Vacation Spots!

[AJ]

Alright, I kinda spawned this from seeing the photos in the "best taken pics" thread.

Where have people gone, and where do people suggest to go for vacations and even for romantic and fun honeymoon spots.

Jana and I are thinking about driving though Canada this spring, heading twoards Maine, and then coming back around home though the states for a nice road trip out on the east coast, a place neither of us have ever been to.

But we also want to head to somehwere more exotic. My only fear is that I'd never know where you can go that maintains english speaking. And even less, one tha doesn't get a ton of spring breakers.

[Big Nate]

This is a great topic. Good work AJ.



The best trip that I have been on was to New York City. I was there on New Years Eve 2005 to 2006 for my wife’s golden birthday. It was awesome I mean I have never seen something like it before.

We stayed in the Hilton hotel that is one block off Time Square. Had dinner at a place called Roy’s in the west side witch is also known as Hell’s Kitchen. We were there for six days and five nights and it felt like we need way more time to explore the city. Also New York Cops are the best ever. We met one with his wife and they toke care of use in the big crowd when the ball dropped.

Here they are with us about five minutes after the ball dropped.

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m297/speed6guy/NYC/IMG_0327.jpg

I am going to go back with my kids and maybe again with my grandkids. This was by far the best trip that I have ever been one.

[mndsm]

I'm a big fan of Tuscon Arizona. BEAUTIFUL area, not nearly as congested as Phoenix, and they have like a wild west theme park there. It's more shitty little carnival than anything, but that's the crap I like.

[Slim]

But we also want to head to somehwere more exotic. My only fear is that I'd never know where you can go that maintains english speaking. And even less, one tha doesn't get a ton of spring breakers.


A couple suggestions:

Mexico:

Depends on the area you go to. I've been to the Mayan Riviera that is about 15min-1 hour south of Cancun. It follows the coast south of Cancun for miles and miles until eventually reaching the coastal ruins of Tulum. Beautiful area and moving south of Cancun gets you away from Spring Breakers.

The other thing that gets you away from Spring Breakers is the hotel you are staying at. I've stayed at El Dorado Royale for my honeymoon which is a top of the line adults only resort. Private beaches, snorkeling, bars in the pools, beachside massage, etc. And it was all-inclusive with 6 restaurants on the premises. However, it was a bit more spendy that your dirt cheap Spring Break packages to the Holiday Inn Cancun.

Dominican Republic (Punta Cana or Puerta Plata):

Great place. Great beaches. My parents have gone there 3 or 4 times. Main reason why? Not a crazy Spring Break place and cheaper than a lot of Mexico. Price will be determined by the quality of the hotel in the area.

And don't worry about the language thing. These places are built to serve tourism.

Another suggestion:

Use a travel agent. My wife and I looked online for a month setting up packages and getting pricing. We decided to try a travel agent and they got the same package to the same hotel with better airfare (i.e. 3 hours non-stop) for about $800 less than we could get online.

[Jana]

Mexico:

The other thing that gets you away from Spring Breakers is the hotel you are staying at. I've stayed at El Dorado Royale for my honeymoon which is a top of the line adults only resort. Private beaches, snorkeling, bars in the pools, beachside massage, etc. And it was all-inclusive with 6 restaurants on the premises. However, it was a bit more spendy that your dirt cheap Spring Break packages to the Holiday Inn Cancun.


Can you PM me some info on this one?

I've also considered talking with a travel agent. They know more of the "off the beaten track" places as well I'm sure.

Thanks!

[AJ]

This is a great topic. Good work AJ.



The best trip that I have been on was to New York City. I was there on New Years Eve 2005 to 2006 for my wife’s golden birthday. It was awesome I mean I have never seen something like it before.

We stayed in the Hilton hotel that is one block off Time Square. Had dinner at a place called Roy’s in the west side witch is also known as Hell’s Kitchen. We were there for six days and five nights and it felt like we need way more time to explore the city. Also New York Cops are the best ever. We met one with his wife and they toke care of use in the big crowd when the ball dropped.

Here they are with us about five minutes after the ball dropped.

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m297/speed6guy/NYC/IMG_0327.jpg

I am going to go back with my kids and maybe again with my grandkids. This was by far the best trip that I have ever been one.

