Favorite vacation destination you've been to

[Guinness]

In February, I went to Hotel Xcaret Mexico. No Olive Garden experience there. Best vacation I ever had. Everything about it was exceptional. It included excursions to all X-parks which were fantastic as well as archeological side trips to e.g. Chichen Itza (which we took).

Food was awesome with lots of choices. The resort itself was crazy nice. 0 complaints.

We'll be going back.

Was this the place that had the gunmen on the beach shooting people? Or am I confusing it with a another resort?

 

[Guinness]

Has anyone ever been to Scotland? Pictures and video of the country are always beautiful and it seems like a laidback place.

The wife and I honeymooned there years ago and were finally able to return in 2019 for our 20th anniversary.

It is pretty much one of my favorite places in the world and the Highlands are even more beautiful than the pictures are.

If you have never been I highly recommend it.

 

[xc84]

Was this the place that had the gunmen on the beach shooting people? Or am I confusing it with a another resort?

Yes, at the resort. My understanding: Canadian drug/gun dealers shot there by Canadian gang members.

With that said, I never felt there were any security issues there... and it could happen anywhere really.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Yes, at the resort. My understanding: Canadian drug/gun dealers shot there by Canadian gang members.

With that said, I never felt there were any security issues there... and it could happen anywhere really.

Canadians would never shoot where there were bystanders

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Just got a RT from Baltimore to Liberia, Costa Rica late May on Southwest for 16k pts. Have never been and was mid-tier on list of countries I'm interested in but couldn't turn that down. Don't really know much but looking like we're going to spend the week in Tamarindo as of now though open to suggestions of others that have been. Just know that we want to stay more up towards Liberia than San Jose as I don't really want to bother with a car and want to chill out for the most part.

If it's just you and your wife check out Ylang Ylang Resort in the awesome artsy town of Montezuma. Take the horseback ride to the waterfall. Best vacation ever. When I got back I was ready to move there and buy a horse for transportation. If you are into an active hiking/beach type of vacation you won't regret it.

 

[AlaskaSU]

Been over a decade but probably have to go with Maui/Oahu. If you're gonna go to Hawaii in general it should be a long trip, the flight does suck, helps to not have to get back on a plane right away if going from the east coast. Enjoyed both islands immensely, very different experiences. Spent more time on hotel property in Oahu, but also enjoyed Waikiki, Lanikai is a great beach, north shore is fun and beautiful. Maui has more natural beauty and I found myself being more adventurous, cliff jumping off waterfalls along the road to Hana--I was intimidated by the ~35 foot fall with no lifeguards or professional presence around until I saw a mother and her young daughter do it together, then my ego kicked in and said I would be a giant wuss for not doing it, ironically my wife sustained a pretty painful injury doing it after me); biking down Haleakala after watching the sun rise at 10000 feet, to encountering a shark in person while snorkeling off Molokini. Parasailed courtesy of some odd German guy, had been referred via word of mouth as he didn't advertise his services because he supposedly went higher than is legally allowed. Fun but over with pretty quickly. Also some of the best seafood I've found anywhere. Odd thing I remember, on a couple occasions in two weeks we ate chain/fast food and I found the menus to be very different from the mainland versions of those same establishments.

Dark horse unmentioned in this thread--Catalina. Enjoyable visit to a place that was like its own little world, but don't need to do it for more than a few days. Never did find the wine mixer though.

I,ve been to Maui 3x. It is getting crowded which is a shame. Great diversity of environments from Haleakala to Hana, hiking through creaking bamboo forests on the eas to mind bogling scenery on the backside of the Island, beyond Hana. I rent a round house in the uplands with complete privacy. Stay away from tourist hell of Keheu. Also, check out the downtown performing arts center schedule. Molokia if you want tranquility. No tourism, empty beaches. Kawaii is scenically beautiful but lacks local culture.

 

[cusefan88]

I really like Madrid. Been to quite a few cities in Europe and that was probably my favorite.

 

[Symphony Steve]

I have been to Hawaii and the Bahamas, and they don't compare to the Cayman Islands. The best place on earth.

Plus, you can visit your money there!

 

[storange]

Headed to Cancun March 2nd , any advice on golf courses , restaurants, best snorkeling, best beach ect…. We’re 62 ish so not really looking for nightlife.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

The wife and I honeymooned there years ago and were finally able to return in 2019 for our 20th anniversary.

It is pretty much one of my favorite places in the world and the Highlands are even more beautiful than the pictures are.

If you have never been I highly recommend it.

We were in and out in about 36 hours Edinburg. Loved it

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

We went to Rome, Florence, Como, and Paris last summer. Como was great. Picture from the roof of our AirBNB. Very relaxing and beautiful. Had a fantastic time in Paris. It was my favorite. The other 3 voted for Florence, which was really, really nice. A good mix of small city, history and a good market/shops area.
Rome was great, but it’s Rome, with so much history.

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

I'm going to Amsterdam, London and Liverpool next week. I've been to London before, my wife has not. Very excited.

