vd711

My DH gave me a $3K "vacation of my choice" budget to be used this winter, probably January or February. We live in Chicago.

Normally, we are "active" vacationers (we enjoy hiking @ National Parks, generally doing/seeing a lot of things in one trip, and enjoy checking out the local dives/hot spots for meals).

Given the time of year, and the fact that we want to escape cold weather (and we don't ski) - we were thinking Mexico, Costa Rica, or the Caribbean would be the right spot for us. Also, we have the aforementioned budget to deal with. Length of trip is flexible.

Where should we go if the idea of laying on a beach for 5 days bores me to tears?? I don't mind some beach time, and a nice resort is always great, but I also want to "do" stuff. When I think of the Caribbean, I just think of sitting on the beach.

qwovadis

www.desafiocostarica.com many nice adventures

there and wildlife doable within your budget

costarica.bookit.com spirit.com aa.com

cheap flights down from ORD

servicecarrental.com cheap rents if you want to DIY

what I usually do... Have fun!

Femi

You're on the right path thinking about Mexico/Central America. Don't forget to consider Guatemala and Belize. Belize especially would allow a trip that includes beaches (great diving) and jungle hikes, etc.

jan47ete

A cruise out of Florida or Galveston, Mardi Gras in NO, PR, vacation pkg in the caribbean, Bermuda, southern France or Spain, Baja Calif, Hawaii, Texas coast, or Bahamas.

hlphillips2

What about Ecuador or Peru? Warmer than Chicago yet more active than just laying on a beach. Anyplace in Central America would fit the bill and probably fit your budget.

suze

Puerto Vallarta Mexico

worldtraveler990

If you want to go on a warm vacation but need some adventure, maybe a package trip where you go lots of places in a few days would be fun. Costa Rica is amazing, and will have great weather for you to get out of the cold. I recently began looking for Costa package trips for me and my fiancé, and we are really intrigued by some of the packages Globus has. There are 9-16 day trips that are all very affordable. The 16 day is only $2,800, which is a great deal for all the places that you can visit. We don’t have 16 days, so we’re probably going to book the Natural Wonders of Costa Rica trip that’s for 9 days, and is $1,300, which is a great price. We normally haven’t been the type to go on “package” planned trips, but this year we really want to relax and enjoy the adventure without worrying about logistics. Hopefully this help! All of the Costa trips look great; here is the site http://www.globusjourneys.com/Vacati...ntral-America/
I’m sure they have some other ones that are great too if Costa Rica isn’t what your looking for! Good Luck and Happy Travels!
-worldtraveler

gailmo

I booked a tour to Costa Rica using a travel agency in Chicago...--can't remember which one at this point. But they booked our hotels and rental car. We flew in....picked up the car and drove ourselves everywhere. At the end of our trip we flew in a small plane down to a remote tent camp on the Osa Peninsula. It was pretty amazing... Basically the agency did all of the legwork for us -- yet we were on our own. No tour groups...no buses...no lousy tourist restaurants. I think this might fit into your budget.

Scootoir

Pleasant Holidays was running a good price to Kauai at the Sheraton in Poipu. If they had something similar for the Grand Hyatt that would be lovely.