Advice for International Resort Vacations?

[s0me0nesmind1]

Herro ATOT,

It's not often I need advice on things like travel, but I'm a bit new to international and vacation related travel.

A good amount of my previous travel has been to places like France/Japan, and both times it ends up being more of a confused tourist instead of a vacation of relaxation. I'm looking to change that with the next vacation. I want to go somewhere and not have to go far (or run around in a rental car all-day) in order to see something. So to me, that sounds like a vacation resort type of place, where most of the things to do are just outside of the hotel instead of whipping out maps and trying to time trains and shit in order to just snap a few pictures.

I've tried looking at places like AMEXTravel (And also because of my AMEX Platinum card), but for fucks sake it's just a mind warp of confusion over "Is this a good deal? I don't know, $5k for a flight and hotel and it's not even first class..." I'm trying to find a good time and a great place to stay, but not pay an arm and a leg. It's not like I am expect a resort hotel for $100/night, but keeping it all within the ball-park of <$2.5k would be ideal. Bonus points for things like first class airfare.

So, I have quite a few options that I'm thinking of on the table:
Aruba - Seems like a nice resort place
Hawaii - Never been, always wanted to go to the big island.
Cruise - Wife has never been on a cruise, and what better way to relax than to drink booze all day and screw?
Germany - Octoberfest would be ideal, but this is more of a tourist-y place for sight seeing.


Any tips appreciated from people that have been on couple resort-type vacations

 

[Atomic Playboy]

I went to Hawaii earlier this year (and several times in my teens), and it's nice because it's a US state, everyone speaks English, and there's no illusion about most everything existing primarily to cater to tourists. It can be costly, but it's very easy to do, either as a "rent-a-car, plan an itinerary" place or a "full-service resort, all expenses paid" sort of place. Cruises are much the same way; there's no concern about a language barrier and you're not going to wander down the wrong alley and end up kidnapped or murdered. Hard to beat a cruise for convenience and safety. But they cater to people who only want the cursory illusion of local color at the pre-selected ports, so they can be dreadfully boring; how many times can you possibly get excited about the concept of "Margaritaville"?

I also did an all-expenses paid place in Jamaica for my honeymoon, and I can't recommend that highly enough. Floating in the Caribbean for days on end with a bottomless supply of rum punch? Now that's a goddamn vacation.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

I went to Hawaii earlier this year (and several times in my teens), and it's nice because it's a US state, everyone speaks English, and there's no illusion about most everything existing primarily to cater to tourists. It can be costly, but it's very easy to do, either as a "rent-a-car, plan an itinerary" place or a "full-service resort, all expenses paid" sort of place. Cruises are much the same way; there's no concern about a language barrier and you're not going to wander down the wrong alley and end up kidnapped or murdered. Hard to beat a cruise for convenience and safety. But they cater to people who only want the cursory illusion of local color at the pre-selected ports, so they can be dreadfully boring; how many times can you possibly get excited about the concept of "Margaritaville"?

I also did an all-expenses paid place in Jamaica for my honeymoon, and I can't recommend that highly enough. Floating in the Caribbean for days on end with a bottomless supply of rum punch? Now that's a goddamn vacation.

How were yours as far as costs? Ballpark? Did you use a full-package site like AMEX Travel?

Or did you try to live cheaply and get cheaper hotels or more of a resort type? Again, I'm tired of working my ass when I'm on vacation... I want to walk outside the hotel and already be at my destination.

Jamaica doesn't sound bad either, I'll have to look into it as well.

 

[mmntech]

I've been to Aruba a couple times. Just day stops though on a cruise. Nice island, lots to do. Hotels are gorgeous. Since it's part of the Netherlands, it's fully first world. Everything there is nice and modern.

Cruises are good if you want a little sampling of multiple destinations. Plus you get first class food and entertainment on board. One of the big downsides though is not everything is all-inclusive. Drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) are always extra. You get charged up the ass for them too. Avoid the fancies at all costs.

If you go on a cruise with just your wife, look for more adult oriented lines like Princess and Celebrity. Carnival targets the spring break crowd while Royal Caribbean is for families.

If you go the resort route, go adults-only. I can't recommend that enough.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

I've been to Aruba a couple times. Just day stops though on a cruise. Nice island, lots to do. Hotels are gorgeous. Since it's part of the Netherlands, it's fully first world. Everything there is nice and modern.

Cruises are good if you want a little sampling of multiple destinations. Plus you get first class food and entertainment on board. One of the big downsides though is not everything is all-inclusive. Drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) are always extra. You get charged up the ass for them too. Avoid the fancies at all costs.

