Need input on location for Vacation

I've got nothing, but HAVE FUN! 

Why not do a cruise to a few of them? You get all the food you could possibly imagine, comfort of your own room on the boat, and you get to stop in a few islands. Its a win win

Or just go a Costa Rica. Bahamas isn't really anything special.

I've heard good things about the Virgin Islands.

Cancun.....

What type of climate would you like?

Some of those areas are dry and deserty (for an island), some are lush jungles, some a combo.  

What kind of activities?  Resort?  Ruins?  More rustic and activities?  Lying on a beach? 

Peurto Rico is nice as long as you stay near the coast (I did a lot of work in the interior and it's pretty rough).  San Juan has a nice mix of old and new.

I'd steer clear of Jamaica.  It's really a hole.  Seriously.  A hole.

Belize is very nice.  A bonus is they all speak English.

Might also consider Roatan (an island of Honduras). Very cheap (dinner & drinks was $10).  Very relaxing and laid back.  Great snorkeling.

There is a WONDERFUL all inclusive resort in Cozumel named "El Cid".

Edited by TriRSquared 2010-10-26 3:25 AM

What kind of vacation are you looking for?  Do you just want to sit on the beach and relax or are you looking to go out and do things every day?  If you want to do stuff, what kind of activities?

We're going to do something pretty relaxing that entails good food, good drink, masssages and hanging out at the beach. 

As expected, those responses are pretty varied...but come on, Detroit?  Really? 

I did get to spend some time in Honduras a few years back but unfortunately didn't make it to Roatan.  Beautiful country and after seeing pictures of Roatan, I can takes it to an even higher level!

I've been to most of the places that you listed, and my favorite was Costa Rica.

Though I would second whoever above said to look at a cruise.  They are really inexpensive this time of year and you can easily to a week and hit several of the islands in one trip.

Plus, lots of time for relaxing, pampering and heavy drinking.

Have fun!

We did a family all-inclusive in the Playa del Carmen area quite a few years ago through Apple Vacations and FunJet.

http://www.funjet.com/specials/index.asp?xmlFile=RiuSale&Dest=CUN&OAC=&plCode=#prices

I think we were at the Riu Playacar.  Also, at the time, and it still may hold, it was a sister Hotel which allowed you to use the amenties of the other two places, like going to the ocean beach across the street at the Riu Palace Riviera Maya.

I added the Turks and Caicos option. It is my FAV beach destination by far and away.

Tri Take Me Away and I went to San Juan Puerto Rico for a long weekend last year.  Flights were cheap.  Hotel accommodations were very affordable. 

We spent 1 day in Old San Juan doing touristy stuff.
1 day at the hotel pool being lazy
1 day in the rain forest doing a hike, rappel and zip line
1 night we went to the bioluminescence bay to kayak

We fit in a lot in a short amount of time.  And we didn't even try to explore the other side of the island.  There was still plenty to do.  If I was to go back, I would want to drive the entire island and stay a night in 2-3 different towns. 

Funny, i was talking to my wife about the exact same thing last week.  We are a little more "outdoorsy" so we don't look for four season type hotels, we prefer boutique style hotels that are for lower maintenance people and less commercial but that have A LOT of character.  This usually translates to about the same cost of a four season, but roughly 1/3 the amenities.  It's a completely different type of experience and culture with the people and the other customers.  Our vacations we are usually up at the crack of dawn and out bicycling, shopping, eating, hiking, swimming, site seeing, etc.... and then eat big and drink big long and late into the night.  I tell you that, just to give you an idea of where the recommendation is coming from.  Anyway, this is specifically what we discussed in Bocas del Toro http://www.puntacaracol.com/.  That more closely fits your description than our other discussed trip which was an REI vacation (or other vacation package) touring through Costa Rica.

Anyway, I'm sure you'll have a great time at any place.

We did Riviera Maya for 2 weeks for our wedding and honey moon and had a great time.  So that's a good one too.  According to your description of what you want, you probably couldn't go wrong with that one, either.

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Edited by AcesFull 2010-10-26 10:16 AM

St. John.  http://www.caneelbay.com/, ocean front room.  Great island to explore, good food (probably not world class, but very good), beautiful water & very relaxing.  If you're looking for December, book now.

I definitely enjoyed the all-inclusive we did to the Riviera Maya - just a little further down from Playa Del Carmen.  Very very nice resort - snorkeling right there on the beach, a little mayan ruin on site ... good food, yummy margaritas - what more can one ask for! Really can't go wrong in that area if you're looking for relaxation. :D

I've traveled a bit in the Caribbean and Cancun was my least favorite place, besides Barbados.  They are both dirty, party hot-spots and not the best location for a nice relaxing vacation.  I am a huge fan of Martinque... absolutely beautiful and the food is very different... seafood with a french spin.  I went snorkeling there and it had the most stunning coral reefs...

However, my vote for a tropical vacation is without a doubt Kauai (the northern most island of Hawaii).  Isolated, "local" and truly the most beautiful place I have ever been.  December is whale mating season and being able to see the humpbacks surface just a few yards from your surf board is quite amazing.  (been there, done that)

Edited by triOK 2010-10-26 6:38 PM

Hawaii would be great (after all, it's my birthplace), but we're hoping to keep flight time down to a minimum!

Wow, thanks for all the responses!  I'm not ignoring all of you, but it's a lot of information to absorb!