My husband is turning the big 6-0 in a few months, and doesn’t want a big celebration,
but he loves being on the beach, so we are looking for a destination either in the US or
outside, other than Mexico, Jamaica, Dominical Republic and Aruba (we’ve been there).
Do you know of any ‘hidden gems’ that would fit the bill?
An all inclusive would be nice but is not a requirement.
We briefly looked into some Carribean islands and they seem to be pretty pricey.
He’s been through a lot in the last few years - multiple layoffs, just lost his mom,
and is really craving a week on the beach to try and relax…
Not considering Hawaii?
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Culebra
- Fly into San Juan.
- Take a taxi to Ceiba and then the $2 ferry to Culebra, or fly from SJU to Culebra
- Rent a golf cart and putt-putt around the small island.
- Take a day trip to Culebrita
Culebra is quite laid back and inexpensive. It has beautiful beaches with excellent snorkeling (if you are into that). A day on Culebrita will feature beaches, baths/cliffs, a hike to the lighthouse featuring goats. It’s a really cool place.
we did St. John this past spring, which is absolutely stunning. But it also cost us about $1000 more than Culebra for five days.
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Vieques Island ( off Puerto Rico) if you are East Coast. Lesser known Hawaiian island if you are West Coast person.
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Cocoa Beach. Plenty of nice hotels right on the beach and plenty of nice restaurants. Very laid back. Can fly into Orlando (hour away) and near Kennedy Space Center.
If you want the gulf side then look at Boca Grande.
We love Grand Cayman (the East End/quiet side of the island) and Turks and Caicos, but neither is cheap. Southwest flies to both these days.
San Diego area is quite nice. @Marilyn is one of our experts on that area.
San Diego is quite nice indeed, but January is not the month for a beach centric vacation. It could rain, could have days where it doesn’t make it out of the 50’s at the coast, water definitely too cold…. It is a good time for whale watching! And the zoo and outdoor dining, and even walks on the beach. But not lounging on the sand for hours.
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On the continental US, southern Florida is probably the most reliable warm weather January beach destination. When we lived in Chicagoland, Sanibel was my favorite winter getaway. It’s quiet and relaxing, great place for long shelling walks on the beach and casual dinners. I’m not sure what the red tide situation is right now though; it’s been an issue in recent years.
I also enjoyed our one trip to Lido Key, lovely beach, and Marco Island.
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Where in Mexico have you gone? Puerto Vallarta has a different feel than Cancun/etc.
Florida
Hawaii
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If you can swing it, Hawaii, specifically Maui. Rent a condo on the beach.
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We have friends who love it there and have gone many times.
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Same for me…Big 6…0. We’re headed to Portugal. It’s off season, so it won’t be warm, but you can still have a great time and prices are crazy low.
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We have had a couple off lovely beach vacations in Longboat Key Florida.
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Huge thank you everyone! You definitely gave us some ideas to think about.
We are on the East Coast, so Hawaii is probably a bit too long of a flight,
and to be honest, I am still a little apprehensive about Covid, especially considering
the latest surge, but then again, we haven’t been on vacation in almost 3 years,
and that’s no way to live either.
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Key West
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Another plug for Puerto Rico/Culebra/Vieques. The bio bay in Vieques was a highlight for us.
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Some beach vacations we have taken over the years in January: Puerto Rico, USVI, Marco Island, Longboat Key/Siesta Key, Sayulita Mexico. Florida weather can be iffy but we’ve usually lucked out:) I’ve always wanted to try Key West. I understand your covid concerns so if you wanted to drive you could possibly do the 30A ( Destin/Seaside, etc. FL ) although I’m thinking the weather may be a bit cool- I do know people who visit there in Jan/Feb. I will say they have amazing beaches in that area. White soft sand, no rocks!
some vacations we have taken
Cabo. Actually not too bad a flight. Just not sure if warm enough in January, but I believe so.
Also a huge shoutout to Costa Rica. I would actually do a combo volcano area and then beach. There are some great resorts on the Pacific side as well. And the hot springs! We did it all for a reasonable price last year. I felt everyone there was very covid safe when we went Oct 2021.
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as a matter of fact, Costa Rica is listed as having the best Beach weather in January
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