Dh and I will have been married 10 years in November. By then, the boys will be old enough for us to leave for a week. They will stay with my mom and dad.

We never went on a honeymoon so we've been planning to take a trip for 8 years or so.

Where should we go?

Here is what I am interested in:

1. A warm beautiful spot with incredible blue ocean water and outdoor activities like hiking or snorkeling.

OR

2. Skiing, but also a pool/spa-type place and warm cozy places to go since dh and I aren't the best skiers out there.

We can go any month November-March.

Any all-inclusive packages are a bonus because I can budget for the trip.

The sky is not the limit for this trip. lol

Kauai

You may not want to come back though (I didn't want to).

I'm partial to Hawaii....esp. Kauai...

We go about 3-4x's a year (my dh works there a lot)

There's tons to do!!!
Whale season is Nov-April. Feb/March is a great time to go!!
Tons of hiking...beautiful hiking.

Really really relaxed and low key!!

That's my vote!! :thumbsup:

Edited to add: go to vrbo.com website and look for places to stay. We are going in April to a place in Kauai in the town of Kapaa. We are staying in a home about 3 min from the beach for 100 night. It has a patio, kitchen, 2 bedrooms, etc... And the town of Kapaa has a great healthfood store....called "papayas".

we went to a place called the "moon palace" in cancun. it was great! all inclusive...it had great pools, several restaurants in the resort and included 2 or 3 activities. it was so great...and so relaxing to not have to drive around anywhere. we had a jacuzzi in our room. all around the resort they had fake rocks that were really speakers with soft music playing. they had bands that played at night...and mariachi guys.

it was AWESOME! I would definitely reccommend it! Worth every penny.

ah, That sounds wonderful! Our 10 year is in August and I'd really like to go some where without the kids too but I don't see it happening becuase Fall is his busy time and I have no desire to go anywhere hotter than here in the summer. lol

Our HOneymoon cosisted of 2 nights in a B&B in Charleston Sc. A 2 hour drive from home. We were both so exausted we heardly enjoyed it. It's all such a blur I only have a couple memories :wah:

edited to add that I want to go back to Belize. My grandparents use to have a citrus plantaion there and I always loved visiting. It;s a lot more commercial now but I can't imagine it is as commercial as other places.

Both the Bahamas and Jamaica have all-inclusive packages for couples. I'd imagine Jamaica has hiking trails.

I know the snorkeling in the Bahamas is fantastic! I don't know of any hiking though. Atlantis, Paradise Island is beautiful! The bluest ocean, warm breezes, beautiful hotel with gambling, restaurants, night life, shopping. One of my favorite places! It is so romantic!!! They have an aquarium on-site & tons of fish tanks.

Or one of the smaller islands in the Bahamas are nice. Hope Town, Abaco, Marsh Harbour. Not much night live but beautiful beaches, sand, snorkeling, nice people :-)

There are so many great places in the US too. Good luck and have fun searching!!!

I would seriously do a cruise if I were you! We're addicted, so maybe I'm partial, but here are the reasons I like cruising better than other vacations:

1. During the months you are going, the price is going to be alot less than most places per person per day. Especially if you count in the fact that the gourmet food you will eat is going to cost about $150 pp on land (if you are eating sit-down for all three meals, not the buffet)

2. No driving once you get there, no deciding what to do for dinner, no worrying about anything.

3. You can do all sorts of activities and do the best of each island without being stuck in one place for a week or two.

4. The vacation can be as relaxing or as high-energy as you want it to be.

We just got back from a Carribean cruise a few weeks ago. We cruised on the Carnival Conquest, which was really nice, but from now on I think we'll stick with one of RCI's biggest ships. We've been on the Mariner of the Seas and also the Voyager and they were wonderful! The destinations for both ships are great and you can really do whatever your heart desires. I swear, halfway through the week we are always dreading the last night because we really don't want to go home.

