Michelle Ruiz had her heart set on a trip to the south of France for her yearly summer getaway with her husband. But the $5,000-a-night rate in mid-July at Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat stopped her in her tracks. Her husband suggested they vacation in the Caribbean instead, and suggested Rockhouse, a luxury boutique property in Negril, Jamaica. A premium villa with ocean views there was available for about a tenth of the Grand-Hotel’s price: $574 per night.
Given its cliffside location and access to azure swimming coves, Rockhouse “kind of looks like it’s in Europe,”Ruiz says. “It would satiate that desire to be somewhere rocky and picturesque, and be at the beach without spending thousands of dollars per night” on accommodations alone. Plus, she adds, for another $385 per person, she was able to book a five-day spa package that covers daily 50-minute treatments; for nearly the same price, you’ll get just one 60-minute massage at the Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat. Including airfare from New York to Montego Bay, Ruiz says her entire trip (minus meals) will cost as much as one night at the five-star French icon.
With European hotspots increasingly overpriced, overcrowded and affected by the anti-tourism protests that are gearing up for a second summer, a growing number of Americans are trading the Riviera and other parts of the Mediterranean for islands that are closer to home. As of April 10, the Caribbean had experienced a 26% year-over-year increase in overall summer bookings according to data provided exclusively to Bloomberg by the Virtuoso Travel Network, a collective of about 20,000 travel advisers.
And there’s still plenty of time for people to firm up their summer plans. With more Americans looking to travel closer to home, demand for a hot Caribbean vacation seems poised to keep growing as long as economic uncertainty persists. And anyway, summers in Europe are increasingly hot, too—in July 2024, coastal Mediterranean areas regularly reached 104F, while most Caribbean islands hovered below 90F. Plus, geopolitical tensions are creating fears that Americans will face hot tempers.
Enter the “hot Caribbean summer” trend, as we’re calling it. Yes, it technically emerged amid the pandemic. But its growth has lately been so sharp that Caribbean destinations have become two of the five most popular summer destinations for Americans, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium. Using last year’s July bookings, it declared Mexico the most popular summer vacation destination for Americans overall by a long shot—though its Caribbean coast is just one part of its broader appeal. The Dominican Republic overtook Italy and France to land in the fourth spot right behind Canada in the UK, which ranked second and third. A broader list of the top 20 destinations, shows Jamaica (No. 13) and the Bahamas (No. 17) ranking ahead of perennial favorite Greece (No. 20). (Because Cirium primarily uses retrospective data, summer 2025 booking patterns won’t be clear until the fall.)
The primary draw for Caribbean-bound Americans: savings. The average daily rate at luxury hotels across the islands has decreased by 6% compared to 2024, Virtuoso’s data shows, while summer airfare is also down 3% year over year according to Kayak. The sharpest savings this summer, the company says, can be found on fares to smaller islands, such as Saint Barts (-31%), Bonaire (-28%) and Dominica (-17%).
And prices should continue to fall as major US carriers and upstart discount airlines expand service to the region. Among the new options: weekly nonstops to Punta Cana on Spirit Airlines (which started on March 20), an American Eagle route from Miami to South Caicos, and JetBlue’s service from New York to Bonaire, which kicked off last November. Yet another 23 destinations in the Americas and the Caribbean are now connected to one another on the new Dominican national carrier Arajet, which continues to add routes. Victor Pacheco, the airline’s founder and CEO, says fares (from $250) are “even more affordable than domestic travel” in some cases.
Fiona Simpson, an Atlanta-based traveler who works in sales, has made the hot Caribbean summer an annual tradition since 2021. She says the value for her dollar goes much farther in the Caribbean compared to other regions—praising the region’s flavorful cuisine and top-notch hospitality. “Even in the most simple beachside restaurant, you’re getting thoughtful service,” she says. This year, for her partner’s 50th birthday in July, she’s planning eight days at Fowl Cay, an all-inclusive private island resort north of Grand Exuma in the Bahamas.
“I really thought it was going to be an insane, crazy cost,” says Simpson, noting that the total for plane tickets, hotel stays and daily access to a boat the resort provides came to less than $20,000. A vacation like that in Europe over the same dates would have cost a lot more, she adds.
There’s the convenience of shorter flights, too, with no jet lag. That’s part of what drew Connecticut-based magazine editor Kristin Koch Kennedy and her family—including four children between the ages of six months and eight years—to vacation in the Caribbean twice last summer. Another was cost—for hotels and airfare alike. “We felt like we could save Europe for when our kids are a bit older and can enjoy sightseeing and things like that,” she says.
Jamaica-bound Ruiz, meanwhile, is already daydreaming about what she’ll find in Negril besides the Mediterranean-like scenery—namely, the island’s famed food and music. It’s the type of cultural draw she seeks as well when going to Europe. The idea of it all is so tempting, she’s mulling a return trip before she even sets foot on the island. After, all, she says, the villas at Rockhouse include a loft that could easily fit her family of four. It’s slightly less grand than the premium ocean-view villa she booked for July, but it has extra beds and—at $495 a night—it’s an even better value.
