Caribbean Villa Rentals
>> Antigua • Aruba • Bahamas • Barbados • Belize • Cancun • Cayman Islands
>> Costa Rica • Cozumel • Dominican Republic • Jamaica • Puerto Rico
>> St. Lucia • St. Maarten • Turks & Caicos • Virgin Islands
Sample Villas
1br - Alternative to expensive resorts within paradise!
3br - Oceanfront Cottage
1br - Norse Point
All Villas
Villas Provide Privacy for a Price
Caribbean villa rentals offer more privacy than any other option for a place to stay -- hotels, resorts and even cruises. But that privacy comes at a price.
Renting a house on a beach in the United States or in the mountains of Canada's British Columbia offer many of the same considerations. Many people without experience in the Caribbean often assume the islands are similar, but they have many important differences. We have four basic guidelines for a successful villa rental.
Destinations with a high number of villas include:
- Costa Rica -- great for eco-tourism
- Belize -- also great for eco-tourism, plus snorkeling and scuba diving
- Puerto Rico -- close and convenient to the United States
- Bahamas -- also close and convenient
- Jamaica -- lush tropical location, but security should be carefully considered
- Virgin Islands -- highly commercial on the U.S. islands while quiet and secluded on the British islands
Destinations with a moderate number of villas include:
- Playa del Carmen -- excellent shopping, good roads, easy access to Cancun and Mayan ruins
- Cozumel -- easy access to Playa del Carmen, good beaches and snorkeling
- Aruba -- great beaches and scuba diving, safer than most
- St. Maarten -- fewer beaches, decent shopping, more of a cruise destination
- Cancun -- strong on nightlife, security and public transportation, weak on beaches
The first basic decision is choosing a destination based on beaches, shopping, nightlife and other factors. The second decision is whether to rent a place on the beach or off the beach. A third major decision is when to go, largely based on weather.
The Caribbean is well known for its annual hurricane season, which officially starts June 1 and ends Nov. 30. On average, the region sees 12 to 15 major tropical storms with about half developing into hurricanes.
Also on average, July, August and September each have two hurricanes. In 2010, there were 19 storms with 12 becoming hurricanes.
Tropical storms and hurricanes don't sweep the entire region, so the odds of staying in a villa that will be in the path of a hurricane are quite low.
Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao lie far to the south and are outside of the hurricane zone. But they also have relatively few villas compared to other destinations.
So keep weather in mind when planning a villa vacation.
As a result, weather also affects prices, driving them down during the months with the highest rainfall and likelihood of tropical storms or hurricanes. Anyone thinking about renting a villa during September in particular should consider getting travel insurance.
Unlike other places to stay, the price per person can drop quickly when more people stay at a villa. The quality of the villa and its location are major factors in setting price. But in general, larger villas can offer better prices per person than smaller ones simply because they are most cost efficient to build and maintain.
Like other places to stay, the best prices can be found by booking as early as possible or by getting a last minute deal.
- Ask the renting agent many questions about the location, security, serving and other topics.
- Make sure you can see photos of the villas interior, exterior and general location.
- Make sure you have a contract from a reputable agency and read it thoroughly before signing.
- If you go in August through October in particular, consider travel insurance in case of a hurricane.
