Recommend a Resorty Vacation

In My Humble Opinion
1

It’s been over a year since I’ve had a real vacation, and it’s been a heck of a year. We were supposed to go to Greece with some friends of ours in June, but that got canceled because we were getting my head around getting diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Going to a foreign vacation that involved a lot of planning and eating all sorts of unfamiliar food was waaaay more work than I was into doing.

Now, thankfully, we have a handle on the health issues, and I want a vacation! I’m thinking a relaxing vacation - a sit-by-the-pool-drinking-cocktails-with-umbrellas-in-them vacation, not a “go to Europe and participate in foreign culture and learn a lot of cool stuff vacation.” (I like those kinds of vacations, too, but right now I need rest & relaxation over culture.)

What I really want to do is head to Hawaii and spend a week or ten days at the Hyatt Resort on Kauai, like we did about ten years ago. Gorgeous, gorgeous hotel, great pools, and it’s fookin’ Hawaii.

Unfortunately, that’s also VERY pricey. We don’t want to break the bank this year, and I’m thinking I can find what I’m looking for in the southern US/Mexico/the Caribbean and it won’t involve $1200 plane tickets.

So, given that, can someone recommend:

  • someplace that’ll be warm in November
  • with a beach
  • and a nice resorty hotel - with a big pool/spa/resort thing. And waiters who will bring me the aforementioned cocktails-with-umbrellas-in-them.
  • won’t break the bank. We don’t need to go super duper cheap - but a $300 flight is gonna be of much more interest than spending $1200 and flying halfway around the world. And some sort of package deal that would include flights/hotel/car would be nice on the budget.
  • enough other stuff to do that we won’t get bored. Like snorkeling, mild hikes, a few sights-to-see, that kind of stuff. Good food/restaurants is a plus. Shopping/Casinos/Nightlife/Shows is not important.

I know there are nice places in Florida - Key West is of particular interest - but I worry about the weather in November, will it be warm enough to be going to the beach?

Further south, we’ve been to Jamaica, Cancun, and Cozumel, but not in forever, so we barely remember them and it’s not up to date. Cozumel was great for diving, but I seem to remember there wasn’t much else to do, and we don’t dive anymore. And the hotels kind of sucked.

Various other Caribbean islands are intriguing, but I know nothing about them. Thus this thread.

2

In about ten days, we’re going to Cozumel. We went there twelve years ago, and had a blast on very little money. It really hasn’t gotten much more expensive.

The two of us are flying from Baltimore to Cozumel, and will be staying at the Aura Wyndham for 8 days. Everything, from plane tickets to food to alcohol, is part of the package. We opted for one of the more expensive rooms- we’re going to have our own pool and tanning area.

Total cost? About $3000.

We’ll probably spend a bit more on dives through the same dive shop we used before, and we’re going to rent a scooter for the week.

Alternately, (since upon submitting I see that you’ve been to Cozumel), I can also recommend Belize. Good food, very friendly people. The diving isn’t as good as Cozumel, but it’s not bad.

3

But… as I mentioned… we don’t dive. I used to have a dive certificate, but haven’t kept it up. Mr. Athena has absolutely no interest in getting his dive certificate at all. Plus, diving as a diabetic is problematic at best. So diving is not something we’re going to be doing.

I don’t remember much to do in Cozumel if you don’t dive. The beaches aren’t great. Am I wrong on this?

Belize… that’s of interest. Jungles AND beaches.

4

Jamaica’s Half Moon Resort. Been there, loved it. I can’t say enough great things about the place. They treat you like kings!

5

I was on Key West on December 27th a few years back. Yes, it will be warm enough.

6

Really?

I was last there in… 1986. So a long time ago. But it was right after Christmas, and I remember it was long-sleeves and jeans weather, not go-to-the-beach weather.

