Romantic Caribbean :: Luxury {1/2}

[trip style = luxury + beach + sun]

Recently a friend asked about Trip Styler's top picks for luxury and romance in the Caribbean. Knowing sun-n-sand-aholics are in the process of either dreaming about or planning their fall and winter getaways, here's a look at some dashing destinations, each with its own special distinction and awards.

Tomorrow I'll post some trip style = budget conscious romantic Caribbean picks, so there's something for everyone's wallet!

1} St. Lucia Jade Mountain: This luxury, architectural wonder sits atop a cliff overlooking the Caribbean Sea and foliage-covered hills. Frequently mentioned in Conde Nast Traveler and Travel+Leisure as one of the most romantic resorts in the Caribbean, there are no rooms at this resort, instead they have sanctuaries. Enough said. Cost: from $1,050/night

2} Jamaica Golden Eye Resort: Golden Eye is aptly named; it's where the writer of the James Bond series penned much of the fictitious hero’s adventures. It was purchased by a music producer {the British founder of Island Records} and re-opened last year with A LOT of buzz. With 11 beach or lagoon cottages, its fanfare continues. Cost: from $495/night {Trip Styler Tip: Golden Eye is currently on offer via Jetsetter, one of our recommended travel flash sale websites, for $295/night. It's a members-only site, so join here and act quickly!}

3} Bahamas Kamalame Cay: Celebs and honeymooners have chosen this tucked-away, barefoot-chic resort since 1998. Meet for meals in the Great House at night and laze on your private veranda by day. Just a short jaunt from Nassau's resort-lined shores, three miles of your own private and deserted beach await. Cost: from $395/night

4} Antigua Hermitage Bay: The discerning vacationer will appreciate this award-winning and highly acclaimed property. This all-inclusive resort redefines the North American impression of a luxury all-inclusive---no logoed pools, white columns, Teppanyaki restaurants or large-scale buffets found here. Cost: from $703/night

5} Turks and Caicos Amanyara: Sleek and secluded, this resort evokes a sense of harmony with nature where the understated contemporary design blends into the edge of the Caribbean. Voted one of the 100 best hotels in the world by the UK's Sunday Times Travel Magazine. Cost: from $1,200/night

Related Tips For Planning A Caribbean Vacation Hidden Hideaways

[photos via mentioned resorts]

Tips For Planning A Caribbean Vacation

[trip style = beach + sun]

This week the steel drums are clanging, the dreadlocks are bouncing and the sun is shining....in our world. Why? For most of the week, we're going to be talking about the Caribbean. Today we list tips and considerations for planning a trip to de islands and on Wednesday and Thursday we'll share our top picks for luxury and wallet-friendly romantic getaways.

The zillions of islands and cays that span 2736km in the Caribbean Sea beckon everyone from boaters to Beyonce and bevvie lovers to beach bunnies. Visit St. Barth's at Christmas and you're likely to spot more celebs than at The Grove {outdoor mall in LA} on a Saturday, or opt for something a little less opulent and stay on the less developed shores of The Turks and Caicos. Regardless of which trip style or island's geography you enjoy most, here are some thought starters for planning your future getaway under the jungle's canopy or the shade of an umbrella in the Caribbean.

Considerations

• Non-stop flight? If so, here's how to find direct flights on a month-by-month basis out of your home airport.
• Family fun, girlfriend getaway, mancation or couples trip? Book yourself into the right resort and it's bliss, end up at the wrong resort and your vacay could be a miss.
• Want an all-inclusive or a la carte experience?
• Mega resort or boutique property?
• Stay close to town or go castaway style?
• Adventure junkie or beach break?
• Saver or spender? The Dominican Republic and Jamaica tend to have the best values, due to a high influx of flights, whereas harder-to-reach islands are often harder on the pocket book