If you go on a cruise with just your wife, look for more adult oriented lines like Princess and Celebrity. Carnival targets the spring break crowd while Royal Caribbean is for families.

If you go the resort route, go adults-only. I can't recommend that enough.

Problem is that with the resorts all I can seem to find is $500+ a night for any half-decent resort.

$500 x 7 day minimum = $3500+ JUST for the damn Hotel. I was hoping for it to be less than that with the hotel AND air.

Is that how much it normally costs you?

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Save on airfare and put it towards an extra couple days at the resort. Springing for first class is silly; shell out an extra thousand dollars for ten hours of your vacation where you're still stuck on a damn plane, or get three extra nights at a perfectly delightful $300-a-night resort?

As far as deals, I don't shop for vacations enough to know where to look. My wife and I booked our Jamaica trip through a travel agent that specialized in honeymoons and we saved a bundle off just using something like Travelocity or whatever. It still wasn't "cheap," but it knocked it from the level of "drug-addled fever dream" to "actually goddamn doable." And there's something about getting into a crystal clear pool overlooking the gorgeous waters of the Caribbean, hopping on a floaty, floating up to the SWIM-UP BAR for fresh piña coladas made by the bartender who insists on jumping on the bar and singing along to "It Wasn't Me," lying back and sipping your drink, getting an ice cream headache, floundering, capsizing on your floaty while desperately maintaining control of your drink and lunging for your bag because you realized you haven't applied sunscreen in the past 12 minutes that will bring you complete inner peace. You can't put a price on that. Someone else certainly can, and they will, and that price will inevitably leave you wondering if it's worth mortgaging your future for such fleeting moments of tranquility. You're goddamn right it is. So do it, enjoy yourself, and don't think twice about the cost.

Just don't spring for the first class plane tickets.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Herro ATOT,

It's not often I need advice on things like travel, but I'm a bit new to international and vacation related travel.

A good amount of my previous travel has been to places like France/Japan, and both times it ends up being more of a confused tourist instead of a vacation of relaxation. I'm looking to change that with the next vacation. I want to go somewhere and not have to go far (or run around in a rental car all-day) in order to see something. So to me, that sounds like a vacation resort type of place, where most of the things to do are just outside of the hotel instead of whipping out maps and trying to time trains and shit in order to just snap a few pictures.

I've tried looking at places like AMEXTravel (And also because of my AMEX Platinum card), but for fucks sake it's just a mind warp of confusion over "Is this a good deal? I don't know, $5k for a flight and hotel and it's not even first class..." I'm trying to find a good time and a great place to stay, but not pay an arm and a leg. It's not like I am expect a resort hotel for $100/night, but keeping it all within the ball-park of <$2.5k would be ideal. Bonus points for things like first class airfare.

So, I have quite a few options that I'm thinking of on the table:
Aruba - Seems like a nice resort place
Hawaii - Never been, always wanted to go to the big island.
Cruise - Wife has never been on a cruise, and what better way to relax than to drink booze all day and screw?
Germany - Octoberfest would be ideal, but this is more of a tourist-y place for sight seeing.


Any tips appreciated from people that have been on couple resort-type vacations

BWAHAHAHAHA!!! Good luck with that. I was pricing tickets to Zurich in June and it was $1400/ea for coach round trip. I checked what they were charging for First Class and it was $6k per ticket!!! Just for the airfare!

I was going to recommend Bora Bora but there's no way your budget can handle that.

A friend of mine raves about the Mediterranean cruises he has gone on with his wife. He recommends using one of the Norwegian or Scandanavian cruise lines but those will be more expensive.

I went to Maui with my wife like 10 years ago and it cost us over $4500. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency in Kaanapali in a room with an ocean view. That included airfare, rental car and the hotel.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

BWAHAHAHAHA!!! Good luck with that. I was pricing tickets to Zurich in June and it was $1400/ea for coach round trip. I checked what they were charging for First Class and it was $6k per ticket!!! Just for the airfare!

I was going to recommend Bora Bora but there's no way your budget can handle that.

A friend of mine raves about the Mediterranean cruises he has gone on with his wife. He recommends using one of the Norwegian or Scandanavian cruise lines but those will be more expensive.

I went to Maui with my wife like 10 years ago and it cost us over $4500. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency in Kaanapali in a room with an ocean view. That included airfare, rental car and the hotel.

Eh, it's not that I'm not willing to go big - It's just the price per night that is leaving my jaw dropping. If I have a 2 week vacation, I have no problem expecting $5000+ total. Hell, even if that was for just the resort hotel that would still be ~$350/night. My problem is the hotels are ~$500+/night. Fucking christ, is the hotel going to give me a blowjob, free drinks, and Breakfast, lunch, and dinner every night?

