POST CARDS FROM THE CARIBBEAN

The white-sand beaches are talcum-powder soft. There are some interesting and wonderful places to stay. The trade winds are steady enough to fill the sails of yachts that bound over the sparkling Spanish Main. And the several cultures--French, Dutch, Spanish, Danish, African, East Indian and others--are thriving, each with its own style. But all these attributes of the Caribbean are sometimes difficult to find and enjoy.

An overlay of commercialism threatens the region and, while it has added casinos, jet skis, speed boats and swimming pools the size of small amusement parks, you’ll have to cut through the clutter if you’re searching for the natural, pressure-free way of life that gave these islands their original--and lasting--appeal.

The political problems of a few years ago, when Marxism and capitalism were sparring on several Caribbean islands, are now mostly just lively conversation. Even in Trinidad, where the kidnaping of government ministers by a small Muslim faction made headlines last July, people are slowly resolving treacherous problems with an almost-bankrupt economy. There’s an uncertain vacation climate in Haiti as the country continues to writhe in its own political morass, striving toward elections in December. But that’s about it for traumatic island headlines.

Of course, weather made its mark with Hurricane Gilbert ravaging the length of Jamaica in September, 1988, and Hugo doing the same for Montserrat and St. Croix in September ’89. But outside interests and local folks worked together in all cases; Jamaica, Montserrat and St. Croix look better than ever.

Island governments have become aware of the need to protect the environment and are working to put programs in place before it’s too late. And the resentment of tourists that was obvious a few years ago is being addressed by island-based education programs. The biggest problems this season are sky-high rates for rooms and food and an increasing drug problem akin to that known in many U.S. cities.

The best vacation goal is to find places that deliver what you’re paying for in the way of service, surroundings and hospitality. My list includes a few hotels and inns, some luxurious villas and several apartments (where you can control meal costs with sandwiches and homemade breakfasts), and some--but by no means all--of the all-inclusive resorts where one prepaid sum covers everything.

Here are some of the season’s best bets, by island:

ANGUILLA (sounds like vanilla ), almost flat and embroidered with some of the Caribbean’s most sensational white sand beaches, has hit the big time for big prices. Pace-setting Malliouhana hotel, favored by international film stars and others who want to see and be seen, asks $450 per day for two this winter, room only. Equally palatial Cap Juluca, open while still under construction, begins at $390 with breakfasts. And Coccoloba’s rooms start at $360 per day, breakfasts included.

Cove Castles’ luxurious villas, on southwest Shoal Bay, begin at $690 per night for a two-person villa, and Sea Grapes, on Mead’s Bay, charges $750 for its two-bedroom units. At Carimar, also on Mead’s Bay beach, at the foot of Malliouhana, one-bedroom apartments start at $285 per night, while The Mariners, the first resort hotel on the island and still one of the most charming, charges $215 for a room.

My choice for good value is a studio at Easy Corner Villas, for $90, in a hillside cluster overlooking Road Bay and convenient to everything when you rent a car. Anguilla is a seven-minute flight from Dutch Sint Maarten’s Juliana Airport, about 20 minutes by bouncing boat from the French St. Martin town of Marigot, and about 30 minutes by plane from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

ANTIGUA-BARBUDA, a nation of two formerly British islands, is known for beaches, sailing and impressive 18th-Century buildings (at English Harbour, Shirley Heights and in the capital of St. Johns). My favorite places to stay include quietly secure Long Bay, with its 195Os-style family hospitality, and small-and-beachless Admirals Inn and the Copper and Lumber Store apartments, both at yacht-filled English Harbour. For other apartments, seek out Sibonney on Dickenson Bay or Trade Winds up the nearby hill.

For big hotels with a lot of activity, Dickenson Bay’s Halcyon Cove leads the pack. Jolly Beach, on a beautiful beach, is full of European charter groups. Ramada has taken the over-sized Royal Antiguan under its banner, with good results, and Pineapple Beach, which shares the strand with Long Bay, is a worthy all-inclusive resort. Clublike Curtain Bluff, a south coast enclave, and slightly pretentious Jumby Bay, discrete on its own tiny island (under the path of departing jets), are luxury leaders, at $495 to $545 and $895, respectively, for “everything”--except 17% taxes!

