XMas 2008: suggestions on other destinations??

[XOXO]

Hey everyone! I haven't been here for a few weeks so I have some catching up to do.

I need a little help with figuring out where to go for our next vacation. We LOVED St. John, as you know, but we want to go somewhere else before returning. Because you love St. John you might be able to help--this is exhausting!!
What we loved about St. John:

My family LOVED St. John and we all agree that this was our best vacation ever. We loved that it wasn't busy, it was easy to drive (we're from Iowa so the roads are no problem), the locals were so friendly, the beaches and snorkeling were great!! and the water was warm and clear, the day trips were great and enough activies to choose from. We also loved our Villa. The views are amazing in St. John!


This was our best vacation ever.

Now we are planning next years vacation and I want to go somewhere else. This will be my oldest son's senior trip. ): SO, I want it to be super special.

What we don't want:

somewhere crowded and chilly in December . . . somewhere that doesn't feel unsafe . . . or feel like a tourist trap.

We don't going a little more "commercial". We have been wanting to zipline and until Ruth gets her zipline going we wouldn't mind finding a destination that has more glitzy activities. We have stayed AI in Cozumel and liked it but after being in St. John and staying in a villa I am not sure if that is for us. I think if we could go somewhere that has a cluster of villa's (condo's) with a breakfast plan we would be set.

Here are the destinations I have looked at:

Turks and Caicos looked good until I figured out that it is quite a bit chillier than St. John

St. Lucia seems to have a lot of activites but it also seems a little crowded and some of the posts point to feeling unsafe there.

Kauai would be perfect but it is chilly.



Any suggestions??

I just don't know! My oldest son is graduation in 2009 so this is going to be his senior trip--so sad! He use to want to go to Australia but I have seen there is a problem with jellies there.

I haven't checked into Scotland but I have heard good things about it . . . at the risk of sounding stupid . . . is December a good time to go to Scotland weather wise??

Thank you for any and all input!

Gina

[Pia]

Scotland in December can/is cold (I guess depending on your version of cold ) with a chance of snow - probably around 30 degrees give or take and damp.

Pia

[jmq]

One of my flickr contacts lives in the North West Highlands of Scotland. Comments about the weather often accompany her stunning photos. This is a link to her winter set.

http://flickr.com/photos/babsphotosecos ... 169783150/

[Noreen]

Have you considered Costa Rica? We stayed on the west coast in an AI. It was a nice place, but I'd recommend somewhere where you can more easily get out and about - there's a lot to explore. There are many zip line tours; even the resort had one! Anyway, there's an incredible range of activities and environments. We did get around some, and the people are lovely, and it's a beautiful country. Definitely on our list to return someday and see more of the country.

[FlaGeorge]

How about Key West. One of the last great bohemian places. You have beaches, snorkeling/diving, great food, bars galore, shops and you can rent a villa there too. Where else can you go and watch the people clap when the sun sets. The main street through Key West is call Duval St. This is the street where most of the bars are located. Try the local sport – it’s called the “Duval Crawl” – it’s where you “bar hop” down Duval St.

[msgcolleen]

Our family went to the spectacular Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas in early January. Yes, it's a tourist trap but my boys loved it! The water park is incredible, clean, with the largest enclosed marine habitat in the world!! The weather was perfect though the ocean was a bit to cold for me (but not for everyone else). We swam with the dolphins, parasailed and slid through shark tanks. My boys are still talking about it and want to go back asap!
I think there are condos on the property with a shuttle bus that can take you around.

January 2007 we went to the West side of Costa Rica (Guanacaste, Liberia Airport). Winter and Spring are dry season and it will not rain at all. High temps are in the 90's, but it's a dry heat. Since we were on the Pacific Coast the water was a little rough and chilly.
We stayed at the all inclusive Paradisus Playa Conchal Resort. Very nice! We took day trips to the volcanos, zipline tour and white water rafting. It was definitely off the beaten track but loved the experience.
St. John is still on the top of my list but my boys want a little more action than just limin' on beautiful beaches.
Good luck in your decision!

[Badger5]

I second Costa Rica. We took our family (kids ages 14, 13, 7yo) last year. It is HOT there during our winter. We stayed in a beautiful villa with stunning views, a chef, and housekeeping in between Quepos and Manual Antonio. We Ziplined, took a mangrove boat tour (the best!!), and a hike through the rainforest over huge suspended bridges. We had alot of interaction with the extrememly kind locals - never felt unsafe and the kids had fun trying to use a little bit of Spanish. We went to a couple beaches - one was kind of crowded, but fun with alot going on, and then we went to one very stunning, very uncrowed beach. It was a fantastic vacation and was something quite different from St. John - it was more eco focused but extremely fun.

