t's the peak of hurricane season, and, knock on wood, so far we've made it without a major scratch. Hurricane Debby swept through the West Indies quickly but did no lasting damage. If you're headed to the islands in September, the prime month for storms, we find that the northeast corner of the region - from the Virgin Islands south to Guadeloupe - contains the islands most frequented by major tempests. By contrast, the southern boundary of the Caribbean - the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao), Margarita, Trinidad and Tobago - is the region rarely affected by hurricanes. This and other fascinating meteorological detail is contained at a great Web site: http://stormcarib.com/climatology/.

e did make a summer spin through three of the warm and delicious French West Indies. As we mentioned a couple months back, now is an excellent time to visit the French islands due to the favorable (for Americans, at least) exchange rate versus the French franc. During our last visit to these islands, two-and-a-half years ago, the franc was trading at roughly 5.5 to 1 U.S. dollar - today, the rate is closer to 7 to 1. Let's play this out in real terms: Admission to Martinique's beautiful Garden Balata, cost 40 francs in 1998 and still does today. But in U.S. dollars, we paid about $7.27 in 1998, while today's admission works out to $5.71. One of our favorite small hotels is Diamant les Bains, and the winter rate for a double in their beachside bungalows in the 1998-99 season was 660 francs - the same price they will be this winter. But two years ago, that worked out to US$120, while today the same room costs US$94. The French West Indies still aren't cheap islands, but factor in the shopping advantage (a bottle of Channel No. 5 cost us about 45 percent less than the price in the U.S.), and the food advantage (it's hard to have a bad meal here) and we think you'll come out ahead. To maximize your savings, pay for as much of your vacation as possible after you arrive, ideally in francs (there are plenty of banks), or with a credit card - and avoid paying for anything in dollars since many island merchants wistfully cling to the increasingly ancient 5 to 1 exchange rate. Note that, alas, St. Barts caters primarily to American travelers, and has hiked their dollar-based hotel rates accordingly - no bargains here. (Incidentally, a good resource for calculating foreign exchange rates is www.oanda.com, which allows you to compute just what your dollar buys in any one of the 173 world currencies the Oanda Corporation surveys.)

irst stop: Martinique, always one of our favorites. We stayed at a new, inexpensive complex located in Pointe du Bout, the Village Creole. The units are the second and third floors of a small but attractive shopping center that utilizes Creole architecture. One complaint: there's no sign that indicates where one finds a front desk, which lead us to wandering around confused for a little while. But otherwise these are cute abodes with kitchenettes and simple furnishings, and a good deal; rates are CHEAP (reservations: 011-596-66-03-19). Another new find is the Village Pierre & Vacances, located in Sainte-Luce, a more recently developed area on the south coast. This year-old resort is now Martinique's largest (337 rooms), and a great place for families with kids, with a fabulous pool area and picturesque beach. Rates are NOT SO CHEAP, and note that Americans are few and far between here, as on most of Martinique (particularly since the cancellation of American Eagle service to the island - more on that next month).

n transferring from Martinique to Guadeloupe - seeing them back-to-back on a single trip for the first time - we were able to make a few comparisons. First, although you won't hear much of it on either island, English is spoken a little more on Martinique than on Guadeloupe - either way, it's amazing how much you can get by with little more than the phrase "Parlez-vous Anglais?" at your command. Also, we noted how both islands, but particularly Martinique, are at a loss for first class resorts - both have a number of good or very good establishments, but this is not the place for deluxe hangouts of the type found on St. Barts, Anguilla, the BVIs, etc. Our favorite trysting hideouts remain Le Jardin Malanga on Guadeloupe and Habitation Lagrange on Martinique. For bigger resorts, we recommend Auberge de la Vieille Tour in Guadeloupe, but were quite disappointed to see how the Martinique's Bakoua has slipped, and the Bateliere is now openly indifferent to the American market. Subsequently, Martinique is totally lacking in an upscale, full-service resort for the immediate future. We'll share details about our visits to Guadeloupe and Marie-Galante next month.