On Barbuda, Coco Point is the established low-key escape, at peak rates of $545-$900 per day for two, including everything. To enjoy “off-off-peak” rates of $350 to $575, book Dec. 1-14 or April 13-30--and make a reservation for the resort’s shuttle plane from Antigua. Krizia couturier Mariucci Mandelli and her husband, Aldo Pinto, poured millions into K-Club, which is relaunching after last season’s brief “opening.” These places share a gorgeous, miles-long beach.

ARUBA’S building spree continues with the opening this season of a multistory, full-service Sonesta chain hotel and the smaller Mill Resort. These are in addition to the Americana, Golden Tulip, Holiday Inn and other casino hotels that line the windswept sands of Palm Beach. My favorites for natural Aruban style are sister hotels Manehebo Beach and Bucuti, on a wide and white beach. Both are an easy walk from the Alhambra casino and shopping plaza.

Dedicated board sailors should check out the guest houses in the residential Malmok area that promote themselves as lodging for sail-board vacations. Vistalmar apartments, south of the capital of Oranjestad, offer good value and warm hospitality. A dine-around plan, with $25-per-person coupons, applies at 13 island restaurants, many of which are very good.

BARBADOS, staggering under over-construction and high prices, has several restored plantation Great Houses of interest. Some are museums; others, like Sunbury House and Bagatelle, serve meals. Luxury resorts on the beach-fringed west coast--Sandy Lane, Royal Pavilion, Glitter Bay, among them--aspire to international fame with wealthy Europeans as winter guests. A personal favorite is family-operated Coral Reef. Recently renovated Island Inn offers cozy rooms near the Hilton and Grand Barbados Beach, just south of Bridgetown. Ocean View’s sea-facing rooms are classics.

Ask for details about some of the hundreds of apartments, notably beachside Asta (near the Hilton) and Sea Foam Haciendas, on the beach and within walking distance of several good restaurants. Entertainment on the island includes polo matches, horse races, tennis, golf, scuba diving, sailing and the 50-foot “Atlantis II” submarine that takes 28 passengers underwater to view the sights. The Barbados National Trust oversees several historic sites and schedules nature walks on Sunday mornings.

BONAIRE, a Dutch-affiliated coral outcropping known to scuba divers and birders, makes news with The Point, a classy multi-room resort that joins the Divi Flamingo Beach and Sunset Beach Resort, plus dozens of cottages and apartments popular with divers. The seaside suites at Captain Don’s Habitat are the top of the line.

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS, scattered northeast of the U.S. Virgin Islands, have as many “rooms” aboard charter yachts as in the resort hotels. The leaders among luxury hotels are Peter Island, reopened for the winter after a complete renovation; Little Dix Bay, which continues to be a lovely hideaway, and Biras Creek, with a hilltop main house and villas that fringe the sea.

Best for boating-types are Bitter End, a nautical nest on Virgin Gorda, and The Moorings’ Mariner-Treasure Isle combination at Road Town on Tortola. Sugar Mill and Long Bay Resort round out my list of favorites, but it’s worthwhile considering Sandcastle on Jost Van Dyke, ecologically focused Guana Island Club off Beef Island, quietly elegant Drake’s Anchorage on Mosquito Island, and the classy villas on Necker Island, if you crave a remote and sea-surrounded spot.

CAYMAN ISLANDS, a trio south of Cuba and west of Jamaica, are secure, settled and seem like a Florida suburb. The Hyatt Regency Grand Cayman, with its unusual golf course, has been joined by a new Radisson and the Ramada Treasure Island. But the real news here are the hundreds of condominiums that fleck the revered West Coast (a.k.a. Seven Mile Beach). They are the best value, but require inspection and comparison.

Casual Sunset House is a noteworthy scuba resort. Count on U.S.-style food in most pricey restaurants. Ask about “Aqua Adventures” dive vacations at several hotels and condos. On Cayman Brac, scuba is the lure for both the Divi Tiara Beach Resort and Brac Reef Beach Resort. On sleepy Little Cayman, Pirate’s Point features gourmet meals with a diving focus. Ask about Cayman Airways’ ticket that includes the sister islands; advance purchase is beneficial.

