Tonight, my lovely Jamaica is going to be bashed to bits — literally — by Hurricane Ivan. This is the third monster storm to walk through the Caribbean in the last month. Like the Charlie and Frances before it, Ivan also has a taste for Florida, and will likely strike an already battered Sunshine State around Monday.

I hate to think of Jamaica taking that hit though. Ivan is carrying sustained 145 mph winds, and stuff down there just isn’t built to deal with that. I have this horrible, horrible feeling that paradise will be lost for some time.

Now, the other side of this event is that a month or two from now, it’s likely that there will be some terrific deals trying to entice travellers back to the island. I wouldn’t mind being among them — despite not planning to go back this year. If the deals are terrific, I’d hate to pass them up. I’d guess the target is under $500 for a week (airfare included) at the Riu before I’d be tempted enough to start trying to work a deal.