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ANTIGUA: A GOOD BET FOR
SUMMER TRAVEL
The Caribbean island
that
boasts a beach for every day of the year has several tempting summer
hotel
deals as well.
The new Sugar Ridge Hotel, on Antigua’s
spectacular west coast (pictured above), nestles into a natural
hillside appropriately
bordered
with sugar cane. This elevated location creates stunning panoramic
views of
palm-lined beaches and the aquamarine sea. Through Sept. 18, book the
4-night Summer Sun Special at $1,370 and receive
an upgrade to a Deluxe King room with plunge pool; full breakfast
daily; 2
one-hour spa treatments; one dinner at Sugar Club and one dinner at Carmichaels including
a
cocktail and house wine. Round up the gang and book 4 rooms between now
and
Sept. 18 for the Girlfriend Getaway at
$920 p/person double, minimum 4 nights p/room. Package includes
breakfast and
lunch daily; house drinks and wines; plus 2 one-hour spa treatments of
your
choice. www.sugarridgeantigua.com
The Inn at
English Harbour combines
picturesque
charm and historic legend in an intimate boutique hotel adjacent to the
famous
harbor. Colonial-style cabanas and two-story villas house 28 guestrooms
featuring
canopy beds, spacious modern bathrooms, and verandas or balconies;
flat-screen
TVs; iPod docking stations; a/c and WiFi Internet access. An intimate
spa,
infinity-edge pool, tennis courts, a library/tea room, upscale boutique
and a
private beach round out the amenities. Pay for a 6-night stay between
now and
August 31, and get the seventh night free. Room rates include tax,
service charge, three-course dinner and an English breakfast. www.theinn.ag/
Elite
Island Resorts, an
award-winning Green Globe
certified hotel company, puts a different spin on the free angle with Pay for 1 and Bring Up to 4. Antigua
properties are St.
James Club & Villas, a club style resort with a dedicated kids
program; and
The Verandah Resort & Spa, an eco-friendly beach escape ideal for
couples
and families. Rates at both hotels start at $416 p/night all-inclusive.
www.eliteislandresorts.com
Through
November,
2010, Buccaneer Beach Club is
offering a one-bedroom poolside suite that accommodates a maximum 2
adults and
2 children for $165 p/night including taxes. Beachfront
2-bedroom/2-bath cottages
with living room and full kitchen are $330 p/night. www.buccaneerbeach.com
Curtain
Bluff Resort, the
island’s well-known
family-owned retreat, has a Fifth Night
Free package in any room category until July 31, starting at $516
p/night
for a deluxe oceanfront room all-inclusive. Curtain Bluff is noted for
fine
dining and an expansive wine cellar. Activities such as diving and
deep-sea
fishing are also part of the all-inclusive plan. Every room has an
ocean view,
and there are no wrist bands or buffet lines at this luxury resort. www.curtainbluff.com
Another
noteworthy upscale all-inclusive
hideaway is Galley Bay Resort
& Spa, also Green
Globe certified and tucked into a jewel-like corner of Antigua’s west
coast. Rates
start at $672 p/night including tax through August 31. Following an
arrival
greeting with a cool towel and a rum or fruit punch, guests are
transported by
golf cart across the resort’s bird sanctuary lagoon to a secluded
beach. 98
guest rooms are set along the sand, or amid tropical gardens concealing
individual plunge pools and lagoon views. This casually elegant retreat
includes the Indulge Spa, non-motorized watersports, tennis, jogging
and hiking
trails. www.galleybayresort.com
BEACH PICNIC ON VIRGIN
GORDA. Explore the
British Virgin Islands beaches with Rosewood Little Dix Bay’s
complimentary Beach Drop service,
providing shore-to-shore transportation via Boston Whaler to eight
remote and
stunning beaches around the island. Devil’s Bay is mere steps
from those
amazing boulders at The Baths. A delicious picnic lunch can be
prepared
to accompany you. It’s the perfect, intra-island escape for
honeymooners and
privacy seekers. On your return to the resort, wind down
even further
with a relaxing massage at Sense Spa to repair any sun damage. Low
season rates
start at $395. www.littledixbay.com
MARLEY
RESORT AND SPA/BAHAMAS--Bold
reds, greens and golds mingle with earthtones both indoors and
out at this seaside hideaway. Reggae
music plays in the background, and the aroma of favorite Jamaican foods
wafts
from the kitchen. But we're in Nassau/Cable Beach, not in Jamaica.
True to the Marley legend, rooms
in Jamaican decor are named Kinky
Reggae, Easy Skankin’ and Lively Up Yourself, and of course, the
Honeymoon Suite is called One Love. Simmer Down
restaurant
serves Ital
pepper pot with Irie green salad, and the Stir It Up sports
bar is the hangout for a Red Stripe or exotic signature drinks with
names
reflecting
Marley’s roots. Marley
Resort & Spa is a nostalgic
piece of Reggae Jamaica
set down—very surprisingly but authentically—on a scenic coastal cliff
in The
Bahamas.
Irie! www.marleyresort.com
BREEZES RUNAWAY BAY SPARKLES!--A super bargain
for Jamaica's all-inclusive SuperClubs
brand, this
277-room resort is ideal for couples, singles and families with
children 14
years and up. Guests in thirty
recently added beachfront suites have
uninterrupted sea views and their own beach pool with Jacuzzi. A
new
low-rise block of
suites with plunge pools runs parallel to the beach. Apart from free
diving, kayaking, sunfish sailing,
water skiing, windsurfing and snorkeling, plus golf, tennis and a
fitness
center, main attraction is the circus school's trapeze course. Relax on
king-sized
draped beds poolside. Themed restaurants include the showman Japanese
Teppanyaki spot, Reggae Cafe, Pastafari, a sushi bar and a
stir fry grill. From a price point, Breezes
gives excellent value
for money. www.superclubs.com
SUNSETS
OVER
JAMAICA--Jamaican-owned Sunset
Resorts -- Sunset Jamaica
Grande Resort
& Spa in Ocho Rios, Sunset
Beach Resort
& Spa in Montego Bay, and
intimate Sunset at the Palms in
Negril -- always offer the
latest in fun for
families,
romance for couples,
and practical amenities at great rates. At Sunset
Grande Resort & Spa, a winding river blends
into
waterfalls, Jacuzzis and ponds, while passing through plunge pools and
hot tubs in
a lazy
stream. Club
Mongoose
supervises younger guests; oft-forgotten tweens
enjoy mingling at Jamstone; older teens hang out over the cabaret
theater. Kids all ages look forward to 'dive-in
movies' as they watch the big screen from floating pool mats.
www.sunsetresortsjamaica.com
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