What is the shortest (and hopefully direct?) flight to the Caribbean from Boston? We want to get there and get going & not be on a plane all day! (it will be a short vaca) Any tips for where to find inexpensive flights? Probably ruling out Bermuda however...already been and want to head someplace new. Thanks for your help!

Nassau in the Bahamas and Provo in the Turks & Caicos ( both not technically in the Caribbean) are probably the closest destinations to Boston. FYI - avoid the Bahamas in winter if you are seeking warm climate as it can be cool at that time of year).

Other "short flight" destinations actually in the Caribbean would be Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and perhaps Grand Cayman. All other destinations are further south and therefore will be longer flights.

Thank you so much for your response - that's a huge help!!

Given the choices...T&C, Nassua, PR, Dominican and Grand Cayman...which would you all choose? It's only about a 3-4 night stay and in July or August probably...10 year anniversary

Use TNT or GWV Travel.
They charter flights to many locations, non stop.

You are considering 5 distinctly differnt islands. You should read up on those islands to determine which best suits your needs. In a nut shell here are some highlights:

T&C's (assume you mean Grace Bay on Providenciales - only island in the T&C's you can reach non-stop) - flat, arid, 11 mile long sparkeling white sand beach, lots of condo resorts, little or no nightlife (eat dinner then go to bed) however there is one newly opend casino, popular with families and honeymooners, limited but very good off-beach snorkeling, can be on the pricey side, no appreciable shopping.

Nassau - flat, scrubby, nice beaches, very crowded, expensive, many large hotel style resorts some ultra expensive, limited snorkeling, plenty of shopping, all types of watersports.

Dominican Republic - big island, many different resort areas, lots of All Inclusives, generally considered a moderately priced destination, all manner of water sports, good light sand beaches, lots of natural vegetation, popular with those people who stay "on resort" rather than those who like to explore.

Grand Cayman - flat, arid, excellent diving and snorkeling, exceptional white sand beaches, plenty of excellent restaurants, a variety of resort accomodations, good to excellent nightlife.

Hope this helps.

As bad as this probably sounds to an experienced traveler - we just aren't terribly picky for this particular vacation on where to go...just that it's a short flight and a warm/pretty spot. It's basically going to come down to what is cheapest and best between those destinations as they are all in the same ballpark as far as flights go I'm assuming.

So thank you thank you and thank you again for all your help and tidbits...it's incredibly helpful as we hone in on a decision. If anyone else has input on where to go at any of these spots, please let me know as well!

Flights to all those locations are not in the same ballpark. I fly out of NY/NJ area and find that flights to San Juan and Nassau are always the cheapest, around $250/person.... with Grand Cayman on the higher end (around $450-$500/person).

We've done Turks & Caicos for a weekend getaway and it was great for what we were looking: great food, great beach, total relaxation. I think our flight was a little over $400/person. We stayed at the Grace Bay Club resort and loved it.

I'm in the process of trying to book the Compass Point Resort in Nassau for 3 nights this summer. It just reopened and looks totally cool. Their reservations system is not impressive though (I've been at it for several days now). Anyway, that would be an easy and fairly cheap getaway.

We've also stayed at the Westin on Grand Bahama Island. I don't know that you can get there non-stop from Boston, but I would recommend also.

For San Juan, we stayed at the Caribe Hilton. Typical U.S. resort with all the amenities but just okay to us. We didn't like the fact it was a convention hotel, especially since there were conventions when we were there! I don't doubt there are better accommodations on the island.

Good luck.

Don't assume that airfares to those destinations will be "in the same ballpark". In this day and age airfares vary greatly from destination to destination and from month to month, week to week and even day to day. Just because some destinations are a similar distance away from your home airport doesn't mean the airfares will be anywhere close to one another. The only way to assure you get a good fare is to check them often and when you see one that looks good to you don't hesitate - book the flight. In other words be an informed consumer.

I see where caribtraveler and I had the same comment. My post obviously lagged a bit behind in cyberspace.

I'll add Jamaica to that list...lots of nonstop flights to Montego Bay and a variety of resorts right near the city or if you want to ride an hour or two, many small and large hotels, villas, resorts to choose from.

Not sure on flight time from Boston but from NYC it took us about 3.5 hours.

Thank you (again!) ...you're right/ good point about my "in the same ballpark" thought...doesn't make sense now that I think about it.

Is there a better way to go as far as finding a good flight - do I consult a travel agent or go it alone w/ one of the common sites ie: Expedia, Travelocity or directly deal with the airline via website or phone? I will poke around online to see those places you both mentioned (Grace Point, Compass Point...)

Many thanks - I envy all your expertise as it's been a good time acquiring it I'm sure!

with all due respect to the esteemed posters here..

the original questions is this:
What is the shortest (and hopefully direct?) flight to the Caribbean from Boston? We want to get there and get going & not be on a plane all day!

Take any flight from Boston,
go to San Juan that is 3.5 hours away
or
take a flight to St. Thomas
3.75 hopurs away.

WHY?

No pasport hassles and direct.

Spirit Air has a $89 one way.

Talk around the issue all you want
lollie3 wants short-cheap, direct and safe.

We are going to Provo in Turks and Caicos in April, and it's a 3.5 hour flight from Logan.

What issue exactly are we talking around, marbleheadguy? I think we all mentioned fastest/closest/non-stop destinations to her and talked about flight costs... as she asked.
And frankly, traveling outside the U.S. with a passport is not a hassle.
Relax.

Lollie3: I usually check flights with Orbitz... put in my dates with the airport info and see what I'm getting. Whatever I find that I like, I will then go to the airline's website and buy the ticket. I've always found the same price on the airline website and avoided the Orbitz fee.

I think a passport is only a hassle if you don't have one yet....

I am also looking for the fastest flight (though from CT/NYC) and Nassau is it for non-stop...3 hours...and delta.com is selling them from LGA to NSA in October for $208 RT now!

liza - are you implying that a passport is a haasle? It's really not. All you need are two small photos (takes about 5 minutes at places like Kinkos, AAA Travel Office, etc.), a completed application (you can download it from the passport website or get one at your local post office), a birth certificate and a check, money order or credit card to pay the required fee. You submit the application and within a few weeks your passport arrives in the mail. Pretty simple, actually!

No I am not, I have had a passport my entire life, renewed every 10 years.

I was responding to marbleheadguy.

Liza - I understand - hope you weren't put off by my reply.

I'm always amazed at how reluctant many US citizens are about getting a passport. The process is relative easy, the cost when amortized over the life of the passport is insignificant, it makes getting through immigration checkpoints trouble free and best of all the people standing in line behind you will be very appreciative that you are not holding up the line.