What was getting a hotel near by like? I think this would be an awesome way to spend new years and like you said, just need to do it at least once. But I wonder if I need to make reservations 5 years in advance. lol

[Big Nate]

We made ours a year in advance. It was sweet love the city.

[mazdamn02]

AJ - I did a trip like you mentioned through eastern Canada and back through the US. It wasn't as complete as I would have liked it, but it was beautiful, and an awesome road trip. Really nice people as well. I'd ideally like a bunch of cash and a month to do it right again. That won't happen for a while though :)

One place I really enjoy is northern California, like Monterey and north to SF. Its all around awesome there, plus you can visit Laguna Seca.

[YSOSLO]

Since you didn't really mention a price range for your trip, I figured I'd throw out one of my favorite places.

http://www.beachhousehawaii.com/beachhousehawaii_c/index.cfm

This is where my wife and I stayed when we went to Oahu for a week a few years ago. We stayed in the Ali'i Suite, which is actually a little loft-type suite over a garage, but a lot nicer than that might sound. The couple that owns the place is Jack and Marilyn and they're really nice people. Their place is on the East side of Oahu, so you're not right on Waikiki Beach (which is like vacationing at a beach in downtown LA or something...very "big city" feeling). It's about a 30-40 minute drive from the Honolulu airport through beautiful valleys and through tunnels etc. and the beach, which you have pretty much to yourself is just a short walk across the street from their place and through a path between 2 other homes. Endless white sand, hardly any people in site for as far as you can see in either direction and the perfect sized waves for boogie boarding etc. We'd always heard about how great Maui was, but we spent a week there at a nice hotel on the beach and left thinking that there was so much more to do and see on Oahu. Sorry if I got a little too long-winded on my first post ever here...lol

[dmention7]

Probably my favorite trip in the last few years was staying on Sanibel Island in Florida for a week with my dad's side of the family. We rented a pair of 3-bedroom condos for the week, about a 2 minute walk from the gulf side of the island, and it was surprisingly affordable. I think that, staying for an 8-day rental, the condos were only about $1300, and slept 5-6 people comfortably. If I ever wanted a vacation where the goal was to laze around and straight-up relax for a week, I'd be back in a heartbeat. There is a little bit of touristy shopping, a nice nature center you can walk or bike through, a handful of fun restaurants, and of course tons of sandy beaches (which were surprisingly empty, given the constant 80 and sunny weather), but not a whole heck of a lot else. For those who don't know, Sanibel is famous for the seashells you can find on the beach--something about the tides and currents in that area dumps tons of shells there. If you can get yourself out of bed early enough, you can make some pretty cool finds.

We're planning to go back in January 09!

[upgtx]

If you guys are out-doorsy, go up to Door County Wisconsin or up to Houghton/Hancock. Any time of year both places are BEAUTIFUL, if you like snow, Upper Michigan is the place to be and everything up there is pretty cheap.

I have been to Japan, but that could be not so fun without a translator...

[ij1889]

no clue bud, im from the south, now if you want places in texas im your man, i have heard that thunder lake is pretty cool this time of year, but never been ther

[StealthSpeed3]

i agree with SilverMS3, Mexico is a great place to visit depending on the time of the year you go. Since i have yet to do too much travelling outside of the coldernshyt state I am partial to going up to the North Shore in the Grand Marais area to relax and spend time with the family since my aunts & uncles have some cabins up there on Lake Superior.

[Coldspeed]

+1 on Mexico. I'm heading to Playa Del Carmen in a few weeks. But, one of my favorite places is Cabo San Lucas. If you like adrenaline activites, Cabo is the spot. You can snorkel, scuba, ride jet skis, ride ATV's on the beach, and deep-sea fish. I caught a 120lb Striped Marlin. The Wide Open Baja Experience was the best, though. You get to drive a buggy on a race course with jumps. It was great fun! http://www.loscabosguide.com/wideopencabo/caboracetrack.htm

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v215/dpluhm/Cabo/cabo13.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v215/dpluhm/Cabo/cabo11.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v215/dpluhm/Cabo/cabo4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v215/dpluhm/Cabo/WideOpenTrack4.jpg