SUNNY SIDE UP!
A Caribbean hotel for less than £120 a night? We’ve got it sorted
THE BAHAMAS: WELL WORTH THE TREK
The island of eleuthera takes some time to reach from the UK (you’ll need to fly to the Bahamian capital Nassau, then take a local flight or ferry), but it’s well worth it.
White picket fences froth over with hibiscus flowers on an island that’s just a mile wide in most places, meaning you’re never far from pink and yellow sands.
Unique Village Resort does the simple things well: balconies overlooking the Atlantic, direct beach access and immense seafood buffets.
n uniquevillage.com, from £86 room only.
ST LUCIA: LOW-COST LUXURY
AN ABsolUTely gargantuan swimming pool, plus easy access to Reduit Beach (a five-minute walk away) make the gabled yellow and green- coloured Coco Palm Resort an uncommonly good bargain for pricey st lucia.
Rooms come with smart mahogany furniture and walk-in showers, while the Creole Grill strives for authentic Carib flavours, serving up knockout braised oxtail and plantain salads.
n coco-resorts.com, from £101 B&B.
ST KITTS: SOCIABLE SOJOURN
IN PeAK winter season, prices nudge just over our £120 limit at Timothy Beach Resort. But book now for April and you’ll pay significantly less to stay in this understated resort overlooking the grey sands of south Frigate Bay.
There’s a sociable vibe, with friendly rum bars nearby and rooms that look out over either the beach or treesmothered mountains.
n timothybeach.com, from £107 room only starting April.
JAMAICA: CATCH A BARGAIN
PIsCes cottage at Catcha Falling star is the lowest-priced of the scattering of cabins and cottages set along limestone cliffs that make up this discreet, wonderfully named, ocean-facing Negril retreat.
It’s small, but impressively formed, with a hammock, patio, smooth wood furniture and even flowers sprinkled across the bed on arrival.
n catchajamaica.com, cottages from £95 room only.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: PIECE OF PARADISE
shAPed like a stubby finger pointing off the north-east coast of this vast island, samana’s undulating hills, bijou farms and tiny beach towns feel a whole world away from the slick resort blandness of Punta Cana.
Villa serena, las Galeras, on the eastern corner of the peninsula, features rooms with bamboo beds and French windows opening up onto teetering cliffs.
The use of snorkelling gear, kayaks and bicycles is included in the cost.
n villaserena.com, rooms from £109 B&B.
ARUBA: GROWN-UP GETAWAY
WITh an honesty bar for drinks, incense sticks lit around the pool (which is fed by a natural spring) come evening, hammocks galore and a no- children policy, Wonders Boutique hotel is the definition of boho-casual Caribbean cool.
each morning, there’s a free dropoff to the blond sands of eagle and Palm beaches and the hotel is a ten-minute walk from downtown oranjestad with its vividly coloured dutch colonial architecture.
n wondersaruba.com, rooms from £102 B&B.
BARBADOS: COSY COTTAGES
sURRoUNded by palm trees and with a collection of cabanas encircling the pool, All seasons Resort offers regal Caribbean tranquillity.
The soft sands of the West Coast beach are five minutes’ walk away and the dinky cottages (all with verandas) are self-catering, meaning you can stock up on fresh king fish and mahi mahi in nearby holetown and cook up your own piscine feast.
n allseasonsresort.bb, rooms from £115 B&B.
GRENADA: FAMILY FUN
The rustic, lime green- coloured Cabier ocean lodge sits in glorious isolation on a bluff overlooking the palm-fringed, and usually empty, Cabier Beach.
Rooms are on the basic side, but there’s old-school Caribbean shabby
chic charm galore, with guests socialising on the terrace.
There’s plenty of entertainment for children, too, in the form of the in-house animal sanctuary, home to iguanas, owls, goats and three playful Mona monkeys.
n cabier.com, rooms from £109 B&B.
TURKS AND CAICOS: AUTHENTIC AMBIENCE
One of the last Carib islands to be genuinely untouched by tourism, Grand Turk is hugely atmospheric. Donkeys wander down the main island road, the sands are deserted and the 188-year-old Turks Head Inne (once the British Governor’s guest house) is five minutes’ walk from the beach.
A wraparound veranda makes for surroundings redolent of an almost-vanished Caribbean.
n turksheadinne.com, rooms from £104 B&B.
CUBA: SOAK UP HISTORY
CAsTrO and Guevara’s revolution has still yet to touch the Art Decothemed, three-bedroom Casa 1932.
The downtown Havana home is owned by Mexican singer Luis Miguel, who has decorated every inch with trinkets, furniture, photos and antiques from Thirties Cuba.
The location is a cracker, too — some 50 metres from the Malecon esplanade, it’s ideal for joining the locals for the evening.
n casa1932.com, deluxe room from £45.