Tropical Paradise Islands

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itgirlxx

itgirlxx

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Smallhorses and I are planning a beach vacation next summer and would really like to hear about your favorite destinations. Here's what we're looking for:
1) clean beaches
2) blue sea
3) blue sky
4) plenty of activities but not all focused on watersports as I'm not a water-baby
5) good local entertainment
6) good food
7) outside the USA, mainland or island state (thanks Smallhorses!)
8) not Aruba, St Lucia, or St Vincent as I've been there before
 
The Yucatan is a lovely area.
yucatan_security1.jpg
 
Cruise to mexico?

All the food you want, when you want it
Swimming, on the boat or on the beach
You can leave from SF to LAX and then less than an hour drive to the boat

I went on a cruise to mexico a few years ago to ensenada (sp?) Not sure if its your cup of tea.....
 
Consider Curacao.
A nice little island in the Dutch Antilles.
Went there with the "canoe club" back in the '80's.

Believe it or not, if things have calmed down, Grenada is very pretty too.
 
Fiji and Hawaii are our favorites.

Dude, if this is the one big vacation for you, go to Fiji. Drink some Kava Kava, and enjoy it when your teeth, tongue and lips go numb. Though, it does taste like mop water...

EDIT: Oh, sorry, Fiji is more than 8 hours. Hawaii it is. But, it's way expensive.
 
Both of my suggestions are likely more than 8 hours out, but well worth the trip.
I'd take Curacao over Grenada, but Grenada does have awesome beaches.
 
Does it have to be an Island?

I'd highly, highly, highly recommend Miami as a trip worth doing. My Grandmother has a Condo in Miami Beach, and its a trip that I look forward to whenever possible. Compared to Michigan, its like a whole 'nother country, and the weather is near-perfect all year round. There is never a shortage of good-looking men or women, expensive automobiles, not to mention the wonderful music, dining, clubs, etc. I simply love that city, and its worth a consideration at the very least.

...Or, if you're desperate for an Island, there is always Key West. I love Key West, for many of the same reasons as Miami. Although, I hear things get a bit freaky in the fall (according to a friend that owns a house down there), but I don't remember why. The good news is that you can fly into Key West, but it would probably be easier to fly into Miami and take the drive...

IMO, staying in the US is worth it; Better security, no currency exchanges, laws that actually protect citizens, etc. I went to Mexico (Puerto Vallarta) and I hated it, I've never heard good things about Jamaica, and while the Bahamas are supposed to be great, I don't see how they're that much different from the Keys.

Its always good to have a budget. Florida is always good for that. But if you want to stay away from the big cities, check out the Gulf cities for good places. They tend to have nicer beaches than the Atlantic ones, but thats just my opinion...
 
Thanks for the suggestions, Gil & YSSMAN, there's a couple of my own conditions that Rachel forgot to mention.....

It has to be outside the USA, mainland or island state. Just so we get that foreign feel, and ideally another language and currency to acquaint ourselves with!

We did take our honeymoon in Aruba, in the Dutch Antilles, so would prefer something different to that too!

Sorry guys, obviously you weren't to know as she'd not mentioned them as conditions in her initial post. I'd love to do Curacao, but since it's famed, as is Aruba and Bonaire for it's diving and they wouldn't let me dive in Aruba (asthmatic and all. :() they probably wouldn't there either.

Danachronism I can only assume was being sarcastic, being as a) the Yucutan is a peninsula, not an island, and b) it's just been Deaned! :scared:
 
Como lake in North Italy.

South of France.

Italy.

Spain. Typical European destinations.

Turkey is very beautiful. and worth while visiting.

Crete; a Greece Island is 👍
 
I was going to suggest Australia untill I saw the "not more than 8 hours flight away from SF". We have everything else. I guess you can wait a couple of million years for our continents to drift closer to each other. :)
 
Smallhorses
Danachronism I can only assume was being sarcastic, being as a) the Yucutan is a peninsula, not an island, and b) it's just been Deaned! :scared:
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:ouch:

When it's cleared up, of course.;)
 
chichijima of the ogasawara island chain it's slightly more than 8 hours. (it's 25 hours by boat, from tokyo) But the place is a tropical paradise.
 
itgirlxx
Smallhorses and I are planning a beach vacation next summer and would really like to hear about your favorite destinations. Here's what we're looking for:
1) clean beaches
2) blue sea
3) blue sky
4) plenty of activities but not all focused on watersports
5) good local entertainment
6) good food
7) not more than 8 hours flight away from SF
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Blackpool?

