I’m headed to the  Dominican Republic with my girlfriend in a few weeks and I thought I’d share some of my experiences about planning a cheap vacation there.

Later on when we get back I hope to have some pictures for you.

Planning a cheap vacation, or ANY trip for that matter…

It’s important to have to have some guidelines…and to ask some questions…

• Do you really want an All inclusive package deal?
• Do you really want a rental car for a week, or at all?
• What’s best flight time for you, do you want to sacrifice cost savings for time savings by getting a shorter flight?
• Hotel rooms, do you really need seaside ocean views, or do you want to save $15-20 /night with a room with a lesser view?

If you have your traveling accommodations dictated to you vis a vis an all inclusive package deal, then you should expect to have less control over some things that might be important to you…

If you really want to explore your destination vacation place, then the more you go out, the better, right?

Therefore, taking advantage of the free meals at your hotel as part of your all inclusive package might limit your dining experiences, know what I mean?

Also, if you want to just explore locally and do more relaxing than exploring and touring, then a rental car might not be the best thing for you.

An example of fine-tuning your vacation plans to save some money on unnecessary/unwanted expenses.

My girlfriend and I are staying in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, but she has some real estate business she has to attend to while we are there.

This means we will definitely need a rental car, at least for 2 days… so the next question is… do we need a rental for the whole week, or just for those 2 days of business-like travel?

If you want to save money on a vacation, it helps to really pin down exactly what your needs and desires are, and spend minimally.

Since Santo Domingo is her hometown, and since The Dominican Republic is her home country, she’s looking for more of a relaxing time there, whereas I am always looking to be more of an explorer-type traveler.

The best compromise for both of us was to spend 2 days doing the business travel and 5 days doing relaxation stuff.  If I want to explore and see the sights,  I can do that in Santo Domingo in between our days at the beach, the spas and the clubs and stuff like that.

Instead of getting a rental car for a week, we decided to get one for just 2 days, thereby saving us 5 days of rental car expenses.  Part of this decision was based on the fact the the hotel we are staying at would provide us with a ride to/from the airport, so we wouldn’t have to pay for a taxi to/form the airport.

OK, the point here is, know your schedule ahead of time, and try to piecemeal a vacation package that is going to be suitable for getting maximum enjoyment out of your trip.

As mentioned earlier in this article, deciding on rental car accommodations also tied in with the hotel accommodations… If the hotel didn’t provide pickup for us at the airport then we probably would have just rented a car or the week.

Choosing your lodging, resort, hotel, motel etc….

We decided in the beginning that we wanted an economical vacation, because she had to go there on business, and since Santo Domingo and the Dominican Republic in general isn’t new to her like it is for me, that where we stayed didn’t have to be anythin fancy like a honeymoon suite, or an executive suite type of room.

This decision/guideline also saved us money because it reduced in price the type of room we got.

We saved about $20.00/night by picking a “lesser” room to stay in, although I would have preferred waking up with a seaside ocean view every morning 

We shopped around, and we found some good rate by doing manual search  son some travel websites, and we started our quests by going to kayak.com first, which lead us to the usual places like cheap caribbean.com and other places.

Planning a trip can be exhausting, and if you do it online you will end up with tons of pages on the internet open and you’ll be doing all sorts of mixing and matching trying to find the perfect fit for your needs and guidelines.

So, we got our lodgings and rental car situations wrapped up, so to speak, but the MOST important aspect to a trip is really the flight.

Decisions involved in planning your flight and finding the best deals for your flight to your destination.

My girlfriend had been the the Dominican many times and her parents have come here to the US several times and she’s always planned their flights for them and arranged their flight times.  One thing she knows from experience is that when coming from the DR to the US or going from the US to the Dominican Republic, that layovers in Miami tend to be a bit unpredictable.

The flights there frequently have a lot of delays, whether it be due to weather condition in hurricane stricken areas causing the delays or just some other reasons, I’m not really sure, but she knows from experience that layovers in Miami tend to add to the overall flight times.

So, when deciding on flight times there’s got to be a give and take here between convenience and cost savings…

1- you only get 7 days of vacation time for example

2- you will probably spend 1 day total just in traveling to and from your locations, giving a half day of travel each way.

