Caribbean B&Bs

The Island Vacation Inn is on the smaller and quieter of the two main islands that comprise Trinidad & Tobago. The Bethel village locale places this B&B within a short drive (or a brisk walk) of the beautiful beaches of Mount Irving Bay. Rooms are hotel-style and feature TVs, wireless Internet, kitchens, and porches with ocean and reef views. Most have private baths, and all include daily breakfasts that feature local cuisine. Rooms are $85 per night.

Labas Beach on Marigot Bay, St. Lucia is home to the Mango Beach Inn, a four-room B&B with trails leading down to the ocean and up to the mountains for those who want an invigorating hike. All rooms are in the main building and open onto the property's gardens. Amenities include a small gym and open-air meditation/Tai Chi area. The Rainforest Hideaway, one of Antigua's top restaurants, is located next to the Mango Beach Inn dock, and the Marigot Marina Village is also nearby. Room rates range from $80 to $160 nightly

Most Puerto Rico visitors flock to the beaches, but if you want something away from the madding crowds, check out the Ceiba Country Inn. With its ridgetop location and lush, tropical grounds, this B&B is off the beaten path but still boasts awesome ocean views. The inn has nine guest rooms, daily continental breakfast, a bar, free WiFi, a library, and a pair of outdoor patios for lounging. The El Yunque rainforest and Luquillo Beach are nearby. Rates run $85-$125 nightly.

This 17-room guesthouse in the town of Luquillo, Puerto Rico (in the northeast corner of the island) is steps from the ocean and two blocks from the town square. It has hotel-style rooms with a raft of standard amenities, including daily hot breakfast served on a second-floor oceanfront terrace. The El Yunque rainforest in nearby, and La Pared beach -- just outside the front door -- is a surfer's paradise. The inn can arrange activities like tours of the bioluminescent bay in Fajardo or water-sports excursions and lessons. Room rates start at $100 in low season; a three-bedroom casita can run $175-$260 seasonally.

Villa Abby is a classic B&B located in the town of Quebradillas on the northwest coast of Puerto Rico, a few miles uphill from a onetime smuggler's beach. Three rooms are available for $65-80 each per night, including hot breakfast served a la carte and featuring Puerto Rican favorites like pastelillos and arepitas. The town has small bakeries, local restaurants, bars, churches, and domino games in the square -- in short, it's a real small-town Puerto Rico experience.

The island of Vieques is a growing destination for Puerto Rico visitors, and Casa Cascades is a unique local landmark -- a ridgetop concrete home in modernistic Japanses Wabi-Sabi style with soothing waterfalls, unique outdoor lounging spaces, and amazing views of the Vieques bays and forests. Guests can enjoy a private pool, meditation garden, peaceful, trellised loggia, and a daily continental breakfast buffet. A stay at this unique B&B is $300 nightly, with a three-night minimum required.

This rustic, secluded inn in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico sits within its namesake El Yunque rainforest, and the national park and Luquillo Beach are nearby. The Rainforest Inn has a chalet ($145/night), villa ($165/night), and vacation rental home ($425/night) available for guests; full hot and cold breakfast is included for those who stay in the chalet and villa.

Condado is one of San Juan's biggest resort areas, but Casa Castellana offers a respite from the high-rise hotels on a quiet side street close to the beaches, restaurants, and bars. Four rooms range in price from $125-$225 nightly and include luxury bed and bath amenities, free WiFi, and access to a rooftop sun deck, private jacuzzi, garden and patio, indoor lounge, free parking, full breakfast, and fresh-baked cookies every afternoon -- yum!