I compared several providers’ offerings for Aruba vacations in May, testing departures from Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. All vacations include round-trip airfare and a five-night stay at an Aruba hotel. With the exception of the Liberty Travel deal, which only includes hotel taxes, packages include additional taxes and fees for airfare and hotel.

Sample prices are:

Expedia offers trips priced at $596 from Chicago, $670 from Los Angeles, and $602 from New York. Travelocity’s packages start at $608 from Chicago, $676 from Los Angeles, and $635 from New York. BeachDestinations.com has vacations starting at $730 from Chicago, $798 from Los Angeles, and $728 from New York. Liberty Travel’s promotion starts at $1,039 from Chicago, $1,095 from Los Angeles, and $965 from New York. Packages also include transport between the hotel and airport, as well as a $150 resort credit. Book by June 17; travel is valid from June 9 through 30.

The listed rates are per person based on double occupancy. Single travelers may pay a supplementary charge for each package. Availability is limited.

Which deal offers the best value?

If you’re going by price alone, I found that Expedia had the best rates from all departure cities. Note that the Liberty Deal does not include taxes, but you will be getting the resort credit, so do some comparisons around your travel dates to find the best value for your vacation. An important factor to consider is the type of lodging included. To compare hotel ratings, visit TripAdvisor, a partner of SmarterTravel.com.

It’s always a good idea to compare costs before making a reservation, and you can use our price-comparison tool to search multiple travel providers.

Please note that many providers do not list booking deadlines, and not all packages may be available for the travel dates you want. Be flexible with your travel dates to find the best deal for your vacation.

All prices, dates, and booking details listed here were valid at the time of publication. Some information may have changed since that time.

(Editor’s Note: SmarterTravel.com is a member of the TripAdvisor Media Network, an operating company of Expedia, Inc. Expedia, Inc. also owns Expedia.com.)

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