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Outside Traveler Annual 2004

A Beachgoer's Dozen
Twelve value-packed Caribbean resorts where your room comes with a view—and killer perks, too

By Philip D. Armour & Ki Bassett


Intro/Bahamas, Jamaica, Anegada, Saba | Dominican Republic, Dominica, Grenadines, Grenada | Cayman Islands, Tobago, Antigua, Puerto Rico

Lying low in the Bahamas (Comstock)
Staniel Cay, Exumas, Bahamas
[Staniel Cay Yacht Club]
Midway through the 150-mile-long Exumas chain is Staniel Cay, reachable by puddle-jumper from Nassau and Fort Lauderdale or by private boat. Here the jade-colored ocean laps at the stilts supporting the seven sunset-facing cottages of the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. Spend a day snorkeling with stingrays near Thunderball Cave and a night sipping the SCYC rum punch in the clubhouse.
Perks: Use of a Boston Whaler, golf carts, sea kayaks, and snorkel gear, plus three meals a day
Rates: $173 per person per night November 20-September 9, $162 in low season
Contact: 242-355-2024, www.stanielcay.com

Treasure Beach, Jamaica
[Jake's Resort]
The star-studded Jake's Resort—part of the super-chic Island Outpost group marketed by Island Records' Chris Blackwell—is an intimate jumble of 15 rustic cottages that meld Moroccan architectural accents with a Caribbean flair, set on the south coast near Treasure Beach. Lounge by the saltwater pool and you might glimpse Bono.
Perks: Cannondale mountain bikes, sea kayaks, deep-sea fishing gear, a yoga room, and computers with Internet access. Every room has a CD player and thumping reggae.
Rates: Cottages, $105-$275 per night in low season, $115-$295 in high season (December 19-April 15)
Contact: 876-965-3000, www.islandoutpost.com/Jakes

Anegada, British Virgin Islands
[Anegada Reef Hotel]
Leave the chaos of modern life behind for this quiet, 20-room harborside hotel—the only one on 11-mile-long, three-mile-wide Anegada. Most guests come here solely to relax, read, and romp in the quiet surf. The gracious owner, Lawrence Wheatley, will make you feel at home with his well-stocked library of paperback novels and mysteries.
Perks: Three meals a day including a nightly beach barbecue, use of snorkel gear, and the chance to yuck it up with the yachting crowd
Rates: Garden- and ocean-view doubles, $215-$250 per night in low season, $250-$275 in high season (December 15-April 30)
Contact: 284-495-8002, www.anegadareef.com

Saba, Netherlands Antilles [El Momo Cottages]
These seven gingerbread-style "eco-funky" cottages in the Netherlands Antilles are tucked deep into the verdant hillside, with big wooden decks and a turquoise-blue swimming pool bordered by hibiscus plants. And everything is run by the sun—solar power, solar showers, plus composting toilets. Saba National Marine Park's volcanic tunnels draw scuba divers from around the world.
Perks: Hammocks, a swimming pool, and tropical gardens
Rates: Doubles with shared bath, $50 per night; doubles with private bath, $60, or a private bathroom and kitchen, $90
Contact: 001-599-41-62265, www.elmomo.com

Next Page: Dominican Republic, Dominica, Grenadines, Grenada

 
Intro/Bahamas, Jamaica, Anegada, Saba | Dominican Republic, Dominica, Grenadines, Grenada | Cayman Islands, Tobago, Antigua, Puerto Rico