A week in Paradise

[Iceaxe]

In 2013 I will have been married 20 years to my wonderful wife.... and she deserves something special for putting up with my crap for so many years. I'd like to take her somewhere really nice for a week. I'm pretty sure her dream is sipping drinks on a romantic beach somewhere warm.

Anyhoo... I'm looking for ideas... Hawaii? Caribbean? Mexico? Central America? Anyone know a great spot, hotel, resort or a good deal? All thoughts and suggestions are welcome.

Our anniversaray is in Septemeber but we're flexable on time of year.

:kickit:

[rockgremlin]

We went to Cancun back in August. It was nice. Had a hotel room on the beach. It was nice right up to the part where they lure you in and try and get you to commit to a $5-10K time-share package. They wouldn't take no for an answer. It took me getting pissed off and finally telling them "No! NO! NO! Carajo! No queremos comprar eso! Chutica! Hijo de puta!!"


They got the message...

Moral of the story....watch out for the time share bait and switch. :angryfire:

[denaliguide]

south pacific. tahiti, bora bora, fiji....... blue skies, white sand beaches, little brown skinned girls bringing you drinks with umbrellas.

[nelsonccc]

We just finished the new Aluai Disney Resort in Hawaii. It's a nicely (Hawaiin) themed resort and not very disneyesque. Anyways has a very fancy, private beach.

Cuba might be wort looking into too. Supposedly its a very popular spot for the international tourists and very affordable with a 'real' atmosphere. I do know that Cuba has poured a TON of money into restoring their tourism (after Castro) and it's a spot I looked into heavily. You can't fly their directly from the US so most people fly into a mexico then fly to Cuba. Check out the Canada Cuba tourism page. I've got a buddy that went there a few years ago and for the money he said it was way more bang for the buck than the other more popular carribean locations.

http://www.gocuba.ca/client/home/index.php

[powderglut]

How bout an hour down the coast from Cancun in Akumal or Tulum. Snorkeling with turtles. Awesome beaches!

[accadacca]

Very timely post. I hit 15 years in a few months, looking for ideas too. :popcorn:

[Iceaxe]

A couple of other thoughts... All things being equal, I'd rather spend an extra day on the beach over an extra day traveling. I'm really not interested in a place with kids..

And... I know where the garden spots of the world are, I'm looking for more specific info... as we flew into this airport, stayed at this resort, it was/was not enclusive, plan on spending this much for a week, you will need a rental car or not, the stripper at the Wednesday night doney show is really ugly, the swimming with turtles/mermaids was cool, the one don't miss item in the area is...

[Iceaxe]

How bout an hour down the coast from Cancun in Akumal or Tulum. Snorkeling with turtles. Awesome beaches!

Do you have any good resort recomendstions? Price wise it appears Mexico is the biggest bang for the buck. Flying in and out of Cancun is reasonable.

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[powderglut]

Do you have any good resort recomendstions? Price wise it appears Mexico is the biggest bang for the buck. Flying in and out of Cancun is reasonable.

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Wife and I are not the all inclusive type. I've always rented places with kitchens and always rent a car to explore. And the main thing ......fish. I love to flyfish tropical flats.

What do you want? If you guys want clubs at night, Cancun and Playa del Carmen got em in spades. Akumal is much quieter with reef out the front door. Tulum has the "Corona commercial" beaches and a cool town. I would checkout www.locogringo.com (http://www.locogringo.com) and tell them what you want. they can put it all together. All inclusive, beachfront condo, villa, mansion.....

[Rob L]

Iceaxe, and seriously, have you asked her whether she might like a trip to somewhere less beach-like?

London is nice; Paris is full of foreigners but has some great buildings/museums/galleries etc.

Alaska is great for a look at the fjords (Norway better).

And so-on....

Just a thought.

Rob

[JONBOYLEMON]

A fantastic trip we took a few years ago, well 10 now, but was to do the Pacific Coast from Victoria Canada down to the Redwoods.

No real warm beaches along the way, but it was one of our funnest vacations.

2 of the nights was spent here.
http://hecetalighthouse.com/

This place was AWESOME!!!!! Salt air blowing in the open window at night and crab cakes in the morning for part of the 7 course breakfast!!!


