Spice up Valentine’s Day with a Caribbean vacation

By Lena Katz

Romantic dining at Bucuti Beach Resort

Fact: Women love romantic gestures, and that most definitely includes being spoiled like a beloved goddess queen on Valentine’s Day. I always get in trouble when I make generalizations like this, but I’m doing it anyway, on behalf of all the women (andmen!) who would so dearly love to be swept away on a Caribbean vacation this February. It’s not even as crazily out-of-reach as it seems — between flight specials and amazing all-inclusive resort deals, dollars can go a long way. So think about it: This V-Day, you could spend a couple hundred dollars on a prix-fixe dinner, long-stemmed roses and champagne in whatever rainy, grumpy city you happen to live in … or for a little more money, have a few days of daiquiris and lobster dinners, plus zip lining, snorkeling, sailing and steel drums on the Caribbeanvacation of your choice.

Just for grownups …

Leave the noise, the quarrels, the messes and kiddie menus behind at an adults-only resort where grownup pleasures are the only priority. There are all sorts of age-restricted places for your Caribbean vacation, ranging from Jamaica’s legendarily risqué Hedonism brand to the upscale all-suite “super-inclusive” Excellence Punta Cana. A smaller hotel that always scores well with honeymooners is the all-inclusive Bucuti Beach Resort in Aruba.

Neighborhoody…

Hotel El Convento

Never would I suggest you spend a tropical island vacation in a city. If you want skyscrapers, go to Manhattan. But a village, or an old city center from the 1600s … that’s a whole different proposition. With cobblestone streets, colorful houses, bike-friendly sidewalks and jumbles of shops and cafés, some so-called “urban” districts in the Caribbean are so charming, they seem more like set pieces than civic hubs.

Old San Juan in Puerto Rico fits this description, which is somewhat of a surprise because other parts of the city are so modernized and American-feeling. Down every tiny street there’s a hole-in-the-wall serving delicious local grub, or maybe a cute little bar, or a funky gallery. You could choose Hotel El Convento in Old San Juan, one of Puerto Rico’s most legendary properties, for your Caribbean vacation. Slightly less expensive, but still very attractive, properties include the Sheraton Old San Juan and Conrad San Juan, Condado Plaza.

Hotel Kura Hulanda Spa and Casino

Slightly more exotic but still within U.S. territory is St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where the historic beach village of Christiansted offers picturesque Old World lodgings like Hotel Caravelle and The Buccaneer.

The village of Willemstad in Curacao is among the Caribbean’s most-photographed, thanks to its rainbow-colored houses and Dutch-inspired waterfront. It has what I think is one of the most interesting hotels in the Caribbean, the Hotel Kura Hulanda Spa and Casino. This historic property occupies a large chunk of what used to be a ghetto — the original structures remain, but everything else has been completely transformed.

All-in-one

Renaissance Aruba

Not to be confused with the all-inclusive resort — though the two terms often overlap — the all-in-one is one you never need to leave. Even though there might be great adventures outside the gates, guests of the great all-in-one resorts don’t much care. Yes, it’s horribly lazy and no kind of way to be a connected traveler,  but you know what? When on a Caribbean vacation, it’s one’s right to be slothful in a sun lounger. In line with that credo, I love places like the new Hyatt Regency Curacao Golf Resort, Spa and Marina (actually I love Curacao in general, and this property’s quite the shiny new addition), or the oldie-but-awesome Marriott San Juan Stellaris in Puerto Rico, with its casino action and jumpin’ late-night lobby lounge scene. Aruba specializes in these properties, with most of the big brand names including Renaissance Aruba, Westin Aruba and Divi Aruba All Inclusive.

Related Orbitz resources:

• Caribbean vacation
• All-inclusive resort
• Jamaica vacations
  
• Punta Cana vacations
  
• Aruba vacations
  
• Curacao vacations
  
• St. Lucia vacations
• San Juan hotels
  

Lena Katz is the author of SUN: California and SIP: California, part of the Travel Temptations series published by Globe Pequot Press.

Tagged: Caribbean