Need Help Planning 10th Anniversary Beach Vaca-Limited Travel Time
 

Hello,

I am planning our 10th Wedding Anniversary vaca and am so overwhelmed with options. We will only have 4 nights/5 days to be gone and will be traveling from Dallas. All we care about is relaxing (soaking up every moment of silence without our two toddlers!), a beautiful beach, good food and really nice accommodations. I really wanted to go to T&C or Caneel Bay but after looking into travel time logistics have gotten discouraged because I don't want to spend 2 of our precious days getting there and back. I'm still leery of traveling to Mexico's Caribbean for safety reasons and am not interested in Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, etc.

Anyone out there have any suggestions for a fantastic trip with minimum travel time from Texas that would be an extremely memorable trip? Thanks so much in advance!

How about Jamaica? Direct flights from Dallas DFW. Takes about 2 hours. Negril is a highly recommended area.

What type of accomendations are you looking for? Boutique, resort, AI?

Too bad that you ruled out Mexico. One of the best, least expensive destinations out there. Have been going since 2000 and just returned a few weeks ago. There are no safety issues in the tourist areas. Also, about a 2 hour direct flight from DFW.

I, myself, would be more concerned with flying American out of DFW. They have screwed us over almost every time we fly with them. :)

I agree with previous poster. Riviera Maya/Cancun, Playa del etc are very safe and so close to you. You can get wonderful deals on so many resorts.

However, having said that, if you are looking for direct flights or closest possible, you will be looking at Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Grand Cayman & Aruba. All varying in price of course. Were you looking for an All-Inclusive Resort?

Take Punta Cana for example - you could leave early morning and be sunning yourself by afternoon.
Punta Cana Princess All Stes Rst & Spa-All Incl (Adults only)
Grand Palladium Punta Cana Resort & Spa AI
Riu Palace Macao - All Inclusive (Adults only)
Catalonia Royal Bavaro -All Inclusive (Adults only)
Barcelo Bavaro Beach - All Inclusive (Adults only)
Iberostar Grand Hotel Bavaro - All Inclusive (Adults only - pricey but very nice)

I also agree with KVR about Mexico. We've been to Cancun three times in the last few years at an AI, had a great time and no problems at all. I've also taken my kids to Playa Del Carmen, which we all loved.

However, I do love Negril, too, and have gone there often. We like the small resorts - COCO LA PALM, or IDLE AWHILE- both of which are on the best part of Negril's beach. COCO attracts lots of families, so your kids would have plenty of playmates!

The only downside is that Negril is about a 90 minute drive from the airport in Montego Bay. But the ride is mostly beautiful- lots of pineapple plantations, ocean views, some small towns.

Good luck whatever you decide!

I think Puerto Rico and Aruba will be too far with just a 4 night stay. Though you can get direct flights from Dallas, it's about 5 hours on the plane to get there. You need at least a week to enjoy those destinations.

Might also consider Belize or Costa Rica. I found non-stop flights on American. Also, about 2 hours to get there. Beaches are not the best there though.

Your best bet will be Carribean Mexico or Jamaica.

I myself am looking into a vacation for our 20th anniversary. We did do a trip direct to Jamaica from Dallas, but would not do it again. Big dissapointment and unsafe. We staed over in Montego Bay and if you go to Negril, they have armed guards that will stop u. Cancun is very nice and the JW Marriott there is awesome and so is the Ritz. You might want to look into the Esperanza in Mexico. The movie the ''heartbreak kid",was filmed there. The Grand Caymans are fabulous. We haved stayed at the Westin, but that was along time ago. I hear the Ritz is awesome. Hope this helps.You should have plenty of options from Dallas thru Miami to the Caribbean. Good luck!