Party time: Best Caribbean spring break islands
While the history of spring break dates back at least to the 1934 visit of the Colgate University swim team to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., it was the 1958 novel and 1960 film Where The Boys Are that enshrined it in American pop culture.
For some college students, the tenuous coming-of-age angst of that movie has morphed into a week of no-holds-barred bacchanalia. These days, breakers know no boundaries, and popular Caribbean destinations including Nassau, Cancún, Puerto Rico and Jamaica compete for college students jonesing for a respite from snow and studies. College breakers can book the most popular destinations via two travel agencies that specialize in spring break getaways: STS Travel and Spring Break Trips.
A much milder experience awaits many families, who use the spring closure of K-12 schools to warm up and recharge in a tropical setting. Still other travelers seek only to relax in an isolated locale or to give back via volunteer activities. Here are options for all:
Walk on the wild side
For most college students the goal is to maximize fun without maxing out the debit card. If pre-booking numbers are an indicator, traditional powerhouses Cancún, Negril and Nassau will see bigger crowds this year as the American economy continues to heal.
Jamaica
This year, the big party is in Negril and organizers have brought back JamFest, the popular weekend concert series that will feature superstars like Beenie Man and Shaggy. Located on Jamaica’s west coast about an hour from Montego Bay, Negril anchors the south end of a strip of white beaches that stretch more than five miles north to the suggestively named Booby Cay. Organizers say they expect more — many more — breakers this year and are pulling out all the stops to make 2014 epic. The beach is clothing optional and the raves go all night. The agencies that specialize in spring break travel may have package deals that include air, hotel and tickets to Jamfest.
Where to stay: There’s a height limit on hotels here so you won’t see looming towers teeming with activity. Instead, rooms are spread out in smaller inns and hotels. The party action is beachside, so you’re going to want something within stumbling distance that won’t eat into your beer budget. Jamaica Tamboo satisfies both of those criteria; the weekend VIP party is held here and the bar doesn’t close until you leave. You’ll pay about $100 a night and save plenty on cab fare. Rondel Village is smack in the middle of the beach and spring rates start at $115-$150 a night with a minimum four-night stay. If you’re a little more flush, the Club Riu is further away from the action, but offers a luxury all-inclusive experience from about $350 per night.
SEE MORE: Jamaica guide
Cancun
Mexico’s made-to-order party town continues to live up to its reputation. If you’re looking for a laid-back beach to lounge on and idle tropical nights, this ain’t it. The clubs in Cancún go all night, their dance floors a roiling mosh pit of young bodies, foam and wet T-shirts encircled by the omnipresent tequila girls, a bottle of Mexico’s finest on either hip and a tin-plated police whistle at the ready. MTV is bringing its MTVU Spring Break Party to Cancún March 19-21, with some of its most popular shows to be filmed on the beach. The hottest spots are the usual suspects — Señor Frogs, The City, Coco Bongo — with rotating stints by international DJs.
Where to stay: While Negril is about the cottages, rock star hangouts and low-rise beachfront hotels, in Cancún bigger is better. A number of the hotels have 400-plus rooms, with expansive pools, multiple bars, restaurants and extensive on-site services. The good news is that rooms are, in general, affordable. The least expensive rooms are likely to be in two-star hotels in downtown Cancún, but that’s a ways from the beach, which stretches more than nine miles around the outer perimeter of the Nichupté Lagoon. Look for rooms between downtown and Punta Cancún, around the Convention Center, for the closest proximity to the clubs. The Holiday Inn Express offers that no-surprise factor, is relatively close to the action and books for less than $75 a night. As the name suggests the Grand Royal Lagoon is on the lagoon side between town and the clubs and is a small find, with rates starting at $56 a night for a double. If you’re looking for something with a hipper vibe, Aloft is close to the action with well-priced modern rooms at about $140 a night double.
SEE MORE: Mexico guide
Nassau, Bahamas
While not a traditional spring break mecca, Nassau has been heating up in recent years, with live music and DJs jamming in the clubs and hordes of partiers packing the dance floors. Nassau is the capital of the Bahamas and the main city on the island of New Providence, with resorts including Atlantis, Sandals Royal Bahamian and the venerable British Colonial. The party scene is established but gets cranking late, so breakers spend their days getting burned on the beach or trying out the plentiful water sports: diving, snorkeling, parasailing, jet skiing. Other than the many hotel bars, the clubs are in downtown Nassau nearer the British Colonial than the beach resorts. There are two main beach areas: Paradise Island (just over the bridge from downtown and the site of Atlantis) and Cable Beach, home to hotels and casinos, about 7 miles away. Promoters SKAM Artists will be bringing Nick Cannon, Jessica Who, Fashen, DJ Irie, Mr. Mauricio and other headline acts to Aura nightclub inside the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island. The city’s other clubs — Bambu, The Zoo, Fluid — will be jamming too.
