Vacation thread...

[Smitty]

We could use one of these. Ideas for vacations, reviews of destinations/resorts, price saving ideas/deals, just general advice, etc.

Since Covid, it's been pretty hard to travel. Been relegated to a series of beach house rentals which is fine and all with young kids and pretty cost effective. Wife wants to go somewhere more exotic though. Was looking into the Caribbean, maybe Bermuda, maybe a cruise there, but it turns out Bermuda and many other Caribbean locations require proof of covid vaccination. Not really interested in jumping through hoops to go on a vacation so I was thinking Florida, maybe the Keys, maybe the Gulf Coast, because at least it's run by DeSantis.

Damn I don't want to spend $1000 a night though, jesus, I have two kids.

 

[Cotton]

We could use one of these. Ideas for vacations, reviews of destinations/resorts, price saving ideas/deals, just general advice, etc.

Since Covid, it's been pretty hard to travel. Been relegated to a series of beach house rentals which is fine and all with young kids and pretty cost effective. Wife wants to go somewhere more exotic though. Was looking into the Caribbean, maybe Bermuda, maybe a cruise there, but it turns out Bermuda and many other Caribbean locations require proof of covid vaccination. Not really interested in jumping through hoops to go on a vacation so I was thinking Florida, maybe the Keys, maybe the Gulf Coast, because at least it's run by DeSantis.

Damn I don't want to spend $1000 a night though, jesus, I have two kids.

The Keys are nice. I would try to find an AirBnB.

 

[boozeman]

We all went to Fripp Island, SC a couple of weeks ago. Nobody had been there before, so no idea what to expect.

It was moderately priced and quiet. The rental was on a golf course. The beach is five minutes away via golf cart.

And we had this bad boy in the backyard.

 

[1bigfan13]

We could use one of these. Ideas for vacations, reviews of destinations/resorts, price saving ideas/deals, just general advice, etc.

Since Covid, it's been pretty hard to travel. Been relegated to a series of beach house rentals which is fine and all with young kids and pretty cost effective. Wife wants to go somewhere more exotic though. Was looking into the Caribbean, maybe Bermuda, maybe a cruise there, but it turns out Bermuda and many other Caribbean locations require proof of covid vaccination. Not really interested in jumping through hoops to go on a vacation so I was thinking Florida, maybe the Keys, maybe the Gulf Coast, because at least it's run by DeSantis.

Damn I don't want to spend $1000 a night though, jesus, I have two kids.

If you're looking for something exotic without having to worry about COVID vaccinations/restrictions, somewhere in South Florida is probably your best bet.

I'd recommend staying in Miami or Fort Lauderdale. If you're looking to save on costs and something that is more family friendly, staying in Lauderdale is probably the better option. You get pretty much the same beaches, hotels, and restaurants in Lauderdale as you would in the South Beach/Miami area but at lower costs and it's not nearly as crowded.

Plus the South Florida area is so diverse that there are tons of authentic South American & Caribbean restaurants all over the place. Peruvian restaurants ran by Peruvians. Cuban food cooked by Cubans. And so on.

Also, the two cities are so close together that you can stay in Lauderdale and easily travel down to Miami just to see what Miami has to offer. It's only about a 45 minute drive.

 

[1bigfan13]

We all went to Fripp Island, SC a couple of weeks ago. Nobody had been there before, so no idea what to expect.

It was moderately priced and quiet. The rental was on a golf course. The beach is five minutes away via golf cart.

And we had this bad boy in the backyard.

View attachment 692394

I spent the weekend in Charleston, SC and the wife and I were doing a sightseeing tour at an old plantation that had swamps and ponds on the property. One of the ponds had three gators swimming in it. The walking trail was right on the edge of the pond and there was no barriers or elevated terrain to shield you if a gator chose to ambush you.

We were walking along that trail for a good 5 minutes not knowing we were that close to gator territory because there were no signs posted on the side of the pond that we were on. Also, no one in the ticket office bothered to mention that gators were on the property.

We finally made it to the other side of the pond and saw that there was a small gator sign posted telling people not to feed them or throw things at them. So I guess they were kinda, sorta 'domesticated'.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Years ago I dated a girl in Sugar Land by Houston. Very nice area. Just a block from her house was a very developed, paved biking/walking trail next to a creek with a sign to watch your pets because of the gators. I was like, WTF, seriously? But I guess they're really not very aggressive.

Not that one might not go after some slow moving fat old dog that wasn't paying attention.

 

[Foobio]

Puerto Rico is nice. Great food, nice people. Not too far and you don‘t have to deal with customs. Old Town San Juan has a definite European feel. Went there last year and enjoyed it.

 

[data]

The Panhandle of Florida has some of the finest beaches in North America. From Destin to Panama City the fine white sand is unmatched anywhere in the country.

 

[boozeman]

 

[Texas Ace]

Best beaches in the US for my money are in NW Florida.

Go to Destin, Fort Walton, or better yet, Santa Rosa beach.

I love it out it there.

 

[armadillooutlaw]

Best beaches in the US for my money are in NW Florida.

Go to Destin, Fort Walton, or better yet, Santa Rosa beach.

I love it out it there.

My family and I are thinking about going on a trip to Destin this fall.
The white sand beaches look fantastic and the water looks stunningly beautiful.
As far as Beach trips I've only ever been to Galveston and South Padre Island...