10 days and where to go?????
 

I am not spoiled, but, would appreciate anybody input on a vacation/resort hotel that could compare to what i experienced in hawaii. I stayed at the Ihilani in oahu and the kea lani in maui........utterly speechless. Now my problem is to duplicate those hotels/experience without taking two weeks to do it......please i would appreciate any thoughts on hotels/places you've stayed that have just blown you away.... <BR>Signed "SPOILED BY HAWAII" <BR>

Anywhere in the US where we've been--or want to go to, and the hotels don't matter--it's the location/area from - Princeville (the Cliffs resort) on Kauai--Kauai was outstanding; Kona Coast Condos on the Big Island in '92 and exploring that island; our cruise/train/air trip to Alaska in '90 was awesome & seeing Denali in all it's spendor & animals stopping traffic, then to go back in '95 & spending time on the Kenai Peninsula in a great B & B & fishing in Homer & on the Kenai river & "me" catching a 74# King Salmon; spending 7 weeks in Costa Rica (work/volunteer counsultant-hubby) at the Bougainvillea Hotel (fantastic staff & over 10 acres of flowers to wander in)just outside of San Jose and getting to explore that absolutely gorgeous country on week ends and meeting some wonderful people there(this trip was probably the high light of our lives and we have been back 2 more times); and any other trips we have taken around this beautiful country of ours to see and feel the freedom we have here in the US. The desserts around Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Zion; the coast of Maine, the Smoky mountains, Key West for it funky-ness & fishing; any where along any coast; watching my husband catch a 150 # marlin off the coast of Cabo San Lucas; Oak Creek Canyon AZ; Spearfish Canyon SD; Death Valley & Scotties Castle, Buffalo along the road in Custer SP;

Do you want a luxury/amenities hotel, or location? We have been spoiled by locations and the resorts/hotels are incidental - those are only good for a place to sleep while exploring our surrounding area. Try an Alaskan cruise/plane/train trip for spectacular beauty.

Sorry about that--I thought I cancelled the first post, but those are still great places.

JoAnn: <BR> <BR>I will admit that the desserts are great in Las Vegas but I think that you meant the deserts. LOL!!

Cal, you're right--slip of the fingers on the keyboard--or is it slip of the memory? :-) Great desserts in New Orleans though, too!

I think I have to avoid New Orleans. The food was so wonderful, I'd probably weigh 300 lbs within a month. Not exactly blow-away-able! One of the most beautiful places we've travelled was North of San Francisco, the Russian River area with wineries, and luxurious B&Bs, the coast (I'm sure you can find somewhere fabulous to stay there), and the redwoods. We're seriously considering planning about 10 days in that area next September.

How about a week in Asia? I spent 10 days on a combo trip to Hong Kong and Bangkok. There are several 5 star hotels in each city, where hotels are regularly considered the worlds' best. The Palaces and temples in Bangkok are facinating, and having dinner at The Felix restaurant atop the Pennisula Hotel tower in Hong Kong took our breath away with the view.

Jeff: <BR>There are better resorts in the US than Ihilani and Kea Lani, and there are many different types of spectacular scenery, but for me, there is not a better combination of the two than in Hawaii. <BR>So, in answer to your question, I'd have to say you'll be hard pressed to 'duplicate' your experience elsewhere. <BR>If you're going to comparison shop, however, I'd say the best combinations elsewhwere would be: <BR>A suite at the Ritz Carlton in Naples, FL <BR>The Point, Lake Placid area, NY <BR>Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur, CA <BR>Inn at Spanish Bay, Pebble Beach, CA <BR> <BR>Now if you really want to expand your search to maximum potential, try: <BR>Hayman Island Resort, Australia <BR>Four Seasons, Bali <BR>Hotel du Cap, French Riviera <BR>Villa d'Este, Lake Como, Italy <BR>Las Ventanas, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico <BR>Still, in my opinion, not better than Hawaii for all around 'ease of use', broad array of food/activity opportunities, etc, but in the same ballpark for different reasons in each case.