And a few here.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60921-d659446-Reviews-Ocean_Crest_Bed_and_Breakfast-Port_Angeles_Washington.html

Jack and Barbara were the most friendly B&B keepers we have ever met. We have been there 3 seperate times. One of our visits was when I was doing Chemo and was about dead and Barbara came down to check on me every hour or so the day I stayed inside all day while the wife went to see some sites. Classy peaple in a very comfortable place. Never puked soo much in my life in someone elses place and still felt like I was at home...

Olympic National park is just amazing, Cape Flattery, climb Victoria BC Buschart gardens, Mt Shasta, Redwoods, the Bay Area

My wife much to my pleasure loved the PAcific coast. I think she even liked it better than our 10 nights between Cancun and Belize. But we both had no complaints about that trip though!!!!!!

[DOSS]

The wife and I stayed at Temptation resort in Cancun. and we are talking about going back this year again. It was all inclusive (I liked this so I didn't have to deal with finding food and had a lot of good places right there with yummy food), I could get up in the morning go to the topless pool and be totally wasted before noon for only a couple $$ in tips. Plenty of things to do at the resort hanging out on the hobicat sail boat for a couple of hours was great. Staff was good, clean. Sometimes it was a bit wild with some of the games that they would do but its cancun just have fun.

Some day trips to the ruins, Shopping and just kicking back on the beach.


http://temptation.originalresorts.com/cancun/en/index.asp

[Brian in SLC]

Moriara, Spain. Low key. Great, local beaches. Fun hiking/climbing/canyoning nearby. Food is great. Beverages are great. Gobs of apartments to rent where you can have your own pool, etc. Walk to the beach.

Fly in and out of Barcelona and drive down. Easy money. September is off season and its still warm enough to swim, etc.

Some other spots:

Finale Ligure in Italy. Beach is great, small, local. Good hiking. Fun via ferratas, climbing, and I'd imagine a canyon or two to be had. You want great canyon action, with, lake beach instead of ocean beach, hit the area around Lake Como in Italy. Can't beat the canyons between there and Ticino.

Corsica, France. Fantastic. Pop into Nice from JFK, short hop to the island. Rent a house near/on the beach. Voila. The, uhh, local scenery is really great (!).

I'll bring my laptop to the canyon xmas party and you and yours can check some of this stuff out...

[JONBOYLEMON]

What up Pimp.. ??

[Deuce]

Maybe a ball park figure as far as money & some stipulations as far as how long you plan on staying, could make it easier for some to throw out ideas.

There is a reason I have not been to the beaches around the World, Cancun does it for me.... When I start planning a trip, it seems everything is on the table, but pretty soon I end up back to Cancun.... Maybe it is the comfort I have, knowing what I am going to get. Have done many places in Mexico and to Kauai, but bang for the buck.....I keep going back to Cancun. Love that I can direct flight out of SLC and be there in 4 hours. We are fans of the all inclusive resort type of vacation, which are easy to find in Mexico. Love the Caribbean waters and sandy beaches that places in Cancun can offer. If you choose Cancun & don't want kids at the resort, maybe Le Blanc is the resort to start with.

We fly Frontier, transfer with Dream Days in their Escalades and have stayed at a few different resorts. We really liked the Beach Palace, but are doing something different again this year and staying at the RIU Palace Las Americas. Generally we are not big on tours, but some of us went on a snorkel tour last year and it was fun. I think a friend and I will fly-fish Isla Blanca this year, even though I don't think that first week of April is a perfect time.

My wife and I love to just sit at the pool and or beach and watch the day go by. I usually spend some time in the Ocean, we clean up and have dinner, usually drinks are the bar are followed by drinks on the balcony of the room....then whatever happens, is none of your concern..... She reads a lot, I smoke too many cigars, pretty soon it is time to come home....that is our idea of a perfect vacation. We started taking the kids along and they have so much fun, it has become just what we do every year they get out for Spring Break.

All that said, if I had a budget of 8-10K and didn't have the kids along, I may opt for something like this http://www.sayulitalife.com/milagros I'd book and have the owner refer me to someone who would come and cook/clean for us while we were there, which would be an easy set up. They could shop for food, beer, wine and spirits, set everything up so when we got there....it'd be like our own little all inclusive. The last thing I want to be doing on vacation, is cooking and/or cleaning. We have been to Sayulita and it is a cool little town. I'd like to go back for an entire week and learn to surf.