Tips

• Choose your travel dates wisely, mid-December to April is high season, yet there's usually a small lull in resort occupancy just after New Year's, so this can be a reasonable time to travel in winter.
• Bring small USD bills for tipping.
• Don't expect North American customer service, each island has its own distinct culture and this will come out---for better or for worse---at each resort.
• if you want to save money, consider doing a vacation rental, but stay near a town centre so grocery pick-up is easy
• Know in advance about extra fees and incidentals. Most resorts will charge a daily resort fee unless it's included in your price. Furthermore, some countries charge a departure tax, only payable in cash.
• If you have 5 days or less, opt for a direct or one-stop flight to maximize time at your destination. In addition, bring a carry-on so you can go from plane to pool in a flash.
• Get to know the country you're visiting as well as their entry and exit requirements, for example, in Cuba you need physical proof of your medical insurance to enter the country.
• We all remember sunscreen, but most people forget bug spray! With the dense topical foliage surrounding most beach regions, bugs and sand fleas like the beach just as much as you do!  I've been the the Caribbean more times than I can count, and generally the bugs aren't bad. The only time I was badly, badly bitten by noseeums---to the point of getting swollen ankles---was in the densely forested mountainous region of the Dominican Republic.

Related Content Packaged VS Unpackaged Vacations All-Inclusive Tricks Of The Trade All-inclusive Month :: Introductions All-Inclusive Month :: Matchmaking Don’t Judge an All-Inclusive until Day 3 {7 Reason to Wait to Evaluate} A Redo trip {What to do when an all-inclusive experience goes belly-up} Update on my Redo Trip {An overview of the highs and lows of the Sandals WhiteHouse}

[photo by mdanys]

Roam+Board :: Bitter End Yacht Club

[trip style = luxury + sun + active & adventure]

{I've come across this far-flung, understated luxe property a few times over the past year, and when a friend asked about Trip Styler's top romantic Caribbean picks (publishing next week), I suggested The Bitter End Yacht Club---partly for the barefoot elegance, partly for the GORGEOUS bedspreads.}

What Barefoot by day, boat shoes by night; Bitter End Yacht Club {BEYC} is a boater's dream. Maybe the wind-in-your-hair, zinc-on-your-nose lifestyle's not your thing. Not to worry, hike in the tropical canopy, relax in the Conde Nast Traveler World's Best-rated spa, heat up in the sun or cool down by the pool.

Where Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands {12 miles from Tortola, 30 miles from St. Thomas and 75 miles from Puerto Rico}.

When Winter is the resort's high season with the rates to show for it. Nightly prices are most reasonable October 17 to December 19 and in the spring. The resort goes on hiatus in August, September and early October.

Who/Why For luxury adventurists who want to sail a Hobie Cat into the sunset and don't mind the two to four flights, plus a 30-minute water taxi/ferry required to reach BEYC. Bring the kiddies, there's even nightly outdoor movies.

Cost Prices are based on double occupancy and start from $500 per night for a garden villa and include 3 meals per day. Book a 7-night package with a few extras for $3500.

More Roam+Board Sleep On The Water in London A Woodsy Hideaway In Big Sur, CA.}

[images via BEYC]

Getting On Board With Fall Travel

If you're an avid reader of Trip Styler, you know that our editorial team is ga ga for fall travel. The crowds leave, sales start and you get to escape the wind and rain---though right now that's a far-flung thought on the West Coast since our summer started in August.

Staying true to form, this fall I'm headed to LA, Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, Palm Springs, NYC and Dallas and can barely wait to hop on a boat or plane to each destination. Eyeing all the fall travel sales right now, here are some ideas to spark your vacation planning:

Trip Style = Weekend Typically, when we think of fall weekend getaways within 2 hours of the city, crisp air and cozying up in a cabin or hotel comes to mind. Yet the current and projected weather is more akin to outdoor fire pit with a glass of wine than indoor fireplace with a hot toddy, so it's like summer just got a hall pass and labour day isn't going to happen until Oct. 15th. Until then, wear your whites! {Trip Styler Tip :: A triple-threat---luxury, wine and weekend getaway---hotel that comes to mind is the Willows Lodge in Woodinville, WA. Just 20 mins from Bellevue, this luxury wine country inn is also home to the Victorian-style Herbfarm Restaurant, recipient of AAA's 5 Diamond Award and National Geographic's #1 Destination Restaurant in the World---think French Laundry, but closer to Vancouver.}

