My dates are flexible. I need suggestions for a destination that offers warm temps (70's at least), white sandy beaches, not high tourist (nix on crowds), well-maintained hotel/condo facility, outdoor activities for family with 3 and 5 yr old (swimming, snokeling, hiking, bicycling and the like), AND best value (in hotel, food, air) - originating from Pacific NW. Total of 4-5 days travel and $2000K budget.

I have been thinking of Hawaii - but not at all familiar with the islands...also expensive. Also So. Cal., Florida.... Hmmmm....

Can you hold off another year to save up some more money and take more time? If you only have 4-5 days, 2 are going to be spent coming and going, leaving only 2-3 days to enjoy your vacation. We figure a vacation requires 7-10 days. Also, with a 3 and 5 yo it would be a good idea to be able to snorkle right from the beach. You could go luxury camping at Maho Bay Camps on St John, USVI but airfare would probably sink your budget.

Let's do some math:
4 airplane tickets at $250 is $1000.
4 hotel nights at a lower-priced beach community hotel is $400.
Car rental is $200.
Meals are $50 per day, times 5, totaling $250
Bike rentals, baby sitters, boat rides, low-priced attractions, souvenirs, snacks, etc., are $100.

So you can have your holiday is you can get $250 air fare and find a cheap hotel.

Now the trade-off is spending a lot of time on an airplane in relation to the time on the ground, accompanied by two very little kids, or changing some of your requirements.

The Gulf coast of Florida provides the attractions you want. Fort Meyers Beach, Sonestra, Naples, have the sand, there are some state parks for hiking, you can find some sniorkeling, there are lots of mcDonald's and Burger Kings and Days Inns and other cheap hotels, and decent car rental deals. Go after mid-April, when the rate drops, but before they go up again for summer travellers. In May and early June, the water's nice and warm again.

But, as Donna says, that's a lot of plane ride for a little boeach time. I've done Toronto- Fort Meyers many times, but it is one airplane, and only a couple of hours.

Why not change your planes, and take the kids, by car, to Vancouver Island, go hiking there, let them play on the beaches (water is too cold for much swimming), ride on ferry boats, take a train ride, etc.

If you go to Southern California, you'll have crowds on beaches where the swimming is good, because that is what Californians do. Otherwise, that's what I'd do.

BAK

I don't think you'll be able to do it. I've been searching high and low for our family of 4 trying to go for less than $ 3000 and amhaving a hard time UNLESS you can go last minute.

I was looking at Sanibel/Captiva but condo rental alone is $ 2000 or more, plus airfare, plus rental car not to mention food and you're over $ 3,000. We're on the east coast and the least expensive option will end up being the Dominican Republic. My quess for you is Mexico. Go to travelzoo.com for last minute deals.

I was checking into Sanibel for our family a couple of years ago during spring break. The problem I came up against was that I wanted to stay only 4 or 5 days but all of the condos rent for full week periods then. And the hotel prices were outrageous! We put the trip off until the month of May. Prices dropped *significantly* and we had wonderful weather and less crowds. Plus, that's their off time, and many of the condos will rent nightly (though we stayed a week).

We lucked out and got our flights for under $130 each and our condo was $750 for a week. We were able to eat in for 2 meals a day and venture out for dinner. It was the most relaxing vacation we've ever had.

If you are flexible you can try Priceline for your airline tickets. I was able to get Detroit to Orlando tickets last July for a total cost of $112 each ($90 plus taxes and fees).

I will suggest Santa Barbara. I don't know from what airport you are originating, but America West flies into the Santa Barbara airport. I did a quick check and from Seattle you can fly for about $200 per person. And on Expedia I got a rate of $200 per night at Fess Parker's Resort. For both of these I used some random dates in May. In May it won't be crowded, it should be at least 70, and there are plenty of activities to keep you and your family occupied. The flight won't be as long as getting to Florida, or even Hawaii. Of course, this has eaten up $1600 of your budget. I think it will be hard to stay under $2000 no matter where you go, unless you can drive somewhere.