Holidays: care to share your best vacation?

[Steel]

I know that we are lucky on PS to have many members who have travelled extensively and I thought it might be fun to share what you consider to have been your best holiday.

Location:

Accommodation/Where did you stay:

Estimate of total cost (excluding spending money):

Reason why this holiday rocked:

Anything that could have made it even better:


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[elrohwen]

Tough! I think the one we still talk about all the time is our Bahamas trip in 2008.

Location: Bahamas - Green Turtle Cay

Accomodation: Rental house - 3bdrms, gorgeous view right on the ocean, huge porches, just amazing. We shared with 2 other couples, so total cost per couple, for a little over a week, was maybe $1000? That included the boat rental too.

Estimate of total cost: I think for DH and I it was about $3000, probably less - plane tickets, rental, boat, food, etc.

Reason this vacation rocked: The island was so small and safe - we never locked the doors, left the key on the boat, etc. The weather was perfect, but nobody was around because it was November (right after hurricane season, but before the winter crowds arrive). We went fishing every day and brought fish and conch back for dinner. I don't think I would enjoy a vacation like this with just DH - too boring, but doing it with a bunch of friends was such a blast. I think our friends made the trip. So much fun that we're doing it again this year, with a few more couples, a bigger house, and a different island.

Anything that could've made it better: Learning that we could hunt for lobsters too! We plan to get lobster spears this year and let the boys go at it. We did eat wonderful local lobster, but it was all frozen. I just hope we're able to find conch on the new island - I hear they're hard to find in shallow waters, but we caught at least 20 on our last trip (and those were only the ones big enough to legally keep).

 

[princesss]

Let's see...I'd say the best holiday I've had was actually a school trip.

Location: Cradle Mountain/Lake St. Clair Nat'l Park, Tasmania, Australia

Accomodation: Wherever we pitched our tents! Plus a day in Hobart and a day in Port Arthur.

Cost: It was a group trip so we got a discount, but I think it was around SG$3000 for 10 days including airfare, gear rental, lodging, and food.

Reason it rocked: It was an amazing hike. 80km through Tasmania, away from city lights and car lights, up mountains, swimming in lakes (and getting leeches - EW!), and just feeling generally capable of doing something far beyond what I thought I could. I was the last to finish (and the most out of shape by far), but our guides were encouraging and funny and we had a blast. The food tasted amazing at the time (Weetabix with hot milk and sugar seemed like the best thing ever), and I really got to know a few girls and ended up being friends with them for the rest of high school. I really can't put into words how amazing it felt to finish this hike and jump in Lake St. Clair at the end. And when you wake up at night and go outside and the stars are so bright you don't need a torch to see, and the Southern Cross is high in the sky...wow. Incredible. And stopping at a cabin to try to dry off and seeing wallabies sniff at our packs was so freaking cool for a girl who had only seen them in the zoo! (Also, discovering wombat poop is square. Ow.)

What could have made it better: Liking more of the people on my trip and not being afraid of bees.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Grrr, this is very tough for me. I really want to say Paris because that is where we got engaged and I absolutely loooooved Paris. But overall, I think I''ll have to say Italy.

Location: Rome, Florence, Venice

Accommodation/Where did you stay: We stayed in little boutique hotels/B&Bs in each city. Nothing too fancy, but quaint and in great locations

Estimate of total cost (excluding spending money): I have no idea because it was a surprise for my 28th birthday, but I would guess maybe $5k for flights, hotels and museum tickets?

Reason why this holiday rocked: 1.) It was a very thoughtful surprise and 2.) DH had completely organized everything for us. He''d bought all of the museum tickets, downloaded all of the Rick Steves tours onto our ipods, organized tours for us, bought all of the train tickets between cities, had created an agenda based on reading the Rick Steves book (all behind my back) and had even highlighted restaurants he wanted to visit. Every day was a surprise for me and it was fantastic

Anything that could have made it even better: More time! He really wanted to drive down the Amalfi Coast and I would have loved it!