Well, one out of 7 isn't bad going. And it does have more beach than you can shake a stick at.
 
TheCracker
Blackpool?

Well, one out of 7 isn't bad going. And it does have more beach than you can shake a stick at.
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Actually, I'd argue all those.

Possibly excepting sky.
 
Gil
Consider Curacao.
A nice little island in the Dutch Antilles.
Went there with the "canoe club" back in the '80's.
Click to expand...

Curaçao* is an awesome place. My sister in law works in a hotel there, called Kura Hulanda. The island is very similar to Aruba, but not as crowded. It's a nice option if you're into beaches, scuba diving and casinos. Don't expect a thrilling night life, since there aren't many places outside the hotels worthy of a visit.

You could also follow in the wake of abut 250 gazillion Brits and come to the Canary Islands ;) It's nice enough, and no hurricanes.
 
8 hours from SFX?

Bermuda. Not as hot as the southern Caribbean area. Very 'island' feel, but not so much of the "rich-folks-compound-surrounded-by-scary-poor-locals" texture as Jamaica has.

Barbados - same as above, but a little more southern and with a bit of additional Spanish influence.
 
Puerto Rico - Great history and many things to see and do aside from the beach. It’s has a slightly foreign feel, almost a home away from home.

St Thomas – Beautiful but has the potential to be a bit touristy.

Martinique – Not to high on my list. Darn Frenchies anyway.

Barbados – Great Island here. Loved the people and the food and the Snuba adventure. It would be the first Island in the Caribbean that I would return too.

Aruba – You’ve been there but what a let down that place is. Nice beaches but its still a freaking desert. Not at all what I expected.

Nassau – Nothing but a tourist trap.

If I could recommend something it would be a cruise. With an eastern Caribbean cruise you could enjoy a new island everyday and each with a different flavor of its own. From British to French and even some Dutch and Spanish.
 
Also, if you're both into scuba diving or snorkeliing, you might want to check out Cozumel, in Mexico. Being that Australia is pretty freakin' far, but has the largest coral reef on the planet, the 2nd biggest is in Cozumel... I have some friends who've been there and tell me it's very impressive.

Miami is also a great place to spend a vacation, be it for the sun and beaches, or for the night life. And even for good food (in Coconut Grove).

Both are less than 8 hours away from San Fran, though.
 
I've edited my original post now and removed the 8 hour flight bit and mentioned that Aruba, St Lucia & St Vincent are out.

I'm also not a water-baby or very good with boats. So the thought of a cruise (even on a ship the size of a small island) or scuba-diving has me reaching for the Tums.
 
itgirlxx
I've edited my original post now and removed the 8 hour flight bit and mentioned that Aruba, St Lucia & St Vincent are out.

I'm also not a water-baby or very good with boats. So the thought of a cruise (even on a ship the size of a small island) or scuba-diving has me reaching for the Tums.
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When I was in the Navy our CAPTAIN spent most of the cruise with a Scopolamine patch behind his ear.
We laughed at him, but never saw him puke!

I too have issues with boats. Not because they make me ill. I've just spent as much time on the ocean as I care to for one lifetime.

I have to agree with the assessment of Jamaica. I was there once with the "canoe club" didn't really care for it.

If you could go to Cuba, they have great water, beaches, etc.
But the only places considered safe for Americans involve wearing those damn ugly clothes that every one else is wearing, and dealing with the VBS (Very Big Spiders).

Curacao isn't as "famous" as Aruba, so it might have a better feel than Aruba. I liked it there, but that was a lot of years ago.

Another place I can recommend with the lifting of the 8-hr flight restriction, is Nice, France.
A beautiful town, with nice people. Monte Carlo is a 20 minute train ride away, and the beaches in MC rock!
 
Did I mention Cuba is automatically banned from the list?

I doesn't matter where you're from, you'd be helping to finance a dictatorship

[enough offtopicness]
 
Fidel aside,
Cuba is, suprisingly to some, a very beautiful place.
I suppose you Brits can go there with impunity. I just assumed with flying from San Francisco...
I liked Curacao better.
I also liked Grenada pretty well.
Monte Carlo/Nice/Villefranche completely rocked when I was there.
 
Smallhorses
It has to be outside the USA, mainland or island state. Just so we get that foreign feel, and ideally another language and currency to acquaint ourselves with!
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I see we have very very different notions of fun. :) My personal suggestion is to separate the quest for a cultural vacation from the island vacation. You can probably get better experiences at each that way.
 

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