A First-Hand Look at Some Desperation Deals

Travel Blog  •  Eva Holland  •  05.14.09 | 2:52 PM ET

Photo by exfordy via Flickr (Creative Commons)

There’s been a lot of talk about tourism numbers contracting during the economic crisis, and plenty of observers—our own Rolf Potts included—have pointed out that for the budget traveler, with the travel industry running scared and handing out deals left and right, there’s no better time to hit the road than right now.

Still, until I arrived in Barbados this week and started making some bookings for a visit to Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent, I didn’t fully understand the extent of the bargains out there.

The first shock was in the flight booking: I landed a three-part, multi-city itinerary on LIAT—from Barbados to Saint Lucia, Saint Lucia to Saint Vincent, and from Saint Vincent back to Barbados—for $183 before taxes, and $333 all in. Sure, it’s no Ryanair rate. But keep in mind that LIAT isn’t a budget airline: it’s the Eastern Caribbean’s primary carrier, and nation-hopping by air in this part of the world is not generally considered to be an affordable activity. Instead of paying about $60 before taxes for each leg of my trip, I’d been expecting to pay between $80 (if I was lucky) and $100 (if I wasn’t).

Next up, hotels. I found a nice-looking, four-star boutique spot on Saint Lucia’s most popular strip; the cheapest rooms went for $155 in the peak season, and $125 in summer. But when I got a staffer on the phone, she announced that they’d just reduced their rates again—I wound up booking for just $90 per night. Dirt cheap? No. Great value, all things considered? Heck yes. I’ve paid more to stay in an Edmonton chain motel. Given the choice between suburban Alberta and coastal Saint Lucia, which would you book?

All this to say, the recession deals are real. Am I suggesting that the Eastern Caribbean is set to become a new backpacker hot spot? Well, no. But this part of the world often has an air of exclusivity about it, a sense that its tiny island nations are a playground for the rich. And often, to a large extent, that’s true. But right now, it’s anyone’s game.


Eva Holland is co-editor of World Hum. She is a former associate editor at Up Here and Up Here Business magazines, and a contributor to Vela. She's based in Canada's Yukon territory.


6 Comments for A First-Hand Look at Some Desperation Deals

DavidM 05.15.09 | 5:45 AM ET

Heading to St. Lucia in a couple of weeks, what hotel are you referring to?

pam 05.16.09 | 2:12 PM ET

Our friends got GREAT deals when they shadowed us to Hawaii—same kinda thing exactly. Super cheap? No. Value? Totally. The Outrigger Reef upgraded them to a room with a view and the other place we stayed in Waikiki? 90/night including breakfast, walking distance to the beach, free wifi (!!!) and quite nice. Also, the place we stayed on Kauai told me they were able to keep their capacity by lowering their online rate by 25%. 25% is a HUGE discount. It’s like the higher end got affordable.

Jam 05.19.09 | 1:00 PM ET

Recession is really hitting almost every country nowadays but I hate to think that it has positive sides. Just like deals like this in travel and leisure category. It creates more opportunity for those who love traveling and having some good time in the beach for a vacation. Great deals are on the table and everyone should enjoy this. Taking advantage of this cheap deals but having a really great time.

US State Parks 05.26.09 | 4:09 PM ET

So, you mean this is the best time to travel.
I think it would be great to try some luxury hotels in the Recession Period.

Carlsen 06.19.09 | 10:33 AM ET

I been monitoring the cost of flights from here (Denmark, europe) to the States for the last couple of months using Momondo.com and I just keep getting suprised about how cheap it has become. I leave for New York on the 17th of august and I’m paying less than 400 $ for my two-way ticket. This truly is the time to get out to see the world!

Cheers//

Carlsen

Lindsay 06.25.09 | 2:36 PM ET

Just saw a travelzoo announcement today, $256 round trip from NYC-Honolulu-amazing!! Its sold out obviously. I wish I had more vacation time.

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