3- If you add a few hours to your flight each way, it deducts from your total true vacation time.

So, with all these things taken into consideration, we looked for no-stop, and 1-stop flights…

The difference between no-stop direct flights, and 1-stp direct flights was about 3-4 hours, meaning that overall, the difference between the direct flights and the 1-stop flights was about 6-8 hours of travel time.

Since we were saving money on the hotel accommodations and on 5 days less of rental car fees, we tried to get a direct flight, but the times were few and far between and didn’t jive well with our itinerary.

So, our guidelines and preferences for our travels sort of cornered us, left us no choice but to get a 1-stop flight.  Anything longer than that was definitely unsuitable for us because the 2-stop flights to the Dominican Republic (Santo Domingo) from Boston were just way too long with some of the cheapest 2-stop and 3-stop flights taking a total of 12-16 hours each way, which was just ridiculous.

Did we look for all inclusive vacation packages to the Dominican Republic as the first step in our vacation planning?

Yes, we did, but we found out that if you really try to control and cut down some unnecessary expenses that come with these packages, that there’s really not much savings, because there’s some padding that goes into these packages.

The hotels cost a few more dollars a night

The rental cars cost a few more dollars a day, and you have to get the cars for the whole week

And while you might think that having food expenses paid for as part of the all inclusive package is a good idea, it didn’t fit in well with what our overall plan was, which was to remain local to Santo Domingo during the non-business part of our trip, to drive around as little as possible, and since I still wanted to see some of the local sights, we could kill two birds with one stone by getting our grub on by going out to Santo Domingo and eating and seeing new things (at least for me it would be new).

How I found good travel deals and arrangements, Step by Step

1- Started off looking for all inclusive packages for the DR via Kayak.com

2- Looked for the flights times, rental car situations, hotel accommodations

3- Saw that the all inclusive packages didn’t really give us the freedom to plan our vacationth eway we wanted

4- Opted out of the search for all inclusive packages

5- Started searching for deals on rental cars, hotels, and flight times separately…individually, then tried to patch together a vacation that way.

** This is where we started to save money on everything listed above****

6- Using the same portal website Kayak.com we found better deals on rental cars, flights, flight TIMES!, and hotels

Yes, I might have spent about 6 hours trying to put together a cheap vacation, but mor eimportantly, what she and I ended up with was a comfortable suitable flight, hotel and minimal travel, which is what we both wanted.

1. No red-eye flights
2. No cramped tiny rental car for 7 days, for which we would use it for only 5
3. And more control over our hotel rooms

It took a lot of work and a lot of time, but looking back on it all, I realize that we could have saved ourselves a lot of internet searching time by knowing our prerequisites, our  preferences, our gudelines prior to mapping out a vacation package and plan.

So, I have to stress this point again clearly…

Don’t just order a week of this and a week of that, and then have your vacation dictated to YOU.

YOU are the one going on vacation

This is YOUR time, YOUR vacation, YOUR money…

Before you look for flights, cars, and hotels, ask friends and family and co-workers who have visited your destination vacation, ask them what they did, where they stayed, and what would be a good way to get a good experience from it all.

Know all of this ahead of time and you will have not just a tailor made vacation plan, but hopefully an organized and enjoyable trip, too

Over Fourth of July weekend, in our home town, I found discounts off on all kinds of things—shoes, shirts, food, computers, you name it. Everything was discounted to celebrate the Fourth. Of course, discounts and sales on cars and computers were pretty prevalent, too, not to mention cell phone deals and those dependable holiday sales on washer and dryer sets, as well as TVs and couches.

It’s no different, either, at that paradise of a getaway spot called St. Thomas Island of the U. S. Virgin Islands—at one time or another during the year, just about every hotel on the island gives a discount, including the big three luxury hotels along the coasts.

The few resort hotels that don’t give very many discounts are those that are pretty much steadily discounted throughout the year, anyway.

