Non-Delica post! Traveler's advice needed...

[tonydca]

Totally off-topic, but please bear with me.

I'm hoping to take the fam damily (me, da missus and two boys 12/8) someplace warm at some point in the New Year. Quite honestly, I'm overwhelmed with the amount of info online and do not know who to believe, so I'm looking for any personal experiences amongst the hedonists out there.

We did Disneyland already, and now I'd like to find a place to chill on a nice beach somewhere, not too far off the beaten path, preferably on the West Coast of N America with the stereotypical snorkeling/jet-skiing/etc...

SoCal? Baja? Mexico? ??? If anyone has any personal experience in their travels and thought "Gee - this place is really great! I'd love to come back here again, and the kids (or other's kids around me) sure are having fun too", I'd love to hear about it.

Fire away!

We now return you to you regularly-scheduled Delica posts...

[jessef]

Mr. T

a few q's

how long
will you drive or fly
what's your definition of 'off the beaten path'
what's your estimated budget (if you don't mind sharing)

answer those and I've got some great suggestions as I'm certain many others do as well.

[Mr. Flibble]

Corcovado, Costa Rica and Drake Bay. Do it!

[tonydca]

Mr. T

I pity da fool!

a few q's

how long
will you drive or fly
what's your definition of 'off the beaten path'
what's your estimated budget (if you don't mind sharing)

answer those and I've got some great suggestions as I'm certain many others do as well.

About a week to 10 days,

Fly down, prefer not to rent a car,

None of the kids have been to a nice tropical beach yet, so "touristy" is OK, especially if it means amenities (food, activities, etc.) are closeby, as opposed to a spot which may be a more pristine jungle oasis but it is 4 hours away from town centre by bus, with no other kids around for them to play with.

I'd like to say I'm not cheap, but choosy on how I spend my hard-earned dosh. We find our room is where we sleep - that's about it. As long as it's tidy, we'd rather spend money on doing fun stuff rather than pay for the fancy licensed artwork in the hotel lobby.

Case in point, Disneyland for 4 for a week was around $4K all-in (flight, car, accomodation, food, Disney pass, tax, souvenirs, the works) but on a tripadvisor.com forum's advice we arranged it DIY; flew Allegiant Air out of WA and stayed in a hotel across from the park rather than dump an extra pile on the Disney/WestJet monopoly vacation package via disney.com.

Be nice to keep it around, say, $6K all-in if possible.

We're up to anything from all-inclusive to a rental place with a kitchen near the beach; just like to get some real intel on the ground.

[tonydca]

Corcovado, Costa Rica and Drake Bay. Do it!

Wikipedia'd it - looks amazing and lush with wildlife, but I think a few more creature comforts are in order for this urban family.

Sad perhaps, but as Popeye said, "I yam what's I yam".

Anyone been anywhere nice recently in Hawaii?

[Elbrad]

If you're looking for warm and friendly, try St. Thomas or St. Maarten. I've been to both places, and they were stellar.

St. Thomas is a little touristy in the town proper, and St. Maarten is a haven for the spring break-types in certain areas, but both are warm, full of beaches, the snorkeling/diving is fantastic, and the proper Caribbean food is to die for.

I would normally recommend Cozumel above all, but with the recent unrest in Mexico, I'd keep my distance from any major cities or places near major cities.

[FalcoColumbarius]

Not sure if this is what you were looking for but one time I decided to see an America that wasn't Disneyland or New York, &c., so I went to Little Rock, Arkansas and had a blast. It's a different way of life down there with a great deal of history, with museums to prove it. It's amazing how much talent has come out of Arkansas. Really good catfish and pulled pork.

Falco.

[Spearo]

If you're ok with touristy, then Mazatlan fits. Nice beaches, inexpensive for the most part, some decent out of town sights if you like.
Cheers and have fun wherever you go.

[fozzie]

As far as Hawaii is concerned I think Maui is tough to beat. Lahaina and Kanapali are amazing. Although it's best to have a car out there. Short flight, good exchange rate and no culture shock. Great spot for a family vacation. The aquarium is awesome!

[Tojo]

Big Island of Hawaii. Fly to Hilo and rent a van from these guys: http://www.happycampershawaii.com/
We spent a total of 12 days driving around in the van, but mixed it up with some hotel and motel stays. I know, I know it's a VW Westfalia, but they're okay too!

