All week long we've been letting you in on a little secret: You too can get to the far flung places Matt Lauer hits, and you can do it without dipping into your child's college fund. Whether it be Zermatt or Moscow, Botswana or Hong Kong, there are discounters, air/hotel packagers, affordable hotels and cheap flights there to ease the way, and keep your bank account in tact.
But when it comes to Matt's final destination, Necker Island...Let me put it this way: Bill Gates would blanch at his room bill. Oprah might even cut her vacation short. Because when it comes to Necker, the private island of British airline and media mogul Richard Branson, the price tag flies as high as Virgin Atlantic Airlines, the carrier that bought Dick the island (along with his media empire, of course).
The cheapest vacations on Necker come in at an astounding $19,500 per couple, per week. That is not a misprint. And that's during hurricane season (September) no less. Travel when the weather is less dicey and you'll have to bring along a group of friends to rent the island at a cost of $23,750 per day (for 1 to 14 guests). The price goes up and up if you want to bring more people. The top price per day at Necker? $38,000/day for 20 to 26 guests.
And that's not even including transportation to the island (which can be steep as well, as Necker is located in the British Virgin Islands, far from any major airport).
So is it worth it? Some think it is—the island is often sold out. It had its best year in 2002, a time when the rest of the Caribbean was getting dismal tourist numbers, following the general downturn in travel after 9/11.
“Our guests are captains of industry, lawyers, CEOs of large companies,” says Janine Cifelli, spokesperson for the resort. “They come for the tranquility and privacy the island affords. You're on your own 74-acre private island and it's magical, truly magical. You really feel like you own the island when you're here.”
Apparently, the island is quite beautiful (being an editor for Budget Travel magazine, I've never visited it and very much doubt that I ever will.) The Balinese-inspired main house sits on the highest point of the island, in a lush setting surrounded by bougainvilleas. "All the doors are open," says Cifelli. "It's very light and airy." Guest huts are also Balinese in design, with real thatched roofs, canopied beds and dark wood floors. Along with two pristine white sand beaches (one with an infinity pool just steps from the ocean), are two tennis courts and an array of small boats available for the guests' use (yachts can be chartered for an additional cost). The staff of 42 caters to the every whim of their guests, whether it be special dinners (no Caribbean food here—the grub is shipped in from all areas of the globe), on-water trampoline sessions or deep sea fishing trips.
For more deeply saturated color pictures of this pricey paradise, go to www.neckerisland.com.
So where can the rest of us vacation?
The truth is you don't have to go to Necker Island to have a peaceful, pampering Caribbean holiday. You can spend a bit over $600 and escape to sandy Aruba for five nights without paying a cent extra on the airfare. Or try one of those “soup to nuts to piña coladas” all-inclusive resorts in the Dominican Republic for about $750, again including airfare (and yes, potent potables are part of the price). Here are a handful of vacation options for travelers on realistic budgets. You can either scroll down, or click below for:
And what they're recommending right now is the Negril Inn, an unpretentious little beachfront resort. At just $663 for seven nights, it's a remarkable value, especially since that rate not only covers airfare from Philadelphia and lodging, but all meals, drinks and most activities for the week (as this is an all-inclusive hotel). So what do you give up? Well, this is a small, simple place, so you're not going to get Frette sheets, a lot of food choices, or a "kids club." What you do get is a great location with a friendly staff, and best of all, a full wallet. Other gateways involved in this offer include:
- New York, Boston and Baltimore for $30 more
- Atlanta for $20 more
- Chicago for $80 more
- Los Angeles for $133 more
For more information, contact Atlas Vacations at www.atlasvacations.net or 800/634-1057. Please note that taxes will add about $100 onto the final tally.
$679 for five nights in the Dominican Republic: All-inclusive resorts are the name of the game in the D.R., and the beaches there are peppered with them. But not every all-inclusive offers decent amenities or food. So it's important to do your research before booking a resort for the week, because when you're booked into an all-inclusive resort, there's no escape (and if you don't like the resort, it can be hellish).
Happily, the Sun Village Resort in Puerto Plata is a well-reviewed, well-regarded resort, with better than usual grub, a very nice beach, and pools of every shape and size; there's a three-tiered pool, two waterfall pools, two swim-up bars, a kiddy pool and more. There's also a lot of variety in the eating options, with three a la carte restaurants included in the price, serving Thai, Mexican and Mediterranean food.
