Top Five Values for Starwood Hotels in the Caribbean With Points

The Caribbean is one of those destinations where a weeklong hotel stay can easily outweigh the cost of the ticket. Starwood has a number of hotels in the Caribbean. While many of these extravagant beach hotels can be quite expensive when you pay with cash, the Starwood Preferred Guest points rates are incredibly affordable.

I am going to take us through five Caribbean hotels where a 5 or 6 night stay can easily be redeemed for a very reasonable amount of points getting great value on a beach vacation. Most of these hotels have high-season and low-season rates and I’ll look into both to give the most in-depth information.

Earning Starwood Preferred Guest Points for a Caribbean Vacation

Starwood Preferred Guest points can be earned either through Starwood hotel stays or the Starwood Preferred Guest Card from American Express. American Express offers a personal Starwood credit card and a business one. The Starwood Preferred Guest card currently comes with a 25,000 point bonus after spending $5,000 in 6 months. You receive 10,000 points after your first purchase and another 15,000 after meeting the $5,000 spending requirement. The annual fee of $65 is waived the first year.

If $5,000 seems on the high side for a spending requirement, don’t forget we can earn miles paying bills by signing up for the Bluebird card, which is free and has no hard credit pull. You can earn miles for your rent, mortgage, tuition, insurance, you name it. I never have problems meeting minimum spending requirements this way.

Keep in mind that Starwood members with the same address for at least 30 days are permitted to combine their points into one account. This means that a couple applying for one Starwood Preferred Guest card each will have 60,000 points total after meeting the minimum spending requirements.

64,000 points is enough for a 5 night stay at the Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach, Westin St. John Resort & Villas or Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa, Sint Maarten in high season. These hotels with their convenient and luxurious beach locations can easily go for $500-$600 a night in high season. That 5 night vacation could normally cost $2000-$3000 if paid out of pocket so it’s an amazing value in terms of points use. In low season, these hotels are only 12,000 points fewer points so the 60,000 points will pay for 6 nights at any of these.

For each hotel, I am going to go over the points rates in high and low season. We’ll also look at the hotel rates so we can see exactly how much value we’d get per point. And without further delay, my five hotels for a Caribbean vacation…

1. Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach

I am starting my list with the Westin in Grand Cayman. We stayed at the Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach last year in November and loved it. When I was there, we walked nearly the entire stretch of beach. Only the Ritz Carlton, directly next door, managed to beat the Westin in terms of beach location, but it was certainly close. I enjoyed my time in the Cayman Islands so much that we are going back next year in February for President’s Day weekend. I am sure I’ll be visiting Grand Cayman again and again!

Rooms are fairly simple, but I go to the Caribbean for the amazing beaches! The hotel has a spa with saunas, steam rooms and relaxation areas.

My tip: The one thing I find super convenient about Grand Cayman is how efficient the landing-to-beach process is. The airport is incredibly small. Passport control and luggage take 10 minutes and it’s only a 15 minute drive from Seven Mile Beach. So you can be sitting on the white sands and sipping a mojito 30 minutes after your plane touches down!

Points and Rates for 5 nights:

The Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach is a Category 5 Starwood Hotel. This year, peak season rates for the hotel will last from Dec 18, 2013 to May 6, 2014. This hotel does not make Cash & Point rates available. You will need to call Starwood to book with points.

There is a $35 a night resort charge on all rates including points rates.

Peak Season: 

• Peak season rates are 16,000 points a night or 64,000 points for 5 nights using the Fifth Night Free option.
• Room rates in February start at $560 a night + tax.

Low Season:

• Low season rates are 12,000 points a night or 48,000 points for 5 nights using the Fifth Night Free option.
• Room rates in low season November/December start at $319 a night + tax.

2. Westin St. John Resort & Villas

The Westin St. John Resort & Villas is another hotel on my list. St. John is a mountainous island, most of which is devoted to a National Park. This was given as a gift by Laurance Rockefeller. The resort itself is located by Cruz Bay and set among hibiscus and bougainvillea on the resort’s 47 acres.  The resort offers water sports, tennis, nearby golf, children’s activities, great dining, a spa and meeting facilities.

Getting to St. John is a bit indirect. Most will usually fly to St. Thomas and then take a boat or ferry transfer to St. John. The island is part of the US Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands chain, making island hopping a possibility for day trips. While you won’t need a passport to visit St. John, do bring your passport for visits to British Virgin Islands such as Tortola or Virgin Gorda.

Points and Rates for 5 nights:

The Westin St. John Resort & Villas is a Category 5 Starwood Hotel. This year, peak season rates will be charged Jan 12-Feb 8, 2014; Feb 24-March 2, 2014; March 30-April 12, 2014.. This hotel does not make Cash & Point rates available.

There is a $40 per night resort fee charged on all stays including point rates.

Peak Season: 

• Peak season rates are 16,000 points a night or 64,000 points for 5 nights using the Fifth Night Free option.
• Room rates in February start at $540 a night + tax.

Low Season:

• Low season rates are 12,000 points a night or 48,000 points for 5 nights using the Fifth Night Free option.
• Room rates in low season November/December start at $209 a night + tax.

3. Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa, St. Maarten

The island of Sint Maarten/Saint Martin is divided into two sides between the Dutch and French. The Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa lies on the Dutch side of the island. This island is among the more modern, urban and cosmopolitan ones in the Caribbean and has some of the Caribbean’s best shopping, nightlife and dining.

The hotel is located right on Dawn Beach, not far from the airport and features a kids club, a fitness center, a spa and a casino.

Points and Rates for 5 nights:

The Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa, St. Maarten is a Category 5 Starwood Hotel. This year, peak season rates for the hotel will last from Dec 18, 2013 to Dec 31, 2013 and also from Jan 19, 2014 to April 26, 2014. This hotel does not make Cash & Point rates available. You will need to call Starwood to book with points.

There is a $20 per night resort fee charged on all rates including point rates.

Peak Season: 

• Peak season rates are 16,000 points a night or 64,000 points for 5 nights using the Fifth Night Free option.
• Room rates in February start at $350 a night + tax.

Low Season:

• Low season rates are 12,000 points a night or 48,000 points for 5 nights using the Fifth Night Free option.
• Room rates in low season November/December start at $209 a night + tax.

4. The Westin Resort & Casino, Aruba

Set on a beautiful beach, Aruba is an island of ostentatious high-rise resorts and the Westin Resort & Casino fits that description exactly with its 481 rooms. Great for a lively vacation and going out, Aruba has plenty of  places to eat out and go out. In fact, there is a  brand casino right on the premises at the Westin featuring hundreds of slot machines, poker tables, craps and all kinds of entertainment. When I was there, I remember one of the most popular activities being shipwreck snorkeling and scuba diving. The hotel features a fitness center, a spa, a kids club and plenty of onsite restaurants.

Points and Rates for 5 nights:

The Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa, St. Maarten is a Category 4 Starwood Hotel and charges 10,000 points a night year-round. This hotel does not charge a resort fee.

• Rooms are available year-round for 10,000 points a night or 40,000 points for 5 nights using the Fifth Night Free option.
• Room rates in February start at $380 a night + tax.

• Room rates in low season November/December start at $189 a night + tax.

5. W Retreat & Spa Vieques Island

While the W Retreat & Spa Vieques Island looks like an amazing hotel and beach from every direction, I included this one last as the hotel is a bit of a splurge. Being a Starwood Category 6 hotel and costing 20,000-25,000 points a night, the hotel requires more points for a 5 night stay than a couple can obtain from just the sign-up bonus. The good news, although it only softens the sting of the points cost, is that peak season rates for the W on Vieques Island are only charged from February 7 to March 27 in 2014. The rest of the season, it is only 20,000 points a night. That’s still quite a number points. Then again, the hotel is on my list of places to visit, but for only 2-3 nights.

W Retreat & Spa Vieques Island was just built last year and has already been named a Travel + Leisure “Top 500 Hotels in the World”. The secluded retreat offers an infinity pool and a spa. The most famous attraction, other than the beach, is probably Bioluminescent Bay, a natural wonder. Each room tries to embody an “Oasis” feeling and room sizes begin at 600 square feet. The property is located right on the beach and is surrounded by lush foliage for the perfect tropical getaway.

Points and Rates for 5 nights:

The Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa, St. Maarten is a Category 6 Starwood Hotel. This year, peak season rates for the hotel will last from Feb 7 to March 27, 2014. This hotel does not make Cash & Point rates available.

There is a $60 per night resort fee charged on all rates including points rates.

Peak Season: 

• Peak season rates are 25,000 points a night or 100,000 points for 5 nights using the Fifth Night Free option.
• Room rates in February start at $620 a night + tax.

Low Season:

• Low season rates are 20,000 points a night or 80,000 points for 5 nights using the Fifth Night Free option.
• Room rates in low season November/December start at $289 a night + tax.

Summary

• My picks for five best value Starwood Hotels in the Caribbean include three Category 5 hotels, a Category 4 hotel and a Category 6 hotel.
• A couple can sign-up for the Starwood Preferred Guest Card from American Express and each earn 25,000 points after spending $5,000 within 6 months. They will then have 60,000 points after meeting the spending requirement.
• 64,000 points is enough for a five night stay at any Category 5 hotel during peak season. Non-peak season is only 48,000 points. This can save thousands of dollars in vacation costs!

Appli­ca­tion Link: Star­wood Pre­ferred Guest card from Amer­i­can Express 

(In the interest of full disclosure, I do earn a referral if you apply for some credit cards mentioned on the site through my links. I only include the best offers and only recommend cards I value highly myself. If you do decide to apply through my links, thanks very much for your support!)

Of course, now that you have a few hotel options, you need to plan your flights. Check out my other posts on the Caribbean:

• Search American Airlines Caribbean Award Space To Every Island At Once!
• British Airways Miles to the Caribbean: As Few As 4,500 Miles Each Way!
• From Caribbean in Winter + to Europe in Summer for 20,000 American Airlines miles TOTAL
• Saving $1000 with United Miles: Natalya’s trip to Grand Cayman and Cancun