lvstogo6

I think its time to ask for help!! We have decided we want to take the kids, 4 of them , ages 9-17 ) to the Caribbean sometime between dec 26 and jan 3. I know this is a very difficult time but I know there has to be SOMETHING available .I have checked the villa route and most everything seems booked of course. We have visited many of the islands already..we are just looking for some good sun time and fun. I had thought of Aruba , mainly because its fairly easy to get to and the kids havent been. Any ideas on which island might be the most feasible or of any good websites that specialize in last minute travel such as this??? I know someone must have some good info on this..

RoamsAround

Well, of course you are planning to travel during the busiest week of the year in the Caribbean and as you are finding out accommodation vacancies are rare as hen's teeth. It's difficult for anyone not actually affiliated with a resort or rental property to give you specifics since they really won't have too much first hand knowledge about availability. Most of us can only offer guesses - the point being that even if we knew there was something available for Christmas time last week it might not be available this week.

That said, you may encounter another unanticipated problem - have you checked on the availability flights from your home airport to your intended destination? Since you have tagged your post with 4 very different destinations I'll bet you haven't checked on flight yet.

For instance, I am flying from JFK to a Caribbean island on December 26 and I know for a fact that the plane I'm on is fully booked and has been so for at least 2 months. I assume from your question that "we want to take the kids, 4 of them ..." means you are a family of 6. Finding 6 empty seats on a flight to the Caribbean on December 26 may be a bigger challenge than finding accommodations. You may encounter similar difficulties getting a flight home on Monday, Jan 3 (let alone Sunday, Jan 2).

It would seem to me, the best approach would be for you to first find out which island you can fly to on your planned travel days. You can then research finding accommodations on that island. Remain flexible as to the type, location and size of accommodations you desire. Often cottages or villas that are further from the beach are some of the last to be booked. Rather than spend time checking availability of individual villas get in touch with a booking agent or some of the real estate agents on the island to see if they have anything (villa, condo, cottage) that will fit your needs. Consider staying at a condo/resort or even a large guest house that has multiple rooms. Wherever you end up looking expect to pay some of the highest prices of the year for your accommodations.

I'd venture to guess at this late date you won't find much, if anything, available in the BVI's - relative to other destination there are just not that many places to choose from. on the other hand there are literally hundreds upon hundreds of condo apartments on Providenciales' Grace Bay in the Turks & Caicos (assuming you can get there), perhaps a couple of them might still be available or have a last minute cancellation. I'm not real familiar with accommodations on Aruba or Grand Cayman but from what I've read I gather you'll have better luck there than in the BVI's.

Sorry I can't be of more help. Good luck finding flights and a place to stay.

virginia

advise you look at maya riviera coast south of cancun. cancun is normally easy to get to, there are tons of ai's, hotels, condo's & villas.
i had a similiar situation a few yrs ago (although not at christmas). i emailed locogringo.com, listing my needs (3 bedrooms, price range, that we needed a pool, required beachfront & gave an idea approx where we wanted to be). they replied within a day or 2 with a 1/2 dozen villa options. we choose casa cavu on tankah bay beach & loved it. we arranged transfer from airport to the villa through them as well.

actually their site currently has loads of options, some on sale, for your time period as owners hope for holiday guests.
locogringo also has info on the plethora of things to do/see - from ziplines to touring maya ruins and info on the 2 water parks xcaret & xel-ha.
hope this helps

lvstogo6

Yes, we have checked some flights and although we would love to do the bvis , we know its really not realistic. Plus, traveling with a herd of kids, we want something relativity easy to reach. We can get into both Aruba and grand cayman. Havent checked Turks ...wondering if it might be too cool there?

We would also be willing to fly back on the 4th if necessary. One day of missed school never hurt anyone.....

Although, dh and I have done the Mayan area quite a bit, I will look at what the locogringo site has to offer....

shirleyk

Because there are 6 people traveling IMHO a timeshare would give you more square footage. Take a look at www.diviresorts.com. They have three timeshare properties in Aruba - Divi Dutch Village, Divi Village and Divi Phoenix. One phone call (1-800-367-3484) or one web address would give you all the availability of all three properties. If that doesn't work, try the individual timeshare properties. LaCabana has around 800 units - maybe they are not sold out. Marriott has two huge properties in Aruba (side by side) so I would try them.

shirleyk

www.laquintaaruba.net has a three bedroom week 52 for $1500 according to their website. Week 52 starts December 25 and ends January 1.

RoamsAround

If you are considering the Mayan Riviera look at the Playa Del Carmen area - plenty of places to choose from (but I can't vouch for availability).

Also, for Grand Cayman try contacting these people - they represent over 400 different condo units: www.caymanvacations.com

RoamsAround

Sorry, in my last post I meant to say that we went to Provo over Christmas/New Years a few years back and temperatures were in the low 80's everyday but 1 that was rainy and cool (low 70, I guess).

blamona

where are you flying from? That might help us maybe find you flights. Check with www.ITAsoftware.com or Kayak.com.

I've spent the last 12 Christmas in T&C and found the weather delightfully perfect. Low 80s sunny, ahhh. I am flying 19 - 5, so if you're willing to take kids out of school a couple of days you increase your chances for air. It appeared that 1,2,3, and 4 were fully booked. Of course, to fly out your days will also be grossly expensive if you can't be flexible (and if you can find it.)

Tell me from where, we'll help find you something.

lvstogo6

We will be flying out of Nashville.....and we can be flexible through the 4th probably.

lvstogo6

We have found air to both Cayman and Aruba. Surprisingly, to me anyway, getting to Cayman is less expensive. I checked out the caymanvacation website and it looks great. Waiting to see what they have available...

virginia

if you choose grand cayman you should contact caymanvillas.com or phone them at 345.945.4144, as they seem to handle almost every villa on island.
we used them a couple yrs ago to rent 'thatch hill' (??too small for your group - has 2br one with king other with twins & set of bunks)
they were wonderful to rent from. shortly after arrival the ice maker part of the frig broke. to our amazement they had replaced the frig within 24 hrs & were thoughtful enough to leave the new one to cool down empty, making an extra trip the following day to pick up the broken one after we transfered the food at our convenience.
be aware most of the villas are not on seven mile beach, but there are lots of condos on seven mile beach. agree your best bet at this date is to contact one of the cayman companies, giving them a list of your desires and let them offer you what's still available.