West Palm Beach, Fla. — My most frequent and vivid hunched-down-in-a-tiny-cubicle-under-the-glow-of fluorescent-lights daydream is this: imagining myself in one of my favorite inns in the Caribbean.

There's that little inn in fast-lane San Juan that whispers, "Tranquilo." And my room with the mahogany shower in Adm. Horatio Nelson's 18th-century dockyard in Antigua. And my pastel cottage with windows thrown open to the trade winds on the untrammeled southern coast of Jamaica.

At Wind Chimes Inn (ENLARGE)

The Tiki Boat Bar at the At Wind Chimes Inn in San Juan, Puerto Rico, draws locals and tourists.

So, to help you take a five-minute vacation from office overload, read on and dream. Better yet, take a few well-deserved days off and go to one of my favorite small Caribbean inns.

Tobys Resort, Montego Bay, Jamaica (876-952-4370, www.tobyresorts.com):

The price alone is the stuff of daydreams — air-conditioned rooms for two can cost as little as $80 in this small resort. Wonderful $7 dinners of the best jerk chicken in town, plus ackee and salt fish for breakfast, are served in my favorite Montego Bay restaurant, Gonzo's, next to the lobby.

In the guest rooms, French doors open to balconies overlooking mango and almond trees frequented by green parrots.

There's the occasional strong whiff of ganja from the balcony below or next door, but most guests, young Europeans and American fishermen and divers, probably don't mind this kind of secondhand smoke.

The inn is a little scruffy but neat and clean and has a young, efficient Jamaican staff. The open-air lobby, painted in colliding Caribbean colors, offers wireless Internet service.

The complex of two-story buildings has 65 rooms, but it doesn't feel big. The best thing about the resort is that it's authentic Jamaica from the people to the food.

Tobys, owned by the Chin family, is an inexpensive and relaxing retreat in a noisy 24-hour party town. It's a short stroll to Doctor's Cave Beach, one of the prettiest beaches in the country.

Jake's, Treasure Beach, Jamaica (1-800-688-7678 or 876-965-3000, www.islandoutpost.com):

No air conditioning, phones or TV. Shuttered windows have no glass or screens. Jake's is the place for people who don't require creature comforts except for those supplied by nature — reliable balmy breezes and great Jamaican food, all next to a beach.

The small cottage complex at Treasure Beach on Jamaica's quiet south coast has little bungalows painted in wild Jamaican colors with Moroccan domes and arches. A saltwater pool is next to the beach, and a restaurant serves fresh seafood and Jamaican cuisine with Blue Mountain coffee.

Amenities include mountain bikes, a poolside bar, a yoga and meditation room, massage services, and kayaks.

You never know who's going to walk through the door — Kate Moss or Jimmy Cliff. Jake's is owned by Perry and Sally Henzell. He wrote and directed the movie "The Harder They Come," a 1972 cult classic that introduced reggae to the world and starred Cliff.

The resort just added a luxury six-bedroom villa, Calabash Bay, that comes with a private butler and chef.

Summer rates start at $95 per cottage. Rates for Calabash Bay start at $1,000 per night.

Hermitage Plantation Inn, Nevis (1-800-682-4025, www.hermitagenevis.com):

The Hermitage Great House, a gray-shingled manor house built in 1740, is considered the oldest wooden building in the Caribbean. The mountainside resort is a collection of historic gingerbread cottages with a swimming pool and tennis court, but for many guests, the retired thoroughbred racehorses available for rides into the rain forest are the main attraction. There are also carriages pulled by two big Belgian horses.

Guests, who have included Mike Love of the Beach Boys and the Who's Roger Daltrey, tend to be sociable and gather at the main house, built of hard lignum vitae wood and furnished with handmade mahogany chairs and sofas. Dining is by candlelight on the veranda.

Rates are half-price in low season (April 16-Dec. 14), with rooms starting at $170.

Siboney Resort, Antigua (268-462-0806, www.siboneybeachclub.com):

This year is the 25th anniversary of the Siboney Resort, built by Aussie Tony Johnson in a lush grove of palms next to the white sands of gorgeous, mile-long Dickenson Bay.

The outdoor restaurant with palm trees growing through the roof is called Coconut Grove, which The Sunday Times of London called "every visitor's dream of what a Caribbean restaurant should be."

On a scale of 1 to 10, this restaurant is a 15 on ambience alone. The food is fine, too. While eating pumpkin soup, pan-seared snapper and coconut pie à la mode, I enjoy a spectacular view of the Caribbean at its most peaceful, a stellar view of the sunset, and then a lovely evening with candlelight and plenty of good cheer. Wesley Dyer is the affable bartender, who can answer all questions about Antigua.

Each of the inn's 12 suites has a living room with tropical rattan furniture, bedroom, modern bathroom, fully equipped kitchen, balcony or patio.

Everyone has his own idea of a perfect beach. Tony and I have the same vision.

Room rates for summer and fall start at $130.

Copper and Lumber Store Hotel, Antigua (268-460-1058, www.copperandlumberhotel.com):

One of the most atmospheric hotels in the Caribbean, the inn is a former British navy copper and lumber store built in 1783 in Adm. Horatio Nelson's Dockyard, home of the British fleet in the 18th century. It was used to store copper and lumber for shipbuilding and maintenance.

The inn's 14 suites, furnished with antiques, have walls of 200-year-old brickwork, hand-hewn beams and polished brass. The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards brought his wife and daughters here for a monthlong vacation.

Each suite, named after one of Lord Nelson's ships, has amenities such as air conditioning, TV and phones, and most rooms have views of the harbor and the million-dollar yachts that sail in from around the world. The hotel doesn't have a beach, but you can take a water taxi to sandy Galleon Beach on the other side of the harbor.

The hotel is well-known among yachtsmen for its lively bar, the Mainbrace Pub, where you can order fish and chips and kidney pie. The inn's Wardroom restaurant has great food served indoors or on the terrace.

Rooms in low season (May 6-Dec. 14) start at $135, but if you can, spend more for one of the elegant Georgian Rooms with mahogany shower.

At Wind Chimes Inn, San Juan, Puerto Rico (787-727-4153, www.atwindchimesinn.com):

Just down the road are the big resorts on Condado Beach, such as the sprawling Hilton Condado with its shopping complex, expensive rooms and hundreds of conventioneers with name tags.

The At Wind Chimes Inn is the antithesis — a quiet corner in Ocean Park just a block from North Shore beach. It has the tasteful ambience of a serene Spanish hacienda with Saltillo-tiled rooms and rattan furniture. There's a tiny swimming pool and the Tiki Boat Bar outdoor restaurant that's popular with locals.

Rooms start at $75 in low season (Aug. 1-Dec. 14), $99 in high season.

Another great inn nearby is Numero Uno Guest House (1-866-726-5010), which is next to the beach and has an excellent restaurant.

Cheryl Blackerby writes for The Palm Beach Post.