Trip Style = Cruising Last summer I wrote about the joys of Repositioning Cruises, aka when a cruise ship repositions from one port to another. Usually a change in season is the BEST time to investigate this trip style as major cruise lines shift their routes, and take guests along with them for a one-way journey at discounted rates. Sometimes there are stops along the way, sometimes it's direct, but one thing's for sure, the price is almost always a steal. {Trip Styler Tip :: Check RepositioningCruise.com for a ton of major route changes from Vancouver to San Diego and LA, Denmark and Italy to Florida or Honolulu to Sydney, plus a buffet of other options. A 3-night itinerary from Vancouver to LA can be booked for $99+.}

Trip Style = Urban Early to mid-fall is one of my favorite times to see Europe. The sun is {usually} still out, the leaves are falling and there's a fall fashion buzz in the air! Plus, Europeans take their big summer breaks in August, so crowds are less intensive. Cities like Paris, London, Barcelona and Copenhagen are easy to get to and fro and each offers their own unique flair. {Trip Styler Tip :: Both WestJet and Air Canada are having significant fall sales right now {until Sept 13th + 15th} for most destinations worldwide. In the US, major airlines are also jockeying for the lowest price on domestic and international routes.}

Trip Style = Beach Until November 15, most resorts in the Caribbean are in the hurricane season's most volatile period, so why not try other sunny hotspots like California, Mexico {Pacific side}, Costa Rica, Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, or as far away as South East Asia. {Trip Styler Tip :: Getting there, same as above.}

Trip Style = Staycation + Spa If you can't get away for a weekend, do something ultra relaxing and escapist for one day. Take yourself out of your regular environment and head to the spa. Whether it's a complete package or a single treatment, book it so you can float into the evening in a relaxed state---either for a hot date or perfectly simple night in.

Related Low Season Pep Talk

[photo credit: willow's lodge, destination360, the guardian, asia1asia]

From the Archives :: PEI

[trip style = sightseeing + beach] {more pics below}

{Editor's Note: For August's From The Archives, we decided to take you east, to a summer destination known for its sand dunes decorated with wispy grasses, pastoral landscapes reminiscent of Anne of Green Gables fame, multi-day Confederation Trail biking excursion and oceanfront setting. Canada's smallest province won't let you escape the sea spray, the 1770 km of coastline won't allow it. And if you forget---just for a second---you're on an island, the 50+ lighthouses protecting the cliffs and white- and red-sand coastlines will serve as a flashing, but not flashy, reminder.}

PEI Highlights {The first vista we saw when our ferry from Nova Scotia was docking. Exactly what I’d expected!}

{First stop. PEI’s only winery {Rossignol} to taste their varietals and buy a fish-shaped bottle of Isle St Jean White.}

{Charlettetown’s harbour area at sundown.}

{While touring the island, we discovered a parking lot on a beach in North Rustico.}

{This gorgeous setting was right in front of our car as we pulled onto the beach.}

{North Rustico gift shop.}

{More of the town.}

{Road trip stop # 2: Red sand cliffs on the East Coast.}

{Road trip stop # 3: dunes near Cavendish.}

{Front side of the dunes.}

{More of Cavendish Beach Park.}

{Road trip stop # 4: you know, just another typical road-side view.}

{One of PEI's signature lighthouse settings.}

{Fishing town near the lighthouse.}

{Enjoying a refreshing lemonade in Victoria by the Sea before crossing into New Brunswick to fly home. Set in the town’s old grocery store/post office, don’t let the Landmark Cafe’s quaint appearance fool you, the food is to die for.}

{The 12.9km Confederation Bridge–built with a slight curve so drivers are more likely to pay attention and less likely to have accidents.}

Related Halifax :: Beer n Boats St. Andrews by the Sea Montreal Je T’aime Ottawa :: Canada Day

[photos by @tripstyler]