Sand dollars

If you're watching the dollar's value spiral downward, your credit card balances creeping upward, but you're still hoping to salvage a vacation, consider the Caribbean.

Never mind that the region's high season runs mid-December through mid-April. Most islands' currencies have maintained value against the U.S. dollar because they are tied to the greenback. So, the Barbados dollar is worth $2.02 today, the same parity that existed a decade ago. The same applies to the Netherlands Antilles florin (used for St. Maarten, Curacao and their siblings), the Bahamas dollar and the Cayman dollar.

Currencies indirectly linked to the U.S. dollar -- including those of the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago -- are so dependent on us that they've also kept roughly the same exchange rate. And the tender for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands is the U.S. dollar.

The big exceptions are the islands linked to the euro, the operative currency for the French West Indies (Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Barthélemy and -- to a degree -- St. Martin). Still, some islands provide better value than others. Turn to G8 to read about five of them that offer bang for your buck, even this winter.

Tobago While oil-rich Trinidad is famed for its wild Carnival in February, Tobago is the slumbery sibling -- the place where Trinis go to unwind. Most Americans overlook Tobago, partly because of inferior air links (you fly to Trinidad, then transfer to a 20-minute flight). But Delta started nonstop service from Atlanta on Dec. 15.

The island's ecological assets include the oldest forest reserve in the Western Hemisphere and dazzling birdwatching. Those forest reserves shelter more than 200 species, such as the blue-crowned motmot and collared trogan. Hire Newton George for a six-hour birdwatching tour from $50 per person (1-868-660-5463; e-mail ngeorge@tstt.net.tt), or it's $19 to visit Little Tobago Island for birdwatching and snorkeling with Frank's Glass Bottom Boat Tours (1-868-639-8778). Tobago's beaches are charmers, tucked into indolent little coves with brightly painted pirogues (dugout canoes) posing for added color.

Tobago is one of the Caribbean's best buys, with plentiful budget accommodations and restaurants. A huge fish or chicken lunch with sides at Jemma's Treehouse runs just $11, and the wonderful homemade pasta dishes at La Tartaruga are all under $14.

Playa del Carmen Playa del Carmen isn't an island, but its 13-mile-long beach and swaying palm trees positively shout Caribbean. Located 43 miles south of the Cancun airport, the town is the hub of the Riviera Maya, Mexico's Caribbean coast. There are dozens of small, moderately priced hotels.

Fifth Avenue, one block up from the beach, is an inviting pedestrian mall with sidewalk bistros and handicraft boutiques -- it stays busy till midnight most evenings. Dining prices are also moderate: At the evocative Mayan restaurant Yaxché, Poc Chuc -- a pork chop marinated in bitter orange -- runs $10, while catch of the day grilled on banana leaf is $15.

Where to stay: Right in town, two blocks from the sea, Hotel la Tortuga is a three-story facility owned by Italian brothers with a knack for style. The 51 rooms surround a swank, contoured pool that snakes around the garden; a small restaurant serves breakfast and Italian dinners. Standard rooms come with cable TV, phone, air conditioning and safe. Doubles start at $123 including breakfast, plus 12 percent tax (from $88 low season); reservations 011-52-984-873-1484; hotellatortuga.com.

Negril, Jamaica Negril is the Caribbean's original laid-back, chill-out hideaway. But even today, inexpensive beach lodging under $100 a night is still easy to find in summer. Many of the once-ramshackle guesthouses have grown up with their guests and evolved into boutique inns with individuality -- perfect for cheapskates like me who don't need an all-inclusive to bask in the no-problem milieu.

There are actually two Negrils, starting with the beautiful beach strip -- home to big all-inclusive resorts, small inns and guest houses. Just south is a two-mile-long series of rock cliffs, known as the West End, where you'll find small hotels, with steps or ladders that lead down to the water where swimming and snorkeling is fine amid seductive grottos (less suitable for children).

Where to stay: Designed by acclaimed local architect Anne Hodges, the 20-room Country Country is cheery beachfront lodging, painted in bright Caribbean colors, ringed by gingerbread and topped by tin roofs. All have a minifridge, in-room safe, teakettle and air conditioning; premium units are slightly closer to the sand. Doubles range $165-$185 including breakfast, tax and service ($135-$150 in low season); reservations 1-876-957-4273; www.countrynegril.com.

Samaná Peninsula Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, home to the Caribbean's largest collection of hotel rooms, has plenty of inexpensive picks, particularly if all-inclusives are your game. But with the opening of a new airport on the north coast at Samaná, an idyllic peninsula that used to take hours to reach has become more accessible. American Eagle initiated service from San Juan to Samaná on Dec. 13.

With terrific beaches, the Caribbean's best whale-watching (humpbacks, mid-January to mid-March), good diving, a 164-foot-high waterfall, and a wealth of quality inns and restaurants, Samaná adds up to a region that merits attention.

Twenty miles from the airport, Las Terrenas is the most appealing of the three towns on the peninsula. That's in part because of the influx of European ex-pats who started building small inns and seaside restaurants, known as the Pueblo de los Pescadores, in the 1980s. The area has better food than most of the Dominican Republic, at prices below what you'd pay in the French West Indies. Typical is El Cayuco (1-809-240-6885), where grilled lobster and paella are served pied dans l'eau ("feet in the water"), both priced under $20.

Where to stay: Las Terrenas has a couple dozen inexpensive to modestly priced lodging options, and one I really like is the Italian-developed Hotel Playa Colibri. There are 45 units, in three different configurations ranging from a typical hotel size unit with kitchenette to two-bedroom loft-style units with full kitchen. All overlook a beautifully tended garden and pool. Plenty of restaurants are within walking distance, and the beach is just across the street. Doubles range $71-$130 plus 16 percent tax ($53-$99 in winter); reservations 1-809-240-6434; www.playacolibri.com.

However, one Bermudian trait runs contrary to the Caribbean: Low season is winter. Starting in November, hotels cut rates up to 40 percent and air fares drop until about Easter. Greens fees at the par-62 St. George's Golf Course, which wraps around a World Heritage-listed hamlet, drop to $60 on weekdays in winter (without cart rental).

The tradeoff is the weather -- daytime highs average 70 degrees in February while water temperature is about 65 degrees. Bring a sweater for cooler evenings.

Where to stay: Five minutes from the south shore's fabled beaches, Salt Kettle House is a sweet waterside guest house that offers four roomy cottages with full kitchens -- some with fireplace -- and five rooms in the main house, all with private bath. Repeat guests appreciate owner Hazel Lowe's assertive restaurant recommendations -- ignore at your peril. Rooms run $110 for two in winter plus 17 percent tax/service, including full breakfast ($130 high season); cottages are $130 in winter ($150 high). Reservations: 1-441-236-0407 (no website).