July Vacation Ideas for 50ish couple without children
 

My husband and I are looking for a one week vacation in July while our daughter is away at camp. For various reasons we'd prefer to stay in North America. We have lots of miles so flying works, hot is okay - but very hot is not. Romantic is necessary. I don't mind seeing a city as long as it is not the central part of the week - we're in NYC very often, even though every city is different, we are really looking to get away.

The first time she was in camp we did Napa/SF/Monteray and we LOVED Napa, really liked Monteray and since we had both been to SF before we used it mostly as stopover; last year we went to Halifax/Cape Breton (was good, not great). Years ago we went to the Canadian Rockies which we loved but were 14 years younger and hiked a lot more than we do now.

We were thinking about Sonoma since we liked Napa so much. I would like to explore Arizona but I am unsure about the heat issue.

We are going to the OBX in August for 2 weeks as a family.

Any ideas out there?

I would recommend a trip to Colorado - absolutely spectacular in the summer. My husband and I enjoyed Vail very much and have been there twice. However, there is so much to see and do in Colorado you have many options. You might want to do some research.

Come visit us in Ashland and Oregon. July is the best time of the year.
We're romantic. Wine and Shakespeare.:)
http://www.ashlandchamber.com/
http://www.traveloregon.com

Souhtwest Colorado would fill the bill. Fly into Durango, then head around the area going to Ouray, Silverton, Telluride, down to Dolores and over to Mesa Verde NP. The temps will be in low 90's but lower as you go up in elevation and will drop to 50's or less at night. Sunny blue skies, lots of activities or relaxtion, good food, lovely inns to stay in, natural hot springs, and on.

San Juan SKyway would work really well.

http://www.telluridevisitorguide.com.../day-trips.asp

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34920960

http://www.swcolotravel.org/drives.html

AppleOrchardinn.com in Durango

Some things to help you see the area.

Deb

We are about the same age as you. We went to Santa Fe and Taos two summers ago. They are elevated so the heat is a non-factor (though you should spend at least one day in hot Albequerque either flying in or out). Both towns are very artsy, great shops, fine food and nice people. We went to two Indian Pueblos for the day and really enjoyed it.

If very hot is not for you - you do NOT want to be in Arizona in July.

How about the Pacific NW?

I might split up the week around San Francisco, with side trips to Sonoma wine country and the coast, maybe Point Reyes/Inverness (lovely B&Bs).

Another idea is Hawaii. I'm a Big Island fan myself. Very romantic, lots of couples, not too crowded, diverse climates (13 out of the world's 15 zones), beautiful places to walk, relax. Historical and cultural sites. Outstanding food.

Yes, that would be perfect! (I just got home from there yesterday and I miss it!)

I definitely second the idea of going to Hawaii - it's gorgeous and romantic, and there's so much to do and see there.

I third Hawaii. It is my favorite vacation destination. Kauai is my favorite island as it is less commercial than the others with beautiful beaches and lots to explore. The weather is not too hot either!

The coast of Oregon is spectacular and weather is great in the summer.

Hawai'i is always a beautiful, romantic destination, but you said you wanted to stay in N America.

Technically, isn't Hawaii part of N.A. even though it isn't in the continental U.S.?

I was wondering about that too, but I had already posted.

Hi Volcanogirl and Kailani ((r)) Here's my thinking: Even though Hawai'i is politically part of the US, it does not share the geographic designation of being part of the continent, since there is about 2500 or so miles of ocean separating the two.

I have noticed when looking up travel info about Hawai'i on various sites that it is under the "North America" category, evidently because it is part of the US, and there usually is no category for North Pacific Islands, which I believe is how Hawai'i would be categorized geographically.

Actually given the places the OP mentioned, I thought they are mainly interested in the continental US and Canada for this trip. I definitely think Hawai'i meets their criteria of being romantic and having good weather in July.((r)) Only drawback I can think of is that depending on where they live, it could be too lengthy a flight for a one week trip.

Aloha, you are correct. We live in NJ and Hawaii would be wonderful but is a bit too far for a week (we did spend two wonderful weeks there several years ago.)

I hear what you're saying aloha. I wasn't sure if it was or not, but your clarification makes sense to me. Happy planning, deb!

If you liked Napa so much, why don't you give the Wine Valley of New York a try, specifically, the Finger Lakes Region.
http://www.fingerlakes.org/
http://www.interlakes.com/flp/flpld.html
http://www.visitfingerlakes.com/

Maybe it's not on the gand scale that Napa is, but it's really worth a visit...very pretty area of NY

The coast of Maine...and there's lots of info here. It fits all your requirements, including romantic.

If you want romantic, how about Quebec City for a couple of nights combined with a stay in the countryside? It's the city's 400th birthday in 2008, so there probably will be a lot of interesting activities to celebrate the event.

Quebec will give you a taste of Europe, without European prices.

Santa Barbara, Carmel, Laguna Beach, Santa Monica - they're all fabulous. El Encanto in Santa Barbara is about as romantic as it gets for a place to stay (my husband took me there for my 50th), and Emilio's for dinner is wonderful. Laguna Beach - stay at Casa Laguna; eat at Vine in San Clemente, Oysters in Corona Del Mar; Channel Road Inn in Santa Monica is delightful; enjoy riding your bikes (provided by the inn) to Venice and take in the wacky people. The Highlands Inn in Carmel Highlands is gorgeous. Whatever you choose, it's all good. CA is the best! Have fun.

Mackinaw Island in Michigan is nice, especially if you can afford to stay in the Grand Hotel.