Make My Wife Smile
 

I would like to take my wife away for her 40th b-day. She is into exercising,swimming,nice restaurants,shopping. We live in NY and would like to go someplace for 3-4 days without the kids. I was thinking Vegas(never been). Cruising is not an option. Any suggestions?

If you're going in the winter, Scottsdale would be nice. It sounds like you need a "spa" destination.

I second Scottsdale. Great upscale restaurants and shops and great spa destination hotels too. We stayed at the Fairmont in September and loved that area.

Hilton Head, South Carolina.<BR><BR>You did not mention when. There is no swimming at this time but many walk on the beach, ride bikes, ride horses, etc. Upscale hotels have indoor pools. Wonderful golf and restaurants. Upscale boutiques and many outlets. Who could ask for anyhting more? Very classy.<BR><BR>End of discussion.

David, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Take her anywhere but Vegas. If you are on the east coast you could zip down to the Caribbean for a four day weekend, or Sanibel Island off the coast of Florida, flying right into Ft. Myers. You could even flying to London straight out of JFK, they usually have great packages this time of year for four or five nights stays. Are any of these ideas appealing to you???? I could ellaborate...

Your wife sounds like a lot of 40 year old woman, that's why I'll give you some advice, don't go to Vegas. Can you say C-H-E-E-S-Y? Or is it you who wants to go to Vegas?<BR><BR>I'm a 40 year old married mom, and here's where I would like to go, Bermuda, Charleston, South Beach, Paris,London (you can go surprisingly cheaply to London and Paris in the winter)Key West, the caribbean, Napa or Sonoma, Santa Fe, Sedona. Vegas isn't even in the top 500

How about South Beach Florida?<BR><BR>Sounds like the perfect fit for what you describe.<BR><BR>Also right down the road is the Shops of Bal Harbor, and in Coral Gables they just opened up a new HUGE upscale mall.<BR><BR>Lots of spas in South Beach, beach, roller blading rentals, walking etc.<BR><BR>

Oh, the Scottsdale rec is also a good recommendation. the Fairmont Princess is running a special $199/night (good price for that hotel). That would put a smile on my face.

I like LAUGHLIN, NEVADA if the bikers are not in town. It has everything Vegas has at a cheaper price and it is on the river. I think they have a river walk. The buffets at breakfast and dinner are cheap and wonderful.

You people are good and fast. I guess Vegas is too cheesey. Someplace warm would be nice (or if not warm at least a hotel with an indoor pool. We will be traveling in March. I was thinking of London but she grew up there and still has family there so this would turn into a &quot;visit the family&quot; trip.

<BR>Vegas would put a smile on my wife's face - she would laugh at me! How about New Orleans?<BR>Joe G.

Don't be too hard on yourself David, yes you are right, Vegas might be the best destination for a romantic get away, HOWEVER, you did come up with the idea to whisk her away and that's huge in my book. You just needed a little female input! :) If you do decide on the Caribbean, that room at this site can be very helpful. They are always willing to give good ideas like the great US room. Have fun! You're a good guy for planning this for your wife's birthday!

oops, sorry, I meant &quot;might not be the best for romance&quot; ha.

If you go to South Beach your dates are perfect for guaranteed good weather.<BR><BR>If you go there (and only if you don't mind dropping $250 bucks for dinner) take her to Tantra on South Beach.<BR><BR>Very sensual.....(I did not say romantic I said sensual) <BR><BR>Loud but stimuli overload, sexy crowd, floor is freshly rolled out grass.<BR><BR>The girls just love this place! Especially if the guy is paying!

I'll echo a loud resounding NO on Vegas. How about Charleston? March is beautiful there with the flowers blooming, and it's a romantic town, with some great restaurants. It will be too cold to swim, but if she swims for exercise, sometimes it's wonderful to have an excuse to break from the routine! There are beaches for walking though, even in the cold and that can be one of the prettiest times to be at the beach. There's decent antique shopping, but if you live in NY, you'll probably be able to skip the clothing stores. <BR><BR>I like the Key West rec and you might add Naples to the list too. Great shopping (Marissa!! I could spend the day in that one shop), beautiful beaches, and good restaurants. High season rates are the only drawback there.

Now, what about Bermuda - one other mentioned it - and so close to nyc, just a two hour flight. It's what we did, and loved every minute - and 3 nights is about right.

I heard that South Beach was NOT the place to go. Not very much like pictured on television. Crowded with seedy stores and tatoo joints. Hey for half the price you could go to Myrtle Beach. <BR><BR>You want quality for this trip. If it needs to be Florida then the Ritz on Amelia Island.

Florida is not an option for this trip.

I guess I am in the minority here, but we live in NYC and for my birthday one year my husband took me to Las Vegas for 4 days. We stayed at the Bellagio, I had a day at their spa, we ate in wonderful restaurants,shopped, took day trips. The temps were in the 70's, while NYC was wet and cold we were hiking in Red Rock Canyon. We saw some good shows and returned rested and we really enjoyed ourselves. Vegas is so different from &quot;real life&quot;, it was a great getaway!

Here's a great destination for what I think your wife would like ... the Ritz on St. Thomas. It will be warm in March (Bermuda will be too cool in March), the accomodations at the Ritz are top notch, and the shopping in St. Thomas is great. Plus you can take the ferry over to St. John for a day trip. It would be perfect for a short trip to celebrate her 40th.