Best island vacation?

pippa

pippa

Cathlete
My DH and I are looking to get away for a little while. We've had a rough few weeks and would like to go somewhere and relax. We don't want to travel too far(so no Autralia suggestions, please:) ) but we do want to go someplace warm and beachy.

I thought I would ask all of the wonderfully knowledgeable people here what their best *island* vacations have been.:)

Where did you stay? Anything special to do there? We aren't necessarily looking to do that much other than relax but we aren't against going someplace where there are other things to do beside lie on the beach.

Conversely, if anyone has any places that they think we should absolutely avoid, please feel free to let me know about those too.

We haven't taken a vacation in 7 years so please don't think any suggestion would be too obvious, I would like to hear them all.:)

Thanks in advance!
 
My DH and I went to Cabo San Lucas in November and LOVED it he was hesitant at first but now wants to go back. It is so Beautiful there and safe and the people are super friendly. We stayed at the Melia Cabo Real which was an all inclusive the food was good and they have an activites team so there is always something to do. Also you can book different excersions fun fun fun!
 
My all-time favorite island vacation was the Maldives. It's a group of about 1200 atolls in the Indian Ocean. These are stricly coral islands (not volcanic), the islands are very small (takes about 20 to 60 to walk around the island). Absolutely gorgeous, I have never seen anything like this and I have traveled a lot.

http://www.google.com/images?q=tbn:QuNSXibEUfEJ:www.wayfaring.info/images/maldives_air_look.jpg

This is the view from the airplane when you approach Male, the water is really that color.

http://www.google.com/images?q=tbn:...om/places/images/photos/photo_lg_maldives.jpg

I stayed at Villingili, but it is currently undergoing remodeling and won't open until the 4th quarter of 2008. The second time I stayed at the Club Med island, I think it is Kani.

Here are few links
https://www.atollparadise.com/
www.oneandonlyresorts.com

It's about half way between the US and Australia off the coast of India. I went there when I still lived in Europe and flew Singapore Airlines out of Zurich, Switzerland both times. Singapore Airlines flies out of LAX, San Francisco, Houston and New York. Out of any of those hubs you would go to Singapore and another 2 hours to Male. Or fly to Europe (Zurich or Frankfurt have direct flights to Male - about 9 hours).

I would kill to be able to go back there, maybe next year. Sorry I went overboard. It is probably to far for your planned trip but I thought I throw it out there :)

Otherwise, how about Hawai??

Ugghh, I need a vacation, too. I hope you enjoy your trip whereever you go.
 
I'm treating my DH and myself to a vaca after I graduate from nursing school (May 10th!!!). I don't know where to go either. I would love to go to Male, but probably can't afford that. I was thinking more along the lines of Hilton Head or Florida! Not, Male, but it'll do. :)

We went to the Riviera Maya for our honeymoon. It's not an island, but it was beautiful. It was not a very expensive trip and the flight was short. We did an all inclusive Apple vacation and had a great time.
 
I love Hilton Head. Great little island, lots to do. I am also a huge fan of St. Maarten in the virgin islands. We just took a trip to Hawaii in November and it was fabulous, also. Warm and beachy is definitely my style as well. :)
 
Not an island, but DH and I had a wonderful vacation in Costa Rica back in 2005. There's lots to do if you want, and some nice beaches to veg out on.

It was one of the most relaxing trips we ever took. We found it was easy to be spontaneous with activities. There wasn't much that we had to plan ahead for.

We did a self-drive vacation. We spent 3 days in the Arenal volcano area (volcano and rain forest) and 3 days near Manuel Antonio national park (beaches and rain forest). :)

I'd go back in a heartbeat.
 
One of the Greek islands, if it's not too far for you. Loved the food, the people, the beauty. *sigh* I would love to return someday soon. My next pick would be Santorini.

Of the Caribbean islands I've been to (Grand Cayman and Bahamas), I'd say I'm in no real rush to return. But I hear great things about Aruba. On the steep side, I'm told, but absolutely gorgeous.

[font face="heather" font color=black size=+2]~Cathy[/font]

http://s228.photobucket.com/albums/ee296/runninteach/exercise/th_skj.gif

http://img16.glitterfy.com/53/glitterfy084824T933D37.gif
 
My suggestion is a local favorite located in the Gulf of Mexico. St. George Island, Florida. It is about an hour and a half from Tallahassee, FL. It is small and there is nothing to do. There are a couple of local shops and restaurants on the island but no major restaurant chains. The beach is beautiful and there is lots of wildlife. The best bet would go with a rental house. There are a couple of hotels, but I wouldn't recommend them. The best part of the island is a gated community called the "Plantation". Lots of nice homes to rent and a very relaxing and secluded place.

My two sisters and I go every spring for about 4 days for rest and relaxation.
 
I second St. George Island .. THE most beautiful beach .. and would be a quiet get-a-way and probably pretty affordable ..

.. a major gettaway .. have to agree w/Cabo San Lucas .. we went for our 20the anniversary .. and LOVED it .. the beaches are no where near as beautiful as St. George .. but the vacation was excellent we stayed at the Rui Palace and it was AWESOME . all inclusive and you dont have to think about anything!!!