n last month's rant about St. Lucia, we forgot to pass along a traveling tidbit. Loyal R&R readers know how much we dislike the harassment on offer in the town of Soufriere. On our recent drive through town, we observed a new tactic. As we entered Soufriere in our rental car, a young man ran in front of the vehicle shouting "wrong way, wrong way!" We knew exactly where we were headed (through town and on to the Ladera resort for a site inspection). Despite telling him this, he ran in front of the moving car, "directing" us through Soufriere with waves of his arms. Two blocks later, at the end of town, he asked for money (we didn't part with any, despite his expert services on the single main road). Not two minutes later, on the same road heading up to Ladera, a different kid walking down into town jumped into the middle of the road, yelling "wrong way!" Unemployment is high in Soufriere, but local hoteliers tell us that they choose to hire mostly from neighboring communities - that Soufriere residents haven't mastered the art of dealing with visitors.

Incidentally, Anse Chastanet, the terrific beach resort just outside Soufriere has added a small new building on the beach to expand their spa facility. And because the resort has had such success selling the original art hanging on guest room walls, the spa will also house an art gallery. Anse Chastanet is also rolling along with the mountain bike facility built on Anse Mamin, the beach next door. A five-mile trail through the ruins of a former plantation is drawing all levels of riders. Anse Chastanet continues to be our favorite place to stay on St. Lucia, and although winter rates are RIDICULOUS (MAP), we think it's a great investment for the perfect tropical holiday.

arenage Bay Beach & Golf Club on the Grenadine island of Canouan was reviewed in the last edition of R&R (it had just opened when we visited in summer 1999), but the elaborate resort, financed with $200 million worth of Italian lira, has had trouble filling rooms. With the recent hiring of a US public relations firm and a bevy of full-page ads in glossy travel mags, we're sure you'll be hearing a lot more about Carenage in the months ahead - despite being more than a year old, it's just now being pitched as a "new" Caribbean property. Alas, the first project the flacks will be tackling is a sad bit of spin control. Island residents blockaded the main access road to Carenage for at least three days in August to protest the policy of preventing islanders from accessing the resort's several beaches. This is the kind of rubbish that takes place in Playa Dorada in the Dominican Republic - how sad that the Grenadines are now embroiled in similar us-versus-them tactics when it comes to segregating tourists from locals.

e complained recently about the staggering price of visiting the Cayman Islands. It's only fair then that we point out that the island has an off- season promotion called Chillin 'n Cayman, available April 15-December 15. The discounts apply to hotel rates, a few select restaurants (10 percent off), watersports (15 percent off), car rentals (20 percent off), and attractions and activities (10-25 percent off). To take advantage of the reduced rates, request the brochure from the Department of Tourism (800-346-3313). You'll find about two dozen hotels listed, ranging from the relatively inexpensive Sunset House on up to the very costly Hyatt Regency, all of which offer discounts off their normal low season rates. You need to call the hotel directly for the exact price, but we did a little research in early August and discovered that the least expensive room at the Hyatt Regency (normal low season rack rate: $205 per night), was priced $150 in mid-September using the Chillin 'n Cayman promotion. But when we called Hyatt's U.S. reservations number (800-55-HYATT), we were quoted a rate of $99 per night for this same period. Lesson learned: Always call around to get the absolute lowest rate available.

ew festivals happen during peak hurricane season, but two events on the horizon include Bonaire's 33rd Annual International Sailing Regatta, which attracts sailors from the ABC Islands, Venezuela and the U.S. The festivities take place October 8-14 and are considered Bonaire's most popular annual event. Just around the corner on Grand Cayman is the 24th Annual Pirate's Week, a sports-themed promotion with a variety of events, including a 5K run and 5K swim, triathlon, golf tournament. Pirate's Week is set for October 27-November 5.

e're knee-deep in the copy for the upcoming new edition of Rum & Reggae's Caribbean. If you have observations or tips to pass along for our readers, now is the time - we'd love to hear from you.