The Real Deal: Three nights' accommodations, meals, airport transfers, and hotel taxes and fees, including an airfare credit of up to $550, from $354 per person.
When: Travel through Dec. 20, 2009; some blackout dates apply.
The fine print: Based on double occupancy; Sandals resorts are couples-only, so there are no single bookings. Requires a three-night minimum stay. The credit varies depending on location: up to $350 per person for the Bahamas and Jamaica, up to $450 for St. Lucia, and up to $550 for Antigua. Regardless of whether you book airfare through Sandals or independently (say through a booking site like Kayak), the amount of your credit will be deducted from your bill when you check out of your hotel. U.S. citizens will need a valid passport for travel. Read these before you book any Real Deal.
Book by: Sept. 2, 2008.
Contact: Sandals, 888/726-3257, .
Why it's a deal: The lowest nightly rate is $118 per person at the . For the required three-night minimum stay, you'll spend $354 per person at that property. All meals and beverages and transfers to and from the airport are included. Also included in that rate, Sandals has thrown in a $350 credit. A recent Kayak search produced a $377 flight from New York City to Jamaica—so you can expect to pay about $727 per person for the total trip. Consider that if you booked the Sandals Inn without this deal, you'd pay the normal rate of $247 per person per night, which totals $741 for the required three-night stay. Add in your airfare, and the trip would cost about $1,118. So when you book using this promotion, you'll save $391 (depending, of course, on where you fly out of).
Trip details: The promotion is good at all 12 , located in Antigua, the Bahamas, Jamaica, and St. Lucia.
Airport transfers are included in your stay, so after your flight, you'll head straight to your chosen resort to check in. There will be plenty to do: Some resorts offer scuba diving and golf, and all make it easy to enjoy water sports like windsurfing or sailing.
Here are the 12 Sandals locations, their starting nightly rates (per person), and the credit you'll receive:
Antigua
, from $174 per person per night (including a $550 credit).
Bahamas
, from $300 per person per night (including a $350 credit).
Jamaica
, from $162 per person per night (including a $350 credit).
, from $160 per person per night (including a $350 credit).
, from $171 per person per night (including a $350 credit).
from $211 per person per night (including a $350 credit).
, from $208 per person per night (including a $350 credit).
, from $235 per person per night (including a $350 credit).
, from $118 per person per night (including a $350 credit).
St. Lucia
, $182 per person per night (including a $450 credit).
, from $180 per person per night (including a $450 credit).
, from $228 per person per night (including a $450 credit).
Note that Sandals resorts are couples-only, so you'll see lots of them at the pool, the beach, and the hotel. The Caribbean location means the weather will be warm and sunny all year round, with temperatures ranging between the mid-70s and mid-80s. The hurricane season lasts from June 1 to Nov. 30; you can purchase Cancel Anytime insurance, which allows cancellations for any reason within 24 hours prior to travel. The cost is $99 per person.
If you want to stay longer, the deal is good for stays up to seven nights. If you book six nights, you can save 30 percent on the usual nightly rate.
For tips on what to do, see the official tourism Web sites for each country: , the , , and . You can also check out the state department's fact sheet on each: , the , , and .