Beaches Turks & Caicos is where I'd take my preschoolers . . . if only I could afford it!

Question from reader Nandamom:

"Our nanny just announced she is taking off the last week in August, so my husband and I are scrambling to plan a last-minute weeklong getaway for ourselves and our two girls, ages two and four. We'd like to try an all-inclusive family-friendly beach resort in the Caribbean. We're in the New York area and can spend up to $5,000 for airfare and accommodations, with some child care and activities included."

August is rainy season in the Caribbean. That doesn't mean it rains every day, but it does mean you need a resort that will keep your kids entertained and off your hands should the weather turn inclement. I think your smartest option is the Beaches chain of all-inclusive family resorts. The property I've heard the best feedback about from other parents is Beaches Turks & Caicos, but a seven-night package (including airfare from New York) for the four of you for the last week in August would cost about $6,000.  Beaches Boscobel -- which gets an excellent review at the dependable family travel site WeJustGotBack.com -- is more affordable. The seven-night package at the Boscobel property, which is in Jamaica, comes in at just under $5,000.

Colorful shops along Heritage Quay, Antigua.
Photo: Philip Coblentz, Getty Images

by Brook Wilkinson

Question from reader Indy5:

"I'd like to travel to Antigua in November. The best flights I've found are on two different airlines -- I'd be flying one way on Continental and one way on USAir. In this day and age, is it possible to travel on two one-way tickets or will I have immigration issues?"

This won't be a problem at all. Just make sure you have a copy of both ticket receipts with you, and your passport -- or your birth certificate and proof of a passport application.

Approaching the Canadian border from Lewiston, New York.
Photo: lockport-ny.com

by Brook Wilkinson

Some careful readers noticed a loophole in my post about traveling without a passport. The State Department has temporarily lifted the passport requirement for travel to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean, as long as you show proof of a passport application. But those countries all require a birth certificate to enter their borders -- and you need to hand over your birth certificate in order to apply for a new passport (though not a renewal). So, what to do if you're flying to Vancouver next week and haven't yet gotten your new passport in the mail? I asked Richard Turen, a knowledgeable source for all kinds of travel conundrums. Richard says:

by Wendy Perrin

Question from reader JSHenry76:

"Just read your excellent article on villa rentals and am anxious to do one. We're thinking of renting in Florida next Christmas or February, and I was disappointed to see that the only rental agent listed for Florida is very expensive. Any suggestions for an agency with more affordable villas?  A villa on St. John is also a possibility.  Does the U.S. Virgin Islands specialist you recommend handle St. John as well as St. Thomas?"

If you want something reasonably priced, forget about renting over Christmas!  Prices are at their peak, and the few good-value properties are probably booked by now.

For an affordable rental in Florida, you might try ResortQuest or VRBO.  ResortQuest is not on our list because the only Florida rental agent who has met our exacting criteria is the expensive one you cited: William McClain of Villazzo.  VRBO stands for Vacation Rentals By Owner, which of course means you skip the middleman.

As for St. John, the U.S. Virgin Islands specialist we recommend, Diane Aamodt of McLaughlin Anderson, is our top choice for that island. The photo above is of Rivendell, a villa on St. John that Diane represents.

If you happen to be looking for a beachfront villa that's a good value for your dollar, you might also consider Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands.  Unlike the U.S. Virgins, Virgin Gorda has a large supply of villas located on the beach (the large supply is, of course, what makes them relatively affordable). For a Virgin Gorda rental, try Hunter Butler at Blue Escapes.  Happy villa hunting!

Tired of cookie-cutter resorts in the Caribbean? Try 9 Beaches in Bermuda,
where the over-the-water cabanas might have you dreaming that you're in
the South Pacific.
Photo: 9beaches.com

by Brook Wilkinson

Question from reader Andrea8162:

"I am reading your great article about villas in the June issue of Conde Nast Traveler and I can't understand why Bermuda is never listed in any of these types of articles. It appears that Bermuda is never "on sale" and that it is very hard to find accommodations other than mainstream hotels. I have been to the island many times and know it well. But I would like to stay somewhere different than a box hotel this time. We are a family of five. Any suggestions?"

I've never been to Bermuda myself, but I know how hard it is to find a cozy hotel with a lot of character anywhere in the Caribbean. So I asked Vicky McGlynn, an agent with Travelong of Summit, New Jersey. Wendy and I recommend her for trips to Bermuda on our annual list of the World's Top Travel Specialists. Here's what Vicky told me:

"You're right, many visitors to Bermuda stay in the large Fairmont Southampton or Mandarin Oriental hotels. However, there are many other possibilities for a family of five. There are housekeeping cottages, like Surf Side, or smaller, more budget accommodations like Aunt Nea's Inn at Hillcrest. For an out-of-the-ordinary, ultra-casual vacation there is 9 Beaches, where guests stay in cabanas at the water's edge. And there are also many house rentals available.