.... one more idea would be to the Florida Keys .. the water is awesome .. the vibe is laid back .. you can do nothing and relax .. or scuba dive or snorkel .. we go every year! nothing like the Keys .. it is a different world down there!!:7
 
Hubby and I went to Little Cayman 10 years ago and it was small and very relaxing and peaceful you stay in a private cabin and you vacation with maybe 7 other couples you eat meals together at the same time they had a main cabin that had a tv and drinks and side dishes, you can go on scuba dives and snorkling groups. I know there is a lot of beautiful places around the world so it will be hard. What would you like to do besides relax I am a huge fan of the Florida Keys. OH someday I will go on another vacation this is our 10 year anniversary but hubby isn't doing to well with work here in Michigan we are just getting by these days.

Good Luck


beth6395

"Double Knot your laces and let's move on"
-Cathe Friedrich
 
A Big Thank You to everyone!

DH and I are seriously considering several of the places mentioned. I am going to start researching air fares right now!:)

The winner for what looks like the best place to visit EVER is: Carola!

I visited those links last night and I have to tell you it loks absolutely amazing. I little farther than we want to travel right now but I can assure you we will be going to the Maldives one day in the not too distant future. Thanks for the suggestion and links.:)

Again, THANK YOU to everyone!

I knew I would get some great suggestions here.
 
Hey, Pippa, have you considered the Dominican Republic?

I have never been there but will be going during the summer. We live in Florida and booked via this site: www.mktravel.com

They have lots of options and they are reasonably priced.

These all all-inclusive resorts.

If you are leaving from Florida, the airfare is included. Add $175 in taxes to each "per person" price and you are set. If you pay it in full either by talking to them or via the website, it is cheaper. If you pay in installments by calling them, you get charged about $80 more per ticket.

Give it a try and let us know what you think.

Everyone around us raves about these resorts and go over and over.

HTH
 
A few suggestions I haven't see yet:

1. Tybee Island. It's 20 minutes from Savannah, GA. Absolutely beautiful and very laid back. I've only been there off-season, so it's been extremely quiet, but their season starts on St. Patrick's Day, so the rates have gone up a bit now. It's a very down-to-earth kind of place, no luxury spas or fine dining, really, but extremely relaxing. DH and I stayed in a cottage we booked through http://www.tybeevacationrentals.com/. The staff were great to work with and we had lots of privacy.

2. Grand Turk Island in the Turks and Caicos. Best vacation ever! It's in the Eastern time zone, so no jet lag, and only about 2 hours from Florida. We stayed at the Island House, http://www.islandhouse-tci.com/, which was wonderful. They give you a car to drive for your stay, too. It's mostly scuba divers who go to this island. We don't scuba, though, so that meant the island was mostly empty during the day. Wonderful snorkeling right off shore.

3. The Outer Banks of North Carolina. Another beautiful, laid back place. I know lots of people on this board go there. It's great. Again, DH and I rented a cottage. We used Sun Realty, http://www.sunrealtync.com/.

Good luck! Lots of great places to choose from. My problem is everywhere I go I want to go back, but there are so many places I've never been that I get stuck about trying new or re-visiting. Ah, well, what difficult decisions, right? Have fun on your trip.

anne
 
Have you thought about a short cruise? There are lots of 3, 4, or 5 day cruises, or even a week?

The Caribbean is beautiful and on a cruise, you could visit several islands.

Another vote for the Outer Banks in NC. The weather would be iffy now, but last year I was there at the end of March and it was about 80 degrees every day for the week!

Destin, FL is beautiful, a little bit away from the crowds in the panhandle.

If you would like to rent a house, try www.resortquest.com They are a reputable company (in my experience) that rents homes in wonderful locations.

I love to plan vacations! Good luck!
Jen
 
Ladera resort on St. Lucia. http://www.ladera.com/

It is absolutely breathtaking. The guest rooms are built into the side of the mountain, with no 4th wall...you are looking right into the valley. It was amazing. The rooms have their own private mini-pools. The restaurant and pool also have incredible views.

Of course, with such exposure to the outside comes not-so-amazing things too, like bugs and little frogs in the room. You are in the middle of a rainforest, so it's pretty humid and when it rains everything feels damp. But man, it was just so beautiful!
 
Just last week for spring break we took a vacation to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We stayed at the Grand Velas Resort and Spa. It was a wonderful resort. We purchased the spa package so spa services were included in the price of the room (along with everything else, it's all inclusive) but the spa was wonderful. I got a great massage, a facial, aromatic body wrap, and pedicure (not all on the same day:) The rest of the time I spent lounging on the beach. The service was great. They also have 3 very good restaurants. I wouldn't hesitate to go back. Here's a link to their website www.grandvelas.com

Jacque
 
What kind of traveller are you? Do you want a grand resort with all the amenities? Or do you want small and quaint, close walk to town to try out various restaurants and such?

I'd rather have a small, family run hotel where I don't have to get up at the crack of dawn to place a towel to "claim" my beach chair poolside. But that's just me - I hate crowds and like to dine on a whim.

I don't want to knock anyone's suggestions, but I'm familiar with a couple of them listed in Mexico. I cringed, only because I know they aren't for me due to the crowd factor and knowing you're pretty much resort-bound (nothing in walking distance worthwhile).

Diane
 
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