Isle be home for Christmas: Make the Carlisle Bay Antigua your place of residence for the holidays. Carlisle Bay

For many families, Christmas in the Caribbean is a tradition. It’s just too bad that the holiday season follows the hurricane season.

On Oct. 28, Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm, smashed Jamaica, shuttering many resorts through the new year. While most of the holiday havens affected are rushing to reopen in time for the festive season, three of Sandals properties, for instance, won’t welcome guests back until next spring.

But hurricane recovery isn’t the only problem the Caribbean faces this year — in fact, most of its more than 700 islands escaped Melissa’s path. Anyone still searching for a new poolside perch to open presents in will discover a dearth of fresh option

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