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Caribbean Getaways: When to Go?
by Paris Permenter & John Bigley
Considering a romantic getaway, honeymoon or
destination wedding in the Caribbean? After selecting your island, the
question most on your mind is when to travel.
PRICE
The Caribbean offers plenty of fun in the sun year around, with very
little difference in temperature from month to month. The time of year
you travel may have more to do with your budget than with the weather.
Prices can vary as much as 40 percent between high and low season.
High season usually runs from December 15 through April 15. During this
time, prices peak and rooms can be difficult to reserve (especially
during the holiday season). Prices soar during Christmas week. After the
holidays, package prices (although sometimes not room rates) drop during
January. They rise again by February and remain high until mid-April.
Low season covers the summer and early fall months, for two reasons.
First, these are the warmest months in the northeast section of the US,
the area from which travelers often flee to the sunny Caribbean during
the chilly winter months. Second, this is hurricane season.
HURRICANES
Mention the Caribbean and weather in the same
sentence, and one concern quickly arises: hurricanes. These deadly
storms officially threaten from June through November, although the
greatest danger is during the later months, basically August through
October. (September is usually the worst month.)
Keep in mind, however, that the Caribbean is a large region. We've been
in the Western Caribbean when storms were picking up force in the
eastern reaches and never felt a gust of wind or saw a wave over ankle
high.
To minimize the chances of a hurricane ruining or postponing your trip,
plan a vacation outside the hurricane season or outside the hurricane
zone. In the far southern reaches, the islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and
Curaçao (also known as the ABC islands) and Trinidad and Tobago are
below the hurricane zone and should be safer bets during the summer and
fall months.
You'll also find that some resorts offer weather
guarantees. At the Jamaica resorts operated by SuperClubs, for example,
you're guaranteed sunshine every day. No sun? You'll get a credit
voucher for the value of that day, good for one year on your next
SuperClubs stay. And, if a hurricane hits the resort, you'll be
reimbursed for the disrupted nights and also get a voucher for a future
stay for the same number of disrupted nights for use during the same
month the following year.
Except for the hurricane season, weather in the Caribbean is a
wonderfully monotonous topic. (In Papiamento, the language of the Dutch
islands, there is no word for weather. It's almost always perfect, so
why waste a word?) Seas are warm enough for comfortable swimming year
around.
If budget is not your prime consideration, then when's the best time to
go to the Caribbean? Anytime!
Paris Permenter & John Bigley are founders of
www.LoveTripper.com - a
romantic travel site featuring getaways of special interest to lovers in
search of a honeymoon, a destination wedding, or a weekend away.
MORE ROMANTIC
GETAWAYS
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