Sun & sand in January or February

In My Humble Opinion
1

After a long crummy year of dealing with health issues, SWMBO is finally on the mend. Would like to take her someplace warm and sunny where we can walk the beach in January or February. Only place we’ve been before is Bermuda and that’s a little chilly in January.

Looking for a specific hotel or resort recommendation directly on a beach where we won’t have to futz around with transportation. Don’t really care about fancy dining, just a warm, sunny and sandy place to veg out and enjoy life.

Any recommendations???

Thanks!!

2

Since the OP is looking for advice, this is better suited for IMHO than GQ.

Colibri
General Questions Moderator

3

Where are you and how far are you willing to travel? The U.S. Virgin Islands are warm all year round and have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. There are a bunch of picture perfect islands in the general area that you could visit but the U.S. Virgin Islands have the advantage of being part of the U.S. which makes travel there pretty seemless. It depends on how much you want to spend and how busy you want things. The Buckaneer is a full resort on St. Croix but it is still pretty quiet. St. Thomas has some of the more touristy type places.

The island country of Turks and Caicos has lots of good resorts. If you just want nice beaches I would pick that general area of the Caribbean during that time of year. You can’t really good wrong with that.

4

St. John, USVI was my first thought as well. Depending on your budget, there’s a gorgeous resort, Caneel Bay, or a campground, Cinnamon Bay.

5

How about New Zealand or Australia?

6

I’m sure it’s too far to travel, but it’s the height of summer in the southern hemisphere - ever thought about Australia, South Africa or New Zealand?

7

Even in the USVI, the water is pretty chilly for swimming in the winter.

I suggest you go farther south, and find an all-inclusive on Aruba or Curacao.

8

Bali is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. Touristy in the beaches in the South, but nearly unspoiled, unvisited, beach paradise in the North.

9

We were in the British Virgin Islands in January, and the water temperature was like a bathtub. We spent 10 days boating around the islands, mostly living in bathing suits. Very beautiful, laid back place.

10

I love Yucatan, Mexico. The Carribean waters on the south border are gorgeous and the weather is good. Even if it rains a little bit. There are a number of interesting things to see along the coast all the way from the touristy things to more rustic pastimes. The little town of Playa Del Carmen is a delight.

Until the first week of December you can get good deals if you are willing to have a sprinkle or two in the afternoon. (Then, of course there is the risk of a hurricane if you are willing to risk that.)

I’ve had good luck with the Cheap Carribean site online. Last October I stayed for a week in Playacar on the beach in an all-inclusive for $600, including air. Can hardly beat that. Since we had a little rain I got $100. off my next trip with them. I’ve used them three times and have been satisfied.

The resort was Viva Wyndham Maya, an older one. The food was a notch above fast food but there was a good assortment to choose from and their homemade regional was good.

Cheap Carribean has deals on many of the islands and includes more luxurious venues as well.

11

How about a cruise? We did a cruise in the Caribbean last Feb on Royal Caribbean and it was heavenly. First day out and last day back were a bit chilly as we headed back in to Port Jersey, but many cruise lines have ships ported in Florida that you can fly to depart from.

It is actually great, food is included, though you can pay extra for specialty dining. Many nonalcoholic drinks are included, though you can pay extra for alcohol, and some sorts of wine/beer packages, or soda/froufrou coffee packages. You bop between island ports, you just unpack once and get to visit 4 or 5 [or more depending on how long a cruise you take] there is generally swimming pool, hot tub, pretty much all the food you can snarf, and you get to sightsee multiple places. Generally you tip once at the end [unless you barhop on the boat, or order from room service]

As an idea, this is part of the menu from last Feb’s cruise:

NIGHT ONE - Bon Voyage Dinner

STARTERS
Strawberry, Kiwi & Pineapple Medley
Smoke Fish Tapenade
Vidalia Onion Tart
Sopa de Tortilla
Hot and Sour Shrimp soup
Child Watermelon Gazpacho

Caesar Salad or Spinach Salad

MAIN COURSE
Truffled wild mushroom linguini alfredo
Slow-Roasted Prime Rib
Grilled Mediterranean Quesadilla
Pan-seared golden sea bass
Pan-seared fresh atlantic salmon
Aloo Gobi Methi

DESSERTS
Strawberry Pavlova
Chocolate Cherry Cake
Savarin
Low-fat blueberry and peach cobbler
Sugar-Free chocolate pot de Crème

NIGHT Two - Captain’s Gala (Formal Night)

