Beach Destination Suggestions

H

HouHorn97

100+ Posts
I'm trying to find the perfect place where my wife and I can celebrate our 10-year anniversary next March. We honeymooned and celebrated our 5-yr in Maui so going back for our 10-yr isn't out of the cards...just was looking at other possibilities.

We've already been to Cabo, Cancun, Jamaica and the Bahamas so we'd probably pass on those for this trip.

Some things worth considering:

- Prefer direct flights on Continental from Houston
- Nice resorts (willing to spend $400 per night range)
- Decent nightlife (restaurants/bars)
 
Costa Rica definitely fits the convenient Continental direct flight criteria.

The Four Seasons is a top notch resort, but rooms may be in the $500+ per night range.

I am sure there are some other luxury resorts down there, but I don't have any first-hand info on them. But I would definitely consider Costa Rica.
 
How are the beaches in Costa Rica? I was considering taking a trip there at some point but I was told the beaches are hit or miss. Is there any way to know the conditions of a beach when you are deciding where to stay?
 
i would do mayan riviera, playa, cozumel. they just built a melia in cancun that looks nice, but any 5 star hotel ought to fill your needs.
 
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico is great. I stayed at Dreams there for my wedding in January. They have a direct flight out of Houston on Continental as well.
 
It's been several years since I did the Little Dix / Caneel Bay trip (outstanding, by the way), but IIRC, that hardly qualifies under the "Continental direct flight out of Houston" criteria.

I recall it being a major pain in the *** (well worth it though) to get to the USVI or BVI.
 
Thanks for the suggestions, guys. Anyone familiar with Royal Hideaway in Playa Del Car or the Iberostar Grand in the same area? I've been reading good things on Trip Advisor.
 
i've stayed at iberostar in cozumel, and enjoyed it. dive shop right on premises. beach right out the palapa. good food. only one pool though, and i prefer multiple pools to give more privacy.
 
Hotel Maroma

Horny Ringman and wife have been here about 6 times. I'm partial to Maroma as THE hotel in the Riviera Maya, hands down. It's pricy, but it is like staying in a Corona commercial while you're there. I'm anti big all inclusive hotels, so I can comment on those other two you asked about.
 
turks and caicos is awesome. also, i've heard excellent things about Maroma - my sister and her husband have been multiple times.
Cap Juluca is supposed to be amazing too, but it is more of a schlep.
 
I have been to Costa Rica several times, but I always travel on the Caribbean side, which is not really touristy. They have beautiful beaches in Limon, but the hotels aren't really nice.

I have stayed at the Marriott in San Jose, and it is really nice. Their sister hotel on the Pacific side looks really nice, and I need to get out there sometime.

Los Suenos Marriot, Costa Rica
 
That is the positive thing or negative thing about Maroma, depending on how you look at it. It is the most awesome spot between Cancun and Tulum, but once you're there, you are pretty much there. Nothing else around to walk up and grab a beer and nachos or anything. There is an Italian Club Med type place just up the beach, but you can't go up there. We usually do go into playa at least one night for dinner. It's only about 20 minutes away. It's good to get a break from all that relaxation for at least one night. The Main restraunt is also not real cheap at dinner. Now, since I was last at Maroma, they have opened a little more casual rest./snack bar at one end of the property. Not sure if it is open at dinner though.
 
I'd nix Puerto Vallarta because the water isn't as pretty as it is on the Mayan Peninsula portion of Mexico. I absolutely loved St. John (USVI) but there is very little "nightlife." It's more like Kauai. The suggestion for Little Dix is a good one except it's even sleepier than St. John.

I didn't think it was very difficult to get to St. John. Fly into San Juan in Puerto Rico and then take a short puddle-jumper over to USVI.
 
The Royal Hideaway is probably a good choice since it has a very small (ie120 rooms) place and no kids under 15 to crowd the pool.

Mrs Pecos and I have been 9 times since it opened and it is without a doubt the nicest resort hotel we have stayed at on six islands in the Caribbean and three in hawaii. We stayed a week over New Years and had a great time.

Pros: Upscale all inclusive with premium liquor, five menu restaurants with reserved seating, 24 hour room service and small buildings with 8-10 rooms and a concierge per building.

Two main pools and 4 small pools dot the property and most of the guests will be honeymooners, anniversary etc, not a family resort. More of the Warehouse district than 6th street.