CURACAO, off the coast of Venezuela, is Dutch-affiliated and one of the ABCs (with Aruba and Bonaire). The capital of Willemstad is being rejuvenated. New owners of the Spritzer and Fuhrman jewelry stores are restoring their former glory. The Seaquarium and the recently expanded Underwater Park are focal points for the Princess Beach Casino and Lion’s Dive resorts. Family-owned Avila, near the capital, continues to be my personal favorite. Inquire about package tours at all hotels; they usually give good value. Jeep Safari Curacao arranges unusual tours into the countryside.

DOMINICA, an exceptional outpost for naturalists, has several comfortable places to stay but leaves luxury to other islands. Two endangered species of colorful parrot--the Sisserou and the Imperial--can be sighted in the hills. Hikes in protected park lands allow for sighting several bird species as well as waterfalls, volcanic sulfur vents and interesting vegetation. Hotels such as Anchorage and Fort Young in the capital of Roseau and Reigate Hall in the nearby hills are personality places that appeal to adventuresome travelers. Near Portsmouth, the Picard River Cottages are at the beach. Mountainside Springfield Plantation has been given to Clemson (S.C.) University, whose officials plan for a conservation retreat.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, with more than 18,000 rooms and unbridled tourism growth, has some of the region’s lowest hotel rates, together with inadequately trained personnel and troublesome public services such as water and electricity. Lodgings pepper the north coast--from Luperon, west of Puerto Plata, to Cabarete, about an hour’s drive to the east. Sosua, once known for small hotels and cottages, has grown, barnacle-like, on its share of coast. Cabarete is best for windsurfing and informal inns. Most U.S.-style resorts are at Playa Dorada, near the 18-hole golf course. Ask about package rates at the all-inclusive Jack Tar Resort, Eurotel Playa Dorada, Playa Dorada Beach Resort and Heaven’s, as well as at apartment hotels such as Dorado Naco, Villas Doradas and others.

It’s a four-hour drive from Puerto Plata on the north coast to Santa Domingo, the capital, on the south. The 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s 1492 landing has sparked a massive cleanup and refurbishing in historic Santo Domingo, where many buildings date from the 16th Century when Columbus’ son, Diego, was viceroy here.

The best of the capital’s pool-flecked hotels are the spa-studded Jaragua Resort & Casino, plus Hotel Santo Domingo and the Sheraton. Nearby beach-fringed Boca Chica and Playa Juan Dolio also teem with hotels. The country-club style of Casa de Campo resort, with its 18-hole golf courses and several tennis courts, seems somewhat aloof (although it’s popular with Dominican families and vacationers). Punta Cana, on the east coast, is known to many as the jump-off point for illegal immigration through Puerto Rico. Club Med, Bavarro Beach and Punta Cana Resort are three self-contained resorts on this often-windy shore.

GRENADA, at the southern end of the crescent of islands, has a crater lake at the mid-island national park and an untrammeled northern sector. Pool-suites have become a Grenadian style, first at Spice Island on Grand Anse Beach and now at Calabash, where a Mediterranean-style pool complements the soft sand along L’Anse Aux Epines. Ramada Renaissance, at a mid-point on Grand Anse, is the country’s only chain-name hotel. Coyaba Hotel, its neighbor, is a congenial Grenadian venture. La Sargasse, on the south coast, and Betty Mascoll’s Pointe Verdue, her private home that is open (by reservation) for some meals, are great escapes--and historically Grenadian.

GUADELOUPE, best reached through Puerto Rico, is part of France in language, style and currency (at about five French francs to the dollar, which makes most restaurants seem expensive). Inquire about the air-and-room rates packaged through the French West Indies Tourist Office. Good value, in true Guadeloupean style, can be found through members of Relais Creoles, an association of inns. Residence Canella Beach is this year’s newcomer in the hotel-flecked Gosier area. Lodgings in and around St. Francois are nearest the golf course. Tiny Terre de Haut, an offshore isle, is easily reached by ferry or plane. Speaking French helps--a lot.