STARTERS:
Shrimp Cocktail
Escargot Bourguignonne
Lobster Bisque
Oxtail Broth
Golden Pear Soup

Caesar Salad

MAIN COURSE:
Shrimp Ravioli
Grilled Seafood Brochett
Filet Mignon
Roasted Duck
Sauteed Seasonal Mushrooms
Potato Curry

DESSERTS:
Bittersweet Chocolate Souffle
Double Strawberry Cheesecake
Marinated Cherry Bake
Low-fat Berry Mouse
Sugar-free coconut vanilla layer cake

NIGHT THREE

STARTERS
Exotic Fruits w/ mojito jelly
Crab and Shrimp Salad
Beef and Veal Tortellaci
Jalapeno potato soup
Chicken Consomme

Caesar Salad
Seasonal Salad

MAIN COURSE
Parmesan-Crusted Turkey Tenderloin
Cornmeal-Dusted Tilapia
Slow-Roasted Beef Shoulder Filet
Asparagus and Brie Tart
Penne Tarantina
Gobi Ki Sabzi

DESSERTS
Choca-Chino Trilogy
Banana and Baileys Irish Cream brulee custard baked under a caramel crust
Magic Mango Parfait
Low-Fat Exotic pineapple and coconut cake
Steamed Sugar Free vanilla and berry custard w/ fresh berries

NIGHT FOUR - Venetian Feast

STARTERS
Caprese Salad
Antipasti
Scallop Risotto
Creamy Roasted Garlic Soup
Minestrone
Strawberry bisque

Caesar Salad
Insalata Mista – mixed greens, crisp zucchini, sweet red bell peppers and black olives

MAIN COURSE
Rigatoni Pasta
Garlic Tiger Shrimp
Chicken Marsala
Lamb Shank w/Rosemary
Eggplant and Roma Tomato Bake
Kaju Paneer Dhansak

DESSERTS
Warm Chocolate Cake
Raspberry Panna Cotta
Tiramisu
Low-Fat angel food cake w/ grand marnier marinated strawberries
Sugar-Free Chocolate mint cake

NIGHT FIVE - Chef’s Dinner

STARTERS
Eggplant and Kalamata Olive Tartare
Seafood Salad
Creamed wild mushroom in Puff Pastry
Cream of Asparagus
Double Duck Consomme
Roasted Peach Soup

Caesar Salad
House Salad

MAIN COURSE
Thai BBQ Chicken Breast
New England Bay Scallops and Ziti
Fisherman’s Plate
Slow-Roasted Aged Prime Rib
Greek-Style Vegetarian Moussaka
Kabuli Chana

DESSERTS
Dessert Sampler
Cherries Jubilee
Low Fat Double Passion Fruit Cheesecake
Sugar Free Red Berry Tart

12

Thanks for the excellent suggestions, we’ll check them out. For now sticking with Caribbean choices. While I’d love to do Australia or NZ, it’s out of our price range.

13

I don’t have a resort recommendation, but I was in Cartagena, Colombia last March, and it was sunny (read: HOT), the beaches are nice, and there’s a lot to see and do. (Which is important to me, as I find lying on beaches to be pretty boring.) It was the capital of the whole northern part of South America during Spanish colonial days and the old town is very beautiful and scenic. Colombia’s also quite cheap to visit.

14

Not sure how the January/February whether is, but in March the weather was fantastic with one drizzly day in the Mayan Riviera, Mexico. We stayed here. While we didn’t have to leave, we took advantage of the drizzly day to visit some ruins at Tulum, but you don’t have to.

15

I’ll throw my 2 cents in.
USVI is great, close-by, and no passport required. St. Thomas is crowed and touristy, and St. John is quiet with not much to do.
St. Croix is perfect, with many quiet beaches, great restaurants, and no crowds.

There are resorts in Christianstead, but consider a house rental.
We did one in April for under 2k for the week in a gated community with 2 private beaches.

We’ll go back next year…

16

Yeah, yay Bali, but January/February there is pretty wet! There’s likely to be at least one downpour per day, often more. The monsoon is what keeps it so green and lush. I personally love traveling in the wet season, but it can make getting around a bit tricky.

17

Most of Australia is too hot (for my tastes) in January and February, and January is the peak tourist season there as well (it’s when the schools have their long summer vacation). However, it is ridiculously easy to find nice beaches within a short walk of motels, restaurants, etc., including beaches that very few foreign visitors will ever have heard of, close to the centres of large cities. (And I don’t mean Sydney: I mean cities with beaches closer to the city centre than that).