At least five resort hotels fall into this category of perpetual St. Thomas discount hotels: Antilles Resorts at Sapphire Beach, Best Western Emerald Beach Resort, Crystal Cove at Sapphire Beach, Sapphire Beach Resort & Marina, and Best Western Carib Beach Resort Hotel.

All these hotels are spic-and-span clean, with great views and access to the gorgeous white sand beaches of St. Thomas.

But keep in mind that even the luxury hotels offer discounts, too, for an array of reasons: family discounts, reunion discounts, convention discounts, discounts for business retreats, discounts by state, discounts for couples, discounts for firemen, discounts for left-handed baseball players, and discounts even for blind politicians (can’t fool you, can I). lol

This article contributed by one of our Caribbean Vacation travel writers

The Ritz Carlton St. Thomas Island resort hotel is all about luxury, especially the luxury furnishings and the luxury of space.

No, I’m not just carrying on about the Ritz Carlton because I’ve been there and loved it. I’ve also been to the Marriott Morningstar and Frenchman’s Reef resort hotels (actually, that’s two hotels on the same property under Marriott management, facing different directions; one faces the glittering lights of the main town on St. Thomas, Charlotte Amalie, to the west, and the other faces the small, nondescript town of Frenchman’s Reef, to the east). And the Marriott has more than twice as many rooms as the Ritz Carlton, but just about all of them are cookie-cutter size and quality.

 Let’s just talk about one item that tells all about the quality of furnishings in the average guest rooms at both hotels:

the Marriott gives you a 19-inch TV, while the Ritz Carlton offers you a 32-inch screen TV. Need I say more?
Now let’s compare the size of the average guest rooms:

• the Ritz Carlton provides 450 square feet,
• and the Marriott squeezes you into 400 square feet.
• The Marriott offers you a tiny balcony about seven feet wide,
• while the Ritz Carlton gives you a sweeping view with about fourteen feet of balcony.

What a difference!

What’s great about the Ritz Carlton is that it also spells out all the luxury items in their several different types of suites, which have sizes of 1850 square feet and 925 feet. Unfortunately, I can’t find any information at all on suites at the Marriott websites, including the sizes of their suites or their furnishings and privileges.

Seems to me that the Marriott is the Wal-Mart of hotel resorts on St. Thomas, while the Ritz Carlton is the Nordstroms of hotel resorts on St. Thomas.

This article contributed by one of our Caribbean Vacation travel writers

St. Thomas Island of the U.S. Virgin Islands has only about 30 square miles of land area, but, guess what—it has 25 fine hotels. That means there’s only a little over a square mile for every hotel.

Sure, I know, I know, Los Angeles has 125 hotels—but don’t forget that Los Angeles covers over 468 square miles. That’s one hotel for just about every four square miles. You’ll probably point out that Chicago also has 125 hotels—but don’t forget that Chicago covers 234 square miles, which means there’s a hotel about every 2 miles.

While we’re at it, let’s not forget New York, shall we, which covers 305 square miles and has—would you believe it!—over 500 hotels (let’s not even think about the number of hotels per square mile in Paris or London: 1500 plus, which is mind boggling!). Okay, New York has St. Thomas beat by a mile (that is, by many square miles), but St. Thomas is still quite competitive with Los Angeles and Chicago—PLUS St. Thomas has crystal clear, fantastically beautiful, azure Caribbean water, which none of those other cities will ever have, not even in bottles! Lol

St. Thomas USVI hotels are so much better in so many ways than those landlocked hotels in those big cities that it’s not even funny. Part of the reason for that is that those landlocked hotels also don’t offer all-inclusive deals, which will be the subject of my next post.

Stay tuned, or you’ll miss out on all the fun and frivolity!
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Whether you’re a leapin’ Leprechaun and you were “born to the green,” or you’re a high-falutin’, high-society lady who can’t get enough of ‘the green,’ or you’re a bright-eyed gemologist at Tiffany’s and you live on the green sparkle from shiny emeralds—you’ll find and love all the emerald green your heart desires on lovely St. Thomas Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, not far from the tip of Florida.

And the breezes—oh, don’t get me started on the breezes!—you’ll just want to close your eyes and concentrate on feeling those heavenly, gentle breezes from the clean and pure Caribbean winds, moist and refreshing.