 

[Shoopy]

My absolute most favorite fiery-paid for vacation was NY believe it or not. It was the first real vacation/traveling that my FI and I did together and we had a blast. It was c-r-a-z-y.

Location: NY
Accommodation: Holiday Inn Express Chelsea (MSG)
Estimate total cost: not including spending money $600

. I took advantage of the Spirit Airlines deal and flew to and from for $14. I waited until a week before with the hotel and got a deal for $129 each night and the hotel was right behind madison square garden. We didn''t pay for transportation since we walked everywhere. We had budgeted $1500 for the trip and didn''t come anywhere near it

Rocking reason: it was just fabulous. Our mood was great. We saw every single site we could visit. We got lost in NY and discovered other places.
To make it better: appropriate walking shoes

. We''re floridians though so we didn''t know better

NOW

As for my ultimate vacation that wasn''t really a vacation but I made it into a vacation anyway

For work I had to travel to three countries to do some test procedures and interviews. With a coworker, we went to London, Madrid, and Zug (Switzerland). Holy moly did we have fun. He and I planned everything before we got there. We busted our butts to get stuff done early at the office and would spend the evening out and about.

I couldn''t even tell you where we stayed because I don''t remember but we (the company) spent $$$$ to get us there and back.

The reason why it rocked (besides seeing all the sites that I probably will never visit again) was this one particular moment when we were having dinner in some small restaurant in Madrid where I just went ''wow, 7 years of college, all that time spent studying and crying over grades, all those parties that I missed out on, and THIS is my reward.'' AWESOME feeling.

(and it was the plane ride back from Zug that I realized I was pregnant so that trip has a soft spot in my heart

)

 

[Haven]

Okay, I know I've talked about our recent trip to Ireland FAR TOO MUCH on PS, but truly, that was my favorite trip yet, and DH agrees as well. (For reference, I've been to England, France, Poland, Israel, Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Egypt, Mexico, St. Thomas (USVI), St. John (USVI), Virgin Gorda (BVI), and Jost Van Dyke (BVI). DH has been to Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Mexico, England, France, Israel, Greece, the USVI and BVI, and probably some other places that I'm forgetting. Ireland definitely tops both of our lists.)

Location: IRELAND!

Accommodation/Where did you stay: In Dublin--ABC Guesthouse, in Dingle--Greenmount House, in Galway--Almara House

TOTAL COST: $3623 total for TWO people and ten days (excluding the $550 we spent to board the pup at our trainer's house)
$2108.60 total excluding spending money

Car Hire: $222.57
ABC House: $146.53
Greenmount House: $390.82
Almara House: $144.79
Parking: $26.17
Unidentifiable charge on CC: $27.44
Cash Spent $1150 (This included all of our lunches and dinners as well, and we ate REALLY well for many dinners. It also includes about $200 worth of gifts for family and friends and mementos for ourselves.)
Flights $1514.4

Reason why this holiday rocked: The country is amazing. Dingle was my favorite location. The natural beauty, the people, the animals, all of it was wonderful.

Anything that could have made it even better: More time in Dingle!

I keep very specific records of everything we spend, and we spent only cash while there, so that made it easy to track. We only used our credit card to pay for street parking, so we have no idea where that $27.44 charge came from.

ETA: Everything is in USD.

 

[princesss]

Haven - what did you do in Dingle? I''ve requested we add it to the iternerary for my trip, and my parents want things to do before they add it on. Apparently, "My friends all say it''s gorgeous," isn''t reason enough! Was there anything really exceptional there that we couldn''t find elsewhere? I want to go, I just need a solid "thing" to convince them it''s worth it.

 

[Autumnovember]

Wow...I don't think I could pick just one.


I LOVED how beautiful the water was in Cayman Islands, and swimming in the middle of the ocean with string rays. (CRUISE- ROYAL CARRIBEAN about 2,000 per person)...this was the first time I went on a cruise. Although it was beautiful, it just isn't for us.

