tropical vacations

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Can anyone give me some tips on choosing a good place for a vacation? I have never been to Cancun, Bahamas, etc. My hubby has and liked Cancun but I would like some more suggestions. Just want somewhere WARM! with a cool beach and neat things to see. Just to relax. Any--like most we are on a budget. Any suggestions from anyone who has stayed at a great place! Thanks!!

Specializes in ICU, psych, corrections.

We are saving up for when we have a REAL honeymoon!!! My husband had two kids from previous marriage so we weren't able to get away after our quickie marriage here in Nevada. So we have a fund set up for a big wedding (in our beautiful Catholic church once I convert) and a great honeymoon afterwards (the kids will go to their mom's for that period of time). Anyway, our destination of choice is either Bora Bora or Fiji. My aunt has been there many times, as well as my friend who's an international flight attendant and jaunts off for her 3 day weekends there (grrr..hate her! LOL...:chuckle) and they both adore those places. VERY relaxing and amazingly beautiful. Costco does vacations for a decent price to both those destinations and we are looking forward to spending a week doing NOTHING. We were toying with the idea of Hedonism in Jamaica (I went when I was in my early 20's and single....LOVED every minute of it) but we think maybe that's a bit too wild for us old married folks! LOL

If you want to go budget, I agree with the other poster...Cancun. Pretty, relaxing, and very economical.

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Specializes in ICU, psych, corrections.

Oops..double post! :D

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If you're not all about the nightlife, and want more of an authenic feel, with out sacraficing the benefits of modern civilization...Cozumel is nice for those not looking for a HUGE nightlife. I think it may be a little cheaper than Can cun too.

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Robyn,

I have spent the last 11 years as a travel agent. Depending on where you are located, many cities have charters to cancun and some of the other caribbean islands. Here is my take on some of the most popular destinations:

Cancun....nicer than most people think, easy to get around, lots of restaurants, night clubs and shopping. One of the few destinations with a true "night life". Also good history and sightseeing

Riviera Maya a/k/a Playacar.....just south of Cancun and a little quieter. Closer to some of the Mayan ruins.

Aruba....a little pricier than Mexico, but also lots of restaurants, shopping and the only real casinos in the caribbean. One of the few places where the weather can almost be guaranteed!

Punta Cana(Dominican Republic).....By far, the BEST beaches I have ever seen! Only drawback is that there isn't much else to do. Of course there's always that massage on the beach.....!

Bermuda....Beautiful, but not warm enough in winter as it is the same latititude as North Carolina

Cruise.....stick to the newer (10 years) ships and you won't get sick. I get car sick and have been fine on most cruises. Be weary of low cruise prices, the cruise lines make that up by nickel and diming you on the ship.

Visit a local travel agent!!!!!! They are your best source of information and pricing for your area.

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Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.

My husband and I have been to all our Caribbean destinations on cruises. He had motion sickness and dramamine made him sleep all the time. He discovered Scopalamine patch and the only side effect was it messed with his near vision (it dilated his pupils) and gave him dry mouth but then there is plenty to drink on a cruise. . .

Our favorite locations were Barbados, Aruba, Dominica (not Dominican Republic) and Cozumel. I think the most reasonable for prices is Cozumel. I haven't been to Cancun so can't compare the two.

We have thought about flying out to one of those locations but between the price of lodging and food we couldn't beat the value of a cruise since so many things were included in the base price. It's a matter of personal choice, my brother-in-law hates cruises for some unknown reason so it's not a value for him.

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Specializes in ED staff.

Reef Club Cozumel, Mexico

http://www.reefclubcozumel.com/

I've been there it's nice and it's all inclusive :)

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Bora Bora is extremely expensive, so is Moorea. So be prepared. Everything has to be shipped in by either boat or plane. Average hotel in Bora Bora expect minimum of $400, $600 for good. Food is extremely expensive.

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my hubby and i went to puerto vallarta last year and loved it! we booked through expedia and got a great deal on an all-inclusive resort (4 star) and we would definitely return. we flew out of portland oregon and the whole thing was around 700 pp airfare and 7 nights at the resort.

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If you can afford the ticket price Thailand is awesome. The southern tip and island are amazing and it's VERY cheap to stay. I normally go for 2 weeks at a time and my ticket price is more expensive then hotel, food and entertainment.

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Dependent upon your point of origin and where you stay, the Bahamas are really affordable and simply heavenly!

Don't care too much for Mexico/Cancun myself, and cruise ships, even as big as they are, make me claustrophobic, lol.

But, yeah, I could do the Bahamas right about NOW! :D

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Cruises are the best way to go----but Cozumel is absolutely gorgeous!!! As are the Cayman Islands--be sure to go to Stingray City!

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As an FYI, Jamaica is having a major outbreak of conjunctivitus. My husband and I went in August and we both caught it. The airline didn't want to fly us back because they thought we would infect the other passangers. The hotel didn't want us to stay because they didn't want to scare the other guests. When we finally got home, our doctor said it was the worst case of pink eye he had ever seen. It took 3 weeks to clear up.

So I would suggest another Caribbean location, maybe St. Thomas or St. Marten.

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