You’ll want to be a butterfly, flitting merrily to and fro from fragrant flower to fragrant flower, floating and basking in the rainbow of colorful, fragrant flowers found everywhere on St. Thomas.
St. Thomas Island, a lifetime fantasy vacation—but you’d think you’d have to hock your firstborn child to enjoy all that, wouldn’t you?

Well, you might have to if you stayed at any of the expensive hotels on peaceful and luxurious St. Thomas.
Psst—Hey! You don’t have to sell your firstborn or mortgage the house. Just go to any of the Best Western hotels on beautiful St. Thomas. Check’em out!

You won’t get breakfast in bed at a Best Western hotel, but you’ll rest easier knowing how much you’re not spending. You’ll still be enjoying the same wonders of nature that greet and envelope you everywhere you go on luxurious St. Thomas—without having to pay big bucks for a luxurious hotel room that you won’t be spending a lot of time in!!!

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St. Croix Island of the U. S. Virgin Islands is only 45 miles southeast of St. Thomas Island—but it’s a whole ‘nother world when it comes to all inclusive vacation packages.

Remember all those items I told you about that are included as part of the package when you book with all inclusive resort hotels on St. Thomas—you know, the free meals, snacks, beverages, activities, recreation, entertainment, and taxes and tips? Well, you can’t get St. Croix all inclusive package deals at all, let along like that.

A year or so ago, you could get such an all inclusive deal from the Divi Resorts Christiansted hotels on St. Croix, but they don’t offer them now, unfortunately. And regular resort hotel rooms can cost you upwards of $500.00 per night at most resort hotels on St. Croix, too—which is about double the cost compared to quite a few resort hotels on St. Thomas.

So why stay in a resort hotel on St. Croix? My experience was that it was better to stay at an all inclusive resort hotel on St. Thomas, and then book a tour or two to St. Croix, St. John, and other nearby islands. It was a lot cheaper and a lot more fun, I thought.

Why the difference in pricing for St. Croix, compared to the other islands in the area? I really don’t know. True, it’s a bigger island than St. Thomas and St. John combined, but there are fewer places to visit and get excited about on St. Croix.

You’re really not getting more at St. Croix, you’re getting less in the way of recreation events and activities, as well as less in night life. Go figure.

This article contributed by one of our Caribbean Vacation travel writers

St. Croix Island of the U. S. Virgin Islands is only 45 miles southeast of St. Thomas Island—but it’s a whole ‘nother world when it comes to all inclusive vacation packages.

Remember all those items I told you about that are included as part of the package when you book with all inclusive resort hotels on St. Thomas—you know, the free meals, snacks, beverages, activities, recreation, entertainment, and taxes and tips? Well, you can’t get St. Croix all inclusive package deals at all, let along like that. A year or so ago, you could get such an all inclusive deal from the Divi Resorts Christiansted hotels on St. Croix, but they don’t offer them now, unfortunately. And regular resort hotel rooms can cost you upwards of $500.00 per night at most resort hotels on St. Croix, too—which is about double the cost compared to quite a few resort hotels on St. Thomas.

So why stay in a resort hotel on St. Croix? My experience was that it was better to stay at an all inclusive resort hotel on St. Thomas, and then book a tour or two to St. Croix, St. John, and other nearby islands. It was a lot cheaper and a lot more fun, I thought.
Why the difference in pricing for St. Croix, compared to the other islands in the area? I really don’t know. True, it’s a bigger island than St. Thomas and St. John combined, but there are fewer places to visit and get excited about on St. Croix.

You’re really not getting more at St. Croix, you’re getting less in the way of recreation events and activities, as well as less in night life. Go figure.

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St. Croix weather, naturally, is very much like the weather of its sister islands in the U. S. Virgin Islands, St. Thomas Island and St. John Island.

To refresh your memory, what that means is that St. Thomas and St. John weather in the winter is in the 70s, and in the summer it’s in the 80s. And hurricanes are few and far between—it’s been more than ten years since the last one.
What more can you say than that?

Ummmmm . . .

