We ( my husband, me, brother in law, his wife and two thirteen year olds) are planning on a spring break at the end of March. We have previously done Tucson, Naples and Orlando, Fl but want something different. Brother in law has nixed San Diego and Santa Fe. I am pushing Puerto Rico but airfare has gotten high but still within reach. I was wondering where else I should be looking? Where have you gone that is fairly reasonably priced, warm and has a few thing to do? Throw some ideas at me, please!
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Charleston!
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@momofboiler1 you beat me to the punch - I was going to post the same thing. Charleston is PERFECT in March.
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Scottsdale, AZ is pretty fun. But you have been to Tuscon. Might not be that great. I love food so Savannah, GA is great for me. New Orleans might be too.
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St. Augustine. Lots to see, good places to eat and the ghost tour is fun.
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Savannah GA as long as it’s not St Patrick’s Day. Huge influx of people then.
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What do you like to do on vacation? If beaches, St Pete Beach is hard to beat. Not too far away (an hour or so) is Busch Gardens and Tampa’s Aquarium. St Pete has various smaller attractions too.
We’re going to Puerto Rico this Feb/March, but I haven’t been there yet so can’t comment on it.
The Virgin Islands are pricier, but absolutely gorgeous.
The Dominican Republic is less expensive and could be an option.
The Bahamas vary in cost based upon which island you choose. They’re flat, so not as gorgeous (in our opinion), but they still have nice tropical beaches.
Not sure what you like to do or better yet what the 13 year olds like to do but some spring break trips we have done over the years were Hilton Head, Destin, Fl, Marco Island, Siesta Key, Scottsdale. We like to hike, bike, golf/tennis.
Not sure what your interests are but this all inclusive Eco-Resort on the Caribbean Sea had so much to do on site all our thoughts of taking excursions went out the window. We went through the clearinghouse Cheap Caribbean and got airfare, private transfers from/to the airport and an amazing room with 2 queen beds, huge bathroom & a patio/balcony facing the jungle (it was like being in a treetop) all our meals, entertainment & more for about $1,200 p/p for 6 nights. There were amazing things to explore (including Mayan ruins, a fresh water cenote to snorkel in (a natural pit, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater), bikes to borrow to ride on site, wild animals (monkeys, peacocks, deer and cats to name a few), an animal rescue sanctuary where we could help care for donkeys and pigs, amazing food, a water park and beautiful pools, plus a gym and spa. I’m leaving out so much. We loved it so much it’s on our to-do list to go again. This is a very unique resort in that it’s tucked into the jungle, not some big concrete thing. The history behind how they became an eco-resort was what caught our attention. Very few Americans - many Europeans - it’s spectacular- and to expose a 13 year old to something like this would be amazing! We can’t wait to go again!
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I read an article recently about a boy who found a huge fossilized shark tooth on a fossil hunting experience near Charleston. It was like a guided tour I think. I thought I’d like to go do that soon!
Moab, Utah? Aches National Park is beautiful.
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So I looked up this resort on Tripadvisor and the current reviews are almost universally bad. A good number of the reviewers had been to the resort in the past and really enjoyed it and were on return trips. Most said the food was close to inedible this time around.
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That makes me sad - I know Covid days has hit the hospitality industry especially hard. Even when we’ve gone to Hawaii during this time people are upset at wait times, food/drink quality, etc. I’m always grateful we aren’t those kinds of travelers. We’re appreciative and gracious, and thankful that we’re even there.
I would still go back to Caracol. It was never presented to us a five star so we weren’t expecting one. I laugh when I hear people talk about mosquitoes, etc. - it’s in the jungle…the real jungle. There are going to be bugs, and animals. And yes, there’s an actual seaweed season, and this beach is apt to get hit with it too.
Our experience was a great one. Just a few pics I took…
Reviews still said they enjoyed the animals and the area but that the beach had eroded so much that it was just rocks and seaweed. Someone posted pictures of the food showing their past experience (which looks like your pictures) and what they presently have (which was frankly awful). Guess the water goes off between 2 and 6 am and sporadically the electricity goes out.
Thanks for all your ideas. Sister in law likes the idea of Charleston. I love Charleston but I’m not sure how much two 13 year old boys will find to do. I’m still going to watch the fares to Puerto Rico and maybe they will drop (Ha!). As for what we like to do, well, we like to explore the area and look at historical sites. The boys like to swim. We all like to eat local fare. No one is going to golf or do any other sports. Animals are always good. I did look at an AI in Punta Canta and that reminded me to nag my daughter to get my grandson a passport. I plan to check out a few more areas suggested on here. Thanks!
Know you went to Orlando but have you been to Cocoa Beach?
Visit the Kennedy Space Center. Spend the day.
The Brevard zoo (great smaller zoo–very fun–one of my faves).
Gorgeous beach (visit Ron Jon’s surf shop) and get a surf lesson. Nearby Publix usually has boogie boards pretty cheap. And fried chicken for a picnic.
Great restaurants.
Take a wild life boat tour.
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How about rope courses? When we when to Charleston we took the kids (maybe 15&18) to one of those. They had a blast. And also there’s patriots point with the ships to tour. And we always do ghost tours wherever we are.
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Maybe it’s just me, but I found Charleston to be kind of boring and I have been there a few times because my sister has a beach house nearby.
I would check out clubmed in the Caribbean and mexico. Dominica republic has nice all inclusive resorts with beautiful beaches.
At clubmed and many all inclusive resorts a lot of activities are included. Your kids could try windsurfing, archery, tennis for free. They often have day activités for kids where they could meet other kids their age. When my kids were teenagers we went to a lot of clubmed vacations. They still talk about those vacations