Where to stay: Nassau has plenty of accommodations in a broad range of prices. The Junkanoo Beach Resort isn’t in either of the main beach areas but it is close to the downtown clubs — and will cost you less than $100 a night. The Orange Hill Hotel is small and quiet, clean and close to Cable Beach. There’s a pool, double or triple rooms for about $150 a night and a bus stop at the bottom of the driveway to get you to the clubs and back. Staying on Paradise Island — especially at the Atlantis — will have you digging deeper into your wallet. One price-friendly option is Paradise Island Harbour Resort; it’s $200 a night but it’s all-inclusive so your food’s included.
SEE MORE: Nassau guide
Trinidad
In an infrequent twist of the Christian Liturgical Calendar, this year Carnival overlaps the beginning of spring break. Easter will be “late” this year, and so Carnival — which ends on Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras) before Ash Wednesday — is late, too. If you’re down for a really big party, Trinidad’s Carnival is the region’s biggest blowout. The festivities started just after Christmas and continue until March 4. The Panorama steel pan band competition takes place on Saturday, March 1, the costume competition to determine the queen and king on Sunday, then the street dancing takes over Monday. The phrase, “and the crowd goes wild” could easily have been coined right here: Calypso competitions, soca performances and parades where the costumes can weigh 50 pounds or more — spectacle just barely begins to describe it. Some of the dancers make the wet T-shirt contest at Señor Frogs look like a fashion show for missionaries. For hotels, your best bet is to use the booking engine on the government’s official site. And get moving — Carnival waits for no man.
Do the mild thing
So now you know where you’re not taking your young children for spring break. Don’t worry: The Caribbean is a big playground — there’s a lot of family-friendly territory out there, including on some of the islands that will be hosting spring break.
Dominican Republic
While spring breakers have been infiltrating celebrity playground Punta Cana in the past few years, you won’t be swamped by them if you take the kids to Sirenis Punta Cana Casino Aquagames. The name says it all: There are pursuits for the whole family, from an elegant casino for the adults to wide, sunny beaches lapped by warm shallow water to a full-on water park with pools, slides and more. Standard all-inclusive rates are as low as $250 a day for a family of three, with access to Aquagames free during spring break.
SEE MORE: Dominican Republic guide
Turks Caicos
While there is nightlife on Povidenciales, in the Turks Caicos, it’s not Cancún. Add in the safety and security of an upscale resort island and the Ocean Club could be your ideal destination. It sits on Grace Bay — chosen No. 1 beach for the second year in a row by TripAdvisor users — which is fringed by 12 miles of powdery white sand. The Ocean Club is frequently named as one of the world’s top hotels, with two all-suite resorts located a mile apart. Exclusive to USA TODAY readers only, the first 50 readers will receive 20% discount on stays of five nights or more now through April 30, when they call 877-457-8787.
Puerto Rico
For some reason, Puerto Rico is too often dismissed as a destination, but the island has the goods — great beaches, urban areas and tropical rainforest, nightlife, resorts — plus it’s easy to get to, is American (no passport required) and can be very affordable. The Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Beach Resort Spa is away from it all, yet close to throbbing downtown San Juan and adjacent to El Yunque, one of only two tropical rain forests in the U.S. National Park System. The resort covers 500 oceanfront acres (nearly a square mile for the math-challenged) and encompasses a tournament-level golf course, tennis courts, pools and, of course, the beach. Spring break rates can be booked now through April 26 for stays through Dec. 20, plus there’s a $100 food and beverage credit for every room booked. To book call 800-474-6627 or visit wyndhamriomar.com and reference the BPRFBCR rate code.
SEE MORE:Puerto Rico guide
A clean break
There’s a counter-current running in the spring break market these days, one marked not by rivers of beer or cocooning families, but by health, education and welfare. Some breakers, young and old, are looking for ways to better themselves or others while they duck out on iffy spring weather back home.
St. Lucia
A health-conscious spa retreat on St. Lucia, BodyHoliday will have former Olympic athletes on hand to help you tone up during spring break this year. Former Olympians Danny Crates, Sharron Davies and Ayo Faloloa will be leading a daily boot camp class, dinners, group breakfasts with a nutritionist and BMI and blood pressure screenings. BodyHoliday recently got a $20 million facelift. It has all of the amenities of an upscale resort and sits on 42 landscaped acres alongside a private bay. All-inclusive rates start at $450 person per night and include a daily spa treatment at The Wellness Center.
Jamaica
ProjectsAbroad, a charitable foundation with a 20-year history, is soliciting volunteers to work in Jamaica this spring break. While your friends are burning down the house in Negril, you can be building houses in Mandeville, on the southwest coast, for needy families. You’ll most likely live with a local family, so if you want to experience the real Jamaica, here it is. You’ll also have some time to see the real Jamaica with your hosts. The cost of compassion is $1,495 for the week, with sessions available throughout March.
For help planning spring break travel to the Caribbean, contact a travel agent specialist at Tripology.com.
Steve Blount is the former editor of Caribbean Travel Life, Adventure Travel and Florida Travel Life.
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