Airfare

[Lizm81]

Hello all,

My family would like to have a winter vacation in the Caribbean every other year. I wondered whether you wonderfully experienced travelers have any idea of the average airfare to the Caribbean. I know it varies depending on where you go -- but I'm looking to set a realistic budget.

Wondering what's the average price of a ticket traveling peak times such as the school breaks -- XMAS, president's week (7) and mid April.

Which islands/locations are the most affordable?

Is Mexico more affordable than places like St. Maarten/St. Thomas?

Any other insights you have for planning/budgeting/getting deals.

We can plan well in advance -- my husband is a teacher and his breaks determine our vacation time.

Thanks for your help!!!!

[JMSH]

I would say from where we are (leaving out of Detroit, Buffalo or Toronto) a good airfare for an adult to St.Martin,Aruba, St.Thomas etc. is about $600 taxes included. Mexica is more affordable than the Carribean. The all-inclusive deal to Punta Cana or Jamica are pretty well priced. St.Martin, Aruba, British Virgin Islands are probably the most expensive. IMHO.

[Lizm81]

Thanks for this!

I probably should have mentioned that I live in Ct. So our flights would be from NY, Boston or Hartford.

[scotlass]

You can look at prices now for next winter on Expedia or Travelocity to get a comparison of rates. I saw recently BOS-SXM for under $500 for mid-winter from USAirways. Naturally, school vacation week would be higher but if you plan ahead, it might be lower now than closer to the dates you want.

[gorevs9]

Originally Posted by Lizm81

Hello all,

My family would like to have a winter vacation in the Caribbean every other year. I wondered whether you wonderfully experienced travelers have any idea of the average airfare to the Caribbean. I know it varies depending on where you go -- but I'm looking to set a realistic budget.

Wondering what's the average price of a ticket traveling peak times such as the school breaks -- XMAS, president's week (7) and mid April.

I just returned from a trip to St. Maarten (school vacation week for us). Airfare out of Boston was under $500. It was actually cheaper for us to fly out of Portland ME (we live in RI) and pay for a hotel night. The flights were a bit more convenient as well. My daughters flew to Aruba during the first week of January and the fares again were under $500.

Check www.kayak.com. I find it to be a pretty good search engine for travel.

Originally Posted by Lizm81

Which islands/locations are the most affordable?

Dining in St. Maarten can be a bit pricey. There are small joints called lolos where you can eat for around $10 (burgers, sandwiches, etc) if you are easy on the drinks. As in the states, you can find restaurants with various prices. Are meals ranged from $12 for BBQ ribs to $25 for steaks. On the Dutch side, 15% was added as a service charge. This wasn't to replace a tip to the waiter, so you could find yourself adding an additional 10% for the waiter. If you are used to eating in resaurants such as ones you find in Newport or Boston, the shock wouldn't be too bad.

On the French side try to find a place that will give you an even exchange for the USD to EURO (usually only if paid in cash).

We usually eat breakfast every day in our unit, and if we plan to hang out at the resort all day we'll plan to eat dinner in our unit as well.

Flights from NY would be non-stop to either Aruba or St. Maarten (and probably most of the other islands in the Caribbean).