Ocho's Rio's Jamaica...Dunns River Falls...purely spectacular. (CRUISE-ROYAL CARRIBEAN 2,000 per person) Same as above.

I LOVE LOVE mexico (been there 8 times) and I got to live there for one month...alone! and it was fantastic. The energy and everything is just amazing (The Royal-500 dollars a night, and Hotel Cielo 70 dollars a night) The Royal wasn't anything great...we liked our 70$ a night hotel better.

I visited Russia about 7 years ago (I was born there) and that was VERY fascinating. I forget the price for the ticket but we stayed with my Aunt for two weeks while there.

I've lived on the East Coast (next to Manhattan and also Philadelphia) for my entire life so SO and I are traveling to San Fran/Napa Valley/San Diego/Los Angeles at the end of August. I'm very very curious as to how the lifestyle is there. We bought plane tickets so far, and am trak tickets...no hotel choice yet...will probably stay at the Hyatt at each city.


Places I would LOVE to visit someday: Australia, Greece, Italy, Tokyo, Bora Bora, Austria, Barcelona.

 

[Haven]

If you can get your hands on a Rick Steves Ireland book that will help you convince them! I followed his advice for doing the Slea Head Drive and Conor Pass.

We were only there for four nights, so we really only had three full days there. We arrived around 7 PM the day we drove down from Dublin and had dinner at John Benny Moriarty's in Dingle Town. Best fish and chips of the trip, and really fun trad music. The place was packed once it hit 9 PM.

Our first full day we did the Slea Head Drive and visited Brandon Point, which was one of my favorite spots of the entire trip. Basically, we followed Rick Steve's advice in his book to do the drive, which includes many stops along the way to visit interesting sites and spots. These included Dunbeg Fort, beehive huts, Kilmalkedar Church (where DH and I renewed our vows at the Ogham stone out front!), local pottery shops, interesting pubs, and the Blasket Islands Visitors Center, among other things. We spent a good five hours driving around and stopping at all of the interesting spots. Then before heading back we went to Brandon point (on recommendation from our B&B hosts' daughter) and it was AMAZING. We were alone there, and we pretty much sat right on the edge looking out into the water, where we saw a school of dolphins, by the way. Very cool.

Our second full day we drove Conor Pass which was a really great way to see even more beautiful views. The drive itself is scary at moments, as you're literally driving on the edge of a cliff and the roads are very narrow. I think DH had the most fun driving here.

There are several lookout points at which you can pull over and just take in the beautiful Dingle Peninsula. We stopped at a waterfall and DH hiked up and found a lake tucked into the side of the mountain, which was extremely cool. It was several hours of taking in the beautiful countryside and exploring bits of it by hiking around and just relaxing wherever we found a good spot.

Our third full day DH and I returned to Conor Pass and went to that lake he had found tucked into the mountain. We brought books and read for a while until an awful family came and started screaming their heads off, thus ruining our time there. We then headed back to Dingle Town and wandered around the streets, ate another Murphy's ice cream cone, and did some really fun people watching.

Our fourth day in Dingle we made a quick stop at the farmers' market before driving to Galway. Delicious olives and feta cheese. There is a lot we didn't do while there, which we plan to do on our next trip--actually visit the Blasket Islands, and take a hike along the beach, among other things. I think when it comes to planning a trip around Ireland you just have to accept that you won't get to see EVERYTHING in one trip, so do the things you really want to do, and save the rest for next time. All I know is that when I asked about everyone's favorite spot in Ireland (on the travel forums, and here on PS) most people said DINGLE! And I completely agree.

We had a lot of fun at night in Dingle. We ate some amazing meals (one at Out of the Blue and one at The Half Door) and drank a lot of Guinness and Bulmers while listening to music. Oooh, and Rob Roy's curry fries are the PERFECT thing to get on your way home after a night of drinking. Mmmm. We also ate a lot of Murphy's ice cream. We met a ton of great people, everyone was super friendly, and our nights in Dingle pubs were the most fun we had in Ireland because we met the most people there.

