No kids, August, $7K or so budget, 8 days...
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Anonymous
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We've done the Caribbean extensively (and its hurricane season anyway), we've done Europe a lot, we like beaches, diving, relaxation, and some culture/nightlife/good eats (no all inclusive hotels for us), generally smaller boutique properties appeal to us more (we typically eschew Hilton, Starwood, etc). Think of the opposite of Cozumel and you've probably got the right idea of what we like. Rincon, PR not San Jose, Tulum not Playa del carmen, etc.
We are stuck between two options, but am open to suggestions as well: option 1) a very short and easily flight to Bermuda, 2.5 hours, $300 or $400 R/T and an easy hop. Somehow, Bermuda happens to be somewhere we havent been. On the one hand, this is easy - leave in the morning, and get a full 8 days on the beach. On the other, this is somewhere that we could go with kids with ease as well, so if we are kid-free, part of us says to suck it up and do a long haul, even if its cringeworthy length. option 2) We've never been to Asia, which is a bit crazy considering how many other places weve been, but of course, Bali, Bora Bora, Koh Samui, Krabi, etc are all of interest. Koh Samui could be done for $4K in flights + hotel, but it is nearly 26 hours of travel time. Thats brutal, especially with 8 days (we could maybe go for 10 or 11 at the most). I've got some flex in our budget, since we never take vacations, I dont mind splurging a bit, but I'd cap it at $10K. If you like beaches, diving, relax and a little nightlife, where would you go? |
Anonymous
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How about Belize or Cartagena, Colombia (though if you want to stay on the beach, you'll have to stay outside the city itself)?
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/belize/travel-tips-and-articles/76881 http://www.justluxe.com/travel/luxury-vacations/feature-1791569.php |
Anonymous
| How about the Seychelles or Bora Bora or Tahiti? |
Anonymous
Looked into it, it came to $9K for just flights and hotel. But it's on the list of possibilities. |
Anonymous
Isn't Belize in the hurricane risk area? |
Anonymous
It's not particularly high risk; it's actually ranked below Bermuda: http://stormcarib.com/climatology/freq.htm Do you definitely want a beach vacation? A great active destination from the DC area that's easy to do in a fairly short time because of the not-too-long nonstop flights is Iceland. There are lots of interesting excursions, hip restaurants, active nightlife, even some cold water lake diving, northern lights, all-day sunlight in the summer. It would definitely be a different kind of vacation. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elizabeth-thorp/8-reasons-why-visiting-iceland_b_2395938.html |
Anonymous
| What about Costa Rica? Nicaragua? |
Anonymous
| Was also going to suggest Costa Rica. |
Anonymous
| OP here, we did Costa Rica last year... But also a good suggestion! |
Anonymous
| I love Bermuda. |
Anonymous
Any hotel recs? |
Anonymous
| Go to Asia! Yeah the flight is brutal, but if you can add a few days to your trip it'll be worth it. (Get sleeping pills for the flight though.) Bali is great, but you might check out Thailand (I've heard Pukhet is nice) since the flights will be easier. Also maybe look into Vietnam - I don't know about beaches but I took a great boat trip in Ha Long Bay when I was there on a work trip. I've heard it's pretty reasonably priced too. |
Anonymous
| surinam or amazon river cruise on a houseboat |
Anonymous
| Have you already hit the beachy areas in Europe? San Sebastián, Mallorca, Greek islands, etc. no diving though. And you have to avoid cheezy euro vacation spots. But there are some great beaches and beautiful small inns. |
Anonymous
| I think 8 days is a little long for Bermuda. Not tons to do and the food isn't awesome. Of course the beaches are really nice. At least that was our experience. |