Thinking about taking a vacation, I could use some time away.
I’m not really sure where I’m leaning, but a tropical carribean-type place would be nice. I don’t really have strong preferences in any case. I have plenty of money, although I’d feel wasteful taking an especially expensive vacation - this is the off season I’d imagine, though.
Of the different places to stay in the carribean, what’s good? In terms of ocean/beach, night life, things to do, nice locals, etc.?
If you have any other ideas for a week to get away, perhaps a vacation you’ve recently taken and enjoyed, I’d love to hear them.
Take a cruise. We did a weekender that went to the Bahamas, and it was fun. You can take one that goes to different islands around the Carribean and get some ideas for the future.
But the cruise itself is fun. The food on the boat is great, and they have entertainment, too. Casino. Then you go into the port, where you can choose an activity that strikes your fancy. There’s variety.
One of my other favorite vacation spots is the sea islands of South Carolina. It’s nice and warm in summer with great beaches. We’ve always stayed on Fripp Island. It’s not touristy at all. Just relaxing with good restaurants, golf, bicycling, etc. Day trips can be Charleston or Savannah. Beaufort is also a nice small town.
I forgot to add - places that accept birth certificates and drivers licenses rather than passports (I know there are at least a few islands) would be preferred, otherwise I have to wait a few weeks to get my passport. Still, give me experiences/ideas from passport-required places please.
Come on down to South Florida. It’s still off season until about the middle of November, but there isn’t as much tourism expected post charley. In Lee and Collier Counties, the damage was pretty light, so we can take you on!
I had a very nice time in the Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen area once, and could recommend those places.
A coworker and I took a ‘virtual vacation’ the other night at work (we were goofing off big time), and found a list of hotel rooms in Playa del Carmen for under $50.00 that were very appealing. Snorkeling, scuba, mayan ruins, jungle drives, shopping, white sand beaches with palapas, frosty drinks…
Flights to places in the Carribean can usually go for around 6 to 7 hundred a pop, so maybe you would like to go somewhere more exotic?
If your dates aren’t firm, then try going to Travelocity, they have a search there that allows you to find really cheap fares if you are looking at a general month time-period.
If it were me, I wouldn’t go to the Carribean, but you sound like you are burned out and want to relax somewhere. In that case, Mexico would probably be a great answer. I bet you don’t want to be in a large city.
I would go to Australia or NZ this time of the year if I had endless funds. Or maybe I’d go to some other destination in the southern Hemisphere. While not known for its beaches, it could be cool.
But the absolute coolest would be a Pacific Island like Tihiti, or maybe even hawaii? Maybe Malaysia or Indonesia. These places sound really exotic, but I am sure in alomst any place they have resorts or hotels that will put you up comfortably with a nice culture to explore when you feel like it.
Thailand. It’s not Caribbean but it’s definitely tropical and I’ve never known anybody who went to the beaches (or the bars) there who didn’t fall in love with the place, plus it was a major learning experience and they were surrounded by thousands of years of advanced civilization and fascinating history.
You can try Bermuda. It’s not super hot this time of year, high 70s, low 80s, but it’s a beautiful place. Lovely beaches, lots of sights to see, tons of history, friendly people. I took a cruise there about a month ago and had the best time. You can also just fly in and get a hotel room. I don’t think they got hit by any of the hurricanes that ravaged the caribbean, they don’t tend to get as many way up in the atlantic.
Another positive point for Bermuda, you can generally use US dollars, the Bermudan dollar is 1-1 with ours. I also don’t think you need a passport, but I’m not 100% sure, I’d double check first.
It’s just cruel to suggest that somebody visit someplace mundane like Thailand and then, almost in the same breath, mention a travel destination like Opp. Besides, both of the motels in Opp are already booked solid for the Roundup through 2007.
No sense dangling a carrot if you’re not going to let the poor soul have a bite. That’s just torture.
We’re doing Costa Rica this fall for 8 days. Beaches, rainforest, and whitewater rafting. I can’t wait! You do need a passport for it, however. If money’s no object, you can get your passport expedited, but I don’t remember what the restrictions are regarding doing so.
Can’t believe I forgot to add “Rattlesnake” to that :smack:
(I grew up in southern Alabama and that was literally the highlight of our social season; now it’s mobbed by [rightfully agitated] environmental activists.)
I’ll throw in another idea - Maui. I love love love Maui. It is beautiful and the atmosphere is very laid back. We are going to Wailea (southwest side of the island) next month and I am cannot wait. There’s fun nightlife in Lahaina, which is about a 30-45 minute drive north. Helicopter tours over the volcano are just breathtaking, and the snorkeling is excellent. I believe their travel season is November until about March, so I’m not sure how the costs are. We normally go during the summer, but this time we will be there during the whale watching season and I think that is super cool.
Four years ago, for my honeymoon, we went to Saba, a Caribbean Island that is part of the Netherland Antilles. It was heaven. The island was very clean and pretty, the people very nice and the food exquisite. Downsides (or more positives, depending on your point of view) are that you do need a passport, there are no sandy beaches for lying or walking on, no bright-lights-type night life. But, we wanted fantastic scuba diving, good food and quiet relaxing times - and we got it. If you know how to scuba dive, or are interested in learning, Google ‘Saba’ and check it out.
Hawaii’s great too, especially if you get to the less traveled islands.
I love St. John, in the USVI. There’s not much nightlife, but the beaches and snorkeling are gorgeous. Good hiking and kayaking, too. For an inexpensive stay, there’s the Cinnamon Bay campground. If you want to go luxury, stay at Caneel Bay. We went once in the off-season and got upgraded to a gorgeous room: no clock, no TV, no radio, no phone. It was perfect.
My wife and I loved Belize. Just south of Mexico on the carribean. Ambergrese Key. Or any other island off Belize is going to be very laid back. Try not to spend to much time on the mainland unless you go to a “jungle resort”. Belize City is a hole. It may take a passport though. You should get one just to have.
The only vacation I’ve been on in years was to Cali and I loved it. I was looking at grad schools, but there are lots of other awesome things. Fly into SF, see the city, rent a car, drive down the coast, which is awesome. Stay in Big Surr or San Simion for the night, then drive down some more, stay in I think it’s Laguna Beach, south of LA for a day, there are some beautiful looking resorts on the water and finish the trip in San Diego. Go to Dog Beach and Old Town. Really, you can do all of that in a week, as I did most of it and saw four colleges. Plus no paaports needed unless you want to go to mexico, which you can from San Diego easily.