Steven Tyler rocked out the Silly '70s party during the grand opening festivities at The Cove in Atlantis, Paradise Island, May 13, 2007.
Photo: AP Images

By Beata Loyfman

Summer is quickly approaching and your calendar is staring at you blankly. You're craving a sunny beach vacation that won't leave you bankrupt. You've probably heard of the recent festivities at The Cove, the brand new, adults-only hotel-in-a-hotel in Atlantis on Paradise Island, Bahamas. Maybe you're thinking: "Well, that looks like fun. I can party till I drop, bump into some celebs, and then recuperate on the beach."

Well, put those thoughts out of your mind immediately!

Summer equals school vacation, so expect the massive resort to swarm with young screaming people. And with good reason: Atlantis is heaven for underage travelers, especially with these sweet summer specials. But if you prefer a more grown-up environment -- a place where crashing waves are the loudest sounds you'll hear -- the Bahamas can deliver that too. 

We've found two hotels that offer the perfect (affordable) antidote. Check out why Graycliff and Compass Point rock our boat, after the jump.

The beach at Caneel Bay, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Photo: Caneel Bay Resort.

By Wendy Perrin

Question from reader Jmsangel:

"We are looking to get married in an intimate 3- to 5-star boutique resort on an island in the Caribbean.  The wedding attendance should be around 40, so we'd like to keep the room rate reasonable or have accommodations nearby for those on tighter budgets.  Do you have any suggestions?  The ceremony could be at the hotel or at another scenic spot on the island."

By Wendy Perrin

Question from Conde Nast Traveler reader Jay Benzon:

"We've just come from a fine Caribbean resort that adds 10% to all room and food/drink charges as a service charge.  We've seen this at similar resorts in the Caribbean. Does this take the place of tipping, or should one tip over and above the service charge?"

Jay, I've just come from a cruise ship that adds 15% every time you buy a glass of soda, a bottle of wine, a cappuccino, a bottle of water, etc.

What might be confusing you is that at these properties, whenever you're given a credit-card receipt to sign, there is a "gratuity" line beneath the "service charge" line. Many people don't notice that a service charge has already been added and write in a gratuity, thus double tipping.

My take on these 10% or 15% charges is that they take the place of tipping unless someone has provided such great personal service that you feel more is warranted.  One reason the charges are there is so that the resort can guarantee its waiters, housekeepers, bartenders, and other attendants a certain basic level of bonus pay.  Americans are known for being good tippers, but many nationalities (e.g., Brits) are not, so a mandatory gratuity protects workers from wide fluctuations in pay that are beyond their control.

How to decide if an extra 5 or 10% (above the mandatory 10%) is merited?  Say I order a mudslide at a swim-up bar and the bartender plunks it down ten minutes later.  I'll probably leave the tip at 10%.  Now say a waiter trudges all the way to the far end of the beach to deliver me a mudslide and brings along some maraschino cherries for the kids. I'll probably tip him a total of 20%. A good piece ran in the L.A. Times last year on the "Demise of the Optional Gratuity."

America's Cup yachts that 25 Constellation passengers paid the cruise line to sail on. Here, other people are sailing on the boats at the same time that we were supposed to! Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, Feb. 12, 2007, 12:05 p.m.

By Wendy Perrin

Another thing I learned on my recent cruise on Celebrity Cruises' Constellation: Just because a cruise line sells you a shore excursion doesn't mean it's going to happen.

Cruise lines encourage passengers to sign up and prepay for shore excursions online, well before the cruise.  These prefab group tours are the only type of land-based activity that many passengers do. On the cruise I took, if you were to cancel a shore excursion you'd booked, you had to do so at least 36 hours ahead to get a refund. The cruise line could, however, cancel with no advance notice, potentially ruining your precious few hours in port, since it would be too late for you to make alternate plans.

Where in the world has Wendy been since Feb. 9th? The final answer: Cabin 2065 of Celebrity Cruises' Constellation.

By Wendy Perrin

Well, my cruise is over and I'm now happily ensconced at a friend's canal front home in Fort Lauderdale--a house that, unlike my cruise accommodations of the past ten nights, has free wireless, five bedrooms, and a private pool. (Now that's my idea of vacation!)

Deck 10 on the Constellation, Feb. 17, 2007

Since I'm no longer paying an arm and a leg for Internet use, I've spent the past few hours reviewing everyone's guesses of the past week, trying to figure out who won the WHERE IN THE WORLD IS WENDY? contest. It's not easy.

Rising Sun, the famous superyacht owned by Larry Ellison of Oracle, off of Cruz Bay on St. John, Feb. 16, 2007

By Wendy Perrin

Who won the last round of the WHERE IN THE WORLD IS WENDY? game?  Good question.