[Robin in NC]

My wife and I usually go somewhere for New Year's week, and I've been looking around as well. (We're coming to STJ in May with friends, and I'm looking for a quiet place for just the two of us.) One place you might consider is Bequia, the largest of the Grenadines. The positives, according to your criteria: warm temperatures, warm people, warm clear water with good diving, and relatively less expensive than the better-known Caribbean islands. The negatives: not a lot of activities off the water, and somewhat difficult to get to. It's a beautiful island though, and that proposed tax rebate is already burning a hole in my proverbial pocket...

Robin

[traveler22]

Costa Rica is probably your best bet for what you are looking for (ziplines) or Dominica which also has rain forest and zipline tours but the sand is darker and beaches don't seem as nice but they are. Turks & Caicos beaches (Grace bay) are beautiful but it is a flat "scrub island" so the scenery is very different without the mountains (compared to St. John) and there is less (again compared to St.John) to do. If you like Turks & Caicos, check out either Club Med or Beaches, they would have alot more activities for you and your son. Good Luck planning.

[mia]

Kauai chilly....really?
We visited Kauai several times during winter and never found it to be "chilly".

[Teddy Salad]

If you think Kauai is chilly you will like Costa Rica. Temps in the 90's every day with nary even a cloud during the dry season.

Nice people, and they care about nature and the environment there.

[XOXO]

If you think Kauai is chilly you will like Costa Rica. Temps in the 90's every day with nary even a cloud during the dry season.

Nice people, and they care about nature and the environment there.

That sounds wonderful! Are there better areas in CR?? If we decide to go AI are you aware of any that are done right, i.e., not over-crowded??

I will check into Alantis also. We were going to do that about 3 years ago but decided that we might not do well with the crowds.

Thanks!!

Gina

[Teddy Salad]

Gina,

We stayed at an AI called the Barcelo Playa Tambor. Very nice place, and it wasn't crowded. It's kind of hard to get to. You can fly into it in a small plane that lands on a very short runway or go overland driven by a tour company which is what we did. It was a 3 1/2 hour drive from Liberia and some of the roads were very rough. My wife regretted not flying in as we got there at about midnight and were pretty much worn out.

It has a huge 5 mile long beach that was never crowded and the water was very warm. A nice pool that we never went in, except once when I got drinks at the swim-up bar -- we're not pool people.

We were there in early February last year. I'm not sure when the rainy season ends. We were told that September and especially October is when they get a lot of rain. December I think is when the wet season ends and the dry begins but I'm not sure exactly when. Also, if it's over Christmas it might be more crowded, but the beach is so huge that it's easy to find a spot to yourself if you want. We met some very nice people from Canada and Holland.

We didn't do a zipline but we charted a boat and snorkeled around Tortuga island. The snorkeling in St. John is better. We also did a tour of Curu National Park and saw capuchin and howler monkeys, tiny deer and a bunch of blue Morpho butterflies.

We're not really resort people, but we got a good deal and we had never been to Costa Rica before. It's a lot different than St. John. We were pretty much confined to the beach because of the heat. There was an ocean breeze but if you went inland at all, you would roast.

[XOXO]

Kauai isn't chilly unless you try to be in the water--normally we snorkel, snuba, etc. Maybe we could go to Kauai and take a brake from snorkeling and do more hikes, ziplining, whale watching, etc. I am leaning toward this. But the flight . . . ugh! Who is best to fly with if you are over 6 foot??

I checking into Alantis and it looks a little too comercial. Am I wrong?

I am also looking hard into St. Lucia and Costa Rica.

Later!

Gina

[Kathyzhere]

Hi Gina!

Scotland would be awesome, but not in the Winter. I visited in July and even then in the highlands it was cool. I highly recommend a visit but in the Summer or shoulder season. The Scots are sooo friendly!

My vote would be for St Lucia. It's on my list and I just know I will LOVE it. Lush, outdoorsy and natural. I guess kind of like Dominica. How 'bout Antigua? We loved it there as a cruise port. We rented a car for the day and checked out as much as we could...would definately go back, but then again I think STJ is nicer. Well, good luck with your planning! Oh we were just in Belize as a cruise port and I would definately go back to Caye Caulker or Ambergis Caye. They are lil' islands off the coast. Caye Caulker was VERY laid back and relaxing. The water was fantastic and you've got one of the best reefs in the world right there. Beliken beer is good too

Enjoy.
Kathy