travlbum

Anyone have any fantastic destination suggestions for a 40th birthday with the girls? Paris? An island? We are going the first week in December.

luvtotravel

Tell us a little about the ladies. What do they like to do? How high a budget do they have?

cigalechanta

I wish I had friends at that age to go to Paris.
Theyy all had babies, I had cats and a dog

travlbum

Luvtotravel- the budget is middle of the road. We are looking for either a package deal (inc air) or maybe a cheap flight and a villa for all of us. There will be 4-10 ladies. It all depends on the cost. They are fun girls who love to travel. They can lay on the beach and have cocktails and spa treatments. Or they can drink, eat, dance and soak in the culture. I know that is a wide range. Sorry!

Cigalechanta - half of my friends have 2 or 3 kids up to the age of 13. But they still want to have fun!

luvtotravel

Well, I travel to Europe in May, June, and September, so I'm not the best person to ask for European destinations. In December your options are limited.

In winter months I head to Asia -- Bangkok could be fun. Lots of shopping, great food, and wonderful spas...and the dollar goes farther in Thailand than it does in Europe. If you need beaches, the south of Thailand has some great ones, although I've only heard about them.

Surely, someone can jump in here with suggestions.

bilboburgler

December, a little early for ski in Europe and getting ready for Christmas.

So if coming to Europe go northParis, Munich, Hamburg etc going to be bad weather. Go south to Barcelona, Malaga may be ok. A girl friend tells me that on her last trip to Barcelona whe had to share the spa with the Barlcelona football team. ;-)

Might think of Morrocco which may be ok, has a hint of "the East" is pretty safe and along with staying in international hotels has rebuilt local ones interesting shopping, modern restaurants and exotic shopping

annhig

hi, travlbum [love the name, BTW]

Rome, Rome, Rome. Fabulous shops, monuments, restaurants, bars.

Wish someone had taken me there for my 40th!

regards, ann

Vttraveler

For a one-city destination other times of year I would suggest Paris or Rome. In December I agree with Ann that Rome is a great choice

crazychick

Prague it is so pretty in December with it's Xmas markets.

carylspall

Marrakesh or Barcelona!

ciaolaura

Cooking classes in Sorrento, Italy? Limone!!!!

ciaolaura

otto

are you foodies? barcelona.
are you into sightseeing and photography? paris.
are you into history? london.
are you into souveniers? munich christmas markets.
haven't been to italy yet.

hope that'll break it down for you. ;-)

sequess

I'd go with Barcelona. There's lots to do and it fills a variety of your interests.

Cicerone

I agree that the potential for fun in Paris, Rome, Prague Barcelona are excellent. Museums, restaurants, shopping, culture, spas. You also have the chance of having Christmas markets in place in early December which would be another fun thing. I would just caution two things: (i) day light hours are short in December, and (ii) weather can be iffy. The first may make sightseeing more difficult as motivating a group of 10 people to get out in the morning could be tough (I have a similar group of girlfriends so know how slow a group can move), so just bear that in mind. Or course a city which is lit at night like Paris is great in the dark too. But Barcelona maybe not so much, and as you won’t eat dinner until 10 pm, you may have more hours to fill. Prague is the furthest north and will have the shortest days (Paris right behind it.) The weather thing is not a problem if you expect it and are dressed for it. A lot of people think Paris and esp Rome or Spain are always warm and so may have expectations that they will be eating at outdoor cafes or sitting by a pool, which will not be the case in December. Just make sure everyone in the group understands this, and it should be fine. Take a look at weatherbase.com for an idea of temps and rainfall. See sunrisesunset.com for daylight hours.

You could rent a villa outside Florence and enjoy both the city and the countryside, albeit it will be a bit brown in December, but still beautiful, IMO. Great for walks. And you could certainly perfect your Italian cooking skills (and wine tasting), you could probably arrange to have cooking lessons at the villa. You would probably find some very good deals on villa rentals in December.

I could not agree more that December in SE Asia is generally great weather-wise. However, if you only have a week, it is really hard to justify the long flight and you won’t be able to see much in only a week. And it’s a long (and expensive) way to go to sit on a beach, you could go to a closer beach if that is all you wanted.

The Caribbean would be a good choice, as you may get good prices pre-Christmas. Certainly good weather. A place like Miami and one of the art deco hotels in South Beach could be a good combination of fun and culture too. Savannah or New Orleans would be fun I would think. A desert place like Phoenix would be good, lots of spa hotels there. Or a city like San Francisco, always lots to do and you can do outdoor activities from there as well. (Not sure about December weather there, check temps.)

The African coast as mentioned above is another good idea, in December, however, it is not really warm either, but certainly interesting. See the weatherbase.com site for temps.

travlbum

Awesome suggestions! Thanks!
Here's some more info on my travels...
Been to South of France (not Paris though), Rome, Venice, Florence, Munich, Greece, Turkey, London, Austria, Geneva, Madrid, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Mexico, Bahamas, Jamaica, Virgin Islands and most US states (New Orleans is my home away from home). I'd like to go somewhere I haven't been, so that's why I have enlisted your help!

Does anyone know a great website for vacation packages?

travlbum

Still haven't narrowed down the locale. I was just invited to a conference in Barcelona the week prior to my birthday. I've already been there, as well as Madrid and Mallorca. I am thinking of attending and then flying to Portugal. Any feedback or additional options would be much appreciated.