After motoring from St. Thomas (in the U.S. Virgin Islands) to Jost Van Dyke (in the British Virgins), I had to go through U.S. Customs in order to get back to St. Thomas. Before you can enter U.S. territory down here, you must physically go to a U.S. Customs office and show your face to the authorities (this has been the case since 9/11). The quickest place to do so is the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol office on St. John, at Cruz Bay . . . especially if you're returning to Red Hook (the best spot on St. Thomas for catching a small private powerboat either to St. John or the British Virgins.)  Thus the pier where Ingvar Hagstrom was standing (see my last post) was at the American Yacht Harbor Marina in Red Hook.

So it looks like Tracker1312 won the last round of WHERE IN THE WORLD IS WENDY? . . . unless I was on B and C Docks or the Loredon L. Boynes Sr. Dock -- I actually haven't the vaguest idea! -- in which case I guess LoriB won. I'll have to figure it out later . . . once I'm off this cruise ship and no longer paying 65 cents per minute for excruciatingly slow Internet access. (You can't imagine the bill I'm racking up!)

To find out what I'm doing, read on.

After Jost Van Dyke, where did I go?

By Wendy Perrin



Kudos to all of you (especially glued-to-her-computer CoralsO) who figured out I was at Foxy's on Jost Van Dyke in the B.V.I. yesterday morning. When I hopped back into the private powerboat that took me there, where do you think I headed?  (Hint: I had to go through U.S. Customs twice yesterday.)  Can you name both the island and the harbor?

This hammock hangs outside a popular bar on which Caribbean island?

By Wendy Perrin

Okay, either (1) you all actually have lives or (2) you're at your computer 24/7 but the last clue was just too tough.  So here are a few more: The man pictured in my last post presides over the most popular watering hole on this island.

The ruins of a sugar mill sit at Hole 2 of the golf course at the Four Seasons Nevis. In the background is Nevis Peak.

By Wendy Perrin

Congrats to Seafarer, who was the first to guess I ate lunch at Mango at the Four Seasons Nevis, and to CoralsO, who figured out I was also on the resort's golf course.  LoriB, you're awfully prescient about where this game is going.  First, though, we need to do Day 5. 

The "mangojito" I drank yesterday is this restaurant's signature drink.

By Wendy Perrin

I don't believe it!  I've finally managed to stump you seasoned travelers.  Since nobody's guessed the island or restaurant where I ate lunch yesterday, let me give you a couple more clues for Day 4 of WHERE IN THE WORLD IS WENDY?  before we proceed to Day 5. 

What I drank at lunch today, Feb. 15, 2007

By Wendy Perrin

Okay, you guys are too smart.  I'm gonna have to get even tougher. If this doesn't stump you, I don't know what will. Where am I?

My lunch

Attention, foodies: For extra points, name that cocktail!  You could also take a stab at the veggies/fruit that those chips are made from.

Barbados's northernmost point, shot from inside the Animal Flower Cave, Feb. 14, 2007.

By Wendy Perrin

Never in a million years did I think I'd say this to anyone, but  . . . CoralsO and Tracker1312, you guys are TOO well-traveled!  Looks like you're the current frontrunners in the WHERE IN THE WORLD IS WENDY? game. I must warn you, however, that pretty soon anyone trying to guess my whereabouts will need a different set of travel knowledge.

There I am, overlooking Soufriere, St. Lucia, and the twin peaks called the Pitons, Feb. 13, 2007

By Wendy Perrin

Wow. You guys are smart. Yes, I was indeed on St. Lucia yesterday -- in Marigot Bay, at Plas Kassav (the cassava bread factory), and at Ladera Resort. Some of you are figuring out my whereabouts so quickly that clearly my clues are gonna have to get tougher.  Here they are for Round 3 of WHERE IN THE WORLD IS WENDY?

I stood here this morning before the buses from the cruise ship arrived.

The same view, shot about ten steps back, after the cruise-ship crowds descended.

The same view, shot about ten more steps back (and to the right), after the buses had left.

By Wendy Perrin

Congrats to all of you who guessed that I was on the Caribbean island of St. Martin--first in Marigot, then at La Samanna resort--yesterday. The frontrunners in the WHERE IN THE WORLD IS WENDY? game seem to be CoralsO and Tracker1312 at the moment -- since they guessed both Marigot and La Samanna -- but KiwiWriter and Albany007 are close on their tails.

Okay, now for Round 2. In addition to taking in some pretty views today, I swung by a factory that makes a type of local bread:

By Wendy Perrin

Clearly the clues in round 1 of WHERE IN THE WORLD IS WENDY? were way too easy. (I'd figured I should make my clues easier, since it had taken people three days to guess the Pushkin Museum in Moscow. Apparently I overcompensated. From now on, no more Mr. Nice Guy.)

