Cheapest Caribbean Islands: 10 destinations by price in 2016

1– Cancun/Playa del Carmen/Cozumel, Mexico (cheapest)

By far the busiest destination in the Caribbean, Cancun is obviously not an island so it might not count for some people. But Greater Cancun also consists of Playa del Carmen, the Riviera Maya area as well as Cozumel, so it’s a huge cluster of resort areas all served by one busy airport.
With cheap flights from almost everywhere and hotels starting at suspiciously low prices, Cancun is easily the cheapest Caribbean destination and a great choice for the Spring Break crowd as well. It’s worth noting that the cheapest hotels in and around Cancun might not be within walking distance of the beach. The new hotels along the Hotel Zone tend to be good value compared to Caribbean islands. If you want to stay in a lovely town rather than along a strip of new hotels, look for places down in Playa del Carmen, which is only an hour south of the airport by taxi or shuttle.

• Cheap 3-star hotel average: $35.50
• Cheapest RT airfare from NYC: $346
• 7-nights + Flight Index: $940
• Popular with: Americans, Canadians, budget travelers from all over Europe, Spring Breakers

2 – Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Punta Cana has some modestly priced hotels that include breakfast, but it’s much better known as the best and cheapest place for luxury all-inclusive resorts at amazing rates. In fact, some of these all inclusives only cost a bit more than the ones that only include breakfast. There are really good air+hotel packages available that can keep prices down and offer fantastic value for the Caribbean.

• Cheap 3-star hotel average: $56.00
• Cheapest RT airfare from NYC: $392
• 7-nights + Flight Index: $1,080
• Popular with: Americans, Canadians, Brits, French, Germans, Spanish, Belgians, Dutch, Swiss, Portuguese, Russians

3 – Varadero, Cuba

While Americans couldn’t legally sun themselves in Varadero or any other Cuban resort city, Canadians and Europeans are very fond of this commercialized stretch of beach out on a restricted peninsula. You’ll find mostly larger all-inclusive resorts here built specifically for the package crowds. Varadero is relatively cheap and good value for the Caribbean, and quality in its beachfront resort hotels is fairly high. Once Americans can visit Cuba solely for leisure, things are bound to change quite a bit. By the way, when I researched prices for Varadero from the US, it came up with the fairly expensive prices listed below. But I’ve included the place here because my Canadian friends assure me that it’s as cheap as the Dominican Republic when you book from Canada.
(included as a service to Canadians and Europeans who wonder where Cuba stacks up from a price standpoint)

• Cheap 3-star hotel average: $276.25
• Cheapest RT airfare from Toronto: $361
• 7-nights + Flight Index: $2,655
• Popular with: Canadians, Europeans including Russians, almost no Americans…yet

4 – Negril, Jamaica

Negril, which is about 90-minutes from Montego Bay Airport by road, has a beautiful west-facing beach and an abundance of cheap 2-star and 3-star hotels, making it among the Caribbean’s best value destinations. There are also many all-inclusives and upscale & pricey 4-stars, so it’s a good mix rather than just all down-market. The gorgeous area along 7-Mile Beach is lined with smaller hotels and a few larger ones plus a few all-inclusives. THIS is where you want to go in Jamaica if you want to visit the country rather than just visiting the grounds of a hotel.

• Cheap 3-star hotel average: $75.25
• Cheapest RT airfare from NYC: $377
• 7-nights + Flight Index: $1,280
• Popular with: Americans, Canadians, Brits, Germans, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Italians

5 – St. Lucia

A surprisingly good value considering its remote location, St. Lucia has many very nice 3-star beach resorts at very good prices. The problem is that flights are sometimes weirdly expensive, so whether you can afford to come here or not will largely depend on getting good airfare. This is a popular stop for cruise ships and there is also a great mix of upscale resorts, so St. Lucia is justifiably popular for many different groups.

• Cheap 3-star hotel average: $83.00
• Cheapest RT airfare from NYC: $357
• 7-nights + Flight Index: $1,295
• Popular with: Americans, Canadians, Brits, Germans

6 – Aruba

Almost completely flat, Aruba is another Dutch island without a striking volcano at its center. Still, it has a well developed tourist infrastructure and a busy airport with cheap flights from Europe, so it’s a popular choice for northern Europeans as well as Americans. Most hotels on Aruba are in the mid-range and upper end, but there are enough affordable places that get good reviews to make it pretty high on this list.

• Cheap 3-star hotel average: $80.75
• Cheapest RT airfare from NYC: $373
• 7-nights + Flight Index: $1,311
• Popular with: Americans, Canadians, Brits, Dutch

7 – Montego Bay, Jamaica

Jamaica’s busiest airport is near the heart of Montego Bay so visitors can be checked-in sooner here than if they went to Negril or Ocho Rios nearby, but hotels here can also generally more expensive for that privilege. This is a very well developed and touristy area along Jamaica’s north shore, with plenty of large all-inclusive resorts all the way up the price scale. All along the north shore you’ll find a string of large hotels (many all-inclusive), and there are a few good activities as well. But the actual town of Montego Bay, centered along the so-called “Hip Strip” is disappointing. In other words, if you want to stay in an independent hotel and try many nearby restaurants and bars, go to Negril. Montego Bay is really only good for its larger resorts.

• Cheap 3-star hotel average: $82.25
• Cheapest RT airfare from NYC: $377
• 7-nights + Flight Index: $1,329
• Popular with: Americans, Canadians, Brits, Germans, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Italians

8 – Barbados

While it’s a bit farther than other cheap Caribbean destinations and flights can cost a bit more, Barbados has many good-value 3-star beach resorts in addition to some very posh and pricey resorts. Barbados has a well developed hotel scene so it won’t feel as exotic as some of the smaller islands nearby. The diving here is excellent so it’s great value for the scuba set.

• Cheap 3-star hotel average: $97.50
• Cheapest RT airfare from NYC: $350
• 7-nights + Flight Index: $1,382
• Popular with: Americans, Canadians, Brits, Germans

9 – Antigua & Barbuda

Antigua is one of the more accessible Caribbean islands that is known as a playground for the rich and famous. It’s a beautiful place and flight deals are often available, but resorts here range from moderate on up to shockingly expensive. Several celebrities have homes on the island, which tells you something about the crowd that books here. Still, there are some modestly priced hotels that get very good reviews, so it’s a possibility for budget visitors.

• Cheap 3-star hotel average: $117.00
• Cheapest RT airfare from NYC: $318
• 7-nights + Flight Index: $1,455
• Popular with: Americans, Canadians, Brits, Germans, Italians

• Cheap/Excellent 3-star hotel: Catamaran Hotel Marina – US$153/night
• Check current Antigua & Barbuda resort and package deals

10 - Curaçao

Officially part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Curaçao has excellent diving and some of the cheaper hotels in the southern part of the Caribbean. It also has a large and busy airport which helps keep airfares reasonable from North America and several key European cities. Curaçao is also seldom in the path of 
hurricanes, so autumn trips are a great value here. 

• Cheap 3-star hotel average: $71.75
• Cheapest RT airfare from NYC: $483
• 7-nights + Flight Index: $1,468
• Popular with: Americans, Canadians, Dutch, Germans, Italians, scuba divers from all over