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The palm-fringed beaches and aquamarine waters of the Caribbean are a daydream destination for many of us, but if you assume the price of making that daydream a reality will be prohibitive, don’t! Because the Hotel Gurus have been tirelessly seeking out the best affordable hotels in the Caribbean — including the best value luxury and boutique options in the Caribbean — so they’re still offering paradise, just at a perfect price!
For Beach Breaks on a Budget
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- La Sagesse is a pink charmer, right up against one of the most beautiful beaches on Grenada, and surrounded by tropical gardens. There’s a choice of rooms, suites and cottages — which sleep four — all of which are simple and comfortable, and there’s an excellent beachfront restaurant.
- Bonaire’s bright yellow Sonrisa is a contemporary, cheerful looking ten room hotel arranged around a palm-fringed pool courtyard. You’re very close to the ocean, and just a short stroll from a sandy beach.
- Jakes juts right over the water of Treasure Beach, Jamaica; it's a 49 room hotel with a boutique feel, lovely gardens and a laid back vibe. The decor is eclectic and memorable, the seafood is excellent and the bar is friendly and lively. A cool stay for families or couples.
Best Value Luxury Hotels
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- Converted from a 17th century plantation house on Curaçao, the Landhuis Klein Santa Martha is now a six room boutique hotel, with some of the original luxuries retained, but all the modern amenities you’d expect today. The terrace and gardens are a real pleasure.
- Catcha Falling Star in Jamaica's Negril has all the pleasures one dreams of in a Caribbean hotel: luxurious outdoor showers, thatched cottages, bougainvillea filled gardens, a lively bar and terraces that look out over dazzling blue waters. The very friendly price comes from the lack of sand directly below the hotel, but you’re not far off it…
Best Value Family Hotels
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- The Cottage Club is a collection of self-catering bungalows set on a tropical hillside overlooking the ocean off the Windward Side of Saba. The ten bungalows feel typically Caribbean, with lots of white wood. The pool and location make The Cottage Club very family friendly too.
- Also on Saba, Juliana's is another classic Caribbean collection of white painted wooden cottages. Not all of them have kitchenettes, but they do all have hammocks and sweeping views out to sea. There’s a fantastic cafe with a sea-facing terrace, and they’re brilliant at arranging watersports equipment hire, and babysitting.
- The Hotel La Plantation is a four star hotel set a few streets back from the beach at Orient Beach on family friendly, beach-y, half-Dutch Saint Martin. You’re a very short stroll from the sand, and the hotel has beautiful views, plus there’s lots to do in the hotel and in Orient Beach.
- The Dickenson Bay Cottages are a collection of 14 self-catering villas just outside St. Johns, Antigua. The decor is simple, traditional Caribbean holiday fare; and there’s plenty of space, and light, plus a pool with a barbecue and fragrant gardens. Ideal for families.
For Boutique on a Budget
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- Lots of hotels can claim to be on a cliff, but some of Rockhouse’s stone cottages are sort of built into the fabric of the low overhangs they sit upon, so you’re directly above rock and water. There are 34 of these, some in more secluded tropical gardens — if you don’t like the idea of the vertiginously positioned ones — and they have luxurious features like four poster-beds and outdoor showers. Very boutique feeling.
- The Pietermaai Boutique Hotel is a stylish island getaway in the lively heart of Curaçao. Each of the 36 rooms and suites has been individually designed, with some offering split level living space. You’re right across the road from the ocean, and there’s a beautifully landscaped pool as well.
- A few minutes behind a beautiful beach on St. Martin, the Hevea Hotel has just ten rooms, decorated with contemporary style in whites and brights. Some rooms are more romantic than others, but they’re all spacious and comfortable.
- Stylish and affordable, the ’T Klooster Boutique Hotel sits pretty in a former monastery in Curaçao’s Pietermaai District. There’s nothing monastic about the rooms now, they’re large, well lit and carefully decorated with patterned tiles and plants; and there’s a pool and terrace which many of them look out on. The old chapel has become a chic restaurant.
For a Great Value Escape
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- The Castara Retreats are a collection of 14 eco-lodges in the postcard perfect fishing village of Castara on Tobago. There’s a welcoming, rustic vibe featuring plenty of wood, and wonderful views. The restaurant is excellent, but you can also self-cater, or experience the cuisine of the local village.
- The Salines Garden Cottages are a collection of just five cottages just back from Place de Saline on St. Barts. Totally surrounded by lush, tropical gardens, each cottage is individually decorated with furniture and treasures brought back from the owner’s travels. A real escape.
For Laid Back Value
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- Grand Turk’s Salt Raker Inn is peaceful old inn in the heart of the old town, just a short stroll from the beach and local diving centres. There are 26 rooms, simply decorated with lots of white, and plenty of natural light, and there’s a lovely little restaurant with a verandah.
- Gibbs Glade is a four room guesthouse on the West Coast of Barbados with a range of self catering accommodation and plenty of charm. There’s space for a family, and a big pool if you’re travelling with kids, but there are also more romantic options.
Best B&B Value
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- Bohemian and friendly, the Dreamcatcher Guest House in Puerto Rico is a great choice if you love eclectic or vintage style. As well as colourful rooms and suites you’ll find outdoor bathrooms, hammocks, terraces, excellent vegetarian cuisine and yoga and meditation classes.
- Carringtons Inn is a bijou inn on St Croix in the US Virgin Islands, with four B&B rooms, plus a two bedroom condo. Rooms are pastel and cosy, with private balconies overlooking the pool and courtyard.
Still not sure where to book?