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David Seeberger, one of the top Caribbean travel specialists at TheBigDay,
gives the inside scoop on Caribbean travel in the following Q&A session.
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| What's the best time of the year to go to the Caribbean? |
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The Caribbean has become a year round vacation destination. The peak travel season is December to March. This time frame has the highest prices and coincides with the worst weather back here in the mainland US.
The official Caribbean hurricane season is June 1 to November 30.
Many resorts offer hurricane rebate guarantees and many tour operators
require travel insurance purchase during this time.
The travel insurance will insure a refund in the rare event of a hurricane hitting your destination during that time.
Your travel agent will have the most up-to-date travel-protection ideas for your vacation.
Many travelers don't realize how massive the Caribbean region is, and it is highly unlikely that a single hurricane will devastatingly impact a
large area of the Caribbean. If a hurricane is headed to your vacation island, the airlines will generally suspend additional travel to
the area and evacuate as many vacationers as possible before the hurricane arrives.
If you're going to be honeymooning during hurricane season, and can't take the chance of being visited by a hurricane on your vacation,
there are some wonderful islands like
Aruba,
Bonaire
and Curacao
which lie beneath the traditional hurricane belt, and are rarely, if ever, touched by hurricanes.
Best rates for travel generally occur during the low season, (June to November), but some properties close some of their facilities during that
season. Working with an agent who specializes in the Caribbean will help you pick accommodations that will provide the best experience for your
holiday. Legend has it that 'once you visit the Caribbean, you will return again and again.'
| What's special about the Caribbean, compared to Hawaii or Mexico? |
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The most important difference is air distance -- clients just don't want to fly as far as they used to. The natural travel market for the
Caribbean region is the midwest and east coast of the U.S. The southern states' natural travel market is Mexico, while the west coast
loves to visit Hawaii.
Like Mexico and Hawaii, the Caribbean is predominately known as a sun and sand destination. The Caribbean provides a close-by destination
to allow travelers to experience different cultures, history, and sometimes even different languages--although in most destinations English
speakers are easy to find. The Caribbean has a wider selection of accommodations to choose from, than does Hawaii or Mexico.
They range from small guesthouses, to moderate and world-class all-inclusive resorts, to world-class best-of-the-best luxury villas.
The Caribbean also provides more gaming and duty-free shopping opportunities than Hawaii or Mexico.
Celebrities flock to the Caribbean for the same reasons we all do: SUN, SAND, RELAXATION AND RENEWAL.
Many celebrities have homes in the Caribbean. Some of the more recent celebrity hangouts include
St. John, where Kenny Chesney makes his home.
Another popular celebrity hangout is Paradise Island in the Bahamas,
where Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods and many other celebrities have homes.
Current hot celebrity island destinations include St. Barts,
often referred by Hollywood as St. Tropez in the Caribbean.
David Letterman, Uma Thurman and many others favor St. Barts.
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Anguilla contains
Cap Juluca resort, a 179-acre celebrity favorite.
It is a dramatic, white Moorish-style resort totally devoted to romance and luxury.
Sandy Lane in
Barbados is also known for its celebrity clientele.
Tiger Woods rented the entire hotel in 2004 for his wedding.
| Where in the Caribbean can we get the most for our money? |
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Some people have the mistaken impression that the Caribbean is only for the luxury traveler. The truth is that there are nice yet
moderate accommodations on almost every island in the Caribbean basin.
The Dominican Republic
has several all-inclusive properties that are a good value. The Caribbean has lots of all-inclusive resorts (and not just the
heavily-marketed resort chains), which for the budget traveler often provides more bang for the buck.
Jamaica
and Puerto Rico are
known as having good value for the budget traveler.
The Caribbean is a very complex market compared to many other destinations, and while it's easy for any agent to book resorts
in the Caribbean, you'll usually find that a specialist with a thorough background in the Caribbean can find you a better
and more memorable experience for your money.
| What are your favorite "hidden gems"? |
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Hidden gems exist all through the Caribbean. Some of my moderate favorites include
the Bucuti Beach hotel in Aruba.
Below the hurricane belt in Aruba, this hidden boutique hotel jewel is family run and has the widest sand beach in Aruba.
Another moderate hotel that helps you get much value for the dollar is the Comfort Suites in Paradise Island.
If you stay at this hotel adjacent to
Atlantis Resort and Casino, you get to use the facilities of the amazing Atlantis.
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Anguilla is one of the most popular islands
for celebrity watching now. One of my favorite moderate hotels is on that island.
At only 35 rooms,
The Anguilla Great House Beach Resort is a good value.
All the rooms have a nice view of the Caribbean Sea and it's a great spot for romance.
If you want to splurge a little, two of my favorites for romance are both intimate properties.
The Horned Dorset Primavera
in Puerto Rico
is considered to be the most elegant, romantic inn in Puerto Rico,
with private plunge pools and tubs for two.
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I also love the small Anse Chastanet on
St. Lucia. Some of the plantation villa style rooms have one wall missing,
opening to a freshwater pool, helping the lucky guest become closer to nature.
My current favorite world-class property in the Caribbean is
the Four Seasons Resort on Nevis.
Although it is a little bigger at 196 rooms, it is still a low-rise resort, and is small enough to still feel intimate and attentive.
It has one of the Caribbean's largest sports facilities and one of its best golf courses.
See TheBigDay's collection of virtual tours for the
islands of the Caribbean.
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