7

La Jolla de Mismaloya is a smallish all-inclusive resort south of Puerto Vallarta. There less to do there than your average Sandals or Dreams resort, but the wife and I like it that way. We’ve been there 4 times and absolutely love it. It fits our budget and the service is always great.
Food on-property is decent, with some outstanding restaurants not far away.
Check with Apple Vacations or AAA and you might be able to find a nice charter package deal.

8

Puerto Rico’s El Conquistador. OMG. Not all that cheap, though.

9

Yes, really. But maybe we just got lucky. I’ve been to Jacksonville in late December a number of times and the weather there can be almost anything. (But is usually fantastic.)

When we were in Key West, my companion and I managed to find a beach. There was a guy in a little booth who we had to pay $2 for entrance. The booth had a white board on it that said “Water temperature: 73 degrees.” My companion and I looked at each other and said “73 degrees! Wow!” The guy said “Yeah, so you can’t go in.” Huh? Try to stop us. You see, we’re from New England and 73 degrees is considered bath water around here. (In theory. We never actually see that.)

I think it partly depends on where you’re from and what you’re used to. I’ve seen people from the Carribean freeze around here during August.

10

South Florida and the Keys is generally warm enough to go to the beach year round. You may get a few days here and there when the high only gets up in the 60s, and those VERY rare days when they only reach the 50s, but that is an aberration.

Those temps would be a once in a hundred year deal in November.

11

OK, so my Keys experience must have been a bad year. Good to know that it’s normally nice & warm!

So… anyone have any great resorty hotel ideas for the keys?

12

We spent a week here when we were in Key West. We didn’t do any of the resort things but when we arrived there was a wedding going on down on the beach.

I don’t know where you live, but we drove down there in about eight hours.

13

How about a cruise?

A friend and I were planning on taking a cruise at the end of November that was 7 or 8 days, started out from Newark NJ and circled down to the carribean. I think it actually was something like 2 nights and a day of travel at each end of 3 nights one on each of 3 islands [I want to say Puerto Rico, Haiti and one of the Virgin Islands?] and it was on the order of $1200 a person, all food and soft drinks included [you have to buy a package to include booze] for a double room with a balcony.

14

I love the Keys and they are beautiful and fun and almost like being outside the US, but they really aren’t as “beachy” as many people think. Key West itself only has a few beaches, and the main one is artificial. The sand on Smathers Beach is trucked in. On the other hand, Bahia Honda is beautiful and an awesome beach, but it’s thirty miles from Key West.

Notwithstanding, the Keys rock and are highly recommended. Just know what you’re in for. If you want long walks along exquisite natural sandy beaches, don’t stay in Key West. If you want shorter walks on crunchy coral beaches, plus a full-on circus/freakshow and some of the most spectacular sunsets on the planet, head down to Mallory Square a little before sundown…

15

Northern Florida can be a bargain in the fall. If you’re from Michigan, it will likely still feel plenty warm enough for you to go to the beach unless there’s a rare cold snap. Hell, that definition of “cold snap” may not be enough to make you want long pants.

Navarre Beach, Pensacola, Destin, Ft. Walton…places like that will prolly have off-season rates, and probably won’t be very crowded. There’s golf, fishing, a naval museum at Pensacola NAS, an old fort…Ft. Pickens, maybe? to check out, sea food, etc.

16

Vieques (PR) has awesome beaches, but I think the lodging isn’t very resorty.
Have a look anyway: http://enchanted-isle.com/vieques/lodging.htm

If you go before thanksgiving, I beleive it will be “shoulder season” rates.

Brian

17

A whole bunch of my family stayed at La Quinta Real in Huatulco, Oaxaca, Mexicolast summer for a week and loved it. I didn’t get to go. :frowning:

I’ve also been to Puerto Escondido, which isn’t far from Huatulco, and thought it was beautiful. The hotel we stayed at wasn’t quite as nice as what you’re looking for, but it had lovely gardens and access to a beautiful beach. I know there are several very nice places to stay there as well.

Both should be warm year-round.