Need some family vacation advice!

pjlippert

pjlippert

Cathlete
Hi all,

Our family is in need of a really RELAXING family vacation! Someone asked last year for some suggestions (might have been me actually! :p). Turned out we couldn't afford it, but this year we can do it.

What do you recommend as far as all-inclusive resorts or cruises. We all want to just get to our desitnation and my son can play, the adults can just chill out but also want to have some fun/adventure--ish kind of things to do. Activities for both the family and some not-so-adventurous stuff as well!

Not that I need to specify on this site- but give me the good, bad and fun!

Thanks!
Pam
 
Hilton Head beach
waves usually not too rough.one year we had a lot of fun boogy boarding because the waves were good.last year not as good but was fun floating in the ocean in intertubesand got to do a little bit of boogey boarding.also bike,fish,swimming pool,boat cruises,trails.on our last day my sis,dad,me,and a friend were lined up in chairs by the pool and a bunch of pelicans flew by and pooed on every one in a row. i got it on my shoulder,suit,and leg. i am excited to go again.

laura
 
Another vote for Hilton Head! We have been going every year for the past 10 years and we all love it! My kids are 18 now and still love it. something for everyone; biking, rollerblading, beach, pools, ocean activities...or just hanging out with a book! There really is something for everyone. I will warn you..it is HOT there in the summer, so if you really don't LOVE the heat, then maybe it's not for you. We stay in Sea Pines every year and rent a house; believe it or not it is very affordable; they have full kitchens so you can eat in; if you call them they have a place for every budget!
Good Luck
 
Hi gals,

Thank you soo much for the recommendations!! As far as the HHH of the South, we visited Wilmington and Charlotte NC last summer and it was a disaster for my son's eczema! :(:rolleyes:

My theory was that the extreme humidity would be great for his skin OOPSS!!! WOW was I wayyy off base!!! He ended up flaring soo bad that we had to either stay in the water or AC and dose the heck out of him with both oral and topical steroids. I swear he has PTSD from that "vacation"! We had MUCH better luck on the Disney cruise a few years ago- his skin was the happiest it's been in ages.

While the Disney cruise was unbelievably fun for him and sooo superbly accomodating with his allergies and the kids camp counselors, there was not really enough activities for the adults.... plus it's pretty expensive- my ONLY semi-complaints about the cruise! :(

One of the many stand-out moments on the Disney cruise for us was when I wanted to order cookies & milk one evening for room service :D, they wouldn't deliver them because the ingreients declared there MAY be a trace amount of peanuts. Each time we went to eat meals, the server double checked the ingredients. All this precaution because I had warned them that he has nut, fish and shellfish allerges!! Absolutely amazing!! Plus the camp counselors were all first-aid and EpiPen trained!!

So, we may end up doing a Staycation here in Colorado. I just dread the ick factor of air travel- it's exhausting!

I'll let you all know what we decide on! But, please keep the ideas coming!

Pam
 
Mackinac Island MI. No cars allowed just bikes and horses. Stay at the Grand Hotel with the swimming pool shaped like Paul Bunyan's foot. The movie, "Somewhere in Time," was filmed there in the 70s with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. Fly NW into Detroit Metro to Pellston (Northern MI airport) or Traverse City.
There are many other great places to stay on the island. Kids can ride bikes, swim in the hotel pools...
 
Pretty much any of the 5 star resorts on the Mayan Riviera in Mexico should do it. I never knew my capacity for lying in a hammock with someone bringing you free pina coladas all day until I went to the Barcelo Maya Beach. You can enjoy snorkeling, climbing Mayan pyramids, checking out Cancun or small towns and bargaining for mini Tequila bottles with little clay people having sex attached to them, lots of good stuff. Or just stick to the hammock and pina coladas. Or Drambuie, for that matter.
 
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I'm from Michigan and never thought of the island! In addition to that the Sleeping Bear Dunes area south of Traverse City is beautiful. And Lake Michigan is really warm this year!
 
Another idea - my family recently went to the Wisconsin Dells and they said it was really neat. Neat nature things to do plus tons of water parks.
 
Another Michigander here. I can highly recommend Mackinac Island, too. It would be a unique vacation!

I can also recommend Cancun, any of the all-inclusives. You should go to www.tripadvisor.com and to the travel forum for Cancun (or any area that you are considering...worldwide for that matter!!) This website has excellent advice and current traveler reviews to help guide your decision.

Really anwhere you go, I would recommend: direct flight, hotel close to airport, all-inclusive, beachfront.

The traveling can be the worst part of a vacation (We just returned from a vacation in the Outer Banks...a 16 hour drive for us...ugh!!), so that is why I recommend a direct flight and a resort close to the airport.

We recently returned from the Golden Parnassus (adults only) in Cancun. It was about a 15 min drive from the airport. They have a family resort, too, the Great Parnassus that we visited and it was large, but very nice.We booked through www.resortvacationstogo.com and can highly recommend them. Our friends had a death in the family while we were there and resortvacationstogo go them a full refund, including the last minute airfare when they had to leave 5 days early!

I love the idea of an all-inclusive, since you have everything you need right there and don't get a depressing bill on your last day (as we have gotten in the past with cruises...pretty much a downer if you have any alcohol at all!)

Good luck planning your vacation! I usually start to plan our next one before we are even finished with the one we are on...so much fun! I think that the anticipation and planning is as much fun as the vacation itself!!
Jenn :)
 
JT said:
Mackinac Island MI. No cars allowed just bikes and horses. Stay at the Grand Hotel with the swimming pool shaped like Paul Bunyan's foot. The movie, "Somewhere in Time," was filmed there in the 70s with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. Fly NW into Detroit Metro to Pellston (Northern MI airport) or Traverse City.
There are many other great places to stay on the island. Kids can ride bikes, swim in the hotel pools...
Click to expand...

I have wanted to go there every since I saw the movie in the 80s. Maybe I should start thinking about it for next summer.
 
If you're thinking of a staycation, but about a dude ranch? I've always thought that would be a fun thing to try. Also, check out the YMCA of the Rockies http://www.ymcarockies.org/. They have tons of things for the entire family. Neither of those options would involve an airplane!
 
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