[Mr. Flibble]

Big Island of Hawaii. Fly to Hilo and rent a van from these guys: http://www.happycampershawaii.com/
We spent a total of 12 days driving around in the van, but mixed it up with some hotel and motel stays. I know, I know it's a VW Westfalia, but they're okay too!

Agreed. The Big Island is AWESOME. I found Oahu way too touristy. You have to see the volcano and the lava flowing into the ocean. The helicopter flight out of Hilo is expensive, but the best $350 I ever spent to flyover an active volcano!!

[jessef]

Ditto on Hawaii.

We went there last year for 3 weeks and never stayed in a hotel. Just a rental and camping at the zillions or gorgeous state parks.

Hawaii is beautiful and many options, especially kid friendly environment.

[psilosin]

Ugh I just wrote you a novel on Maui and Hawaii (Big Island) and somehow refreshed teh page and lost it all...so now you get quickie version on just Maui.

I would recommend Maui. Less people than Oahu, more to do (esp for kids) and easier to get around than Big Island.

I have been staying up the north end of teh island at Napili almost every year since 1974 when there was almost nothing on teh island. Love it. This time of year it is pretty much all I can think about. Napili Surf is a great hotel...reasonable rates,simple and clean rooms, friendly staff and maids, a large number of the residents are unit owners or lifetime repeat visitors so there is a bit of a community with mai tai nights etc and visits from santa etc if you are there for xmas with teh kids. Rooms have a kitchen and you get maid service. There are a few outdoor BBQs, pools and shuffleboard as well. A very relaxed place to stay...no valets, no beach cabana massages, no show-offs and phonies. And most important its right on Napili beach...walk out your room and in a few steps you are one of the nicest beaches on the planet. Napili bay is great for the family...north end of the beach is almost always calm enough for snorkelling, while south end of teh bay tends to have waves that are big enough for bodysurfing, skim boarding, boogieboarding and even surfing. It has little to no outward rip current so very safe even when the waves are big. There are also many other nice beaches in the vacinity from Flemming beach (aka slaughter beach) that has some of the gnarliest shorebreak waves that will send you ass over tea kettle (so fun) to Olowalu black sand beach which has some amazing snorkelling due to clear shallow water with large coral formations to Honolua that has world class surfing in winter or world class snorkelling/scuba in summer. Some other notable hotels on Napili bay are the Mauian, Napili SHores and Napili Kai (more expensive...but you might see Gordon Campbell getting drunk at the bar.)

Napili isn't the only place to stay though, staying anywhere from Lahaina to Kapalua along the north end is what I would recommend. Budget wise in that zone Kahana and Honokawai are the most inexpensive, followed by Lahaina and Napili in the middle and Kaanapali and Kapalua is high end to ultra-ultra-rich.

I would recommend NOT staying down in Kihei. It's much more busy with traffic and people and just doesn't have the same vibe. On the plus side it is the cheapest spot on the island though and Kihei is almost always sunny and dry. If you do stay in Kihei Sugar Beach Resort is quite nice...its a big hotel but it is on the edge of teh Kihei strip so to the north there are no other hotels...just a few km of white sand you can walk on and relax. No waves to speak of in Kihei. Just outside of Kihei is a pretty cool aquarium that kids go crazy over.

Day trips down to teh south end of the island will reward you with great snorkelling, great beaches for chillin' and a spot for the best fish tacos on the island. Day trip up Haleakala the volcano are a must do (sunrise is overrated and you need cold weather clothing but is still a fun adventure; a small hike in the crater is a must). Day trip to old town like Kula and the cowboy town of Makawao are pretty interesting. For shopping Lahaina is nice (ie surf shops and local shops) and for teh more traditional shopping malls etc Kahalui has all of that. Lahaina and Kaanapali are also filled with artist gallaries.

I can pretty much go on and on and answer anything from golf to restaurants to snorkel beaches if you want more info.

[jessef]

damn you. I just got a taste of Hawaii in my head again and feel like hopping on a plane.

[after oil]

Sayulita, Mexico is set up well for traveling families. theres a campground and plenty of affordable accommodation. english is spoken there. yet the town still manages to maintain the feel of a quant mexican seaside villiage.
very close to puerto vallarta so flight and taxis are relatively cheap. fishing, horses, ziplines, day trips to cities and other beaches, surfing etc
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