BY ANDREA BENNETT MIAMI: Months after hurricanes Frances, Ivan and Jeanne tore through the Caribbean, destroying 90 percent of the homes on some islands and causing more than $3 billion in damages, hotels crucial to the region's economic recovery are reopening at various speeds. And with construction continuing, some properties are cutting prices to lure back leery travelers. In Grenada, the Flamboyant Hotel spent $2 million in repairs after Hurricane Ivan blew the roofs off. But with only half its 60 rooms open so far, the hotel is dropping prices 10 percent. Nearby at La Luna, where rates start at $600 nightly, 10 of 16 rooms are operational -- and, through mid-April, guests who stay a week or more get free breakfast, dinner and yoga. All 236 rooms at the Hyatt Regency in Grand Cayman are still shuttered, but 53 beach suites reopened last month, with rates starting at $575 through Feb. 18, down from $805 last year. During the renovation, the hotel extended its wireless Internet connection from the suites to the pool deck and beach. Also on Grand Cayman, the Westin Casuarina (which reopened in November) added high-speed Internet as well and is building a business center. On Grand Bahama Island, the Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach spent $4 million renovating after Hurricane Frances. The entire hotel reopened last month, with overhauled rooms, a new Asian-themed restaurant and a snack bar on the beach. Through January, rates are $160 a person a night (down from $196), and the $30-a-night charge for kids under 17 has been waived. PUSHING CRUISES Travel agents are pushing cruises as a way to avoid construction hassles. Last month, Grenada opened a $24 million cruise ship terminal, while Grand Cayman's port is now handling four ships a day, up from two a day immediately following Ivan. New ships in the area include the Carnival Liberty (stopping at Grand Cayman and the Bahamas) and the Norwegian Jewel (stopping at the eastern Caribbean ports of Antigua and Puerto Rico). Reprinted from Caribupdate.com