You may not get a mint on your pillow, but there is charm - and genuine Caribbean flavor - in trading a fancy fitness center and spa for $3 beers on the honor system or an evening's conversation on the patio with the proprietor.
THE CARIBBEAN is a lovely world - described so aptly and incessantly that we won't do it here. But that loveliness often comes with a price tag. So with savings in mind, we did some snooping to find the best hotels for around one Ben Franklin (or less) per night, avoiding islands where every beach is lined with megaresorts, and leaning to islands where beaches don't even have parking lots. We eschewed names like Lavender Hills Estates and The Hotel de Snooty Pants. And we were discriminating in our sorting. Some lodgings are beachfront, some aren't - the Caribbean is not just about beaches. The summer off-season is best for low prices, and rates can drop substantially if you book for more than a few days. But plenty of these places fit our budget in every season. And in the end, it's not about money, it's about memories. Here are 10 inexpensive Caribbean hotels to remember.


1 St. Croix: Hotel Caravelle
Hurricane Hugo (1989) left St. Croix's tourist industry in rubble. St. Croix has recovered, but tourists have yet to notice. The largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Croix is also the most overlooked. The Hotel Caravelle sits on the water in quiet Christiansted; most rooms have a view of the harbor, and, in the equally blue distance, the Caribbean Sea. Should you opt to partake in some of the Caribbean's finest diving, you can leap from your hotel room into the boats departing the harbor-front dock. (800-524-0410, www.hotelcaravelle.com)

2 Anegada: Neptune's Treasure