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“Affordable” and “Caribbean” are not necessarily contradictions in terms.

To find cool hotels, relaxing beach resorts and luxurious bed and breakfasts in the Caribbean at an affordable price try these tips:

Look at the smaller establishments. They don’t get the press the big resorts do, but they sometimes provide much better value. A good Caribbean guidebook can be an invaluable friend in finding the high value hotel gems.

Check out the less developed areas. In Jamaica, for example, there are lots of great, inexpensive hotel and resort options outside of the major Negril, Ocho Rios and Montego Bay tourist centers.

Decide what’s most important to you and try to find a hotel without a lot of frills you won’t use. If you don’t care about using a spa, for example, you can save money by staying in a resort without one.

Shop around. A superb website for finding great deals on resorts, as well as on cruises and vacation packages, is Cheap Caribbean.
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And, most of all, read on. The resorts below are among Spot Cool Stuff’s favorite affordable Caribbean digs. Each has rooms in the high season for less—and in some cases much less—than $150 a night . . .

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Many people, even those well-traveled, have never heard of the rugged, tropical nation of Dominica. Tourism does not dominate here in the way it does many other small Caribbean islands where development often crowds out ecological concerns. Much of Dominica is green, wild and untouched. This is probably why Dominica was chosen as the location to film the “remote feeling” outdoor scenes of Pirates Of the Caribbean. Dominica’s natural beauty is also a big reason why it is one of Spot Cool Stuff’s favorite island nations. And if you are looking for a Caribbean destination with magnificent diving, fantastic hiking and lush jungles, you’ll love your time in Dominica, and come away from it wondering why more people haven’t heard of this paradise.

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For those seeking a Caribbean experience that’s exclusive, private, nature-filled and Asian-tinged look no further than Aman’s Amanyara Resort in the Turks and Caicos.

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There are only two rules at the Soneva Gili resort in the Maldives and, trust us, after a few minutes here you won’t mind following either: 1) No shoes allowed and 2) No news of the outside world. This is a place to escape, unwind and relax. And what a place it is! Peaceful, quiet and stunningly beautiful. There’s scuba diving and snorkeling, yoga and tai chi classes, and massage stations on the beach. Not to mention some of the world’s more scenically placed bathtubs.

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You know a swimming pool is big when an average swimmer is unable to complete a single lap within it. And when he’s likely to be passed by a sailboat while trying. That’s the situation at the San Alfonso del Mar Resort in Algarrobo, Chile. The pool there — the world’s largest according to the Guinness World Records — took five years and nearly $4 billion to build. (That’s not a typo, that’s billion with a “b”). The pool is a full kilometer (.62 miles) long, 35 meters (115 feet) at its deepest point and covers more than 20 acres. The massive amounts of water required to fill the pool comes from the Pacific just beyond the pool’s edge. A high-tech filtration system cleans ocean water, cycles it through the pool and then returns it to the Pacific in an environmentally friendly way.
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