Vacation ideas?

[LSUkiter]

So, I'm trying to plan a vacation with my girlfriend and want to go somewhere different this year. Been to Belize, Cozumel, Roatan, Aruba and Grand Cayman recently(actually on a cruise a little over a yr ago). We're having trouble deciding. Before I spend all of my hours at work searching for vacation destinations online, I thought I'd get some opinions here. It makes sense. As kiters, we're all outdoors-type people who like the water and beach and have similar interests, and most of you meet the demographic of people who have been or will be going on a good vacation. Plus, as we've seen from the posts, we are all very opinionated. We've actually even thought about going to a travel agent to get some ideas, but rather than waste my time with that, thought I'd try here first.
So here's the info. We're looking to go somewhere, probably Carribean between July and September(yes, hurricane season, leave the hurricane comments out of it). I would love to say that I'll be doing alot of kiting, but I'm not really that concerned if I get to kite or not, although it would be prefered. I figure I kite while I'm here, but don't get to dive as much as I'd like or used to; so if the lady friend gives me an ultimatum as to what gear I get to bring, it'd be dive gear first over kites.(but I'm vying for both). She likes to lay on the beach and snorkel. Obiously I'd prefer watersports and diving over laying around. And we both want to go on tours and all the typical vacation junk. She's 25 and I'm 30 , so we'll drink and go out a little, but not looking to get trashed at bars. Prefer not to be swamped by kids. I want to go to Costa Rica or Bonaire, but she's not feeling it. So far we've come up with Antigua. She's also brought up trying Sandals, which I'm not too amped on, but she's hypnotized by the commercials. I'm slightly afraid of the big all-inclusive resorts, mainly for the fear of the unknown, but I worry if their really worth the money. I tend to think probably not.
Sorry for the long post, but hopefully I'll get some good thoughts and ideas that I haven't had on my own yet. Thanks in advance for the responses.

Richard

That's not a long post.

I would take RickI's top 3 on this one and run with it.

[Danimal8199]

LSU,

Remember this, its much easier to rent dive gear for a few dives than it is to rent kite gear. How many places do you know that rent kite gear?

Danny

[Brian360]

LSU,

Have you been to Cabarete yet in the DR? Heard great reviews and know that alot of kiters go there for vacation. I'm going there late July for 2 weeks. Worth checking out.
www.cabaretekiteboarding.com
www.dr1.com

[Steve-O]

I don't know about the Sandals thing. I have had some friends that have gone and had not good experiences. It feels like a cruise but on land. Big buffet style food, masses of people, not as private as they lead you to believe. Anyways, cruises aren't my style as I want to get away from people on vacation.

I have been to Costa and was one of the best trips I have had only second to Hawaii. I have never been that impressed with the Caribbean. I think it takes a big bank account to get the best that the Carib has to offer and I just don't have it.

I found some killer deals on off the beaten path type places in Hawaii that blew my mind. I paid less than $100 per night in Hawaii and had private cottages in tropical gardens in Maui, waterfront apt on the North shore of Oahu, and a killer bed and breakfast in Kauai. Eating out wasn't that bad, and there is so much to do there regarding watersports you will never get bored nor do you have to spend alot of dough. To this date was the best vacation I have ever had and to this date had the best value and bang for the buck. We went in the late spring before the summer rates kicked in. Hawaii can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be. I saved all the info if you want it.

Costa was awesome and unreal value. Getting around is an adventure but that was half the fun. Tropical forests, river rafting, horse back riding, zip lines, hiking, fishing, surfing and killer wind on Lake Arenal. It howls there alot.....Gorge like conditions. Your dollar goes along way there, but it is a bit 3rd world. Be ready for an adventure.

Hawaii is more civilized but more expensive than Costa. Other than the airfare being a bit more, everything else was right in line with any other trip we have done. Case in point....just went to Park City in Utah and spent $100 a night for a Best Western in the mountains. It was fine, but it wasn't the cottage we got in Maui overlooking the ocean, nestled in a tropical garden, with pool and private jacuzzi. Yeah that place was $100 a night as well. Did I mention it was right down the road from Kite Beach and some of the best scenery and diving in the world. And I didn't have to pay $75.00 a day for a lift ticket. Snorkeling, kiting, a siteseeing were free. I still remember the best fish sandwich I ever ate with this slaw dripping all over it. $10 bucks.

With that said, I will be back many times before I leave this world.

Good luck!!!!

[LSUkiter]

Scott-What top 3?

Dan-I definitely agree with that. The other thing that I realized after the original post was that when I go diving, the girlfriend stays on land and does her own thing alone, but if I can find a nice, quiet beach to kite on, we'd be "spending time together" when I come back in for a rest, and therefore won't get in the doghouse

Brian- I actually looked into Cabarete because I've read about it so many times in the mags. It gets my vote. It's remote, not packed, and you 're not going to have alot of other tourists up your butt. Plus, the best winds are during the times I'd be going. Unfotunately, it's still a little remote and too impoverished to be approved by the girlfriend. And that's the same reason Costa Rica's been shot down too. If it was just my vacation, I'd be happy in a hut on the beach with no AC, TV or electricity. With the gf in tow, it needs to be a little more "Carribean" and have some shopping. Gotta love compromise-why am I not married yet?:mrgreen:

Steve-O- Hawaii is definitley a great idea. We've wanted to go there for years, but after hearing other people talk about how expensive it is in the past, we never even looked into it. She perked up when I said Hawaii. If I could get an awesome Hawaiian vacation that's just a little more expensive than the trip to Antigua we've been thinking of, then I'd jump on it.
Your comment about Sandals being a land-based cruise is exactly how I thought of it in my head, but couldn't explain. I picture that bland, institutionalized food, to many people, and too much cost. We had fun on our cruise when we were off the ship, but hated the ship itself

Thanks for the help.
Richard

[Steve-O]

If your thinking Hawaii, let me know and I can give you some leads on places to stay. None of them were your typical resort, but they totally fit the bill beauty wise typically expected in the islands of Hawaii. Again, day to day expense was totally within reason compared to alot of other places I have been. The key is to start now and book early to get the best deals.

Late

I assumed Rick would list some stuff. He dives, kites and has travelled a lot.

[LSUkiter]

Oh, I thought you meant he had a post on one of the area forums on here

[LSUkiter]

Steve-O I'd definitley like to know which islands you'd recommend and maybe the names of good places to stay