You can get a nice Hyatt/Marriott/Starwood in a city for ~$150/night. I expect a decent price hike for a vacation resort due to the demand and location, but $500/night sounds like it's for celebrities only. I don't have $10k to drop for a measly week vacation.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

I haven't tried this yet but I heard the option when I called. Dial your Platinum Concierge number. There's an option that says "Travel plans farther than 6 weeks" or something. Throw them your ideas and they will plan something out for you and email it to you to review.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Herro ATOT,

It's not often I need advice on things like travel, but I'm a bit new to international and vacation related travel.

A good amount of my previous travel has been to places like France/Japan, and both times it ends up being more of a confused tourist instead of a vacation of relaxation. I'm looking to change that with the next vacation. I want to go somewhere and not have to go far (or run around in a rental car all-day) in order to see something. So to me, that sounds like a vacation resort type of place, where most of the things to do are just outside of the hotel instead of whipping out maps and trying to time trains and shit in order to just snap a few pictures.

I've tried looking at places like AMEXTravel (And also because of my AMEX Platinum card), but for fucks sake it's just a mind warp of confusion over "Is this a good deal? I don't know, $5k for a flight and hotel and it's not even first class..." I'm trying to find a good time and a great place to stay, but not pay an arm and a leg. It's not like I am expect a resort hotel for $100/night, but keeping it all within the ball-park of <$2.5k would be ideal. Bonus points for things like first class airfare.

So, I have quite a few options that I'm thinking of on the table:
Aruba - Seems like a nice resort place
Hawaii - Never been, always wanted to go to the big island.
Cruise - Wife has never been on a cruise, and what better way to relax than to drink booze all day and screw?
Germany - Octoberfest would be ideal, but this is more of a tourist-y place for sight seeing.


Any tips appreciated from people that have been on couple resort-type vacations

From your list, I've been to Hawaii (2010) and Oktoberfest in Munich (last year). If you want a relaxing vacation which involves little or no stress, Oktoberfest probably isn't for you for a variety of reasons, the chief of which is the MASSIVE crowd of drunk, partying Germans.

For Hawaii, we got a last minute deal and stayed on Oahu at the Hilton Hawaiian in Honolulu and then took a day trip to the Big Island. We enjoyed ourselves but probably wouldn't stay in Honolulu again.

We've also been to a couple of different all-inclusive resorts outside of Cancun - one in 2012 and one this past spring. Let me preface my remarks by saying that I absolutely, positively HATE beach vacations. I only went because my wife wanted to go. I guess the resorts were "OK," but after this last one, I told my wife I was done with beach vacations permanently. I am much more inclined to go to Europe (going again in December) and seeing historic sites, experiencing great food and culture, and just exploring than I am going to a beach vacation. The same goes with cruises - while there are a couple of possible exceptions (maybe Alaska and the Mediterranean), you wouldn't catch me dead on a Caribbean cruise. I'm pretty much the same way with beach vacations now. I think they're a complete waste of my time.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

BWAHAHAHAHA!!! Good luck with that. I was pricing tickets to Zurich in June and it was $1400/ea for coach round trip. I checked what they were charging for First Class and it was $6k per ticket!!! Just for the airfare!

I just bought 2 roundtrip tickets to Paris for $920 each for December. Not sure of his exact timeline, but good deals can be found even at the last minute if he is willing to compromise. Obviously with Oktoberfest on his list, he must be planning for next year since it is already over this year.

Also, pro-tip - don't go to Europe in the summer as you WILL pay significantly more for EVERYTHING. The shoulder season is where it is at, particularly the fall shoulder season.

 

[brianmanahan]

let me know if you find any good hawaii deals, OP. i am looking to go there next september/october (and actually wanted to go there earlier this year) but can't find any way to get there and stay there that's cheap enough.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

let me know if you find any good hawaii deals, OP. i am looking to go there next september/october (and actually wanted to go there earlier this year) but can't find any way to get there and stay there that's cheap enough.

Define "cheap enough." Most of the good deals are double occupancy, I believe.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I just bought 2 roundtrip tickets to Paris for $920 each for December. Not sure of his exact timeline, but good deals can be found even at the last minute if he is willing to compromise. Obviously with Oktoberfest on his list, he must be planning for next year since it is already over this year.

Also, pro-tip - don't go to Europe in the summer as you WILL pay significantly more for EVERYTHING. The shoulder season is where it is at, particularly the fall shoulder season.

