Jun 11, 2008
Those astonishing, under-$500 air-and-land packages to Barbados are currently limited to the month of September -- when they're the cheapest vacations
Subsidized by the government of Barbados, which scarcely attempts to conceal its involvement in the promotion, "The Best of Barbados" brings you round-trip air to that elegant and faraway island, and seven nights of accommodations at beachfront hotels, with breakfast daily, for rates as low as $485 from New York and for as little as $399 (and less) from gateways like Charlotte, North Carolina. You have probably been among the many travel-savvy people who have blinked their eyes, and disbelieved what they were seeing, when they spotted the prices of this heavily-advertised program.
The rates are correct, but the dates aren't often revealed until you move into the process of booking the bonanza. If you'll go to such websites as that of CheapCaribbean.com (tel. 800/915-2322; www.cheapcaribbean.com), or Liberty Travel (tel. 877/823-7777; www.libertytravel.com), you'll discover that the remaining dates of availability are all in the month of September, and sometimes only in the latter half of September. I'm not criticizing that policy of limiting an offer which would otherwise bankrupt that island-nation if it were too generous, but I am pointing out a sensible caution. "The Best of Barbados" is perhaps the most spectacular bargain in travel today (it's offered at near-unbelievable prices from scores of U.S. cities), but it's limited in time. Hold your breath until you first realize it's only in September (and sometimes only for limited dates in September) when you can obtain air-and-land to Barbados for a cheaper price than to any other tropical island.
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The rates are correct, but the dates aren't often revealed until you move into the process of booking the bonanza. If you'll go to such websites as that of CheapCaribbean.com (tel. 800/915-2322; www.cheapcaribbean.com), or Liberty Travel (tel. 877/823-7777; www.libertytravel.com), you'll discover that the remaining dates of availability are all in the month of September, and sometimes only in the latter half of September. I'm not criticizing that policy of limiting an offer which would otherwise bankrupt that island-nation if it were too generous, but I am pointing out a sensible caution. "The Best of Barbados" is perhaps the most spectacular bargain in travel today (it's offered at near-unbelievable prices from scores of U.S. cities), but it's limited in time. Hold your breath until you first realize it's only in September (and sometimes only for limited dates in September) when you can obtain air-and-land to Barbados for a cheaper price than to any other tropical island.
Write and read comments about this post.
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
