Luxury for less: Caribbean resorts on sale in summer
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The dog days of summer can come with muggy days and buggy nights that don’t exactly add up to a vacation. For a change of scenery, switch it up this year and head south to the Caribbean where you’ll find cool breezes, uncrowded beaches and discounted beds for heads at top-notch resorts that you may not be able to afford during high season.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that it’s also hurricane season in much of the Caribbean (minus Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, which lie beyond the hurricane belt), so consider travel insurance and pay close attention to weather forecasts around your travel dates.
Luxe for less
In St. Maarten, luxury marries location at the 129 -suite Sonesta Ocean Point Resort on the Dutch side of the twin-nation island. Close to the airport and right on the beach, the upscale all-inclusive (the only one on the Dutch side) is catnip for plane-spotters who watch the big jets fly so close to the beach that fans say they can wave to the pilots in the cockpit. With the newly opened Serenity Spa, the seaside resort is a haven for rejuvenation, and features three bars including one on the rooftop (we recommend bartender Cheryl’s fruity margaritas), three pools, fine dining at Azul overlooking Maho Bay, Molton Brown amenities, 24-hour room service and butlers in the swankiest digs who unpack your luggage and serve lunch on the beach. For adults only, suites are on sale in July and August with nightly rates for a junior suite dipping to $240 per person, a 40% savings from winter rates that start at $400 per person. Gratis access to the adjacent family-friendly Sonesta Maho Beach Resort and the Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort close to the capital city of Phillipsburg adds more bang to the vacation buck.
In St. Martin on the French side of the island, Grand Case Beach Club is also on sale with nightly summer rates that stretch through the end of October for a two-bedroom, two-bath ocean-view suite going for $355, compared to $620 during high season. A short stroll from the foodie capital of Grand Case with beaucoup de bistros and barbecue grills, the casual yet chic beachfront resort comes with the Sunset Café where chocolate croissants are baked fresh each morning and a sparkling pool that looks out at Anguilla across the sea. “We are pleasantly cooled by the trade winds which leads our guests from the American south to remark at how cool it is in comparison to the torrid summers at home,” said Stephen Wright, general manager.
Guilty pleasure
With luxury-brand reliability, summer stays at the Four Seasons Anguilla are affordable auditions should you like the resort enough (or win the lottery) to pay top dollar in high season. Across the sea from St. Martin, the tony resort with 181 rooms, suites and villas is the only one on the petite island that is built on two beaches — Barnes and Meads Bays — and soothes the soul with a spa, tennis courts, four restaurants and the Sunset Lounge. Fronting 3,000 feet of shoreline, beach servers deliver cold towels, frozen cocktails and sunscreen to those topping off their tan in a sun lounger. Start with the largest villa at 5,356 square feet with five bedrooms, five bathrooms, infinity pool and beach access that goes for $3,850 per night through Nov. 16, compared to the heftier price tag of $6,850 during high season from Jan. 5 – April 30. For those with a tighter budget, resort-view rooms are also on sale with nightly rates starting at $550 in low season and $850 in high season. At 483 square feet, there are plenty of perks like deep soaking tubs, expansive outdoor sundecks and crazy big 65-inch television screens. The resort is closed from Aug. 28 – Oct. 19.
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Top shelf
If you like to eat, drink, play and repeat, Riu Resorts in Jamaica have all-inclusives down to a fine art, with 3,116 rooms in six properties on the island. At the upscale 289-room adults-only Riu Palace Jamaica, you’ll find lower rates for stays during the summer. Beachfront with two pools, four bars and five restaurants including a steakhouse, the well-appointed resort is adjacent to the larger 681-room family-friendly Riu Montego Bay and the just-opened 454-room adults-only Rui Reggae. The stay-at-one and play-at-three means guests at the Riu Palace sip and snack at 14 restaurants and 15 bars at all three Montego Bay beachfront resorts. Rates per couple for a minimum three-night stay in the Junior Garden View suite go for $1,218 in July, about half the $2,382 during the Christmas holidays. Rates for a spacious Jacuzzi Ocean View Suite, the swankiest of the multi-room categories, start at $1,698 per couple ($2,910 during the holidays). Ten minutes from the Sangster International Airport, the resort invites with reggae lessons, snorkeling, windsurfing and massages on the beach. With an admirable sense of place, nearly all employees are Jamaican, patties and curried goat are on the menus, Red Stripe is poured at the bars and it’s party time at the Pacha Disco. Should the munchies strike at any hour, 24-hour room service goes beyond a burger and fries and the oceanfront snack bar is open around the clock.
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Stylish on sale
Renaissance Curacao Resort Casino is dropping spring and summer rates for an ocean-view room to $207, from the nightly rate of $286 during the winter months, $244 during the Christmas week and $324 for New Year’s. City-smart with a Caribbean vibe, the resort is next to the UNESCO World Heritage site called Rif Fort that was built in the 19th century to protect the island from pirates, and the Renaissance Mall with designer boutiques and restaurants. In the Popsicle-colored capital city of Willemstad, the resort is a short stroll to the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge that leads to the floating market and a maze of streets where you’ll find locals taking five on benches and tourists checking out historic sites like Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue, the oldest surviving synagogue in the Americas. The Infinity Beach Club is clever with its faux beach with real sand that slopes into a pool filled with salt water siphoned from the ocean right behind it. Loungers, towels and on-site parking are gratis and should a night in the casino be in the cards, guests get match play coupons to kick-start a night of gambling. Part of the Marriott Resort Collection, savvy travelers who are reward members can rack up or redeem points for a stay.
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Prosecco and espresso
In Providenciales or Provo in the Turks Caicos Islands, there’s no better beach bargain than at The Sands at Grace Bay. Fronting the baby-blue waters on Grace Bay Beach, nightly rates for a courtyard studio go for $195 during the summer, a $100 savings from high-season rates. For bigger broods or couples who like a lot of space, a three-bedroom oceanfront suite (better than the suite called “ocean view”) that easily sleeps six comes with a modern kitchen, washer and dryer, dining room, screened-in furnished patio or balcony and a nightly summer price tag of $795. Should you book that same suite during the winter, you’d pay $1,120 nightly. Seven miles from the Providenciales International Airport, the resort is a winner with gratis bicycles, tennis court, plenty of hammocks, beachside sips and snacks at Hemingway’s, three pools and no shortage of shady spots on the long swath of beach perfection.
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