How about this:

The weather is consistently sunny on St. Croix, with perhaps a light shower in the morning and then another light shower during the night.

Also, the moist Caribbean trade winds will refresh you whenever you think it may be starting to get hot.  Now, what can you do with such nondescript, boringly consistent weather?

Let’s see—for newlyweds, go on a honeymoon that’s filled with sunshine on the outside as well as on the inside; for old married folks, go on an anniversary honeymoon vacation, with the weather helping you to recapture the spice and vitality of your first honeymoon trip; for business conventions, stage an unforgettable agenda filled with water sports, fantastic beach parties that are always enhanced by the weather, and luxurious hotel guest and meeting rooms; for large families and family reunions, take advantage of group rates at luxury hotels for the most unforgettable reunion ever!

Wow! That’s all!

And St. Croix and its marvelous weather are only 45 miles due south of St. Thomas . . . .

This article contributed by one of our Caribbean Vacation travel writers

Why pay full price for a vacation in paradise—which means, St. Thomas Island of the U.S. Virgin Islands—when you can enjoy it at a discount? Especially when you take your family and there are lots of mouths to feed, right?

You know all those expenses can add up—

• the trip there (plane or boat);
• the resort hotel lodging prices;
• the high prices for breakfast, restaurant food for dinners, and snacks in-between;
• the cost for souvenirs (kids demand them, you know), such as T-shirts, jewelry, knickknacks, etc.;
• the entertainment at special night-time events; and
• the special day-time activities, events, and local tours

What’s the reality? The cost for everything besides your lodging can add up to more than your lodging—which is doggone expensive, even at a discount. You knew that, right?
You’ll be glad to know that there are several St. Thomas all inclusive family resort hotels, including award-studded Marriott Morningstar at Frenchman’s Reef, luxurious Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort & Spa, and economical Bolongo Bay resort hotel. Such all-inclusive family deals with such great resort hotels mean that everything will be taken care of with one billing. No hidden charges for meals, snacks, beverages, activities, recreation, entertainment, and even more, like taxes and tips!

A big downside to choosing an all-inclusive family resort can be the big, up-front price tag—it may save you money, but it will still cost a lot.  As an alternative, many Caribbean vacationers find that luxury ocean cruises offer a much better bargain that still provide a great way to visit St. Thomas in an all-inclusive family setting, since lodging, food, and everything aboard the ship is covered in one price—until you step off the ship in port, of course. Then you pay extra for the onshore daytime and nighttime activities and local tours.

You do have a choice—either all-inclusive family resort hotels or all-inclusive family cruise ships.
Whichever you choose, paradise has truly become affordable for just about everyone, even for average people like you and me. I’ve been there, done that—and it was great!

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Take it from me—on the Internet, you will find no such thing as a map that pinpoints the location of all 25 hotels on the island of St. Thomas in the U. S. Virgin Islands. I know because I tried for over two hours, with zilch results!

When you get a map of St. Thomas in your hands, you have to take the Cyril E. King airport as your main reference point for hotels on St. Thomas Island. The airport is on the coast just to the left of center of the island, on the south side of the island, to the left or west of Charlotte Amalie harbor.

You see, 3 of the 25 hotels on St. Thomas Island are right next to the airport, on the east side, practically in the airport, actually. And then there are 4 more resort hotels as you take a 7-15 minute ride east from the airport toward downtown Amalie, at the head of the Charlotte Amalie harbor.

That’s why the airport is the best anchoring point for you for orienting on St. Thomas’s hotel resorts—because about one-third of the hotel resorts are close to it. The rest of the 18 more resort hotels are scattered around the island on the coast, where the hotels can take advantage of the beautiful beaches for their guests, since those white-sand beaches are one of the major reasons for vacationers to come to St. Thomas.

In fact, all three of the most luxurious hotels on St. Thomas Island are on the coast: the Marriott Morningstar at Frenchman’s Reef, the Ritz Carlton, and The Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort and Spa.

If you’re looking for St. Thomas map hotels, just wait until you get to St. Thomas, okay? That’s where we got our first map with all the hotels on St. Thomas.

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