We have to work around my son's school schedule. It is only costing us round trip airfare to Zurich anyway as we will be staying with friends who live 20 minutes outside of Zurich.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Eh, it's not that I'm not willing to go big - It's just the price per night that is leaving my jaw dropping. If I have a 2 week vacation, I have no problem expecting $5000+ total. Hell, even if that was for just the resort hotel that would still be ~$350/night. My problem is the hotels are ~$500+/night. Fucking christ, is the hotel going to give me a blowjob, free drinks, and Breakfast, lunch, and dinner every night?

You can get a nice Hyatt/Marriott/Starwood in a city for ~$150/night. I expect a decent price hike for a vacation resort due to the demand and location, but $500/night sounds like it's for celebrities only. I don't have $10k to drop for a measly week vacation.

Location, location, location. That is why it costs $500/night for a hotel. Everything costs more in Hawaii, food, drinks, more drinks. Consider yourself lucky to get breakfast included at the hotel. Make sure to double whatever you think you're going to spend on food and drinks. Oh, and watch the locals, they can be sketchy... tourists get robbed there occasionally.

Our Maui trip was for 1 week and it flew by.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

We have to work around my son's school schedule. It is only costing us round trip airfare to Zurich anyway as we will be staying with friends who live 20 minutes outside of Zurich.

Ah, yeah, working around school schedules really sucks. You might be able to get a significantly cheaper flight to somewhere like Ireland and then use one of the bargain European carriers to fly to Zurich, but the hassle may not be worth it.

Norwegian Air is pushing really hard to implement really cheap flights from the US to Europe, but I doubt they'll be successful.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Ah, yeah, working around school schedules really sucks. You might be able to get a significantly cheaper flight to somewhere like Ireland and then use one of the bargain European carriers to fly to Zurich, but the hassle may not be worth it.

Norwegian Air is pushing really hard to implement really cheap flights from the US to Europe, but I doubt they'll be successful.

Most of the flights I was looking at seemed to go through Heathrow. John Wayne Airport to Heathrow and then Heathrow to Zurich. Nothing direct. Might try LAX but I hate flying out of LAX, plus it is farther from my house. If we fly out of San Diego I'm sure it will just be a commuter flight to LAX so we'll have 2 layovers.

The cheaper flights from LAX seem to route through Moscow or Istanbul. No thanks.

 

[highland145]

..

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Eh, it's not that I'm not willing to go big - It's just the price per night that is leaving my jaw dropping. If I have a 2 week vacation, I have no problem expecting $5000+ total. Hell, even if that was for just the resort hotel that would still be ~$350/night. My problem is the hotels are ~$500+/night. Fucking christ, is the hotel going to give me a blowjob, free drinks, and Breakfast, lunch, and dinner every night?

You can get a nice Hyatt/Marriott/Starwood in a city for ~$150/night. I expect a decent price hike for a vacation resort due to the demand and location, but $500/night sounds like it's for celebrities only. I don't have $10k to drop for a measly week vacation.

For some the most important aspect of their vacation is where and what they lay their head down on at night. Do you want other guest noise? Do you want bed bugs (included as no extra charge)? Do you want the staff to be there for you to cater to your every whim (I do)?

Seriously, you have to decide what is most important to you and portion the amount of your budget to what is most important to you. Example:

Wife and I felt the place had to be nice as either a condo/flat rental or a 5-star hotel. We spent something like $8K for 19 nights in London. That figure would have been $14K at the hotel, but the flat (2Bd/2Bth) was 3-4 blocks from Oxford Street in W1 post code. That was the single most important aspect of our vacation.

Flight was next and we flew BA Premium Economy. Paid 50% more than coach/economy and was damn well worth it. Even at $1600/ticket (ATL/London) that was < than 1/3 the price of business and 1/4 1st class. Were allow two checked bags per ticket, plus carry-on's. We took six bags and paid nothing!

The last aspect was the side trips, in-city transportation and dining. We ate from McD's to 5-star restaurants and enjoyed both for what they were. Again, what is most important to you may be the complete opposite from everyone else.

