Caribbean rates fall after turkey day

By late November, the Caribbean’s hurricane season is generally regarded as over. Nonetheless, tourist traffic to the tropics usually slumps from Thanksgiving until mid-December. That is when you can expect reduced rates from Caribbean airlines and packagers and also when you can bargain yourself into a lower-priced room by phoning the resort and requesting a discount.

Cancun: From Dec. 1 to 22, you can snare the party-hearty resort area of Cancun on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula for $636, flying from Los Angeles and staying for six nights at the Imperial Laguna Cancun. Those rates are at least $200 less than you would pay at nearly any other time of year. Call (877) 471-3876 or see www.e-vacations.com.

Barbados: This English-speaking crown colony is usually among the pricier Caribbean destinations. But from Thanksgiving through Dec. 14, Atlas Vacations, (800) 634-1057, www.atlasvacations.net, transforms Barbados into a rock-bottom treat. For $833 per person, fly from LAX to a seven-night stay at the Golden Sands Hotel, the Allamanda Hotel or the Dover Beach Hotel on the shores of the island’s southern coast, within walking distance of shopping and night life.

Jamaica: Another Atlas Vacations trip features low rates to the home of reggae from Thanksgiving until Dec. 16. For $610 from Los Angeles, Atlas flies you round trip on US Airways or Air Jamaica to this island for seven nights, including breakfasts. You can stay at the Crane Ridge or Columbus Heights; both are condos in Ocho Rios. Both have pools, and they are a five-minute walk from downtown, with shuttle service to a private beach. Contact (800) 634-1057, www.atlasvacations.net.

Turks and Caicos Islands: The Turks and Caicos, a crown colony of Britain, are a new Caribbean hot spot that’s quietly growing in popularity, thanks in part to Caradonna Caribbean Tours, (800) 328-2288, www.caradonna.com. The company has specials from late November until Dec. 14 at Comfort Suites. The charge for air fare from LAX and seven nights’ accommodation is $999.

Belize: From mid-November until Dec. 10, Belize specialist Capricorn Leisure, (800) 426-6544, www.capricorn.net, has trips to two of the nation’s cayes (narrow offshore islands) for sunning, swimming and snorkeling. The first stop is Caye Caulker for three nights at the Anchorage Hotel, and then it’s on to Ambergris Caye for four nights at the Sunbreeze Hotel. Including round-trip transportation on American Airlines, the price is $894 from Los Angeles or San Francisco.

Guatemala: From mid-November until Dec. 15, you can visit this culturally rich Central American country for $799, flying out of LAX. The price increases over the Christmas holiday, then falls back to $799 from Jan. 11 to March 31.

You’ll spend three nights at the Biltmore Hotel in Guatemala City, then one night at the Villa Grande Hotel in the highland arts and market center of Chichicastenango. Additional nights are $39 in Guatemala City, $59 in Chichicastenango. Sunnyland Tours, (800) 783-7839 or www.sunnylandtours.com.