My husband and I would like to take a trip before we try to have our second child and need your help with ideas etc.

Background: We LOVE Hawaii type settings, beaches, snorkeling, adventure, food, bargins...we are pretty open when it comes to travel.

We are looking to go in the next few weeks (end of October) and can be gone for up to 8 days.

Any ideas? We have thought about Tahiti, or a cruise, or Southern Europe, or Cancun...please help!

Thanks!

Travelmom,

We are in the same situation. I was looking into St Johns in the US Virgin Islands. It looks like it has a lot of the same charm you are looking for.

I also pondered maybe Playa Del Carmen (near Cancun).

Good Luck and have fun

I've been to both St. John/St. Thomas and Playa del Carmen twice and enjoyed both very much. Both would be good destinations, but of the two, I prefer St. John/St. Thomas.

It's been several years (maybe 5) since the last time we were in Playa del Carmen. We started going there instead of Cancun because Cancun became too built up and lost some of its charm. I'm afraid Playa del Carmen may have become the same way. You should ask someone who's been recently.

I loved St. John/St. Thomas because you can visit both islands easily...by ferry. There are incredible beaches on St. John...Trunk Bay (plan to spend some time here) and Cinnamon Bay. There's great shopping on St. Thomas. The last time we were there (2 years ago this November), we rented a boat and a captain and went island hopping and snorkeling. Absolutely one of the best things we've ever done on a vacation. We rented from Nauti Nymph (love the name) in Red Hook, St. Thomas. You can tell them which islands you'd like to visit or they'll make suggestions. We went with their suggestions and loved every minute of it. We went to both USVIs and BVIs so we had to bring our passports with us, but the captain took care of everything so it wasn't a hassle at all. And the snorkeling was the most incredible I've ever experienced. Our captain was certified to free dive to a pretty deep depth. He'd dive down and pick up urchins, starfish , etc. and bring them up to show us. Then he'd carefully dive back down to replace them. One of the most fun stops was a small island with a beach hut bar. We just relaxed there and had their island drink special then headed off for another island. I've pulled out my "St. John/St. Thomas" folder and found these two websites: www.st-thomas.com/nautinymph and www.yachtmagicmoments.com We were on the Nauti Nymph and it was great. The day we wanted to go, the Magic Moments yacht was already booked. It included champagne, lobster, etc.

I also see Tahiti on your list. Now that's a place I'd love to go!

Happy planning!

Funny you shoud mention St.John. We have been talking about going there for years.

Pretty much we have narrowed it down to:
Belize
Costa Rica
St. John
Cancun

Any thoughts/advice anyone?

We too are looking for a prebaby trip. Our first is due the end of March...of your two choices, I much prefer Costa Rica over Cancun. The roads in CR tend to be unpaved unless you're near a city/town so you may want to pick one location and not travel all around the country like I did as a single girl. The people are great and have the highest literacy rate in Central America, maybe Latin America. It's a beautiful and diverse country--one of my favorite trips! Wildlife, snorkling and diving, volcanoes, rain forest and lots of monkeys! Food was good too ;-) I didn't especially like San Jose, their capital though so I wouldn't bother spending time there.

I've been to Cancun quite a few times--again, all single girl trips. It has pretty beaches, snorkeling but less adventure than CR. The food was fine but had much nicer meals in Costa Rica. I also think it has more of a Spring Break drinking feel and don't know that's something I'd want right now. It's been a couple of years since I've been to either place but CR seemed to be a better value than Cancun...

Good luck planning and the new baby!
Debbie

Me again! I just realized you want to go away BEFORE you get pregnant...guess my reading skills aren't what they used to!

At any rate, my vote still goes to Costa Rica but instead of staying put at a resort, spend time visiting different parts of the country since bumpy roads won't be a big deal for you right now! It's not that big and there is sooo much to see.

Check out the Latin America forum. There's always someone posting about CR--and Cancun for that matter! ;-)

Thanks so much for your imput! I knopw of many people who have done Costa Rica and LOVED it. I am drawn to the exotic/adventurous feel of CR.

Where did you stay in CR?

Hi,
I stayed in Arenal--hiked an ever-erupting volcano, then headed to the cloud forest of Monteverde and last, my most favorite, Manuel Antonio. There's a lot that we didn't see...we didn't get to see the giant turtles on the east coast but heard it was great over there too!

Have fun!
Debbie

Try Acapulco. It is their low season. However, the weather is actually nicer then in the high season with clear blue skies and warm tempatures. We went last year and really enjoyed it.

We stayed at the Hyatt and were able to get airfare from NYC and a room via Continental Vacations for about $1200 PP for 8 nights. We upgraded to a suite and the cost was only an extra $200 a night.

While the risk of storms in the Caribbean is generally low at the end of October, just be forewarned that it is still technically Hurricane Season.

I say Grand Cayman. Just superb for water activites and a high standard of living- no harassing venders, no food or water worries. It is more expensive, but I go every time I can.

I doubt much in Grand Cayman will be open for tourists come the end of this month due to Hurricane Ivan. The state of emergency was just lifted and restrictions on vistors to that island remain in effect.

I think Costa Rica or Belize would be right up your alley for adventures and beauty. (Belize is better for diving)

Head over to the Latin America board where there are wonderful people willing to help you out.

I've read that TACA is reducing airfares to Central American locations right now.