My only word of caution is to stay away from the smaller, older ships. RCIs ships in the voyager class can hold about 3000 passengers and they are huge- really like a city on the water. You will find ice skating rinks(and superb ice shows), rock climbing, mini golf, roller blading, excellent spas and gyms. Not to mention the entertainment and the gourmet food every night. They treat you like royalty! Drink prices are not that bad and on those four ships, entertainment can be found anywhere- in the pub you'll find a folk singer playing guitar, in the champagne bar there will be a piano playing classical singer and in the lounges you'll find jazz bands, karoake and rock bands. Something for everyone in the way of food, entertainment, and activities. On the smaller older ships on some of the cruise lines this is not the case.

I vote for Jamaica! I LOVE LOVE LOVED Sandals Negril. The all inclusive resort was wonderful and it's only other couples. If you are drinkers, your drinks are all included 100% and you can eat 24 hours a day b/c something is always open + they have nice restaurants.

That's where I'd go!

If you are wanting to go off resort for stuff, then staying at the Sandals Royal Jamaican, Sandals Ocho Rios or Sandals Dunn's River (I've been at all these resorts, though we stayed at Negril) would be better b/c there are more things to go see up there HOWEVER they are all close enough to the airport that you'd be hearing jets overhead all day every day. Negril is pricier than the other 3 resorts too.

Many of the activities are included as well, snorkling, wind surfing, scuba, etc.

Originally posted by Kathywiehl

My only word of caution is to stay away from the smaller, older ships. We were on Enchantment of the Seas about 4 years ago. It is the next size down - about 2200 passengers. No ice rink, but it had two pools, an adults only one, and one for families -- I LOVED lounging in the adult-only pool -- soo peaceful. And I took the stairs, so I only gained 2 pounds. :)

I guess I'm spoiled, we were on the Enchantment in 2002, and had a good time, but not nearly as much fun as we had on the Voyager and Mariner. In any case, I hate to say it, but we will not be cruising on Carnival again. Just not the same quality as RCI and I know that RCI isn't even the best.

I'd go to Cozumel and stay at one of their resorts. Water in the carribean is much warmer than Hawaii and they have prettier fish (granted, Hawaii is just absolutely gorgeous - the air is perfumed and there are flowers everywhere - Hawaii is prettier than Cozumel, but. . . ). I love Mexico. The atmospher is down to earth and relaxed, you cannot beat the water - visibility is 100 feet or more and then water temp is nearly 90s even in November. Fish in unimaginable colors. But, I'd stay there, maybe take a scuba resort course, take a few days where you take the ferry to the mainland and take in Tulum and these awesome limestone caves that you can snorkle through.

Not so much hiking.

And, the thing I like about Cozumel is that it is quieter and more slow paced than Cancun.

Not that this should necessarily be a determining factor, but if you go to Mexico & leave the resort you are staying at, you will be banned from donatng blood for a year, due to malaria risk. Other Caribbean countries may or may not also have malaria-risks, so that should be a consideration.

My vote is for the Cayman Islands. Just gorgeous there and lots of water sports.

I never thought I'd enjoy a cruise after getting seasick during a big storm in the north Atlantic, but I have to admit that I loved the cruise we went on for our honeymoon (14 months after the wedding, my intro to being a Marine Corps wife :rolleyes: ) There are tons of things to do at each port, you can pick and choose according to your interests. And there is food 24 hours a day on a cruise! Lots of variety.

Cozumel is nice, especially if you enjoy diving.

For our 10th anniversary, we went to Cape Cod. I'd never been there before and we had such a great time. Of course, last year we managed a weekend away at a bed and breakfast in Frederick, MD and we had a great time then, too. I guess I don't get out much. Those 2 trips, plus 2 trips to Calcutta, are really the only times we've been on trips together, just the 2 of us, since we got married in 1990. I don't think the India trips count because we came back with a new child each time. :D

Have fun planning! Our 15th anniversary is this year and your post has me thinking....

I think its so funny that the other people who suggested Hawaii said Kauai. I really dont like Kauai ( beaches are too rocky, its too windy, theres more to do on other islands,etc,etc) LOL My dh is hawaiian & I love maui - just love the energy. Best time to go is Feb IMO - whale watching from the beach,etc.... great beaches, must go to Hana.... I dont like oahu either.... I *am* known to be very picky LOL

Originally posted by norasmama
Not that this should necessarily be a determining factor, but if you go to Mexico & leave the resort you are staying at, you will be banned from donatng blood for a year, due to malaria risk. Other Caribbean countries may or may not also have malaria-risks, so that should be a consideration.

