Given your affinity for the Amalfi Coast, I suggest you look into Portugal. Lisbon is a beautiful, old, romantic city with fantastic food. It is close to some great beaches and is relatively cheap. Spend several days in Lisbon with day trips to Guincho Beach, Cascais, and Sintra. If you have time, head up to Porto for a city with a totally different feel that is also close to the Douro Valley, which is beautiful and contains several vineyards. If you just want beaches and smaller towns, head south into the Algarve. I think a trip like this would be similar but different than Italy, if that makes sense.

Cape Town, South Africa, would also be amazing but totally different. With its combination of mountains and sea it is definitely one of the more stunning places I have been. You could spend several days in the city and explore the beaches up and down the coast. You could then venture out to Franschhoek and Stellenbosch for a couple days to experience what is arguably one of the most beautiful wine region in the world. And of course there are safari options as well. The thing about Africa is you need at least two weeks in my opinion as it is a long trip.

I went to Turks and Caicos for my 40th.
It was great. Highly recommend it.

We have kids so a condo was better but without kids you can do one of the all inclusive hotels.

I went to Costa Rico with DH for my 40th, it was wonderful.

Anonymous wrote:South of France - nice, cannes and side trip to Monaco.

Another amazing place is Annecy, France

OP here. This sounds on the money.

South Africa. Everyone I know who has been has said it was amazing.

Maybe look into a Mediterranean cruise? We did this for our 10th anniversary (without the kids) and had a blast! We stayed in an adults-only spa section on Celebrity, and rarely ran into kids while on the ship. Had lots of spa time, a private restaurant on board, and saw tons of amazing cities. We flew in and out of Rome, and spent a few extra days there exploring. I can't recommend it highly enough!

South of France - nice, cannes and side trip to Monaco.

Another amazing place is Annecy, France

Anonymous wrote:If you want to see the Amalfi Coast, why don't you do that?

This is the time to see and do whatever you want. It isn't the same ever again once kids come into your life.

Or not.

If you want to see the Amalfi Coast, why don't you do that?

This is the time to see and do whatever you want. It isn't the same ever again once kids come into your life.

Barcelona

Bermuda can be fun at the end of summer when all the kids go back to school. Easy to get to with a little bit of everything.

If you're not tied to the school schedule, you should travel in the spring or fall, not summer.

Places on my bucket list are southeast Asia, safari somewhere in Africa, and Patagonia.

Anonymous wrote:You do realize that without kids the whole world is open to you. I can't even begin to suggest a place because there are so many great places in the world. Maybe you should narrow it down - to a city or a beach? outdoor adventure or eating and shopping? lots to learn or total chill? with some narrowing down maybe you will get some ideas.

I know, we really don't travel enough. Ideally an international place with beach, but still other things to do (don't want to spend the whole trip on the beach). Lots of good eating/drinking/indulging, not really into shopping, but perhaps places with outdoor markets where we can observe locals. Place with some history or art would be good.

You do realize that without kids the whole world is open to you. I can't even begin to suggest a place because there are so many great places in the world. Maybe you should narrow it down - to a city or a beach? outdoor adventure or eating and shopping? lots to learn or total chill? with some narrowing down maybe you will get some ideas.

Looking for suggestions for my 40th birthday trip with DH over the summer (year and a half away, but I expect to be too busy after this winter to do this kind of brainstorming). Want something relaxing, romantic, indulgent, and mid-priced (not looking to be super budget-conscious, but not outrageous either).

Another key is we don't have kids and I don't want to be around hoards of them on vacation either. Also, we'll need things to do because it'll just be the two of us. I love the Amalfi Coast if that gives an idea of what I'm thinking. . . just wondering if there's a similar destination in terms of ambience, with lots to do and of course eat/drink, but just a different place, simply because we've been to Italy three times already.