SO SORRY to threadjack, Steal.

 

[dragonfly411]

Is it fair to say I have four?

My youngest, was a trip to San Francisco and the surrounding area. We flew (one of two flights in my entire life). We stayed in a super nice hotel in the middle of the city. I don''t remember the exact order of events but I remember going to the pier and seeing the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and eating ice cream while watching the seals. I remember eating at the Hard Rock. We also ate at this Italian Restaurant owned by a family from Italy that was located in the basement of a building. I remember it had amazing food and it was decorated with really funky paintings, christmas lights and random cans. I remember walking the winding road... and riding a trolly. We went to see a Van Gogh exhibit at the museum. I remember walking on the bridge. We also drove to Carmel, and visited the Hearst Mansion in San Simeon which was absolutely amazing. Seeing the things he had imported, and what he did with that house, and then looking out over the hills of CA was awesome. I loved Carmel. The inn we stayed in was very Dutch style and they left a basket of fresh bread on our door step in the morning! The town was so pretty and quaint. I loved driving along the coast, and seeing Pebble Beach. We also toured the Ghiradelli factory there.

When I was a teenager my grandparents took us on a trip to TX. We stayed in San Antonio for a few days. I remember my aunt and myself getting lost there and finding our hotel again without a map. I remember eating at a great Mexican restaurant on the river. The food in TX was amazing. We then drove west to stay on a dude ranch. One of my favorite memories was stopping at this hole in the wall diner on a two lane road for breakfast. The diner was set in this old brick building... it looked like an extremely old convenience or grocery store. I had steak and eggs and the steak was HUGE. We stayed on the dude ranch for a week. One of the main things was a daily trail ride and at the time I was miserable because they kept putting me on pokey old horses and only walking. I was used to RIDING. Finally my sister and I took a "lesson" with one of the farm hands. He let me ride his roping horse, and afterwards told the other guys that if they put me on a pokey horse again, he''d personally make them switch and let me ride their horses. I got to ride my choice of horse after that. I loved the cooking there, and the family took time to get to know us. We got to watch a rodeo and really enjoy the landscape and wildlife.

When I was 20 I was given the opportunity to serve as a chaperon for my highschool theatre department on their trip to LONDON! It ... was.... AMAZING. We went to Stonehenge, and we toured the city, seeing the Cathedral, and the changing of the guard, the Tower of London, Big Ben, and I rode the Eye of the World. The queen was there while we were so we got to see her on her birthday! We visted Windsor where I had the best pineapple ice cream and loved the castle... and the gardens. We went to Bath and toured the baths and saw the home of Jane Austen. I loved the pubs in Bath. We went to Shakespeare''s home town and saw the cottage he grew up in and the beautiful gardens outside his home. We also visited his supposed wife''s cottage and it had extensive gardens with a labyrinth which I thoroughly loved. We saw Les Miserables on West End which was AMAZING and Jesus Christ Superstar. We also got to do a workshop at the shakespeare theatre where we got to act with their actors! That was amazing. I loved everything about London and could have seriously lived there. I visited the Museum and got to see the Monets that were there, which was a treat. The food was delicious. We had fantastic Tapas at two different locations, some amazing Indian food, really good Italian. Oh and a group of us went bowling hehe. I went to the pubs as often as humanly possible. I also bought produce at the market and ate it in the park. We stayed a block from the home of the author of Peter Pan! I loved that there were little parks everywhere. I loved tasting local brews. I loved the shepherd''s pie. The countryside was absolutely stunning. We got to drive through mountains, and past villages that were still thatch roofed. I just loved everything about England and London. I''d go back in a heartbeat.


The year before last, SO and I went to NC to Mount Mitchell. That was such a fun trip, but what really made it for us was that it was our first time seeing snow. we went for thanksgiving. We got there on Thanksgiving day and had dinner that evening. The next day we went to Mount Mitchell and halfway up there were ice waterfalls. We got to the top and there was 8 inches of snow. He and I hiked a nature trail to the top, all through the snow along the side of the mountain. It was so beautiful, there were fir trees lining the trail, and we saw a moose track! At the top it was snowing pretty hard, but we built a snow man and had a snow fight. We also visited another mountain that trip that bordered a lake, and got to walk a ton of nature trails and take pictures. It really was one of my favorite trips. We camped in the cold, and enjoyed good food and good company.