HAITI, anticipating elections in December, struggles to survive. Times have been tumultuous since the departure of former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier in 1986. Among the country’s personality inns, Splendid, Grand Hotel Oloffson and Petionville’s Villa Creole get high marks for both atmosphere and hospitality. Vibrant art-- naif paintings, whimsical wood work and other crafts--can be enjoyed (and purchased at modest cost) at ateliers.

JAMAICA, varied and beautiful, hits a stride with six of the Caribbean’s classiest resorts, most of the area’s all-inclusives (with the Sandals’ resorts and Superclubs’ Couples, Boscobel, Jamaica-Jamaica, Hedonism II and Grand Lido leading the roster), as well as luxurious private villas with staff, hundreds of apartments and some attractive small hotels with reasonable rates. The six Elegant Resorts of Jamaica, with dine-around and sports exchange plans, are Round Hill, Tryall and Half Moon in the Montego Bay area; Plantation Inn and Sans Souci in Ocho Rios, and Trident at the east end’s Port Antonio.

Superclubs’ newest member is Negril’s lavish and luxurious Grand Lido, with 24-hour room service and plans for the “power people.” Other newcomers are Sandal’s Dunn’s River Resort, a rebirth of the Ocho Rios area’s one-time Hilton, and the newly built Radisson Cibonney, which sets a luxury style for the Midwestern chain. Kingston, a cultural capital of the Caribbean, rivals Trinidad’s Port of Spain and Puerto Rico’s San Juan with its art museum, restorations (Devon House and Port Royal) and theatrical presentations. Although battered by bad publicity at a time of political turmoil in the mid-1980s, Kingston’s problems these days are no worse than anywhere else.

MARTINIQUE, north of St. Lucia and south of Dominica, shares the French nationality and the franc exchange with Guadeloupe and sister islands. Francophiles will enjoy Pointe du Bout’s yacht-filled marina, across the bay from Fort-de-France, and the burgeoning area near St. Francois, which Club Med once had all to itself. Anchorage resort offers good value and pleasant surroundings there. Le Fregate Bleu, a private home with view-enhanced guest rooms, offers a quiet hideaway with class; Manoir de Beauregard in the south and Leyritz Plantation in the north are two stylish country inns. Best values come through air-and-room packages, organized through the tourist office with cooperating hotels and other interests. Members of the Relais Creoles include Calalou, Caraib Auberge, Dunette, La Madras--all on the sea--and a distinctive country inn, St. Aubin, in the hills. Self-catering places are modest and sea-and-sun oriented. Cafes and bistros excel with local recipes. Many good ones are grouped at the shore across the harbor from Fort-de-France.

MONTSERRAT, a British-affiliated territory about 15 minutes by plane from Antigua, has recovered from Hurricane Hugo to reclaim its away-from-it-all style. A few small hotels and several rental homes are available, but check the locations since many are so remote that a rental car becomes a necessity. Vue Pointe and Montserrat Springs are the only resort-style hotels. Plymouth, the main town, is the center of local activity. Galways Plantation, in the south, continues its excavations of an original Irish estate, with exceptional historic finds. Preservation of a local species of oriole is a project for conservationists.

NEVIS, the southern sister of the nation of St. Kitts-Nevis, makes news with this season’s opening of Four Seasons’ Resort, a collection of two-story beachside buildings with a hillside golf course. Cherished for its many enchanting inns, most of them former plantation houses, Nevis offers peace and quiet. Nisbet Plantation and Montpelier are two of my favorites; Oualie Beach’s cottages are also special. High winter rates on this rural island keep clientele upscale.

PUERTO RICO, a U.S. commonwealth with a distinctly Spanish style, is known for its Condado-area casinos and its prominence as an airline hub and thriving cruise port. Old San Juan is famous as an active dining, shopping and cultural center within carefully restored 16th- and 17th-century Spanish colonial buildings. Major investment in the Caribe Hilton gives it new verve; Condado Plaza, El San Juan and The Sands are also action-packed with casinos.

Among the worthy smaller hotels are El Portal, Atlantic, Clarion and Excelsior. Out on the island, the Paradores Puertoriquenos--government-assisted country inns--offer a total change of pace for meals or overnight. Two gems worth noting: the Horned Dorset, a colonial-style inn on the west coast near Rincon, and the Gallery Inn in Old San Juan, with six delightful rooms in a historic home.

