Beloved Beach Hut

August 10, 2010 3:19 PM

We’re trying to find a destination for a non-hotel beach vacation in the Caribbean or Central America.

I’ve promised my loved one a week-long beach getaway in the first week of September. She doesn’t like hotels, preferring a condo, cabin, cottage, cabana or hut in a tranquil setting. Simple, pretty, self-contained, near a beach.
We’re in Montreal so we’re aiming at Caribbean/Central America, somewhere we can get to in a day.
Have you stayed somewhere fabulous that sounds like this? (Bonus points for good birding.)

posted by Jode to Travel & Transportation (6 answers total)

I stayed at the Sugar Mill Hotel when I was in Tortola maybe 15 years ago. It is NOT a hotel. There are studios and individual cottages. On the beach. Has a swimming pool. Terrific place to eat breakfast overlooking the water. You'd need a rental vehicle to get anywhere if I recall correctly.
posted by jessamyn at 3:33 PM on August 10, 2010

the Coral Gardens in Negril, Jamaica. Simple small cottages on coral cliffs directly on the water. Very simple, very inexpensive and yet within walking distance of everything you would need including fun nightlife and music. It's a magical place among huge high dollar resorts.
posted by txmon at 4:17 PM on August 10, 2010

Look at Tulum--lots of cabana options.
posted by onepot at 4:38 PM on August 10, 2010

We loved Tamarindo and the whole Guanacaste area in Costa Rica. We rented a nice condo for around $500 a week, it was right on the beach and had a gorgeous view. There is some amazing bird watching in Costa Rica, we saw some beautiful birds at the Arenal volcano park.
posted by Nickel Pickle at 4:47 PM on August 10, 2010

the answer is Tulum. Do a metafilter search for more specific recs.
posted by k8t at 4:48 PM on August 10, 2010

Oh I stayed at a lovely cottage in Jamaica, it was one of the cottages on the beach of an old estate plantation but can't remember the name and have changed Google accounts and computers since then, sorry. It was near negril, and around $400 per week including food and drinks (from the big house which they rented out for families and rich people), and we were entirely undisturbed the week we there apart from staff from the big house checking we didn't want anything. Google "cottages near negril" or "jamaica cottages" - I'm sorry I can't be more help, but it was perfect, and sounds like exactly what your partner would like.
posted by goo at 6:23 PM on August 10, 2010