I'd really like to go to Spain and hang out in a villa on the beach for 2 weeks, but that is a long time in a plane for me and assume out of my comfort zone price wise.... Though we're reportedly going to go to France for a few weeks with the in-laws(flight and first 2 weeks accommodations are on them), when my FIL retires. As long as I'm there.....we'll see what happens....:2thumbs:

[Iceaxe]

Warm tropical beach is a requirement and not an option. This is a total be lazy vacation.

So far I'm liking the Cancun and Playa del Carmen all-inclusive idea. Planning on staying 7 days, money is not an issue but it's always nice to get a lot of bang for your buck. I have no problem paying to upgrade. Time away from work is an issue for me, if I have Wi-Fi access for 30 minutes a day it makes my life much easier (the down side of owning two companies). I like the direct flight in and out of Cancun and the wife hates to fly so that would make her happy.

So far the drift I'm getting on Cancun is visit some ruins and don't spend all your time at the resort. Do some excursions. The hot young stripper wife likes to party hard so wild is not an issue.

I'm also more interested in beach stuff (swimming, scuba, snorkel, volleyball, jet ski) than hiking and sight seeing.

I do appriciate all the ideas.

[DOSS]

Warm tropical beach is a requirement and not an option. This is a total be lazy vacation.

So far I'm liking the Cancun and Playa del Carmen all-inclusive idea. Planning on staying 7 days, money is not an issue but it's always nice to get a lot of bang for your buck. I have no problem paying to upgrade. Time away from work is an issue for me, if I have Wi-Fi access for 30 minutes a day it makes my life much easier (the down side of owning two companies). I like the direct flight in and out of Cancun and the wife hates to fly so that would make her happy.

So far the drift I'm getting on Cancun is visit some ruins and don't spend all your time at the resort. Do some excursions. The hot young stripper wife likes to party hard so wild is not an issue.

I'm also more interested in beach stuff (swimming, scuba, snorkel, volleyball, jet ski) than hiking and sight seeing.

I do appriciate all the ideas.

Most of the resorts usually have buy there deals for Scuba, snorkel and jetski rentals so you are in luck there.. We really liked the place I said earlier as it was not tied to a "family friendly" resort so we could actually miss our own kids instead of wanting to choke someone elses nearby :) You might also hit up a party cruise -- basically a floating drinking party with dinner. You can pay for Wifi at almost any resort so you should be golden there. Honestly I would say go without any real plans and decide what you want to do there.. if you need to go for a hike they are around to be had but let it just flow and enjoy your time on the beach without plans :)

[rockgremlin]

When in Cancun don't miss the Chichen Itza ruins. Its a little more than a half day trip, and lunch and transportation are provided. It's a must see.

Whatever resort you stay at - when they tell you to show up for a "special meeting" ignore it...its a half day sales pitch.

[DOSS]

When in Cancun don't miss the Chichen Itza ruins. Its a little more than a half day trip, and lunch and transportation are provided. It's a must see.

Whatever resort you stay at - when they tell you to show up for a "special meeting" ignore it...its a half day sales pitch.
I just say I was just layed off so there is no way to pay for it.. That or tell them that "this is not my wife" :)

[Iceaxe]

Is this timeshare crap typical or something RG managed to find?

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[Deuce]

Is this timeshare crap typical or something RG managed to find?

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I have not had a big issue with them, but almost all the places(in Mexico)will try to sell you. I have said no, not even a chat, and have been left alone.... Often they try to say it is to show you what the resort offers, no....no....no.

[rockgremlin]

Is this timeshare crap typical or something RG managed to find?

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It's quite common. Many of the oceanside resorts are timeshares. They're everywhere. You still get an amazing trip, but the sales pitch is a little annoying.

[powderglut]

The timeshare bullshit is everywhere, even when you're coming out of the Cancun airport. It's easy, just say no! It's probably why wife and I go to really out of the way places, like Isla Holbox and Xcalak. Local people in these towns are genuinely nice folk. No beach hawkers. Night life is vey limited in these places. We make our own fun!
So.... Cancun or Playa? You may want to make sure you choose an adult all inclusive, Especially if you don't want families and kids running all around you. They should offer wave runners and all the beach toys. Most of these places can set you up for fishing trips, Mayan ruins, day trip to Cozumel reef snorkeling etc... Eye candy on many of these beaches is world class. :naughty:
I like the forum on Loco Gringo and Trip Advisor for best advice. A little bit of effort on these 2 sites, will help reassure that you made the right choice.