San Juan’s cultural season includes noteworthy ballet, concerts, art shows and local fiestas. Spelunkers should visit the limestone caves at Rio Camuey, about an hour’s drive southwest from Hyatt’s Dorado properties. The isles of Vieques and Culebra, off the east coast, are favorites for scuba divers and those who want an out-of-the-way place that’s relatively easy to find.

SABA, poking out from the sea south of Sint Maarten, has a few guest houses and dozens of tiny wood-frame cottages for rent. Captain’s Quarters in Windwardside is the pace-setting inn; Cranston’s Antique Inn in The Bottom has four-poster beds, and Juliana’s apartments offer housekeeping, as do several tiny clapboard Saban cottages. Saba Deep and Sea Saba are two full-service diving firms.

ST. BARTHeLeMY (better known as St. Barts), French and fashionable, southeast of Sint Maarten, thrives on attention in tony publications. Prices this winter pierce the ozone layer. Best for most budgets are vacations prior to the mid-December rate rise. Cottages and villas are among the many tastefully furnished places.

Among the biggest clusters are Guanahani, which cascades down its hill, and Manapany, with units on the hillside above Anse des Cayes. My favorite, quietly casual Emeraude Plage, places its beachside cottages behind the sea grapes on Baie de St. John. Overnight and dining prices are set more by demand than by costs. The French franc is the unit of currency, although the island is flush with Americans in winter.

ST. CROIX, the largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, has recovered from Hurricane Hugo Carambola reopened after a total overhaul that took care of some pre-Hugo problems. And the family-owned Buccaneer continues to set the island’s standard with time-honored hospitality and services. In Christiansted, where shops and restaurants line historic streets, King Christian and Pink Fancy Apartments are among my favorites. Each has its own personality.

Around the island, Cane Bay Reef is a pleasant north-coast nest and Chenay Bay, east of Christiansted on the north coast, is quiet, sea-focused and nice for outdoor-oriented families. The island has American fast food and discount shops, plus a boat link to Buck Island, a U.S. National Monument with an underwater trail. New customs regulations for U.S. travelers have increased the duty-free allotment to $1,200 per person.

STATIA, formally known as Sint Eustatius, nestles quietly in seas south of Sint Maarten. The Old Gin House, at the shore below hill-top Oranjestad, is still the leader of a trio of small inns; others are its neighbor, Golden Era, and Maison sur la Plage, noted for a French-style menu, at Zeelandia on the breeze-buffeted eastern shore. Scuba diving and hiking The Quill (a dormant volcano) are prized activities.

ST. JOHN, site of the 29th U.S. National Park, is blissfully protected from over-building, although Hyatt’s acquisition of the Virgin Grand and Rockresorts’ attention to Caneel Bay Plantation keep those two properties up with the best. Gallows Point, overlooking Cruz Bay, is a personal favorite. Other comfortable housekeeping choices are Cruz Views, Gifft Hill and Lavender Hill Estates, all in Cruz Bay.

ST. KITTS, the seat of government for the British-affiliated nation of St. Kitts-Nevis, has many attractive inns, a developing resort area at Frigate Bay and the region’s most spectacular drive on the new road down the southern peninsula. Inquire about Ottley’s Plantation and the White House, two new plantation Great House inns. Golden Lemon, at the north coast’s Dieppe Bay, continues to be gemlike; Rawlin’s Plantation, also in the north, offers pool-studded hillside quiet; Fairview Inn is more casual and closer to town. Daytime diversions include hiking in the rain forest and around a dormant volcano, and watersports.

ST. LUCIA, one of the Caribbean’s most beautiful islands, maintains its island atmosphere. Windjammer Landing, near the capital of Castries, is the luxury leader; Le Sport, in the north, focuses on fitness with its spa program. Couples II and Club St. Lucia are this island’s all-inclusive places. The marina at Rodney Bay, north of Castries, has become a social center, with shops, restaurants and several small hotels. Marigot Bay, to the south, is a quieter marina; it’s home port for The Moorings. The Royal St. Lucian opens just north of St. Lucian resort, its older sibling, bringing luxury to that beach. Remote Anse Chastanet, in the southern sector, has a devoted following. Club Med thrives in the south, near Hewanorra, the country’s major airport. A smaller, more convenient airport is at Vigie, in Castries.