Those are my four favorites.

 

[elrohwen]

AutumnNovember, I think I went on that same exact cruise. lol

 

[Shoopy]

Date: 6/14/2010 5:08:00 PM
Author: Autumnovember

I LOVE LOVE mexico (been there 8 times) and I got to live there for one month...alone! and it was fantastic. The energy and everything is just amazing (The Royal-500 dollars a night, and Hotel Cielo 70 dollars a night) The Royal wasn''t anything great...we liked our 70$ a night hotel better.

I love Mexico too. One of my favorite places to visit. I''ve never been to the tourist spots so I''d like to go there one of these summers. I''ve been to D.F. and a few cities in the mountains (doing facility reviews) and I adored it. Plus the food is

and the tamarindo margaritas are

 

[that_someone_special]

Bahamas 2006 over christmas

We stayed at Atlantis, but not Atlantis (Harbor Side Resort), it was the one not on the beach. We had 4 rooms (2 bedroom villa), each with a full kitchen, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (1 regular shower/ tub, the other a deep soaking tub and nice huge shower..) There was also a nice sized living room. I went with my family.. it was the last trip my grandma went with us on.

While the resort was nice, they were still working on building some of the other stuff, so if we went back I'd prefer to stay in a nicer- kitchenless suite

The estimated cost was A LOT (in the 10's of thousands) (including flights for 9 people)- I am not sure since everything was paid for and my "cash" was a little card that charged back to our room.. lol

I would go back in a heartbeat!!!

 

[blackpolkadot]

Our honeymoon!

Location: Orcas Island, Washington

Accommodation: We stayed in a cute cottage on the island.

Cost: Well, the plane tickets and rental car were paid for with points, so $800 for the cottage excluding spending money.

Reason it rocked: Everything was beautiful! Since we went during shoulder season, it wasn''t busy at all. Many times it felt like we were the only two there! An amazing breakfast was brought to us each morning. Plus I got the ocean and DH got the mountains. So it was a win-win!

What could have made it better: Staying just a couple more days. We got to see everything we wanted to, but I would have liked more time just relaxing.

 

[Autumnovember]

Elro---Freedom of the seas??? Beautiful ship, wish I enjoyed being on the cruise more then I did.

Fiery---If you have the chance, visit Playa Del Carmen...thats where I lived for a month and its absolutely amazing for anyone who visits.

 

[dragonfly411]

Date: 6/14/2010 5:28:05 PM
Author: blackpolkadot
Our honeymoon!


Location: Orcas Island, Washington


Accommodation: We stayed in a cute cottage on the island.


Cost: Well, the plane tickets and rental car were paid for with points, so $800 for the cottage excluding spending money.


Reason it rocked: Everything was beautiful! Since we went during shoulder season, it wasn''t busy at all. Many times it felt like we were the only two there! An amazing breakfast was brought to us each morning. Plus I got the ocean and DH got the mountains. So it was a win-win!


What could have made it better: Staying just a couple more days. We got to see everything we wanted to, but I would have liked more time just relaxing.

Did you whale watch? That''s all I think of when I think of upper west coast lolol

 

[blackpolkadot]

Date: 6/14/2010 5:42:34 PM
Author: dragonfly411

Date: 6/14/2010 5:28:05 PM

Author: blackpolkadot

Our honeymoon!



Location: Orcas Island, Washington



Accommodation: We stayed in a cute cottage on the island.



Cost: Well, the plane tickets and rental car were paid for with points, so $800 for the cottage excluding spending money.



Reason it rocked: Everything was beautiful! Since we went during shoulder season, it wasn''t busy at all. Many times it felt like we were the only two there! An amazing breakfast was brought to us each morning. Plus I got the ocean and DH got the mountains. So it was a win-win!



