honeymooninitaly2

Hello~

I have been searching and searching for ideas of where to go for my husband's 30th (Febuary ) birthday. I thought Napa, CA..too far...I thought Montreal..too cold.... He has said he doesn't want a party but I know a getaway in the middle of winter would be wonderful. I am thinking a long weekend 4-5 days. I would like to keep this as reasonable as possible. We've been to Antigua and loved it. Does anyone have any suggestions ...affordable, not too far....coming from the northeast......and relaxing..something he'll remember.???? Any advice would be great...

Carrybean

When did you want to go & where will you be traveling from?

A_Traveller

I assume you are asking for recomendations for a February trip to the Caribbean. If so, you should know that you are planning a trip during "High Season" so whereever you decide to go (in the Caribbean) you can expect to pay the highest room rates of the year. You can save money if you postpone your trip until after Easter when room rates drop considerably. That said your term "affordable" is meaningless without knowing what is affordable to you. We Fodorites can be more helpful if you can give us some idea of your budget - try to be as specific as you can. Also, you say you are coming from the "northeast" but that too covers a very broad geographical area. If you could be more specific it would help us norrow our suggestions so they will be more meaningful for you.

With only only a "long weekend" you probably want to go to an island you can reach non-stop from your nearest gateway city. If you can tell us where in the northeast you live it would make things easier.

Base on what you've said so far, you might want to look at Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Cancun or Cozemel. Those areas are normally easily reached non-stop from many "northeast" international airports and they are know for an abundance of moderately priced resorts, many of which are All Inclusive so that can help you control costs.

honeymooninitaly2

Hi

Yes I know that Feb. is the high season.....and that does mean we will most likely not get the most affordable rates.....Its his 30th so I want to do this at that time, postponing it never feels the same. We know this may not be 100% possible but again just getting ideas. We would be coming from either the Philadelphia or Newark area...we are open to either airports.....We are also open to a few more days if it makes more sense all around.

Thanks again,
Robyn

A_Traveller

Again, what do you mean by affordable??? Rates vary tremendously as do resort amenities and your budget will have a big determination on where you stay during that time of the year. As I said earlier you can often find very good package deals to resorts in the Dominican Republic, Cancun and Jamaica. You might also check airline schedules to Aruba as there are a wide range of accomodations on that island.

tivertonhouse

Check flights from Phily/Newark to Montego Bay, Jamaica on US AIR, AMERICAN, AIR JAMAICA/DELTA, CONTINENTAL and NORTHWEST on the airlines' own Web sites as well as
www.onetravel.com, kayak.com and mobissimo.com. You needn't go the AI route to find someplace more special.
If your husband's a 'foodie', check
the Nov.2006 issue of FOOD and TRAVEL magazine (UK, but on newsstands here)
for MAR BLUE, in Treasure Beach, South Coast, Jamaica -- away from resortlands and springbreakers.

honeymooninitaly2

Tivertonhouse

Mar Blu looks great. I spoke to Andrea and she was lovely.

Do you remember if the ocean water was clear blue or darker blue? I know that seems silly but its something I like to know ahead of time.

Thank you,

Robyn

tivertonhouse

Jamaican water/tides/currents/color changes every season, even every week, limpid turquoise to dark bluegreens.February is a calmer season on the South Coast. The beach just in
front can be sandy/rocky but there are 5 beaches and innumerable beach coves in Treasure Beach to choose from: 15 min. or so walk or mt.bike ride on countrylanes from Mar Blue is Great Bay and the calmest swimming waters, with a path for the adventuresome leading up Pedro Bluff, site of Taino petroglyph caves and pottery shards.
10 min. walk is Calabash Bay with the best sands in front of Calabash House;20 min.bike ride is 3/4 mile
Billy's Bay beach with a full spectrum of rocky/tidepool/sandy stretches and some bodysurfing at the farthest end;Fort Charles beach is the least known, with wild dunes stretching onwards towards Parrottee Point, off which is Pelican Bar, a must-see, 1/4 mile in midst of ocean on a sand shoal.

cruisin_tigger

Another good site to play around with for availability, flights, prices, etc. is aavacations.com.

ExpertTripPlanner

What about PARROT CAY in the Turks and Caicos? I just returned from there, and it was outstanding, and worth every penny!