Not alot of resort activities but the atmosphere is like being at a small boutique hotel with four very nice restaurants to enjoy.

Playa is $5 cabfare to some great restaurants, clubs and places to take in the european vibe of 5th avenue.

Cons: Not a big club or party atmosphere if that is what you enjoy. PDC is not Cancun. More 30 up than 30 down age group.

Very small beach after Wilma go to mamitas, cool or one or the Playa beach clubs or Paraiso in Akumal, or Tulum for a big beach day.

Not cheap at around $550 per day but it includes premium liquor and exceptional food in a truly beautiful property.

Take a look at the Occidental website and congrats!



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Have you considered Aruba?

It's gotten a total ******** rap b/c of the whole Natalie Holloway ordeal.

Beaches are totally awesome, crystal clear waters, not too crowded at all. Excellent snorkeling if you know where to find it. Believe it or not, the crime rate is low compared to other Caribbean Islands as the island is well educated for the most part. For nightlife, their are several dance & party clubs in town and several of the resorts have casinos. Just make sure not to stay out past 1AM
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. We rented a car and felt totally safe the entire trip.

Here are some hotels from tripadvisor...
www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g147249-Palm_Eagle_Beach_Aruba-Hotels.html

$400 a night will get one hell of a room at the Radisson or Hyatt.
 
Check out Azul Blue down in Tulum.
Have not been there, but I've read alot of good things about it, and know someone heading down there. My next trip down that way in October might be here. The reviews on Trip Advisor all look great.Azul Blue Tulum
 
Thanks for all the great suggestions. Looking like it'll be Playa Del Car and the Iberostar Grand Hotel Paraiso which just opened up earlier this year. From what I gather from Trip Advisor and a few travel agents, this place is a notch above the Royal Hideaway and is a "truly stunning property." Now the hard part of finding flights on Continental I can use miles for ;-)
 
The utter ignorance of Americans to Central America just blows my mind. When I am there I never even meet Americans but I can meet 10 Israelis. Weird.

Go to the Pacific in Nicaragua, El Salvador, or Costa Rica. Some of the most beautiful beaches you will ever see. Go to Roatan in Honduras....that is the best beach I have ever been to.
 
I've wanted to go to Roatan for diving. However, I have a family and the places to stay don't look all that great. What is the nicest place that you have seen in Roatan that might have something like a pool slide for kids?
 
Uninformed,

In Roatan I think resorts are strictly prohibited. There might be a few but they must meet certain guidelines. I stayed on the West End and in little bungalows for like $10 a night. They are nice, but I can't think of anything that is good for the children.

Its one of the best places to dive in the world. The beach out past West End is basically a swimming pool. Its fantastic.
 
Umm, there are plenty of "resorts" on Roatan and more popping up on Utila as we speak. There are some very experienced travelers here who have spent a lot of time in CA and SA so please dont start flaming folks because they havent traveled to these parts yet and are just trying to get some information. Also, Central Americans say they are "American" too, so that doesn't really make sense.

The Coco View Resort and Fantasy Island Resort are both on Roatan and are very nice RESORTS with pools etc. These resorts have been there over 15 years each so they are not some new developments. You can swim with dolphins at both locations too. The rest of Honduras is pretty shady and has the highest AIDS concentration on the Western Hemi behing Haiti. Tegu really sucks too but San Pedro de Sula is not much better.

For Nica- San Juan del Sur -try Morgans Rock.com really nice place. Grenada is also a nice place. The caribbean side got hit pretty bad last year during huricane season and is far from recovering. Dole has just moved up there from CR and is buying up thousands of acres each week.

La Libertad in El Salvador can get really shady but it is the access point to several good beaches and breaks. This is not a place most wives would think is tropical paradise.

CR is just a wonderful place, you would find plenty of beaches there to suit your needs. The 4 seasons is very nice, wives love it! Manuel Antonio also has some 4 star hotels- Si Como No is one of them.

Mexico is mexico- travel package central with everyone wearing wrist bands etc to show which resort they belong too- that might be some folks gig, just not mine.

There are a lot of options for beaches in CA and the Caribbean.
I thought St. Vincent and the Grenadines had the nicest beaches in all of the Caribbean with the BVI's in second.
St. Barths is always up there too but very steep.

Have you thought or read the posts on Uruguay?
 
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