What could have made it better: Staying just a couple more days. We got to see everything we wanted to, but I would have liked more time just relaxing.

Did you whale watch? That''s all I think of when I think of upper west coast lolol

We did! And we actually saw whales (apparently, they don''t guarantee that you will see any). We got to watch them for over an hour. It was awesome!

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 6/14/2010 5:36:52 PM
Author: Autumnovember
Elro---Freedom of the seas??? Beautiful ship, wish I enjoyed being on the cruise more then I did.

That sounds familiar, it could be it. We went to Ocho Rios and Grand Cayman, so it sounds like the same itinerary. Cruising is also not my thing, but my mom loved it. I don't like any vacation where I have to be around lots of other people

 

[diamondringlover]

Ok I went to Nashville, just me and my sister, no kids, no hubby, 4 days in downtown Nashville during CMA musicfest, it was the best vacation I have ever had....total cost around $2,000 for both of us

 

[Blackpaw]

I cant make up my mind either

its tough!

I spent a couple of months travelling and studying in italy - everyone knows why Italy rocks, no need to elaborate.

Zimbabwe - i bungee jumped at Vic Falls, and most importantly spent a month at a lion conservation project - i spent my days walking with and playing with lion cubs (some of them taller than my waist!)...

Egypt - such a perfect holiday destination, i had a month there and got to spend a week on an amazing dive boat (jacuzzi on deck!) diving the best wrecks and reefs of the red sea.

Sigh

i want to go travelling again

This is a great thread - very inspirational!

 

[Blackpaw]

Shoot i forgot the details...

Italy, stayed in an apartment in florence then in hostels around the country. Spent probably 10k on two months including everything.

Egypt, stayed in budget hotels and on the (not so budget) boat. My SO and i spent 3.5k on the dive trip, probably 2-3k on the other three weeks there.

Zimbabwe, we stayed at the conservation project for most of our time there, otherwise camped at hostels. Project was a killer - 7k for SO and i, plus another 2k or so for the rest of our time in Zim, activities at Vic Falls etc.

 

[Mahogany Jewel]

I can''t pick just one because I love to travel and I like each destination for different reasons.

I loved:

Greece for the friendly people, great food, and the history

Italy for the history and art

Japan for the food and culture

Jamaica for the beautiful beaches.

San Francisco for how unique it is.

I''m heading to Maui this week..I can''t wait
to find something to love about Hawaii!

 

[Steel]

Anybody mind if I bump this up?

 

[zoebartlett]

Can we choose more than one?

#1: Key West: My husband and I went to KW with my sister, BIL, and my parents. It was such a fun vacation --we stayed at a gorgeous condo, we went to great restaurants, and we got to do some things we'd never done before. My husband and I went jet-skiing, which was nerve-wracking but I'm glad we tried it. My sister and I went para-sailing, which I'd always wanted to do but I never had the courage to try before then. I was really, really scared but I'm glad I did it.

#2: Bermuda: A few years after I had graduated college, my parents surprised my sister and I with a trip to Bermuda. We went for 5 days, so not for a long vacation, but it was amazing. The colors were so vibrant and the water was so clear. We had an amazing time.

 

[zoebartlett]

Ack! How could I forget Ireland?!

My husband and I went there for a friend's wedding about 6 years or so ago. It was the first long vacation we had taken together (10 days I think). The wedding was outside Dublin, so we spent a few days in the Dublin area and then we traveled west to Galway. Galway was our favorite city that we visited in Ireland. Some day we plan to go back and see more of the country. It's absolutely gorgeous.

Oddly enough, our honeymoon wasn't our favorite vacation. It was stressful actually, and we didn't have the greatest time. We went to Quebec City, which is a gorgeous city, especially the walled part. We chose it because we had been there years before (our first mini-vacation for NYE), and it had been such a romantic place. For whatever reason, we didn't enjoy our trip back as much as we hoped we would.