With all of these bells and whistles, one would expect a hefty price tag, but Caribbean specialist Vacation Travel Mart (www.vacmart.com) has managed to work out a pretty swell deal with the resort, which will drop rates to a reasonable $739 for five nights, including air from Miami, all meals and drinks and round-trip airport transfers. Costs for other gateways include:
- $754 from New York City
- $817 from Philadelphia
- $829 from Atlanta or Columbus, OH
- $880 from Baltimore
Almost as nice is the Coral Canoa Resort, a Hilton Property (we downgrade this property to second place because of a rocky beach). Vacation Travel Mart has the goods here as well, with five-night stays coming in at just $679 with airfare from Miami, five nights lodging, meals, drinks and transfers to and from the airport. Other gateways for this one:
- New York for $774
- Baltimore for $819
- Philadelphia for $759
The prices on both of these offers will hold through Apr. 7. For more information, call 800/288-1435 or go to VacMart's website (see above).
Aruba, five-nights and air, from $635 for five nights: Casinos, consistently sunny skies and some of the nicest beaches in the Caribbean continue to make Aruba a hot spot for spring travel. At the center of it all, is the Mill Run Resort, a well-maintained, older property right across the street from stunning Palm Beach (guests have the right to use the Wyndham's beach facilities).
We've found a better than run of the "Mill" offer from mega-agency Liberty Travel, which has reduced the price for a five-night vacation there to just $635, including airfare from Miami and airport to hotel transfers. But if you don't live in Florida, don't fret, there are deals from every gateway in the continental US, including these same five nights for:
- $699 from Philadelphia
- $755 from Boston and Hartford/Springfield
- $765 from Atlanta
- $769 from New York
- $795 from Kansas City
- $835 from Chicago and Dallas
- $875 from Houston
- $935 from Los Angeles
For more information, go to www.libertytravel.com. Taxes and security fees are not included in these rates.
A reasonable splurge in the US Virgin Islands: So much for the basic "beach and a place to sleep" vacations. If you're looking for all the fancy-schmancy amenities that Matt's currently enjoying—the swim-up bars, the gourmet food, the fine bed linens—then the Frenchman's Reef Hotel in St. Thomas might be just the ticket. With nine bars, two restaurants, a spa and health club, a children's club and a glass elevator down to a sparkling, white sand beach the place is certainly luxurious. But here, you won't be mortgaging your house to spend the week. A Caribbean specialist called Inter Island Tours is currently offering an "ice-breaker" deal to the resort. For $1399/person, you get seven-nights at the Reef, airfare from New York City, round-trip airport to hotel transfers and a $50 American Express traveler's check upon arrival. Prices from other gateways are similarly doable:
- Chicago and Dallas/Fort Worth: $1486/person
- Miami: $1484/person
- Los Angeles: $1713/person
- Denver: $1673/person
You can book, or learn more, by going to www.interislandtours.com or calling 800/245-3434.
A final splurge in Puerto Rico: Set on 500 beautifully landscaped acres, the Wyndham El Conquistador is arguably the best resort in Puerto Rico and definitely one of the plushest resorts in all of the Caribbean. The owners poured $250 million into the place about a decade ago, and the investment shows: everything here is first class, from the pampering Golden Door Spa to the 18-hole golf mecca, designed by Arthur Hill. There's even a private island (called Palomino) with horseback riding trails, caverns to explore and a wide variety of water-sports for enthusiasts.
Liberty Travel is the stop to shop for discounted vacations at this world-class resort. It's currently slicing prices to $1249 for airfare from either New York, Atlanta or Hartford/Springfield, a five nights' stay, daily breakfasts, transfers to and from the airport and a calling card. Not to leave others out in the cold, the rates from the following cities are also available:
- $1275 from Boston and Philadelphia
- $1399 from Dallas/Fort Worth
- $1409 from Kansas City
- $1449 from Miami
- $1459 from Houston
- $1645 from Los Angeles
The address, once again, for Liberty Travel is www.libertytravel.com or call 888/271-1584.
If you need any more proof about how swell Puerto Rico is, consider this: next week, for the first time ever, TV's Bachelorette will take all three of her overnight dates in one place. The producers have decided that Puerto Rico has so much to offer that they're going to station Meredith there for the week, and hop around the island, from the rainforests, to the bioluminescent bay, to Old San Juan and the beaches.
So take that Necker! Average Joes can whoop it up in the Caribbean just as well as Joe Millionaires, without experiencing the "shock and awe" of a room bill from Branson.
{Editor's note: Have you vacationed in the Caribbean recently? Have a recommendation or tip you'd like to share? Simply click here to send a note to our editors and we may reprint it in an upcoming Letters to the Editor column.}
