Ambergris Caye in T&C is pretty dope. Not to be mistaken for Ambergris Caye in Belize which has fallen off a bit. https://www.ambergriscay.com/?utm_s...m=gmb_listing&utm_campaign=website&utm_id=gmb
Never done an all inclusive, but might hop on board next year as a 1st vacation away from our son. This popped up recently and looks pretty dope https://www.amrcollection.com/en/resorts-hotels/secrets-impression/mexico/isla-mujeres/ https://www.islamujeresspa.com/ Coming from the southeast, there are tons of flight into Cancun so should be an easy flight (2.5hrs) then a quick 15 minute ferry.
Id say first decide on how big of a resort you want. That’s tough if you’ve never been, but a small, medium, or large resort decision can really help direct you. I’ve done a small (The Caves) and medium (Couples Swept Away) in Negril, Jamaica and loved both. Just got back from a medium in Riviera Maya (Hyatt Zilara) and it was better than Swept Away in some aspects, but we were in the top room option which helps. Charlotte has some good direct options (if you’re in Cola) but flight options can narrow down your choices too. We also used a travel agent to recommend some resorts since these resorts can all be generally the same with some small but important differences that are hard to tell online. It ended up saving us because our initial resort caught fire 3 weeks out from the trip, and the agent was able to rebook us and handle everything without us doing a thing.
Lyrtch offers good advice regarding finding a good flight, then picking your resort. As far as standard all inclusive chains, I like Couples in Negril Jamaica for its location. It’s not directly West, so you have to travel 15 minutes to catch the sun set into the water. Otherwise, it had a very good reef in a protected bay that was very cool on-resort snorkeling. We hired a driver for a day to do Duns River Falls and took a boat/raft ride through the forest. Did Iberostar in Playa Del Carmen and Divi Village in Aruba, but wouldn’t recommend. Stopped doing all inclusive after those.
I have spent time in the Indian desert, hiked the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia that's 400 ft below sea level and you have to hike at night because it's too hot during the day, been in Brazil and Bangkok in the sweltering summer. The heat and humidity in Mazunte during this June is worse than all of those. It's unlike anything I've experienced. Still worth it. Off to Canada in 10 days.
My buddy returned from four days in puerto Escondido yesterday. We were texting while he was there and he mentioned how hot it was. How he can’t be a hostel a guy anymore and needs his AC. We reminisced how we survived Central American hostels with only a floor fan. I type all this to say- I was hesitant about his oppressive heat claim because he’s a lifelong California coastal climate princess. Guess I’ll have to believe him now.
Southwest is having a 40% off deal for the next two days. Was able to save some points on my trip home from Bozeman by rebooking
As part of a longer trip, my wife and I are planning to stay in Savannah for a night. Anyone have a hotel or restaurant recommendation?
What type of environment do you want? Quiet, some fun and noise or louder more parties type? Also… big factor is food. Do you want really high end, good quantity or fine eating just basic stuff.
Quiet or some fun. Good but not Michelin star? (What about drinks...do I need to say if I want a beer above Bud Light or is that common everywhere?)
Most resorts will have a quieter side if they have a louder side. We stayed at Dreams Playa Mujeres a couple years back with the fam and kids. Secrets resort right next door if you wanted to turn it up a notch. And they had good quality drinks. Royalton Punta Cana and Hard Rock PC are good spots too. Doing research on resorts is half the battle, see which one might interest you. Read the TripAdvisor reviews. Most have Presidente beer on tap and a few other selections to choose from. You ain’t finding craft beers.
Looking for recommendations for a medium distant family vacation. I have a family of 4 with a 4 year old and a 1 year old and am looking to do something less than 4-5 hours from DC that is slightly atypical from the normal touristy spots. Puerto Rico is my front runner but curious of other options. Want it to be exotic enough where we get to experience new stuff but not too crazy since we’ll have the kids. Any ideas?
