Where Would You Go?

May 29th, 2007

We need your advice. Stevel and I are in the enviable position at this moment of having no children, a little disposable income, and vacation time aplenty. We need a vacation that …

- is a good getaway for the two of us to spend time alone together
- requires little in the way of serious travel or airplane travel, as we find its logistics drain our spirits (we’re thinking under three hours’ flight, if any)
- is just right for about a four-day stay in August
- offers opportunities for good (GOOD, delicious, high-end) dining for Stevel and some shopping for me (so nothing too out-of-the-way)
- balances these opportunities with a lack of crowds; while we don’t need to get out into nature, we do want to escape the city, and we’re not looking to relive Spring Break
- ideally (but not necessarily) offers warm sea-water
- offers some nice places to stay (e.g. we want to treat ourselves right)

Basically, we want to enjoy each other’s company for a few days in a place that feels like a getaway but that doesn’t require a lot of effort toward the getting away. We like to read by the pool or beach, explore a little, have a late dinner, and sleep. We’d like a light hike, maybe, but nothing super outdoorsy. We like a little culture, if it’s available, but mostly as a distraction, not as a destination. We want to be warm.

We went to Kuwaii in Hawaii, and it was nice, but too much of a flight and too sparse on the nice restaurants. Cabo San Lucas has been encouraged, but we’re not sure if we want to do the language-thing again like on our honeymoon in the Yucatan (yeah, I know some Spanish, but not a ton). We’re also looking at South Padre Island in Texas, a stay on Catalina (VERY nearby), and “the desert.” We’ve had some trouble finding vacation ideas that pan out into actual fun and relaxation, where we don’t start to feel “trapped” in the resort or on the island after a couple of days. Yeah, it’s nice to get away and to chill, but so far, our vacations have left us a little … disappointed. Do you have suggestions and/or feedback on any of these ideas?

12 Responses to “Where Would You Go?”

  1. jer Says:

    Easter Island. Non-stop to Santiago (maybe just skip Easter and vacation there), stay the night, fly to Easter. Even if Easter doesn’t fit your overall criteria, you should still read this:

    http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/04/30/travel/30easter.html

    Its what inspired me to go. Great travel writing by the playwright Edward Albee.

    A more practical suggestion would be Belize . A friend went a couple of years ago. Stories of blissful simplicity made me quite jealous. They rented a house/villa:

    http://www.ambergriscaye.com/villadelsol/

  2. AxsDeny Says:

    You really limit yourself with a 3 hour flight.

    Cozumel, maybe?

  3. jer Says:

    oh yeah: http://jeremedia.com/photography/disneyland_april_2006/1075.jpg

    Only 40 miles away!

  4. cindy Says:

    How about Sonoma Valley? I think that would be an AWESOME place to spend a few days and seems like it wouldn’t take too long to get there. An hour and fifty minutes to Snata Rosa and then a car rental, or some other form of transportation, would most likely keep you under three hours.

    Fine dining, spas, wine, San Pablo Bay, artisans, shopping, hiking, balloon tours …

    http://www.sonomavalley.com/

  5. Abigail Says:

    In the same neighborhood as the previous comment, Medicino has some wonderful restaurants and shopping and beautiful scenery. The sea water is not warm though.

  6. Sarah-Architect Says:

    no to catalina. steve would swim back to LA after the first night.

    http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/san-francisco-bay-california.html

    i would do a couple of nights in san fran…then a couple of nights in monterey. the aquarium in monterey is AWESOME…great shopping too. beautiful country up there. then you could drive down the PCH on the way back and see Hearst Castle.

    http://www.hearstcastle.org/

    plus as a bonus all along the beach in that area are wild elephant seals!

  7. dad Says:

    The Goerigia Gold Coast. St Simons Island, Little St. Simons Island (can only be reached by ferry) and Jekyll Island. Miles and miles of white sand beaches. Turtle sightings, Little St. Simons is extremely remote and secluded. But you can be in Brunswick in less than an hour to shop your heart out (outlet centers all up and down I-95). A short drive from Jacksonville, FL. Great resteraunts on St. Simons Island. One is straight out of Key West and Hemmingways favorite hide out. You can not even see it from the street for all of the foiliage. A short drive to Savanah to visit old friends and haunts for a quick day trip.
    Fantastic ocean vistas and swimming (in safe waters).

    Or then there is Key West itself. Miles and miles of secluded beaches for couples to just sit, talk, listen to the sound of the waves and be together.

  8. Elise Preiss Says:

    There….

    http://www.ville-soorts-hossegor.fr/ang/

    Pros: good getaway to spend time alone together, supra delicious food, a dash of shopping, busy bar or empty forest and miles of white sand and kind of warm water. A great little house between the forest and the beach…

    Cons: $20 cab fare to LAX, 12 hours on Air France and 1 hour in the rental car…

    My sales pitch: Don’t miss the opportunity to visit the hometown of one of your best student! (Can you tell I got my portfolio back, yeah)

  9. cindy Says:

    Okay, I did some more research via a friend in San Francisco who does quite a bit of wandering around California. He moderated his favorite vacation:

    Day 1: Fly into SF, go to Cow Hollow for breakfast, walk up or take the bus to Filmore, lunch, walk back down past the shops on Union, rent a bike, bike to Sausalito, have dinner, take the ferry back.

    Day 2: Rent a car, drive to Santa Cruz, hit the beaches in between

    Day 3, Santa Cruz to Carmel, go shopping, drive the 16 Mile Drive and go up to Point Lobos. Stay the night in Medocino.

    Day 4: Sleep in, read by the pool, drive back to San Fran.

  10. cindy Says:

    He also recommends these places for romance: Carmel or Monterey. Yountville if you are really into food.

  11. Christina Says:

    Santa Fe, New Mexico. GORGEOUS, and fits all of your requirements, except for the warm sea water. Good food, nice climate–warm not hot, good entertainment, lovely environment, the outdoors if and when you want it . . .. And, if you’re looking for a bit more adventure, there is always Taos.

    I know I’m biased, but New Mexico is amazing, close, and overlooked.

  12. ma Says:

    How about the mile-high city? The Rockys are really beautiful.

    http://www.denver.org/

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