Not true. I've regularly donated (until a few years ago when they added the more than 6 months in Europe since 1980 rule) and have been to Mexico a ton of times. I always mention it when I donate after my return.

what I've been told is that were I to have gone deep into the jungle, then I wouldn't be able to donate, but all places in Cozumel are okay, as is all the eco-tourist places nearby. But, I would not recommend going deep in the jungle due to the malaria concern.

Originally posted by Sunflower_Momma

what I've been told is that were I to have gone deep into the jungle, then I wouldn't be able to donate, but all places in Cozumel are okay, as is all the eco-tourist places nearby. But, I would not recommend going deep in the jungle due to the malaria concern. I went on a tour "inland" to Tulum, and they rejected me. I was told that if I had stayed in town or in a resort, I would have been ok.

Originally posted by norasmama
I went on a tour "inland" to Tulum, and they rejected me. I was told that if I had stayed in town or in a resort, I would have been ok.

Hmmmm. . . that's strange because I told them on at least three occassions that I went there. Bet it's more of an interpretation of "inland" based on the actual blood donor center. Maybe mine was more lax than they should have.

Thanks for all the replies. I feel like the world's biggest idiot, but I'm having irrational fears of a cruise ship sinking. I am not a hypochondriac. I promise! LOL

I think it is the mother-bear thing since I'm leaving my kids for the first time on an overnight.

Originally posted by norasmama
Not that this should necessarily be a determining factor, but if you go to Mexico & leave the resort you are staying at, you will be banned from donatng blood for a year, due to malaria risk. Other Caribbean countries may or may not also have malaria-risks, so that should be a consideration.

My parents have a home in Mexico. It is not in a resort town. I'm sure to mention it when I donate blood. They have a list of places that are "no-no's". Apparently my parent's place is OK, because I have been giving blood for a while now without any problems.

I love Cruises! We have been on a few and we love Carnival the best! :heart:

What about Santa Fe or Taos? Not beachy at all, but lots of cool hiking, mountains, rock climbing, skiing if you come in the winter. Plus each has nice downtown Plaza's that are good at least for fun windowshopping.

http://www.santafe.org/
http://www.taosguide.com/

We went to Hawaii this last September to celebrate our 10th anniversary as we also didn't have a honeymoon. I wanted to do Kauai, but DH wanted Oahu, so we compromised and did Maui and it was the most amazing 10 days! There was tons to do and even just lying around was wonderful. It was a pain getting there and back, but we are taking the kids next year cause we had so much fun.

So, I vote for Hawaii!!!:thumbsup:

Originally posted by Kathywiehl
I would seriously do a cruise if I were you! We're addicted, so maybe I'm partial, but here are the reasons I like cruising better than other vacations:

1. During the months you are going, the price is going to be alot less than most places per person per day. Especially if you count in the fact that the gourmet food you will eat is going to cost about $150 pp on land (if you are eating sit-down for all three meals, not the buffet)

2. No driving once you get there, no deciding what to do for dinner, no worrying about anything.

3. You can do all sorts of activities and do the best of each island without being stuck in one place for a week or two.

4. The vacation can be as relaxing or as high-energy as you want it to be.



I agree with the above except we've only been on one cruise. It was SOOOOO relaxing. They totally baby you on a cruise. No stress, no worries. I often think of it when I need to chill out, and it was almost 7.5 years ago. (Right before I got pregnant with Sarah). If I could have an adults only vacation, I'd want one where I was totally pampered for a change!! You'd come back totally refreshed!

Sharon, thinking I need a cruise when my kids are old enough...

My DH and I just returned from Aruba. We were in the same situation as you as far as not taking a honeymoon but we only waited 3 years :) I'm pregnant again and we knew if we didn't go now it would be another many moons before we got to go away. It was gorgeous! There are many all-inclusive places to stay. The flights are pricey...probobly would be about $500 per person but once you get there its not bad. PM me for more info if interested.

Stefanie