Lowering The Cost Of A Caribbean Vacation

Blue skies, golden sand, azure water and swaying coconut trees is an image etched in the minds of many when they think about the Caribbean. This image often fills the mind with a desire to visit a tropical island but then thoughts about whether it will be too expensive begin to intrude and dampen the desire. This article will look at ways to lower the cost of a Caribbean vacation so that you can visit those glorious beaches.

Getting There

Very often throughout the year there are special offers of reduced prices on airfare to various Caribbean islands. If you check regularly you can find a great deal on airfare. However that great deal may not be for the island that you want to go to or may not be at a time when you want to travel. If that is the case, one way you can reduce the cost of airfare is to be flexible on your travel days. On the major airlines flying to the Caribbean, flights on week days, especially mid-week are priced lower than flights on weekends. If you are also flexible in terms of the time of day you will find that where there are multiple flights to a destination, flights on off-peak hours are even cheaper.  You will also find that multi-stop flights are priced lower than direct flights. You can achieve further savings on airfare by booking early, at least one to three months in advance of your departure date.

Accommodation

One of the major cost items in a Caribbean holiday is the cost of accommodation. One way to lower the cost of the accommodation is to consider staying in a house rather than a hotel. Throughout the Caribbean there are numerous villas, houses and cottages available for rental as holiday accommodation. By using a house, you can go on vacation with friends and share the cost of the rental, thus lowering the cost of your vacation.

There are beautiful villas in the Caribbean with all types of amenities including Jacuzzis, swimming pools, maid service, cable TV in every room.  Before renting a villa, consider your activities (what do you plan to do) and therefore how much time will you spend in the villa to make use of the amenities.  If you plan a very active vacation with plenty of outdoor activities, then you may find that you do not spend much time at the villa other than for sleeping. You may therefore not need a villa with all the amenities and houses with fewer amenities will cost less.

No friends who want to accompany you or maybe you desire privacy and an intimate setting then consider an apartment hotel or self catering hotel.  Many self-catering hotels provide all the conveniences of a regular hotel room with the added benefit of a decent sized kitchen or kitchenette. By being able to prepare some of your meals (at least breakfast) you can reduce your vacation food bill. When choosing self-catering hotels, look at the photos of the kitchen area to determine if it will be adequate for your needs.

Caribbean beaches are a major attraction on all islands and most visitors when thinking about a Caribbean vacation think about staying on the beach. Another method to save money on a Caribbean vacation is to consider a location away from the beach as such properties will cost less than accommodation that is directly on the beach. Make sure however that the house is within walking distance of the beach as you do not want to spend on transportation to get to the beach all the money you have saved on accommodation.

If you are considering a house or self-catering hotel, find out if there are any supermarkets within walking distance of the property, so that you can easily purchase items. When you visit the supermarket, buy local or regional brands rather than European or North American brands as you will generally find that local brands cost less.

Activities

Research the sights and places of interest before you travel. Very often tour guides take you to places that you could have easily gone to on your own.  By researching you will know which places of interest you can easily find and so save the cost of a tour guide.  The Internet has made researching sightseeing attractions much easier and one of the places you can learn about the places to visit on different Caribbean islands is at the Island Adventures Page of the Caribbean Outdoor Life web site.

Many of the attractions on the various islands charge a fee for entrance. There are however many other attractions that you can visit for free, particularly historic buildings especially churches, the smaller forts and government buildings. The capital of each island is one location where you are certain to find historic buildings and monuments that are free places to visit. 

Getting Around

Renting a car is a great way to do your sightseeing. Many of the attractions on each island can be found once you are armed with a good road map. In addition, having a car allows you to widen the circle of places where you can choose to have dinner. In deciding to rent a car however you should think of the amount of time the car is parked in the parking lot while you are relaxing on the beach in front the hotel or villa or taking an afternoon siesta. While the car is parked and you are not using the car you are still paying the rental for the car for that entire period.

One method of having the benefit of a car and still save some money is to plan your holiday in advance by researching the sights. Once you have completed your research you make a list, then rent a car for only 2 or 3 days and do all the sightseeing on those days. In this way you save on the car rental. On the days that you have the car you can choose to visit restaurants that are not in walking distance of your hotel.

Another potential vacation saver can be found in the area of car rental insurance. Check if your home auto insurance or credit card will provide insurance on a rental vehicle while you are on vacation in the Caribbean, thus saving you from purchasing insurance from the car rental company.

On the other days when you do not have a car you can use local transport for getting around. All hotels either have taxis at the hotel or arrangements with taxis who will quickly come to the hotel once they receive a call from the front desk. A much cheaper alternative however is to use the local bus service. The front desk staff can usually provide you with directions and advice on using the bus service.

Eating Out

One of the pleasures of a Caribbean vacation is dining, as there are numerous restaurants on each island serving all types of cuisine. One way to save money during your Caribbean holiday is to eat where the locals eat. You will invariably find that the prices at these establishments are lower as these places cater for locals who do not have the purchasing power of tourists. Part of the benefit of a vacation is to experience the culture of the island and local cuisine is a great way to experience local culture. How to know where to eat; use the time tested method: if it is lunchtime and there are many people lining up then the food must be good and the price must be reasonable.

Street Food is a great way to get a quick meal at a low price and also experience local culture. The Caribbean has great street food, whether it is doubles in Trinidad or bar-b-cued pigtail in Barbados or jerk chicken in Jamaica.  Before buying street food however, look at the cleanliness of the surrounding and of the person serving the food.

Other Costs

Although the idea of a vacation is to get away from it all, in today's world most people want to stay connected to the persons at home, even if it is to tell them how much they are enjoying themselves. One of the hidden costs on a vacation can be the cost of Internet access. Many hotels will advertise that they have internet access but this comes at an additional cost. Fortunately the number of places that are offering free Wi-Fi access is increasing. You can check sites like wifi free spot to find outlets at your destination that have free Wi-Fi, and Travel Post for a list of free Wi-Fi carrying airports in the Caribbean. If you do not have a free Wi-Fi hotspot near to where you are staying you can look for an Internet Café. A directory of Internet cafes can be found at cybercaptive. In choosing an Internet café look for places that don't seem to cater to tourists as their prices will generally be lower. Another source of low cost internet access is usually the public library. In some countries, internet access at the library is free, while at others there is a charge but it is significantly lower than at hotels of cafes.

When to go

Any time of year is a good time to visit the Caribbean, however the biggest cost saving on a Caribbean holiday is found by visiting in the summer. During the summer months, hotels and airlines significantly reduce their rates.  As such you can save on the cost of your vacation and when combined with the other points in this article you will significantly lower the cost of your Caribbean vacation.