desperate for vacation!
I have been doing lots of researching and looking at sales and reading tripadvisor like crazy, I really really need a vacation; our last one was in Sept 2009 when DD was 11mo old (she did not come).
My ultimate dream vacation (at this point) would be:
*direct flight from IAD (DCA if I have to, but BWI is too far),
*an all-inclusive (I'm cheap and don't want to worry about picking out where we'll eat and how much it'll cost and while a place w/ a kitchen sounds nice, I don't want to spend time cooking/preparing meals, so AI it is).
*dates are flexible but right now we are looking at late August-early Sept (hurricane season for many places, unfortunately)
I've been looking at Bahamas, Jamaica, Cancun (although no direct flights there and it's not my 1st choice b/c we'd have to stay on the resort and I don't want to go to a place with lots to see outside the resort and feel like I'm missing out).
I am open to other ideas, I do want to fly as kids are not good car riders. We all have passports but staying in U.S. is also an option. I am not a huge fan of FL (we'll do Disney when the kids are older and can remember it).
kids are 1 and 2.5; it's also possible my parents would go; we don't have a set budget per se but obviously I'd love to "get a deal"
I want a nice, safe place but I don't want to do anything too extravagant (think Beaches Turks & Caicos) b/c the kids won't remember it and will be happy with just a pool (Atlantis Bahamas is not completely off the table but there is no AI and if we stay elsewhere, we'd have to pay to enter the Atlantis; I have looked into Comfort Suites but it only includes breakfast).
ideas?? TIA!!
Re: desperate for vacation!
I would not base all of Florida on Disney World :-) I thought I saw something about an AI by Omni on Amelia Island recently.
Also, if you are planning this vacation for late summer- Florida and the Caribbean should have some good deals since it is off-season.
The only AI I have ever been to is the Almond Resort on Barbados and it was great. Friends of ours went last summer and had a similar great experience plus got a good off-season rate. The only downside is the 5 hour flight and you usually have to go through Miami.
If you are open to non-AI vacations, I am a big fan of the Gulf Coast of Florida (Sanibel, Captiva or Marco Island) because the water is fairly calm and I seem to consistently get deal emails (like $150 per night right now) for nice places.
I have to second the idea of not knocking FL out of the picture totally. My in-laws live near Tampa, so we went down last year in late August, left the girls with them and stayed in Clearwater at the Sand Pearl resort--it can be pricey, but we were just staying for a few days and we were able to get a deal online (it was before the Labor Day holiday). We got some sort of package that included some of the meals and then there are 3 restaurants on the resort, with plenty of other options just a short walk from the resort. I also noticed that there are LOTS of things that they organize for kids and families there. Generally, Clearwater Beach is very family friendly and not that big of an area, so you won't feel like you need to run around doing a lot of sightseeing. It's pretty much all contained in a small area. I have also heard great things about other places on the Gulf Coast as noted by victoria. As for flights, there are often good fares from DCA to Tampa, but you can also consider flying into Orlando--it's about a 2 hour drive and if you're going to rent a car regardless, then that won't relaly make a difference. Another Florida destination to consider is St. Augustine on the Atlantic Coast.
Of course if you really want the AI thing, none of these options may work;)
DH and I got engaged in Key West and outside of the engagement, the thing we remember the most is the horrible toilet-like smell, it smelled the whole way from Miami, thru all the Keys, to Key West. I know the rest of FL is probably not the same but it kinda left a sour taste...this was Labor Day so I'd like to avoid FL at that time of year.
keep the ideas coming, please!
what about going north? NH, VT?
FWIW, many west coast FLers view the greater Miami-area as kind of an armpit. The gulf coast beaches are *far* nicer (Sanibel is often in the top 5 beaches in the US). I don't even like FL (grew up there) and would urge you not to judge the state solely via Miami & Disney!
I've heard Maine can be lovely this time of year. I've always wanted to go!
sending you a PM now, thanks!
Re. Vermont and upstate NY, I love, love Lake Champlain. I think it is one of the most beautiful areas. I spent all of my summers there growing up at my aunt and uncle's lake house. If you go to NY side of the lake, Ausable Chasm is pretty amazing. On the western side of the state, there are all inclusive resorts (similar to the one from Dirty Dancing) along the St. Lawrence Seaway in the Thousand Islands. There are also these resorts closer to home in Pennsylvania (Mt. Airy Lodge) and downstate NY (Rocking Horse Ranch). I am sure there are others, but the two I named are really popular with folks from the NY Metro area where I grew up.
From your earlier direction, I just was on the jetblue website and the Carribean is on sale.
what about a Disney Cruise? they have fun stuff for kids and adult and CHILDCARE! (also, might want to check out other cruise lines...not just Disney) I only briefly looked into them last fall, but I believe that they have all inclusive packages.
I am better that some of them leave from Miami and you should have an easy time finding a flight from IAD to Miami.
Got it - YGPM!
This is what I was going to suggest. We are leaving soon for ours, and I can't wait. DD will have some time in the nursery so we can have some adult time, and everything except gratuities and excursions are included.
DH gets seasick and refuses to do a cruise. I am planning a girls-only one for my 40th b-day in 3 yrs:)