[JONBOYLEMON]

I would second the Rui resort in Cancun. We went there with some friends who occasional slum it at the 4 seasons, and they enjoyed the Rui enough to not even complain about it. But it was a huge sacrifice for them to stay at such a pedestrian place.
Also, we had 10 days there so we planned on getting off plane, get shuttle to Rui, all the while shopping for best time share crap and then did a time share trip to Tulume the 1st morning there. After 3 hours of saying no, we walked out with all expense paid trip to Chitzinitza, Tulum snorkeling, Cancun jetski trip, and an isla majares trip. Well worth wasting the 1st morning there. But I am cheap and if you want a week in paradise and can afford to pay for it dont bother.

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sugexp=les%3B&gs_nf=3&gs_rn=0&gs_ri=hp&cp=5&gs_id=3y&xhr=t&q=cenote&pf=p&tbo=d&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&oq=cenot&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.1355272958,d.cGE&fp=eb167e69469835e2&bpcl=39942515&biw=1920&bih=962

You probably already know about these if you are headed to Cancun, but if not, add it to the list.

Also, Isla mujares or whatever it was called, was the only letdown of the trip.

http://www.xelha.com/ We had a riot here. Just dont get hurt cliff jumping here unless you want world class medical attention in a hut. This was were I learned that stingrays can assist you in ruining a perfectly good pair of swim trunks and possibly get you in trouble with the authorities for unauthorized dumping in protected waters.


Also, make sure you go to one of the Cenotes as they are awesome.

We had a blast at the beach in Tulum just because we darn near had the coastline to ourselves. But the beach at the Rui was manicured to perfection before we got up everyday, so no complaints there either.

PS, do you speak Spanish? It helps to be able to talk to everyone in english and then if they need to "Consult with an associate" you can listen in on the deal and use what you just heard to your advantage....

[Deuce]

Just as a note, all of the RIU resorts in the hotel zone of Cancun are family friendly. We'd be the family of 4, kids 8-16, that would be ruining your trip....:haha:

Again, if you want adult only, personally....I'd start with Le Blanc. There are some other higher end adult resorts, none of their names come to mind right now...should be easy enough to search out.

[rockgremlin]

Also, make sure you go to one of the Cenotes as they are awesome.


^^^YES!!!^^^ There is a really cool Cenote on the way to Chichen Itza that our tour bus stopped at. Red Bull did a diving event there a few years ago that was used in one of their advertisements. Check it out:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykmLsEeecVs

It's a must see. There's a staircase that goes all the way down to the water, and they let you go down and dive/swim around in it. Lot's of eye candy there as well. Gringos in G-strings all over the place. :naughty:

[accadacca]

:popcorn:

[erial]

Vacationed a half dozen times at Capitan Lafitte's on Punta Bete (a few miles north of Playa Carmen) in the 1980s-90s. Now known as Petite Lafitte's. Right on the beach and you can easily stroll the 4 or 5 miles along the water's edge to get to Playa. Or take a taxi.

Turquoise Reef Resorts manages that resort and many others in the area including Mahekal Beach Resort formerly Shangri La located on the northern edge of Playa. Turquoise Reef Resorts is based in Boulder, Colorado. Unfortunately, quite a few years have gone by since our last visit. Hurricane damage and increasingly difficult air connections being the main culprits. But when we go back we'd book thru Turquoise.

[trackrunner]

If I could go anywhere it would be the maldives or birtish Indian ocean territory. Then maybe the secheles.

I really liked traveling french polynesia islands of: tahiti, moorea, huahine, bora-bora, raiatea, and a couple others. All were good and had nice things about them, If I went again i would probably skip tahiti or explore the island away from the population. I'd stay to some of the smaller islands, but not too small because tourist service comfort drops off.

I enjoyed cancun and probably would go back again in the future for all the reasons mentioned by others. since you mentioned you and your wife like to party hard, I'd recommend a resort with a great on site club. do excursions you like during the day, party at the club at night, next day is a rest beach day, and repeat. I was not a fan of the town of cancun. seamed a little slow. not what i expected for a tourist town, but i went right after a major hurricane that was a direct hit on the city.