Last winter’s snowstorms may have you thinking about a sunny escape for this winter. Here are ten terrific warm-weather deals created for Washingtonian readers. Unless otherwise noted, mention the magazine when booking to get the deal.
CULINARY PARADISE
It’s not just the whitewashed Greek architecture that makes CuisinArt Resort & Spa in Anguilla so unusual. The property—often on lists of the Caribbean’s best resorts—also has a hydroponic farm that grows everything from lettuce to bok choy and an organic orchard that produces guavas, avocados, limes, and star fruit for the resort’s restaurants.
An on-site spa features treatments such as a warmed-seashell massage. Washingtonian readers who book the Stay Just a Little Bit Longer package for five nights get an additional two nights free and a free room upgrade (based on availability) plus breakfast for two daily and a $100 spa credit. The room rate for readers starts from $285, which is 30 percent off the regular rate. This offer is for travel October 31 through April 3; reservations must be booked by November 30.
DUTCH TREAT
Hotel Kura Hulanda in Curaçao is one of the Caribbean’s most unusual resorts. It’s actually a restored area of downtown Willemstad, with cobblestone streets, buildings dating to the 17th century, lively restaurants, a casino, two pools, and a cultural museum. Guests can hitch a free ride through Curaçao’s scenic countryside to experience the hotel’s sister property, the Lodge Kura Hulanda & Beach Club, where they can sail and snorkel.
Readers who book the three-night Bon Bini Washingtonian package get buffet breakfast daily, a bottle of Champagne, and a 50-minute massage for two. Rates for the three nights start at $860, a savings of $494. Valid for travel through December 23.
ROMANCE HIDEAWAY
On a private peninsula accessible only by helicopter or boat, Lighthouse Bay Resort in Barbuda has a 17-mile beach renowned for its pink sand.
Readers who book the three-night Beltway Beach Escape package for $1,099 a night per couple will get upgraded from a junior suite to a master suite (based on availability). Included are a 60-minute couples massage, all food and beverage including a lobster beach barbecue, and water activities such as kayaking and sailing. Readers also receive free helicopter transport from nearby Antigua airport. This special represents a 60-percent savings on booking à la carte. Valid for travel through January 31.
FAMILY FUN IN SAN JUAN
On hip Condado Beach, the San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino is good for family getaways. A two-level pool with water slide lures children, while a 24-hour casino and swim-up bar appeal to many parents.
Readers can receive a city-view room, one in-room movie, ice cream for two adults and two children, milk and cookies at turndown, and a goodie bag filled with activities for each child. Plus, the Marriott will throw in a tour of Old San Juan for a family of four. The price per night is $210 through January 31–25 percent off the regular rate.
TROPICAL LUXURY
Ranked the number-one resort in the Caribbean by Travel & Leisure, historic Nisbet Plantation Beach Club in Nevis offers 36 rooms tucked into cottages on 30 lush acres. It has a pool and hot tub on a quiet beach as well as a spa, a fitness center, tennis courts, and a croquet lawn. All guests have use of Vespas to get around the island.
Readers can get 15 percent off a seven-night stay—rates begin at $415 a night—plus breakfast, afternoon tea, and dinner for two daily, including one dinner on the beach. This offer is valid for travel December 1 through January 31, excluding December 20 through January 2.
CLASSIC CARIBBEAN
The Marriott St. Kitts has everything you’d expect in a Caribbean resort: a pool with a swim-up bar, an oceanfront golf course, eight restaurants, and a casino. Plus, it has a clubby cigar-and-rum bar that sells Cuba’s finest.
Book the Reconnect Package for $194 a night per room, including tax and service, and get a garden-view room, breakfast for two daily, and dinner for two each night at a resort restaurant of your choice—a savings of up to $178 a night. Readers booking this deal also get a free 80-minute massage lesson (normally $220) at the spa. Use promotion code d56. Available for travel through December 18.
ACTION-PACKED
Bring a postcard of DC to Coconut Bay Resort & Spa in St. Lucia and you’ll get a $250 resort credit and a free bottle of Champagne at this value-oriented resort, where rates begin at $112 a night, all-inclusive.
A mile of white sand, kite-surfing lessons, tennis courts, basketball, live music, and St. Lucia’s largest water park make this a good location for an active vacation. There’s a kids’ pool, an adults-only pool, and a busy activity pool with volleyball and water aerobics.
The offer is valid on travel through December 20 and must be booked by November 30. It’s good for either Harmony, the resort’s adults-only part, or the family-oriented section called Splash. Booking code: washwin11.
PINK SAND AND A SPA
Every room at Bermuda’s Reefs Hotel & Club —set atop limestone cliffs above a secluded pink-sand beach—has an ocean view and private balcony. The property recently added a spa that was named one of the Caribbean’s best by Condé Nast Traveler.
Readers can get 15 percent off rates, which normally start at $385. They also get free breakfast, afternoon tea, dinner for two each day, and a $50 credit at the spa, enough to pay for a lava-shell foot massage. The special is available December 1 through 20.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
The Ocean Club Resort in Turks and Caicos is a laid-back piece of paradise on Grace Bay, one of the Caribbean’s most popular beaches. The Ocean Club provides one-, two-, and three-bedroom villas with living rooms, kitchens, and wraparound terraces facing the ocean. The resort is also home to Opus, one of the best restaurants on the island of Providenciales. Three pools, a seaside cafe, and famously friendly service also distinguish this property.
Readers who book with the US reservation office (800-457-8787) receive 25 percent off a four-night stay through December 20—rates start at $146 a night that time of year—plus a $50 resort credit. Or get 20 percent off holiday and winter rates ($270 a night and up) on a seven-night stay through April 24.
SUNSHINE STATE OF MIND
Florida is a classic winter getaway, and nine Hyatt hotels in the state are offering exclusive reader deals. Examples: the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay is offering 20 percent off room rates and 20 percent off all food and beverages; the Hyatt Regency in Miami is giving a fourth night free to readers who book three nights; and the Hyatt Regency in Sarasota is offering a free fourth night plus a free child’s meal with every adult meal. Other participating hotels include the Hyatt Regency Bonaventure in Fort Lauderdale, the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville, the Hyatt Regency Tampa, the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort in Orlando, and the Hyatt Regency Clearwater.
Washingtonian deals are good for stays December 1 through February 28. Reservations should be made at hyatt.com using the offer code dc2fl.
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This article first appeared in the November 2010 issue of The Washingtonian.
