St. Barthélemy (St. Barts for short) and Anguilla have just been named the Caribbean’s two most expensive destinations. The French island and British overseas territory took the number one and two spots on the latest survey from TravelMag.com.
Megayachts anchored in Gustavia, Saint Barthélemy (Photo: C. Nelson)
In coming up with the rankings, the survey established the average lodging cost for 30 of the Caribbean’s most popular island destinations. The survey specifically focused on the month of February, which represents the region’s high season. For comparative purposes, the survey determined the cost for each destination’s cheapest available double room. Only hotels and resorts with at least a 3-star rating were considered.
To stay overnight in St. Barts’ least expensive double room, a guest can expect to spend an average of $324 nightly this February. The locale’s white sandy beaches may have helped catapult it to the top of the survey. Trailing marginally in the second spot is Anguilla. An average overnight rate of $285 puts it at position number two.
Another French overseas collectivity, Saint Martin, takes the third slot on the survey with an average cost of $261 per night. A British overseas territory like Anguilla, the Turks and Caicos Islands secured the title of the Caribbean’s fourth most expensive destination.
Coming in at the bottom of the survey is the Dominican Republic capital of Santo Domingo. Averaging a mere $43 nightly, it ranks as the Caribbean’s least expensive locale. Joining it in the affordability department are Punta Cana, Saint Vincent and Curacao. All three of these destinations averaged significantly under $100 per night this February.
The following table compares 30 destinations in the Caribbean based on the average rate for their cheapest available double room (minimum: 3-star hotel) during the time period spanning February 1 through 29, 2016.
2. Anguilla $285
3. Saint Martin $261
4. Providenciales (Caicos Islands) $247
5. Grand Cayman (Cayman Islands) $212
6. Nevis (Saint Kitts and Nevis) $203
7. Le Gosier (Guadeloupe) $192
8. Nassau (Bahamas) $187
9. George Town (Bahamas) $186
10. Antigua (Antigua and Barbuda) $184
11. St. Thomas (US Virgin Islands) $176
11. Vadadero (Cuba) $176
13. Sint Maarten $174
14. Tortola (British Virgin Islands) $153
15. Port of Spain, Trinidad (Trinidad and Tobago) $146
16. Dominica $142
17. Aruba $138
18. Ocho Rios (Jamaica) $137
19. San Juan (Puerto Rico) $131
20. Havana (Cuba) $128
21. Fort-de-France (Martinique) $127
22. Grenada $127
23. St Lucia (Gros Ilet) $126
24. Tobago (Trinidad and Tobago) $117
25. Montego Bay (Jamaica) $107
26. Bonaire $98
27. Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) $87
28. Saint Vincent (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) $84
29. Willemstad (Curacao) $72
30. Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) $43
The rates were established on January 13-15, 2016 based on research conducted on the various leading hotel-booking sites.