 

[purbeast0]

i've been to 2 of the places in your OP.

aruba - been there 3 times, one of my favorite places to go hands down. actually went there about 3 weeks ago for a week and had a blast. i would not go there if you don't want to leave a resort though. there is so much to do and see on the island that i'd recommend renting a car. and the island is safe so you can drive everywhere.

hawaii, specifically maui - went there 7 years ago for honey moon and loved every bit of it. i would love to go back but it's so far and expensive so i usually stick to the carribean, but i do plan to go there again some day.

also been to turks and caicos, bahamas, cancun (2x), barbados, nicaragua, and costa rica.

atlantis at the bahamas is BADASS i LOVED it. it's expensive though. but you get teh "resort" feel and don't have to go anywhere else. that is the only place i've been i've not wanted to do much outside of the resort cause there is so much to do there.

cancun has some really big all inclusive resorts you can stay at where you can stay there all the time, and if you want to do excursions they will come pick you up and drop you back off there so you don't have to rent a car or anything.

turks and caicos is hands down my favorite place i've been. it's very similar to aruba but it is even more laid back and the food there is incredible. beaches there are the most incredible beaches i've ever seen out of all the places i've been. it's also very safe and you can drive around and feel safe and see some very secluded beaches to hang out on.

in both aruba and turks and caicos, you can get by without having a car if you stay in the right places. the high rise areas in aruba has tons of restaurants around and bars, so you can walk everywhere. in turks and caicos you have the same thing too, but there are more restaurants on the water and better food in t&c, although the food in aruba is also incredible.

i could go on forever about these places, love going there. actually planning to go to turks and caicos for the 2nd time in february.

i also have absolutely no desire to go on a cruise. being on a floating hotel in the middle of the sea the majority of the time, then rushing to see an island for 8 hours then go back to the floating hotel just doesn't interest me.

 

[Ns1]

Location, location, location. That is why it costs $500/night for a hotel. Everything costs more in Hawaii, food, drinks, more drinks. Consider yourself lucky to get breakfast included at the hotel. Make sure to double whatever you think you're going to spend on food and drinks. Oh, and watch the locals, they can be sketchy... tourists get robbed there occasionally.

Our Maui trip was for 1 week and it flew by.

I spent $200/night in Oahu for a pretty decent hotel, right on waikiki w/ beach access. And every bar seems to have $5 mai tai specials. Didn't bother with a car, and only had 1 extravagant meal. The rest was spent on $10 bowls of ramen and poke. Hawaii is the KING of cheap food - musubi's and spam all day. And poke for $8-$15/lb is just outrageous.

Evidently Waikiki is filled with alcoholics because there's a liquor store every 250 feet. Hell even snorkeling was cheap - < $20 for transportation and rentals. Like $10 for all day access to the bay.

Need to go back, ASAP.

 

[purbeast0]

anyone wondering about getting to hawaii cheap, i saw this today.

http://slickdeals.net/f/8160438-hawaiian-airlines-50k-points-credit-card-offer

 

[Gooberlx2]

Floating in the Caribbean for days on end with a bottomless supply of rum punch? Now that's a goddamn vacation.

Along the this line of thinking, some place like Isla Mujeres is quite doable. As cheap and easy as Cancun, without being Cancun. It's not peak time of year either, so it's even less crowded, but it's only October so the water will still be warm.

 

[MongGrel]

I lived in Hawaii 4 years myself, I know many on here do, Turtle Bay Hilton up at North shore on Oahu is a pricey/nice stop. My in-laws at the time actually were local and owned property very close to it. Used to almost live up at North Shore on the weekends, the wife and I had a room at the house and we'd all go up hang out and catch Lobster,etc. Actually my father-in-law, brother-in-law, and I had a pretty lucrative lobster netting/back door at the local markets business going, they had a reef area they did it at they didn't even let me in on till I became family. We'd save a few for ourselves and some of the ones we caught were so large the stores were even hesitant to buy at first, but they stopped being that way when they started selling them out non stop and wanting more.

My wife ran a cruise agency may years, we've been all over the Caribbean, I personally always thought Barbados was one of my favorite islands. I agree on Princess, have honestly never went on a Celebrity ship, but even though having been in RC and Carnival many times, they are geared differently and Princess became my favorite over time. We're Royal Caribbean Platinum members, but haven't been out in awhile

I want to walk outside the hotel and already be at my destination.

Viking River Cruises in Europe and other areas, are one of the things we've always talked about and have never been on.

http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/

http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/cruise-destinations/index.html#video/region-europe

http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/r...r-cruiser/index.html#video/first-time-cruiser

http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/why-viking/recipes/main-courses.html

All though there are others also.

No need for trains or rental cars, just cruise along the river in your nice room enjoying food and relaxing, and they stop along the way in the cities you choose to go to of course.

 

[purbeast0]

Along the this line of thinking, some place like Isla Mujeres is quite doable. As cheap and easy as Cancun, without being Cancun. It's not peak time of year either, so it's even less crowded, but it's only October so the water will still be warm.

been there for a day trip both times i went to cancun and have always wanted to go and stay there for like 4 nights or so. the 2nd time we went there we rented a golf cart and drove around the island a bit. that was really fun.