msruckus

My husband and I (both 30) are trying to plan a getaway right before or right after Thanksgiving. This will be our first trip away from our baby (who will be 10+ months by then). We need to fly from NY and/or Houston depending on if he has to work Thanksgiving and will have about four days. thus we want to minimize travel time and would probably pick someplace that Continental flies nonstop from both hubs. for this trip, we want pure relaxation. Read, float in the water, eat good food, sleep (+) in a big, comfy bed, get some massages, etc. My only trip to the Caribbean was to Aruba a few years ago and that would fit the bill but I would like to go someplace new. Budget about $2500 for the trip. Thanks in advance.

iw

Lucky you, to get away! As I know you are aware, that is an expensive time to get away. I am not sure of your thoughts on Aruba.....we liked it, but it is way down on our list of must returns. Having said that, have you thought of St. Kitts or Nevis???? St. Kitts has many places to offer, as does Nevis..Oualie Beach Hotel has great food and different rooms to offer in a budget range. Check it out. Also, look for MarionCk, ejcrowe, alya and JAGIRL, among many others to post their thoughts. And, no, I am a not a travel agent who pushes one island over another. lol Have fun! Please let everyone know what you decide!
Karen

A_Traveller

St. Kitts and Nevis are wonderful destinations but assuming msruckus has only 4 days available for vacation including travel time the problem with going to Nevis or St. Kitts is she and her hubby cannot get there non-stop from Houston or NY and the travel time will severely cut into their limited vacation time. For instance, at that time of year there are only a limited number of connecting flights to those islands and making the connections (especially from Texas) is not always easy - sometimes it requires an overnight stop in San Juan. FYI - we are going to Nevis in mid-November from Texas and we cannot make it in one day. At best, if they leave at 7:00 AM they probably will not be able to get "on-island" before 5PM and the return flight departs St. Kitts or Nevis around 7:00 AM thus they will spend 2 of their four days in planes and airports.

Her request for a non-stop destination makes much more sense. She should look at places like Puerto Rico, St. Martin, St. Thomas or even Cancun or Cozemel (the latter two are very short flights from Houston). I'd save Nevis/St. Kitts for a later trip when they have more time.

iw

Oops. That's what I get for posting after relaxing in the hot tub. Sorry that I missed the 4 day thing. Definitely save my suggestion for later.
I have found it more difficult to find direct flights from VA or NC going anywhere. I would suggest getting on Continental's site and plugging in different destinations to see what pops up. Also, I use orbitz.com for a starting point since it lists every carrier and flight that would meet your need. You can then book through them (although we never have had luck getting a seat assingnment and that is tricky) or book through the airlines directly. You could also tell an agent that you want to go somewhere with a direct flight and let them handle it (my personal favorite choice).
Depending on your thoughts, St. Martin is easy to reach. Orient Beach and Grand Case are fun areas. If you stay in the village of Orient, you can practically walk to dinner each night.
Our friends just returned from St. Thomas and had great things to say.
Good luck and I apologize for the earlier confusion.

girlonthego

I would go prior to Thanksgiving rather than the few days following. You will have lots of school kids at the resorts starting on the Wed before Thanksgiving. I am sure since you are leaving yours behind, you will enjoy a quieter vacation.
I would look into St thomas Ritz, Grand Cayman Ritz or Westin, Caneel Bay St.John. Mexico is a quick hop from Houston.
Good luck and enjoy!

msruckus

Good suggestion to try to go before. I will look into that. we were going to go the week after Thanksgiving, so after the school breaks but i will look into both. we are now going to go for five nights so i can be a little bit more adventurous with destinations, but would prefer as little travel time as possible. thanks for the suggestions. keep them coming.

msruckus

I actually decided on the new Fairmont Mayakoba in Riviera Maya, Mexico. Easy, inexpensive non-stops from Houston and Newark and absolutely unbelievable rates for Fairmont President's Club members. this resort looks awesome; I am very excited. will have to check out St. Kitts, Nevis, St. Thomas, etc. in the spring. thanks again.