What's good to do in Philadelphia in December when travelling on a shoestring budget?

Anyone been to the Leeward Islands?

• I'm going for three weeks in December and can't find a good up-to-date budget travel guide - Lonely Planet/Rough Guide are both very old. Do you have any recommendations for either guidebooks/websites or for places to stay/eat for someone on a shoestring? I've done a lot of travelling (backpacking) and just want to make sure that I'll be able to find places to stay without booking in advance and without having to pay stupid money.

• Answer:

  December up to 14th is low season. Hotels and airlines are on half price deals. Antigua, Anguilla, Barbuda and Nevis are premier destinations. The Caribbeans most exclusive hotels are in those islands. From December 15th, those islands become the playgrounds of rich and famous people. Most of them hang out in Antigua because Antigua has about three large marinas with shopping centres, condominiums and private villas for yacht owners. Montserrat is a helicopter ride away from Antigua--30 minutes. Daily yacht and air charters leave to and from Montserrat and Barbuda from Antigua. The only places in Antigua with its hundreds of beaches where you can get reasonable rated after December 15th are the Cove, Hayle Inn in the Dockyard, Beachcomber and Runaway beach hotels. City hotels are inexpensive: Joemikes, Cityview and Heritage Hotels. Montserrat might be the only Leeward Island with cheap prices; however the Soufriere Volcano destroyed most of its luxury hotels leaving hotel rooms on the scarce side. Plug in names and check the websites for St. Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda. Those are the leeward Islands. Try the Caribbean Tourism Association's website so that you can do a comparative analysis. You cannot go to those islands without advanced bookings, unless you are staying with people who live on the island. In St. Martin, the person has to come to the airport and verify that you will be staying with them. Boaz.