Greetings! You made it through April Fool's Day, tax deadlines, and Easter egg hunts. Now what? How about - the Caribbean just went on sale?
Yes, folks, it's true - mid-April through mid-December is the annual period during which travel to the islands becomes more affordable. We won't get into airfare deals here (the vagaries defy description) other than to say that May, along with September and October, generally seems to be the period when airfares dip the lowest. But hotel values are more concrete, and the weather in May is often ideal, just before the annual rainy and hurricane season looms on the horizon. Here are some tips for maximizing low-season savings.
The best deals are often found on islands with the largest tourist infrastructure and/or those with abundant white sand beaches. Why? On the first count, the hotels on well-developed islands have to work harder to keep their rooms filled and are willing to cut rates to the bone, often offering discounts of 40 percent or more off the winter rates. An empty room generates no revenue, so better to sell it at a deep discount and hope guests tally a big food-and-drink tab (cheapskates be warned: though La Samanna on St. Martin drops room rates a whopping 47 percent in summer, the Beluga caviar plate delivered by room service is still $250 year-round). And, as far as white sand beaches are concerned, islands like Dominica and Saba are not places that draw hordes in winter because they aren't typical sun-sea-sand destinations. Tourism on these islands is based more on things like hiking and diving - activities that can be enjoyed year-round. The result: hotels aren't expensive in the winter months but since they have less of a problem filling rooms in the summer, off-season discounts aren't as aggressive (some of the hotels have a single year-round rate card). For the best summer deals, head to the Virgin Islands, Barbados, Antigua, Anguilla, St. Barts and St. Martin/St. Maarten.
We just returned from a ten-day research trip to Jamaica and were pleased to find the island in relatively good shape. Relatively, because Jamaica has spent much of the 90s suffering from a bad, if self-inflicted rap. Adverse news events (like the violent gas protest of 1998, or the appalling crime rate in Kingston) are the only the items that make the front page of our newspapers. And travel agents have been encouraged to sell walled-in all-inclusive resorts as a panacea for the perception that island's visitors are to be hassled to buy trinkets and ganja and taxi rides, etc. In fact, the crime rate (which is related to politics and drugs, and has little direct impact on tourists) is down, and the hawkers are more subdued after a diligent local campaign to convince islanders that aggressive sales pitches were harming the vital tourist industry. Jamaica is truly looking better than it has in years, and is priced below most islands in the eastern Caribbean making it a good value, as well.
One big source of local pride is the construction of the new Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall, scheduled to open this summer. Addition of this kind of monolith is not normally the kind of thing we applaud, but the Ritz-Carlton name is a big plus for Jamaica - it should convince a number of Americans (the kind that need a big brand name to ensure peace of mind) to visit the island. It will also probably help increase airlift.
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The $125 million, 430-room Ritz-Carlton is the first "European Plan" (non-all-inclusive) hotel to be built on Jamaica since the 1970s. As such, it is a thoroughly state-of-the-art creation - possibly the most expensive hotel ever built in the Caribbean (in today's dollars), even boasting its own power plant! Rooms are standard-issue Ritz-Carlton, with oversized sofas, framed bird and floral prints, faux antiques and a mini-bar. On the downside, the five-story buildings are a bit soulless and feel hermetically sealed (to allow air conditioning in the lobby and other common areas). The manmade beach is not particularly attractive, which is probably why Ritz-Carlton also bought a beach club four miles away (the same beach, incidentally, that former President Richard M. Nixon (remember him) proclaimed as the finest on the island). On the upside, the resort will have the first full-service spa on the island, the lobby lounge has a coffee bar to serve a variety of local blends, and the resort's magnificent White Witch golf course should quickly become established as the best on the island (and one of the finest in the region). Room rates will be RIDICULOUS (a round of golf will run $150-225), but watch for grand opening specials in the months to come.
More Jamaica news will follow in next month's newsletter, but we want to share one special find you're not likely to spot in any other guidebook. Shireen and Barbara of Port Antonio's lovely Hotel Mocking Bird Hill suggested we make a quick stop at Dickie's on the way out of town. "Wonderful spot with lovely fruit," they said. Since we had just finished a massive, delicious breakfast at Mocking Bird, we thought we'd make just a quick stop at Dickie's to check it out for R&R. In fact, Dickie's Sweet Banana Shop (no sign; located about a mile west of Port Antonio, just above the water on the main road) is a tiny roadside fruit shack that looks at first glance like a hundred others on the island. But Dickie, a gentle, former hotel chef turned Rastafarian, and his wife Joy, also run a delightfully informal restaurant just behind the shack. The treehouse-like setting has room for three tables that overlook the sea, and Dickie insisted on preparing fruit plates. The fruit was honey-sweet and elegantly presented, and we gorged ourselves further. Dickie prepares dinner by reservation (great with a full moon), though we recommend a stop for lunch when you can go for swim at the nice beach next door and enjoy the dreamy view. We have no idea where this rings, but phone (876)993-9591 for a reservation.
A few quick takes and updates. The elections in Haiti have finally been scheduled - the first round is set for May 21, with a second round scheduled for June 25. We have no outcome predictions, other than to recommend deferring travel to Haiti until after the votes are tallied. Elián is probably on his way back home to Cuba soon, but we wonder what kind of participation he'll have in the TV movies being rushed to the air. The trail system in Puerto Rico's El Yunque National Park is finally open again, following 18 months of rebuilding following landslides caused by the onslaught of Hurricane Georges in 1998. St. Croix's controversial first casino opened in March at the newly reopened Divi Carina Bay on the island's east end - there are 13 gaming tables, 295 slot machines and a show lounge. WorldJam 2000, a three-day event held in St. Thomas, has been canceled due to lack of sponsorship and commitment from the scheduled artists.
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