ST. MARTIN/SINT MAARTEN is like a coin with two sides, one French and the other Dutch. It also has the Caribbean’s highest restaurant prices and rampant development. Noteworthy La Samanna occupies a hilltop at the southern end of spectacular Baie Longue, and Oyster Pond is still a special small spot. L’Habitation is a French-inspired resort community with townlike qualities. Near the airport and buttressed by casino-studded hotels, Mullet Bay Resort has the island’s only golf course. The French side’s town of Marigot is a warren of boutiques and lodgings, with newcomers clustered at the east end of town almost to Conrad International’s La Belle Creole. Among the noteworthy small spots, Horny Toad and Mary’s Fancy continue to be favorites. Atmospheric restaurants charge unconscionable prices. Shops are a major focus for the French side’s Marigot and Grand Case, and for the Dutch side’s Philipsburg.

ST. THOMAS, capital of the U.S. Virgin Islands, sprawls from its hectic cruise-and-commerce capital of Charlotte Amalie toward the east end, filled with hotels and condominiums. Hotel 1829, Villa Fairview, The Mark on St. Thomas and Blackbeard’s Castle are a few of the town’s charming inns. Out on the island, Elysian aspires to luxury, although its beach is small.

Among the island biggies, Bluebeard’s is in the capital; Frenchman’s Reef perches on a point with its Morningstar rooms below on its beach, and Stouffer’s Grand Beach ranges inland from its beachside, where you have a view of St. John and other islands. Sapphire Beach Resort & Marina has a nautical style of its own. Bolongo Bay and its Bolongo Bay Villas continue to be a favorite, as much for style as hospitality. Operated by the same family, Limetree is this island’s only inclusive-price property.

ST. VINCENT and its GRENADINE ISLANDS, west of Barbados and south of St. Lucia, are most easily reached from Barbados or Grenada on LIAT’s small planes. Here are some of the Caribbean’s most enchanting islands. Neighboring Bequia has several small hotels. Young Island is St. Vincent’s leading resort; petit St. Vincent is tops for the Grenadines. Small hotels are often simple, comfortable and distinctly West Indian. The Grand View Hotel is a favorite. The island of Mustique has mystique, with classy homeowners and its Cotton House Inn. Discrete and remote Salt Whistle Bay, on the island of Mayreau, is ideal for getaways. The former Prune Island revels in a Robinson Crusoe style at its Palm Island resort.

TRINIDAD, the cosmopolitan part of the two-island nation of Trinidad & Tobago, grapples with convoluted politics and severe economic doldrums following depletion of its oil reserves. Intriguing for world-wise birders and conservationists, the Asa Wright Nature Centre is unique for species and surroundings. Also impressive is the Caroni Bird sanctuary where flocks of rouge-red scarlet ibis roost each evening. Trinidad’s Hilton continues to be top choice for most visitors, but the smaller Normandie and Kapok, both family-owned and operated, offer congenial surroundings.

TOBAGO, Trinidad’s sun-bathing sister, is little known to most U.S. travelers, although wise Europeans and Canadians fly into Arnos Vale Airport for stays at the new-and-attractive Grafton Beach, the totally refurbished Mount Irvine Hotel (at the golf course), the popular, beachside Turtle Beach, and remote Blue Haven, east of Scarborough on the south coast, a quiet diving resort. Long the secret escape for beach-and-sun-seeking Trinidadians, the naturally relaxed life style makes this island one of the Caribbean’s hidden assets.

TURKS & CAICOS, a scattershot of islands southeast of the Bahamas, are coming into their own as getaway spots. Newsmaker is the Ramada Turquoise on Providenciales, with its casino on the white sands of Grace Bay. It joins the trailblazing Club Med, which was first to open on this shore. Le Deck is a personality small spot. On other islands, inquire about the Meridian Club on Pine Cay and Kittina or Salt Raker on Grand Turk.