any recommendations on where to go for christmas?

[ficklefaye]

i just found out that my family won't be in town for christmas, leaving me and my soon to be hubby all my ourselves. we have the time off, so we wanted to do something fun. a cruise or trip? do any of you have recommendations on places we can go without breaking the bank? we live in southern california just for reference.

thank you in advance!

 

[somethingshiny]

What do you want to be doing??

Snuggling by the fire?
Skiing?
Kayaking?
Surfing and Sailing?
Lazing and Relaxing?
Sightseeing?

 

[Hera]

I''d go to mammoth and snuggle by a fire and ski. Que Romantica!

 

[ficklefaye]

oops, i guess i was pretty vague

i had a few options in my head but they were all quite expensive
1- vancouver - i love the city and lots of things to do if i can stand the cold
2- chile - i''ve always wanted to go there, i''m not sure what the weather will be like, but most of it is on the southern hemisphere, so hot?
3- norwegian cruise - it''s their christmas cruise except it''s quite pricey and cold!
4- hawaii - maybe but i''ve been there a few times already and wanted to try something different

any ideas?

 

[Cehrabehra]

Chile will be in the middle of summer... and hawaii is a place you go in winter to get away from cold...

What climate do you live in?

 

[ficklefaye]

Date: 9/18/2009 10:15:17 AM
Author: Cehrabehra
Chile will be in the middle of summer... and hawaii is a place you go in winter to get away from cold...

What climate do you live in?

i live in southern california, and while i love cool weather, i can''t stand the cold

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 9/17/2009 7:22:22 PM
Author: ficklefaye
1- vancouver - i love the city and lots of things to do if i can stand the cold

I love Vancouver, but it seems like it''s better in the spring or summer. If you''re into skiing and freezing your buns off, try Whistler. We went there a few weekends before Christmas and it was a blast. (But, only bad thing is all the paths in the town are covered with ice. . .meaning no fun shoes. Snowboats the entire time!) - oh and we''re two hours south of Vancouver, so it''s just a quick drive there. I''m not sure I''d pay to fly out.

 

[jcrow]

i know it''d be a bit of a trip, but nyc is stunning at christmas time!

 

[radiantquest]

It all depends on what you consider breaking the bank. I always want to go to NY for Christmas. See the gigantic tree, walk around in FAO Schwarz (the toy store), ride in a horse drawn carriage. I think that would be a great way to spend Christmas. It would be a long flight and I hear that NY is expensive, but if you were considering Hawaii, then I wouldn''t think it would cost any more than that.

 

[LAJennifer]

Vegas? Southern Florida?

 

[DiamanteBlu]

I have been at Disney World around Christmas. It was beautifully decorated [hung around Epcot mostly and stayed at either the Beach club or Yacht Club resort - can''t remember].

Park City would be nice if you ski - the Stein Eriksen Lodge is gorgeous [get a 1 BR suite in a townhouse].

NYC would be a great choice too!

 

[that_someone_special]

BAHAMAS!

I went there in 2006 for the xmas week and it was so fun! A lil chilly but very fun.

 

[Gayletmom]

Ficklefaye, I''ve been contemplating the same question. I''m looking for something a little different (may end up in So. Cal.!) but here is what I have learned so far.

Keep in mind that these tips apply to the week after Christmas b/c that''s when we''ll be traveling. I am guessing that you might find better rates if you go before Christmas. Hawaii and the Caribbean are both outrageously expensive the week after Christmas and many things are already booked or close to full. The hotels and resorts that I researched were 3-4 times normal rates. Also, airfares to Hawaii were very high ($1k to $2k) from N.O.). I also looked into Playa del Carmen in Mexico but that was pretty high, too. Apparently, the week after Christmas is the busiest week of the year for many tropical vacations.

I''m thinking of places where it might be offseason or at least not quite so popular. Fodors.com sometimes does a "where to go next" article that you can probably pull up. I second the thought that NY is beautiful at Christmas and everyone there is in a good mood and so friendly. I don''t know how hot it is in Chile but that sounds really interesting. I also saw some decent deals to Europe and travel has been down a bit there so you might do well going overseas. I have the itch to see Spain but we only have a week -think we might go to San Diego for something a bit more low-key.

Happy traveling!

 

[ficklefaye]

Date: 9/20/2009 12:57:44 PM
Author: Gayletmom
Ficklefaye, I''ve been contemplating the same question. I''m looking for something a little different (may end up in So. Cal.!) but here is what I have learned so far.


Keep in mind that these tips apply to the week after Christmas b/c that''s when we''ll be traveling. I am guessing that you might find better rates if you go before Christmas. Hawaii and the Caribbean are both outrageously expensive the week after Christmas and many things are already booked or close to full. The hotels and resorts that I researched were 3-4 times normal rates. Also, airfares to Hawaii were very high ($1k to $2k) from N.O.). I also looked into Playa del Carmen in Mexico but that was pretty high, too. Apparently, the week after Christmas is the busiest week of the year for many tropical vacations.


I''m thinking of places where it might be offseason or at least not quite so popular. Fodors.com sometimes does a ''where to go next'' article that you can probably pull up. I second the thought that NY is beautiful at Christmas and everyone there is in a good mood and so friendly. I don''t know how hot it is in Chile but that sounds really interesting. I also saw some decent deals to Europe and travel has been down a bit there so you might do well going overseas. I have the itch to see Spain but we only have a week -think we might go to San Diego for something a bit more low-key.


Happy traveling!

gayletmom, FI and i were thinking spain as well, but we are working through the logistics now, we know the weather won''t be the best, but it has always been a place we wanted to visit, we''ll see how it goes

did you need any tips on so cal? san diego is always fun for us when we want a mini getaway

 

[somethingshiny]

You may want to google "Christmas Cruises." It seems there are some special deals on several ships. You could get a lot of bang for your buck with all the amenities that are included and you could go somewhere you''ve never been.

THIS ONE looks really cool.

 

[ficklefaye]

Date: 9/20/2009 11:21:03 PM
Author: somethingshiny
You may want to google ''Christmas Cruises.'' It seems there are some special deals on several ships. You could get a lot of bang for your buck with all the amenities that are included and you could go somewhere you''ve never been.


THIS ONE looks really cool.

thanks, somethingshiny. i''ve already looked through christmas cruises but most of them depart before my vacation starts. it does look like a lot of fun though.

 

[Gayletmom]

Date: 9/20/2009 9:31:51 PM
Author: ficklefaye

Date: 9/20/2009 12:57:44 PM

gayletmom, FI and i were thinking spain as well, but we are working through the logistics now, we know the weather won''t be the best, but it has always been a place we wanted to visit, we''ll see how it goes

did you need any tips on so cal? san diego is always fun for us when we want a mini getaway

I''m just starting with my research into San Diego-I''ve never been-and would love any guidance you can give. We''re obviously not going for the beach so I am trying to decide where to stay. Our plans are Legoland (4 kids in my house) and the zoo and that''s as far as I have gotten. We''re trying to decide where to stay and would welcome a part of town where we could walk to dinner occasionally and we love to ride bikes. Did I read that there are bike paths close to Mission Bay? What should we expect the crowds to be like then?