With that flight time, you're probably restricted to the Caribbean or Cancun. I haven't been to Puerto Rico, but it is on my list. I think there are some nice resorts/beachs within like an hour of San Juan. You could split time between the two so you can do old town then resort. Turks is an option. It was OK. Nothing really exotic about it. Cancun (or south of it) and you'll have plenty of resorts to just chill at. You could do some day trips with the kids out to cenotes or ruins
Puerto Vallarta is on the family friendly side of Mexico, I loved it. Not a big party town relative to stuff on the Yucatán. Would be right on the edge of your travel time though, would imagine there’s a direct from Dulles that’s 4-5 hours
https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/15/americas/mexico-baja-california-sur-american-deaths/index.html Cool cool, maybe time to find a new favorite spot
Spent the past 3 days/2 nights sailing along the Oaxacan Coast. Four of us + captain just sailed close to shore and bounced around secluded beaches that are only accessible from the water. Spearfished for dinners of ceviche and fish tacos (I tried but didn't hit anything, thankfully we didn't starve), swam everywhere, and just relaxed. Cost was 2,000 pesos/person -- a little more than $100 USD. Spoiler Fourth straight year in Mazunte has probably been my best yet. Coming back in January.
Flights to Patagonia booked. Leave Nov 26, Sunday after Thanksgiving, return Dec 22. Good 4 weeks to explore.
Thankfully going with a hiking buddy of mine that was able to join for 5 days/4 nights in Chiapada Diamantina last year in Brazil. He shares my appetite for risk. Plan is fly into Buenos Aires for 2-3 days. Down to El Chalten for a week to do Fitz Roy and 4 days/3 nights on the Huemul Circuit to see the Southern Patagonia Ice Fields: https://www.thepackablelife.com/hiking/guides/huemul-circuit Down to El Calafate for 3-4 days. Bus to Puerto Natales to gear up before 7 days/6 nights doing the O trek in Torres del Paine. Leaves 4-5 days on the back end to make it back to Buenos Aires and hopefully chill a bit before flying back.
I’ve been reading about flow and the book uses Dean Potters true free solo climb of Fitz Roy and the surrounding areas as part of the the discussion, and how he had to literally drag himself off after a rock fall ripped his leg apart. Absolutely crazy stuff, and I’d love to see pictures along the way.
I see a good bit of 7 day itineraries, but the norm seems to be 8. This is the itinerary we plan to loosely follow: https://www.thepackablelife.com/hiking/guides/torres-del-paine-o-circuit-patagonia Reservations aren't open yet, but there are some companies that organize all the camping for you rather than booking each individual campsite each day. Seems to be a lifesaver.
Looking for recs of where to go for a family vacation in late summer/early fall. Have a 5, 3, and 1 year old. Would prefer a non beach place since we typically do that in the dead of winter. We’re in Oregon, willing to fly around ~8 hours, so Europe (besides Iceland) is probably out.
Where Eagles Dare Weedlord420 Big waves in Mazunte this evening, caught several 6-8 footers. Something clicked for me the past few days and I am able to actually "drop in" - like skateboarding on a halfpipe - versus just catching a small wave horizontally and popping up. In the past big waves just overtake me and I get tumbled around, but I've finally learned how to ride a bigger wave from the top and keep my weight back while dropping in. Only took me like 5 years but holy shit it's fun. Feeling the board so light beneath your feet while youre dropping in, sometimes it even feels like there's space between you and the board before you land back on it.
Nice. Heading west next month to see fam in Calgary. Might get over to a cottage in south east BC for a day or two.
Looks like I have a free Saturday in Edinburgh without plans yet. Can someone that took a tour to the highlands from Edinburgh give me insight on it? I won’t have a rental car so I would need to sign up through a tour site
We didn’t do a big bus thing to the Highlands but these guys were wonderful. Brothers who do it out of two Minis depending on how many people you have. https://www.minimacktours.com/
We did one with Rabbie’s tours a month ago and really enjoyed it. They used sprinter vans so you can still be with 10 or so other people but definitely smaller than the buses. It’s a fun day as long as you go in knowing it will be a long day of driving, you’re in the car for most of it, but the Highlands are awesome and I’d love to spend multiple days up there
Thank you. I’m there Wednesday-Monday. Thursday and Sunday I’ll be at the Scottish open, Friday I’m golfing in the AM. Not sure I’ll be able to get everything I want to do in Edinburgh and still spend a whole day traveling to the highlands
We did the Loch Ness, Glencoe, & Highlands one day tour. Really enjoyed the stops in the Glencoe area and then we did a short boat cruise on Loch Ness as well which was just ok. With how much driving that was I don’t see how there could be time to go any further north and actually enjoy the day so we’ll definitely be back to spend some time around Inverness