A few of you did correctly guess that I was in Marigot, St. Martin, earlier today. But the last 3 photos are not of Marigot. Who can guess where the beach, cabana, and "great place to stay" are? Where else was I?  To hazard a guess, click on "Post a Comment" below.

By Wendy Perrin

I've made it to a cybercafe and can finally post the first photos in the WHERE IN THE WORLD IS WENDY? game.

I'll be hitting several different countries during this trip.  The winner of the game will be the person who comes closest to guessing my exact location on the greatest number of days of the trip. The prize: Lunch with me at the restaurant of your choice, either in New York or wherever you live.

I snapped these pics in a town nearby this morning.

St. Lucia
Photo: St. Lucia Tourist Board

By Wendy Perrin

Today's the day that many Caribbean and Mexican resorts have been dreading: From now on you need a passport to fly back into the U.S. from Mexico, Canada, or non-U.S. islands in the Caribbean. (You don't need one yet if you're returning by land or sea.)  The new rules are at getapassportnow.com. For the low-down on rush fees or if you're looking for a passport expediting service, click here.

Many Caribbean and Mexican resorts, concerned the new regulation might scare off customers, are helping defray the cost of getting a passport ($97 without the rush fee) by offering special discounts and perks to U.S. citizens who arrive with brand-new passports. 

If St. Lucia is the first stamp in your new passport, for instance, the Ladera Resort will reimburse the cost of obtaining it and also give you a complimentary 30-minute massage at its spa (a minimum 5-night stay is required). Make Anguilla the first stamp in your passport, and the Arawak Beach Inn will give you a room for $120 per night (4 nights required) and throw in a "private day excursion to a secluded beach on an uninhabited island, including gourmet packed lunch."

Marriott and Renaissance properties throughout the Caribbean and Mexico are offering a $100 resort credit per room if you arrive with a new passport and stay a minimum of five nights.  And SuperClubs resorts will credit your passport cost toward your vacation package.   

By Wendy Perrin

Looking for a cut-rate Caribbean sailing?  The time is now.  Business is so soft for the cruise lines that, as Cruise Week points out, they're inviting travel agents onboard for free cruises this winter (normally they do so only in low season) . . . .

Ed Fuller, Pam Richards, and Mark Conroy, Oct. 15, 2006
Photo: Patrick Butler

By Wendy Perrin

The reason you haven't heard from me in the past few days is that I've been busy round-the-clock gearing up for Conde Nast Traveler's most action-packed two days of the year. The fun started yesterday, with our 2006 Top Travel Specialists Awards--an annual shindig honoring the world's most knowledgeable, well-connected travel agents (yes, there is such a thing as an excellent travel agent).  As part of the event I moderated a panel of industry leaders:  Ed Fuller, who runs Marriott's seven hotel brands in Asia, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East; Pam Richards, Commissioner of Tourism for the U.S. Virgin Islands; and Mark Conroy, who heads up Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Regent Hotels.

Photo: SeaDream Yacht Club

By Wendy Perrin

"It's yachting, not cruising."  That's SeaDream Yacht Club's slogan.  The head of the company was just in my office explaining why smaller is better when it comes to cruise ships.  Anyone who's read my advice on choosing the right ship knows he was preaching to the choir.

I already knew about SeaDream's flexible itineraries:  Say the ship is sailing past a tiny island with a colorful fishing village or a secluded bay that's perfect for snorkeling.  The captain can seize the opportunity and pull over. And he can keep the ship in a port longer than scheduled if there is nightlife that should not be missed. 

But I didn't know about SeaDream's impromptu crew-led shoreside excursions. When a ship called at the tiny Caribbean island of Bequia, for instance, the captain invited passengers to join him for an island hike. He led them to a secret cove (where a tender from the ship suddenly materialized with champagne and caviar), then to a shack that serves what the captain says is the world's best lobster pizza. When a ship sailing the Italian Riviera called at Portovenere, the chef invited passengers to go ashore with him to buy pesto.  They ended up getting a pesto-making lesson from the old men who grind it the same way they have for centuries.

Sounds like a cruise even I could stomach.

By Wendy Perrin

Tropical Storm Ernesto may not have done much damage to Florida, but it did do damage to certain Caribbean cruise itineraries. To avoid the storm, two cruise lines, Carnival and Royal Caribbean, altered certain of their ports of call on this week's sailings. 

There's a lesson here for anyone considering a Caribbean cruise in hurricane season, which is from now through mid-November:  Cruise lines are allowed to modify itineraries and switch ports of call without offering any refund or compensation.  So, when you're choosing among ships, don't pick one solely because your heart is set on one of its ports. Be sure that, even if you skip the port of your dreams, you'll enjoy the rest of the itinerary.