 

[katamari]

I love reading this thread, Steal! I am blessed to have had the opportunity to travel, so it is hard to pick. I am going with just one, though, because I love rules.

Location: 21 days in Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2001 (also visited Haarlem, Delft, Gouda, and Antwerp during the trip)

Accommodation/Where did you stay: Hotel Prinsenhof near Rembrandtsplein. DH and I usually stay in 1-/2-stars in Europe because we just like the feeling of them. This one was particularly good.

Estimate of total cost (excluding spending money): $550 flights, ~$40 a night for the room (still on the guilder, got a great exchange rate). Food is a hard estimate, because I consider most food and drink part of spending money. One doesn't need to fine dine, one elects to, right? Not counting indulgences, maybe $1000. Side travel and admissions: ~$800. Total ~$2500.

Reason why this holiday rocked: More than anything, it was because we were there on September 11th. Although I do always regret not having had that experience in America, too, it was so incredibly amazing to see how the Dutch reacted to the event. People we didn't even know reached out to DH and I in amazing ways. The Dutch were dropping flowers and having candlelight vigils at the consulate. It was just absolutely overwhelming in such a positive way. Plus, strangers everywhere wanted to talk about it with us, mainly deep, political discussions. That part was amazing and, in lack of a better word, unforgettable.

Other things made it great, too. It was a long trip (3 weeks) that got extended a bit because we were supposed to return on the 13th, but were unable to get a flight as planned because of all the rearrangements due to shutting down air travel temporarily. Our hotel allowed us to stay free of charge until we could secure a flight back. It was DH and I's first out-of-the-country trip together. DH had lived in Amsterdam for years, so it was so nice to not have to worry about navigation or trial and error with restaurants, transportation, and the like. It was also great to meet his friends. His brother was also still living over there at the time. And, Amsterdam is a fantastic place; so historical, so beautiful.

Anything that could have made it even better: The only thing that makes it better is going back.

 

[atroop711]

My fav. so far (with my husband) was a 2 week Hawaiian Cruise. First off I love cruises but I love visiting those Islands. Went to a Volcano National Park on the Big Island. The Capt. of the Cruise took the ship in so close at night to the shore that we were able to see the lava streaming down the side of the mountain and rolling into the water. It was one of the most spectacular things I've ever seen. I also danced up on stage in a LUAU, visited Pearl Harbor (I love history), snorkeled in the most amazing waters, was lucky enough to see a pod of spinner dolphins with many babies...I can go on and on. THE COST (in 199 was $2500 for cruise and airfare...we spent another 1k

Fav. vacation with my kids..has to be to Disney and the Disney Cruise. So much fun..seeing their smiles makes it all great for me. I let my inner kid come out in Disney. THE COST: PRICELESS...ok ok..I don't remember...it's at least 3-4k for both (we always do both together

Love Mexico, Puerto Rico, Grand Cayman, St Thomas, ect too...any place with a beach is pretty awesome to me.

 

[soocool]

My best vacations are all based on where I was in my life at the time.

When I was little and a young teen my best vacations were down the Jersey shore. My parents always rented a house for 2 weeks (dad closed up shop) and these vacations were priceless. Also, cost to rent a place down the shore was so cheap as compared to now.

Then my favorite vacation (18- early 20s) was Florida . I went to Ft Lauderdale on my college spring break and again driving down (cheap gas) and about 10 girls crammed into a room for 5 days - again priceless!

After graduating school taking a road trip with 3 girlfriends to California for a month. Again priceless. Staying at affordable motels seeing San Francisco back in the late 1970s, going to Hollywood and meeting some stars (Goldie Hawn, George Clooney before he became such a big star and a few others)

After meeting DH (early 1980s) we would take trips to Disneyworld. Tickets were cheap, and you could get a flight and a hotel at a moments notice.

