Looking for the perfect beach vacation to escape the chill of the season? The Caribbean truly offers you more bang for your buck. Sure the Dominican Republic and Jamaica remain popular favorites for both their easy accessibility and the amenities-filled resorts.
As they say on those late-night TV commercials: “But, wait, there’s more!” Indeed, there’s culture, food, scenery, and overall value. So without further adieu, here’s a list of several Caribbean islands with the most value for travelers. ​

1. Jamaica

Jamaica is a frequent location on any list of top Caribbean destinations. This is an island offering a number of value-packed deals, especially in the summertime. It’s also reported to be “an easy book-and-go” island destination.
The most conveniently-located beach town for most visitors is Negril. Accommodations vary from the popular all-inclusive resorts to luxurious cliff-top cabanas. If you prefer Treasure Beach in the south, you can experience a stay in a genuine Jamaican fishing village.
This isle also offers enough affordable entertainment, food and outdoor excursions as well. Whether it be leaping into a big blue hole or rafting down an island river.

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2. The Guadeloupe Islands

Thanks to more recent direct airline flights from several major American airports (such as Atlanta, Miami, and New York City), the up-and-coming Guadeloupe Islands archipelago is more popular than ever. For the price of one ticket, you get to visit five different islands. Mind you, Les Saintes is itself an archipelago complete with one of the Caribbean’s most beautiful bays.

Go island-hopping on the daily ferries and explore the black, brown, pink, and white sand beaches. Don’t forget to visit Guadeloupe National Park either. You’ll find in on the beautiful island of Basse-Terre.

The park features hiking trails, sulfur baths, and several waterfalls. The archipelago is also famous amongst foodies for its culinary scene. Here you can dine on french and Creole-inspired dishes, and rockin’ rum cocktails to boot.

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3. Curaçao

The less-famous Curaçao is Aruba’s neighbor. Nevertheless, it has plenty of its own reasonable resorts and historic and cultural sights. Visit Willemstad’s World Heritage City which features four separate colonial neighborhoods, awesome architecture, and world-class museums. Stroll the clean white sand beaches and swim in the turquoise waters in Westpunt.

Curacao has multiple popular “dive-and-stay resorts” that quite often make the “most valued” charts too. In fact, there are plenty of water sport options (including snorkeling and diving) offered to visitors on a daily basis. Curaçao is also located in a place where it is not generally threatened during the infamous hurricane season so there is little chance that your getaway will be rained out or canceled.

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4. Saint Lucia

The resorts you will find on Saint Lucia are known to cater to visitors looking to really be pampered, especially honeymoon couples. Here you will be able to experience the penultimate active getaway to the Caribbean. Stay at an all-inclusive resort or one of the isle’s plantation-homes-turned-hotels in one of the less touristy sections like Laborie.

Rent a guest house in one of the local fishing villages. No matter where you stay, you will be able to truly enjoy yourself experiencing the history, food and less tourist-heavy beaches here. Don’t forget to take a moment or two to take in the national parks, summit climbs, sulfur springs, scenic drives and exceptional sea and mountain views as well.

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5. Caye Caulker

Ensconced in lovely Caribbean waters, Caye Caulker is a comparatively small intimate isle off the coast of Belize. It’s said to be a favorite spot of international backpackers. It’s also known for its budget hotels. Still, this small island has a lot more than that to offer visitors.

This island has an ever-growing number of exceptional seafront boutique hotels that allow visitors to experience a unique blend of a laid-back Belizean feel and luxurious modern comfort in a beautiful island setting. There’s also the marine reserve right off the popular Belize Barrier Reef. The reef is the world’s second-longest and is only half a mile offshore. Southwest and other airlines now offer more flights to Belize so it’s easier than ever to travel to this part of the Caribbean.

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6. Puerto Rico

Don’t stress the recent political upheaval and current recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria, those in the know say it remains an excellent place for a beach getaway. It has a longstanding reputation for being a favorite Caribbean escape. US citizens especially enjoy it because with the right ID no passport is required and it is easily accessible from the continental US.

Despite the damage done in 2017 visitors can enjoy numerous activities. Foodies can sample both fusion and local traditional dishes. Nature lovers can explore the El Yunque Rainforest. There’s also Old San Juan, year-round festivals and the exciting nightlife. If you’re looking for other options, look into paradisiacal Vieques offshore.

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7. Grenada

Unfortunately, Grenada is often overlooked by North Americans due to its obvious distance from the continent. Still, Grenada is worth the trip for several reasons. There are not a lot of tourists, you can stay at an upscale boutique hotel, and there is a significantly lower guest-to-staff ratio. The place is packed with outdoor activities and culture. Highlights include beautiful beaches, colorful markets, fish fry nights, jade-colored waterfalls, lovely lakes, rainforests, and spice plantations.

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8. The Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic often tops the list in terms of “value-filled vacations.” Due in part to the fact that is only a three-hour trip from the US east coast. The resort town of Puerto Plata and Punta Cana are particularly recommended. There are luxury boutique hotels as well.

All are priced at a fraction of what you would pay on other islands (like Anguilla). Here you can explore such stunning beach towns as Cabarete and Las Terrenas. If you’re big on beauteous views, check out the national parks, the scenic mountain towns like Jarabacoa, and the charming fishing villages such as Punta Rucia, where you can stay at a seafront cabana get a taste of the local lifestyle. ​

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