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Antsy For Winter Escape? Strike While Deals Are Hot

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By MICHELLE HIGGINS, The New York Times

Published: January 13, 2008

You returned the crystal candy bowl from your mother-in-law, put the sweater from Aunt Ethel on eBay and now you need to keep the blues at bay by dreaming about your next vacation.

Looking for a Caribbean getaway? You're not alone.

Many resorts say bookings are ahead of last year, and strong demand is giving them little cause to discount. Rooms that run $1,300 a night in Barbados are nearly booked solid through March. Even moderately priced hotels are charging some of their highest rates. Oceanfront rooms at the Arawak Beach Inn on Anguilla, for example, are listed at $225 through March 31, up from $155 a night in the spring or fall.

What's a post-holiday traveler to do?

You can forget about the Presidents Day weekend in February, when most warm-weather resorts are packed to the brim and outrageously priced. But it's still possible to book a long weekend away without breaking the bank if you're able to travel soon. Bargains can still be found in January, when many Caribbean resorts offer as much as 40 percent off as a way to increase occupancy during the slight lull just after Christmas and New Year's.

"January has always been a challenging month," said John Lynch, chairman of the Jamaica Tourist Board. "You still have good deals. That's when kids go back to school."

And it's not just Jamaica. All across the Caribbean, hotels are throwing in free nights, cruise lines are rolling out last-minute deals and travel agents are pushing discounted packages. Orbitz.com, for example, is running a Winter Getaway sale through Feb. 15, with savings up to 40 percent off hotels and vacation packages and an additional $75 off flight and hotel packages of three nights or more with the promo code "SAVEONSUN."

Other deals can be found by signing up for e-mail alerts from deal aggregators such as Airfarewatchdog.com, Travelzoo.com and Farecompare.com, especially on flights.

It's also a good idea to fly on less busy days.

"In general," said Rick Seaney, FareCompare's chief executive, "prices for peak travel days of the week, Monday and Sunday, are garnering a premium, while sales for Tuesday and Saturday travel will have many snowbirds smiling."

But many promotions expire soon. Sandals Resorts, for example, is offering up to 50 percent off for stays through the end of 2008, but to get a discount you must book by Jan. 31. SuperClubs Resorts, with 11 properties in the Caribbean and the Bahamas, also has deals that must be booked by the end of the month.

And if you're willing to take a gamble, the Couples Resorts in Jamaica has come up with a new way to fill empty rooms at its four properties on the island. Guests who book its Secret Rendezvous package for $163 a person a night in January (or $175 a person a night in February) don't find out which resort they're staying at until seven days before arrival.

Although the Caribbean has never been known for winter bargains, you don't need to stay at the Four Seasons to enjoy the turquoise blue water. A team of New York Times travel editors and writers recently visited 13 Caribbean islands, from Anguilla to Vieques, Puerto Rico, and uncovered plenty of affordable places to stay, eat, drink, shop and tan.

On St. Lucia, for example, where high-end resorts have been popping up like umbrellas in the sand, the Villa Caribbean Dream has rooms starting at $40. On Barbados, the Peace and Quiet in the southern parish of Christ Church has 22 suites that start at $99. And on St. Thomas, where a room at the Marriott will set you back about $450, the Island View Guesthouse has harborside rooms starting at $87.

Even on glitzy St. Barts, where the Carl Gustaf Hotel has a seven-room villa for 29,700 euros a night (about $43,500 at 1.47 to the euro), there are affordable options. The stylish Salines Garden Cottages has rooms starting at 140 euros (about $205), and some hotels are less than 100 euros (about $147).

If cruising is more your style, look for last-minute savings from cruise lines trying to fill remaining space on their ships.

"Even with pricing trending upwards, smart shoppers can find bargains, but they tend to come and go in a flash - speed is key," Evan Eggers, president of SureCruise.com, wrote in an e-mail.

Celebrity Cruises has five-night Caribbean sailings from Miami for as low as $329 per person under "special promotions" at celebritycruises.com. Carnival Cruise Lines has been offering six-day Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale with stops in Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios, Jamaica, from $449 per person.

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