Later after both married and working, earnings money Hawaii was our best vacation (been there 3 times). We never paid for airplane tickets (frequent flyer miles) and always flew first class. Stayed in a condo mostly ($40 per night - cash discount) and snorkeled, took a helicopter ride, saw the sunrise and the sundown from a volcano, snorkeled at an underground volcano, saw active volcanoes, drove up to Hana and swam in the sacred pools, went to a few luaus, ate fresh pineapple and guava, saw a blowhole, spent lots at the International Marketplace, was ablt to visit Pearl Harbor when it was open, ended up in a segment of The Today Show with Katy Couric when they were filming in Kapalua, met the artist Wyland in a gallery and bought a painting (now own several of his work). So many more memories. Our first trip was 2 weeks and we spent about $2000.00 for 2 weeks.

We travel to California frequently and have been to San Diego, La Jolla, Los angeles, but San Francisco and Lake Tahoe are my favorite places .I've been to Florida Keys, Las Vagas, Reno, Outer Banks, Canada, Colorado (skiing in Aspen and Vail), Utah, Texas, Virginia Beach and amany more places. Now we travel up to the New England states a lot and bought a vacation home with my sister in Rhode Island.

The money we had spent on all our trips has been minimal. We used frequent flyers miles for all our flights and hotel points for all hotel stays. This is when there were more opportunities to use these points and airplane travel was easier than it is now.

 

[diva rose]

Royal Davui in Fiji
http://www.royaldavui.com/

I went there March 2009 for honeymoon. Cost was around 8-9k Australian which included return flights, transfers, all meals, 5 nights in premium villa and one night in Sheraton Nadi.

Loved it and still to this day our best experience ever. Both DH and I have travelled a lot.
I loved Royal Davui because:
1. we were lucky enough to be 1 of the 3 couples in the whole island
2. snorkling was out of this world - breath taking and the isolation ..it's just amazing. We felt we were the only ones in the whole island.
3. food and service was really good

I've attached some photos. Such a pity I didn't take any while snorkling - biggest regret ever.

 

[dragonfly411]

I don't think I can list just one. I have three for sure that rank together... actually four. So ... YOU GET ALL FOUR!

Location: North Carolina

Accommodation/Where did you stay: A dog friendly camp ground with SO's aunt. We stayed in her camper, and actually did a group dinner with the camp ground too!

Estimate of total cost (excluding spending money): I think as a group we spent around 500-600 total after gas. We went to free recreational areas to hike and see snow, brought most of our food. We mostly spent money on gas, food on the way up, and the camp ground. The group dinner was part of the stay, and all the doggies par-took.

Reason why this holiday rocked: We just had so much fun! We did Thanksgiving dinner in the camper, plus had a group Thanksgiving with the camp ground. We hiked around a lake that was surrounded by mountains, and then hiked Mt. Mitchell in the snow which was the most beautiful experience. We hiked through an area of Christmas trees all in snow. We also made a snow man.

Anything that could have made it even better: Only staying longer would have made the trip better.


Location: London, England

Accommodation/Where did you stay: Barry House - It is right next to James Berrie's Home. Close to Paddington Station and Hyde Park is right across from James Berrie's home.

Estimate of total cost (excluding spending money): I spent 1200 for the trip, it was a guided trip based on theater

Reason why this holiday rocked: Everything about this trip was amazing. We played in Hyde Park, visited the Shakespeare Theater and did a workshop with them, went to Shakespeare's birth place and his lover's cottage, toured the gardens, toured Windsor Castle, went to Stone Henge, Went to Bath, saw the 25th Anniversary of Les Miserables on West End with the Original Jean val jean, saw We Will Rock you the Musical, visited the museums, saw the changing of the guard, went to the Tower of London to see the jewels, rode the Eye, ate AMAZING FOOD, and we were lucky enough that it was the Queen's birthday so we got to glimpse her in the mad crowds. If you ever need food recs, please let me know.

Anything that could have made it even better: I wish I could have had longer to explore. I wish I could have seen the coastlines. I wish I didn't have to choose between the art museum and the museum of natural history. I wish I still had my pictures, but lost the camera they were on and the computer they were on crashed.