from Montego Bay airport to Negril which will give us a jump start on total relaxation...which is our goal. Planning is half the fun. ALso, remember, you are going "off season" if you go after April 15, so you should be able to negotiate a nice deal. Again, I have to state that I've been just about everywhere in the Caribbean that US Airways flies, and I'm picking Negril. I might not have made the same choice if I'd never been to St. Martin or the Bahamas or Puerto Rico or Cancun before. I thought seriously about the Virgin Islands, and someday we will go back to Vieques, PR again, but we couldn't ignore how romantic Negril was.....