I'm at a loss...
My boyfriend turns 30 in February and I would like to take him somewhere for his 30th - he loves to travel. We live in St. Louis. A couple places have crossed my mind like Key West, Boston, D.C. or Chicago. We usually go to Chicago a couple times a year anyway, so that's kind out. I wanted to do something different for him - wanted to take him somewhere unique. Neither of us have been to Key West before and I don't know much about it. If anyone has any comments about Key West or any other suggestions on where to go, I would GREATLY appreciate it. Thanks.

Vegas Baby!

Key West is wonderful but February weather can be crappy. What are your dates? President's Week, in the middle of the month is very crowded. Christmas-April is peak season and rates and airfare will reflect this.

Let me add that Key West weather in February will be much nicer than St. Louis.

So, is it rainy in Key West in February? See...of course, his birthday is February 21 - PRESIDENTS DAY! Figures, doesn't it? Are the crowds able to be fought or would you skip that week altogether?

There so many hundreds, even thousands of destinations that picking one with no other criteria is like just throwing a dart. You could literally get out a map and throw a dart and just go where it lands.

So, how about some more info?

* How many days do you have?
* How much money do you have to spend on airfare, hotels, sightseeing, meals?
* Where do you (or he) want to go? You've mentioned several very different places.
* What do you want to do while you're there? Certainly Key West and Boston offer completely different activities and weather.
* What weather is important to you? Are you really looking for warm, or does that not matter much.
* Is there anyplace (besides Chicago) that you specifically DON'T want to go, and why?
* Finally, does it have to be in the US? What about Canada, Mexico, Europe?

JLM...We'll have up to a month (but would rather just use 1 or 2 weeks), money isn't an issue, and we like a lot of different things - we're very flexible. We've been to a lot of places, and as I said, I wanted something unique and different. Weather doesn't matter. We're the type that can find something to do no matter what the weather is like. We just got back from Hawaii last night, so I'm not anxious to go to a beachy area but, I'm not opposed to it either (I mean, who could pass up a week on a beach?). We visit Chicago a couple times a year, we usually go to Europe once a year (or every two years)and he's not big on Mexico. To answer your final question, it does not have to be in the U.S. All in all, I was just fishing for some ideas that would be fun for a 27 year old to take her 30 year old boyfriend for a fun 30th birthday. He's a History Teacher, so he usually likes a lot of history behind the places we go but, that is not a requirement or a preference...uhhh, I can't think of anything else to tell you...Vegas is a great idea that I didn't think of. Actually, Vegas is not a place that I would ever have even thought of but, it's a wonderful idea now that I think about it because I think he would love it - afterall, it is HIS birthday

I am also turning 30 in February (the 23rd) and we will be leaving on the 26th for Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara. Flights aren't too bad and we found two lovely and reasonably priced places to stay. I can't think of a better way to say good-bye to my twenties than on the beach with a margarita.

Other options:
Vegas is a great idea for a long weekend
If you have closer to a week, what about Costa Rica? The cost of food and hotels will be much lower than many US locations and good deals on flights can be found, too.

Oh, I thought of one other option: last year we flew round trip from San Francisco to London for $350 pp the first week in March, used priceline and received a 4* hotel for $90 per night. While the weather may not be that much better from St. Louis, London would be a great city for a birthday.

mmarty, my husbands birthday was in February also and one of his favorite destinations was to go to Puerta Vallarta. Beautiful weather, relaxing vacations. Don't know about cost from St. Louis or if it would even interest you but it sure did for us. Actually I always enjoyed his birthday more than mine.

I'm thinking the weather would be super icky in London in February.

alg may just have the ticket with Mexico.

I love Alcapulco, Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, and Cancun. The dollar is fairly strong against the peso and you are guaranteed beach weather.

My most favorite motel in the world is Las Flamingos in Alcapulco. It sits on a 600 foot cliff over looking the Pacific ocean and is where Johnny Weissmuler lived. Inexpensive, was the hangout fot John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, and that Hollywood crowd during the 1950s.

I went to San Francisco for my 30th birthday in February of 2003. Weather was in the 60's with a few sunny days. The city was beautiful and fun, I have great memories of the trip.

I too live in St. Louis and we flew to London in March a few years ago. While I would much rather be in London than St. Louis any day, the weather certainly wasn't the best.

I love Italy so that would be my choice, but if he's never been to Vegas that may be fun too. Have you considered an island in the caribbean or (since money isn't an issue) the South Pacific?

Tracy