Ethel

My son has his spring break Feb.18th to Feb.25th next year. Where could we go as a family for our possibly(?) last family vacation? We live in the midwest but have traveled extensively in the US and Europe.Any ideas would be be appreciated!(We would like something that is within reason as the old college tuition bills are always with us).

Rachel

Your question is WAY too vague.
Need some parameters.
Temperate:
Bay area
LA-SD
PHX/Scottsdale
Cabo
Puerto Vallarta
Mazatlan
Miami
Orlando
Key West
Tampa-Sarasota
Bahamas
Colder:
Sun Valley
Vail
Aspen
Whistler
Jackson Hole
Taos-Santa Fe
Killington
Stowe
Lake Placid/Adirondacks

What is it you envision enjoying about this trip? Where have you been/not been? What do you usually like to do?

Tina

Your son should go with his college friends wherever they want. How about Alternative Spring Break for him?

Beth2

Hi Ethel!
If you are looking to ski, how about Mount Tremblant in Quebec? If you are looking for warmer weather... Have you all been to Atlantis in the Bahamas (Comfort Suites are reasonable & have full privileges) or Grand Cayman Islands?
That week is also school vacation week for most New Englanders, so New England ski resorts and the entire Orlando area will be packed.
Have a great family vacation!

Celeste

If you've never been to Orlando, this might be a good time to come because the theme parks are 25% under normal attendance and they predict it will fall off even more until next summer. There are incredible hotel deals to be found.

Donna F

If you mean 2002, then it's a little late for booking but I would recommend Maho Bay Camps on St John, USVI. This is luxury camping but you could rent an ecolodge instead. The tents are set up for 4 but that means 2 sharing a sleep sofa so you would need to get an air mattress. They have a website. You can have breakfast and supper in the dining pavilion, cook your own or go into town to a restaurant (rent a car or use public transportation). There are evening activities IF you still have some stamina. The beach is wonderful and you can hike to other beaches, go on a day trip to Tortola or St Thomas. We visited another beach every other day and took a picnic lunch. This gives you a lot of family time together. We didn't see a lot of teenagers, mostly younger families. The tents are canvas covered wood structures with their own decks overlooking the ocean. The snorkeling is fantastic right from the beach. You can rent beach chairs, swim rafts and windsurfers.

Ethel

Thanks for some of the suggestions.I had looked into the Grand Caymans but was appalled at the prices of hotels per night-even the lesser quality types. St. Johns sounds great but how would you fly there? Is San Juan (which would be easier to get to) worthwhile for a visit? Do all the northeast people go on winter break that week and would it be impossible for us to get anywhere then? Thanks-

Donna F

from New England we have one stop someplace and then fly into St Thomas. One time we flew into San Juan and took a commuter flight over to St Thomas. From St Thomas airport you take a cab/van to Red Hook Ferry and take the ferry over to St John/Cruz Bay. Then you can either rent a car or take a cab or take public transportation that runs on a schedule out to Maho Bay camps. Yes, most of the northeast seems to have one of the two last weeks in Feb as vacation. NH is different from MA which we've always believed was so everyone wasn't on the ski slopes at the same time. While St Thomas and downtown Cruz Bay and Trunk Bay (underwater snorkeling trail) might be very crowded, the further out on the island you go, the less crowded it is. Most people aren't willing to hike to some of the beaches and Maho's own beach won't get too crowded. Other than flying into the airport, I haven't been to Puerto Rico. Maybe you could post on the Carribean board.