BudgetTravel.com
Caribbean, 3 Nights and Air Credit, From $354
Book at least a three-night stay at one of 12 Sandals resorts—in Antigua, the Bahamas, Jamaica, and St. Lucia—and you'll be eligible for a credit of up to $550 good toward your final bill.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008;

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 guidelines before you book any Real Deal.

Book By Sept. 2, 2008.

Contact Sandals, 888/726-3257, sandals.com.

Why It's a Deal The lowest nightly rate is $118 per person at the Sandals Inn. 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 Fly Free promotion is good at all 12 Sandals resorts, 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
Sandals Grande Antigua, from $174 per person per night (including a $550 credit).

Bahamas
Sandals Royal Bahamian, from $300 per person per night (including a $350 credit).

Jamaica
Sandals Montego Bay, from $162 per person per night (including a $350 credit).
Sandals Royal Caribbean, from $160 per person per night (including a $350 credit).
Sandals Ocho Rios, from $171 per person per night (including a $350 credit).

Sandals Dunn's River from $211 per person per night (including a $350 credit).
Sandals Negril, from $208 per person per night (including a $350 credit).

Sandals Whitehouse, from $235 per person per night (including a $350 credit).
Sandals Inn, from $118 per person per night (including a $350 credit).

St. Lucia
Sandals Regency St. Lucia, $182 per person per night (including a $450 credit).
Sandals Halcyon Beach, from $180 per person per night (including a $450 credit).
Sandals Grande St. Lucian, 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 websites for each country: Antigua, the Bahamas, Jamaica, and St. Lucia. You can also check out the state department's fact sheet on each: Antigua, the Bahamas, Jamaica, and St. Lucia.

Related Stories:

Dream Trips: A Deserted Beach

Secret Hotels of the Caribbean: Jamaica, Bahamas, and More

The Spirit of St. Lucia

Jamaica: Trip Coach