 

[Eric15]

I'm going to Amsterdam, London and Liverpool next week. I've been to London before, my wife has not. Very excited.

That sounds amazing. A couple of London recommendations (both coincidentally contain the name Gordon)

-Gordon's Wine Bar - a really cool underground bar that's been around since 1890

London's Oldest Wine Bar, established 1890 | Embankment, London

Gordon’s Wine Bar, established 1890, London’s oldest wine bar. Enjoy a varied selection of great wines and cheeses on our covered outdoor terrace.

www.gordonswinebar.com

-Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea was the single best dining experience we've ever had.

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay

Gordon Ramsay's eponymous Michelin star restaurant is the ultimate venue for eating out in London. View Restaurant Gordon Ramsay menus and book online.

www.gordonramsayrestaurants.com

 

[chugg21]

Taking one of the boys to Paris and Iceland in a couple weeks. Only 14 but proud he's reached the point where he is willing to give up Christmas in exchange for experiences. He's only been to Canada/Mexico thus far so should be pretty enlightening. I on the other hand didn't get to go across the pond until my mid-20s when I could pay for it myself, same for my wife.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Fortunately my wife likes to travel to beach places so here are all the places we have been for at least a week's vacation and hopefully I am not forgetting any:
Aruba
Barbados-3 times
St Kitts and Nevis-5 times
St Barth's
St Maarten-twice
Anguilla
Antigua
Jamaica-twice
Mayan Riviera-three times
Cozumel
Dominican Republic
Costa Rica
Canary Islands
Bermuda
Rincon, Puerto Rico
Cayman Islands-next month first time

It's hard to pick a favorite but I would guess it would be either Costa Rica for being such a great and diverse country or St Barth's for having such amazing beaches. We were in Aruba with 16 close friends for a wedding but didn't like the island as much as other places mainly because of the commercialization and the desert appearance. Trust me that we still had a great time but we don't rave about it as many people do. We just didn't feel it was as green and colorful (and quiet) as other countries. Probably one of the reasons we have been to St Kitts and Nevis five times. It's somewhat quiet and a very beautiful country.

I need to edit my list to add St Thomas and St John last year and then we just got back from ten days in Anguilla. We had been to Anguilla before on a day trip and loved it and now we had an opportunity to go for an extended stay. We are ranking it as possibly our best trip ever.

 

[Ozone!]

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Taking one of the boys to Paris and Iceland in a couple weeks. Only 14 but proud he's reached the point where he is willing to give up Christmas in exchange for experiences. He's only been to Canada/Mexico thus far so should be pretty enlightening. I on the other hand didn't get to go across the pond until my mid-20s when I could pay for it myself, same for my wife.

We are working on that as well. Older kids, 3 of whom have spouse/ very serious girlfriends, so it will be a tad expensive. Can’t wait

 

[chugg21]

We are working on that as well. Older kids, 3 of whom have spouse/ very serious girlfriends, so it will be a tad expensive. Can’t wait

Yeah that's brutal if you try to take care of it all yourself. Past few years we did trips to different parts of Mexico during spring break but their interests are becoming a bit more vast. Told them they could have usual Christmas or they can elect to take a trip somewhere in the world within reason. Younger one picked Iceland. Given Icelandair's free stop-overs, then got to give him a list of 10 other cities that we could add-on to that and he went with Paris. I've been to Iceland twice and think everyone should go at least once. I've never seen anything remotely comparable in terms of visuals. Though the costs for basic meals starts to drive me nuts by the end of the trip.

 

[Cowtown]

Hey, CuseFaninVT, look who made it to number 8. Which is actually the only one of the 14 I've been to.

24 of the world’s most underrated travel destinations

From a Bali dupe to an English seaside city.

www.timeout.com

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Hey, CuseFaninVT, look who made it to number 8. Which is actually the only one of the 10 I've been to.

24 of the world’s most underrated travel destinations

From a Bali dupe to an English seaside city.

www.timeout.com

Nice! And we celebrated our birthdays with our son at Deep City, the restaurant attached to Foam Brewers on Saturday! They were kind enough to give me a 4-pack for my bday, to go with the 3 I purchased for myself.

 

[tbonezone]

well mexico and haiti await you with a myriad of unexpected surprise adventures.

 

[M2MPrinciples]

I absolutely love Buenos Aries. There is a better than 50% chance that I'll end up living there at some point in the next decade.

I just got back from Buenos Aires. We were there for almost an entire week but our schedule was so jam-packed. I'd love to go back and spend more time in San Telmo, Palermo and Recoleta.

 

[Frozen]

Sunrise this morning in Destin, FL.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

As a parent with young kids, our Ocean City, MD days were the best. Still remember the routines. The kids still remember that the first dinner each year was ice cream at Dumsers.

As an adult, I have visited a lot of great places. All stand out for their own reasons, but none would be “better”. However, if I had to pick one at this point, I would go back to Paris in a heartbeat.

 

[chugg21]

View attachment 230271View attachment 230272View attachment 230273
Sunrise this morning in Destin, FL.

Red Bar in Grayton Beach is one of my wife's favorite places in the world.