Palmetto_kid

The wife and I are considering a Tropical Vacation for sometime in June after she graduates. I have never been down to there before,,,,muchless left the country.

I am looking for

1. Opinions on the good places.
2. Heads up for places to avoid.

We would like to visit a place with a laid back & romantic atmosphere. We arent into heavy partying, and staying out late.

Thanks for the suggestions.
Phillip

Shovelhead

I'm planning on taking Wifey on a cruise in the fall for our 10th anniversary.
Costco & BJ's Club seem to have some pretty good deals.

bigern24

I'm headed to Jamaica next month for a week. Got a package deal with just about everything paid for. I'll be playing lots of golf and drinking a lot I know that. I'll let ya know how it goes, I've never been there before.

berner

My wife and I got married in Negril, Jamaica. VERY laid back. The locals force you to relax with their "no problem, mon" attitude. Everything moves at a snails pace, except for the driving. Over 7 miles of white sand beach. No building is over 3 stories high. You have to be careful of lowlifes ripping you off; just like anywhere else, I guess.

Everybody I've talked to that have been to the Mexican Riviera say it's very nice. The Cayman Islands also but it's pricey.

I sure would like to get away but I just dumped close to $5K on home theater equipment. Guess I'll crank the heat up in the house and watch the travel channel.

matthopp

Wife and I went to the Yucatan (Mayan Riviera) for our Honeymoon in December. Went to a resort called Xpu-Ha; it was awesome. It was like spending a week in a zoo; its an eco park. Not a typical resort, very spaced out and we had our own bungalo which were grouped into little mini villages; they have a lagoon for snorkeling, kyacking, and you can tour the Mayan Ruins. The resort is not known for its nightlife, very laid back, and is not a place for extreme pampering. The all-inclusive plan (food and drinks) is a must. We are young, outdoors, adventures type and it was great for us. We were probably the youngest (23yrs old) there w/o our parents, but the resort fit us well. Yucatan is very easy to get to, 2.5hr direct flight from Houston to Cancun, then we had an hour + drive to the resort, cheap, and easy (no passports to deal with). PM me if you would like more info. Good Luck

BarryG

Palmetto Kid:
Think south pacific, think Tahiti, think Bora Bora. The wife and I went to Bora Bora about a year and a half ago. It was just unbelievable. We stayed at a place in Bora Bora called the Sofitel Motu. Bora Bora is an Island that is surrounded by a reef. Inside the reef is the main island and a bunch of little islets they call motus. The Sofitel Motu is on one of those little motus. There are only 28 rooms (actually individual bungalows) on this private hideaway. Yet they had a boat on demand to take you to the main island a five minute ride. No crowds at all. Very intimate, yet has many amenities. Most of the rooms are out in the water. Our room was about 100-150 feet out on stilts in the water. The room was very large much larger than your typical us hotel room. More comparable to us hotel suite. It even had a chunk of glass in the floor so you could see fish while sitting on the couch. It had 2 decks one covered one not with steps going to a landing that had a shower (to rinse off after you got out of the water) then it had steps going into the water. You could snorkle right from your deck. Snorkeling at the coral gardens was just plain awesome. If you took some bread with you and tossed out a fingerfull you would be swarmed with a hundred fish. It was like being in a saltwater aquarium. You could go around to the other side of the motu by swimming, wading, kayak or walking and get to what they call the Coral Gardens. The best snorkeling on the island. The pay places would take the paying customers there but was free to the guest of the hotel as it was right there. Took a shark and ray feeding excursion where you get in a boat the guide takes you out to this place , you get in the water and he starts feeding sharks next thing you know there were ten to fifteen sharks swimming around within feet of you. (mostly black tips never been a shark attack there so it is safe). I read somewhere that Bora Bora gets less visitors in a year than Hawiaii does in a day. Without a doubt the most unforgetable most romantic vacation we ever took. Check out www.tahiti-explorer.com. If interested at all pm me and I can give you more info/tips on it.

BigBlue

Hawaii is always nice. Especially Maui. Very expensive though. Milk was like $8/gallon and gas was close to $3/gallon. Beautiful scenery, beautiful weather, great people. I could go on and on about it. The Bahama's are nice to. Went to Nassau about 6 years ago.

Commatoze

Aruba. Their economy revolves around tourism. They're nice people, and are happy to see you. Recommend the Divi Aruba Beach Resort.

induchman

The first item of business is getting your Passports applications in NOW! The backlog is about two months. You'll need your original birth certificate (with the raised seal), two photos, some $$, application and notarized signatures. Some local courthouses and post offices do the applications. You need to check with the Passport Agency about the details.

How much do you plan on spending on this tropical vacation? $1000-2000 a piece? Then double it for all the little trinkets and side-trips.

The best vacation bargain going is a cruise. $700 to ????? per person. Your accommodations, all meals and airfare are included. Same for the guy who gets the suite on the captains deck only for $20000 less.

Warm spots? South Pacific (Australia & Hawaii)...South America (Rio and Ipanema come to mind)....Central America (Belize, Costa Rica & Trans-Canal Panama). Always Mexico (Acapulco, Cancun and cruises), the West Indies (ABC's, PR, USVI cruises).

Avoid? Anything on the U.S. Dept of State's website of countries to avoid: Colombia, Peru, most of Middle East, etc. www.state.gov/travel

Mule Skinner

My wife and I did a carribean cruise for honey moon, Cancun, Cozumel ,Grand Caymen, and Jamaica. Absolutley the best way we have ever vacationed, do not need to worry about hotels, cars, restaraunts. Just worry about how to have fun each day, we did 7 nights and was just perfect. Plenty to do on ship as well as off shore excursions including shopping, scuba, snorkel, or just see the sights.

FOXY005

I second what Horse Hauler said the cruise is great,
10 days best vacation we ever had !

ramlovingvet

Tropical Oregon is nice

Tartarus

I'll second the Bora Bora suggestion. I'd have suggested Bali, too, before recent events gave it a bad rep for security.

ten8fiftyone

CRUIZIN baby!!!....Its the only way to go First time I thought I would be bored to tears. Yeah, right!!! We've been on 3 "Carnival" ships. Western and Eastern Caribbean, and West Indies. Last cruise in November 02, 8 days aboard Carnivals newest superliner, ported in Martinique, Barbados and Saint Martin. Total cruise price:$1,000.00 (we were in Florida with our RV at the time so no air fare) Great food, all you can eat, great entertainment, beautiful cabin,party or not patry (your choice) unbelievably relaxing! all for one price! (guided side excursions in port are extra, or you can do like us and sight see for on your own for next to nothing) And besides, the wife will love it!

phox_mulder

I 2nd and 3rd the cruise suggestion.

I've been on 4 and I think I like the western caribbean best.

Usually you get 3-4 ports on a seven day.

Great food, great drink, plenty of deck time.


phox