Vacation Ideas and Recomendations?

I have a week off work that I can use in april or may and my girlfriend and I are looking to get the most of the time. What are vacations you have been on and really recommend?

We'll be leaving out of Houston, so flying anywhere is pretty easy. I've only been out of the country once a cruise to Progresso & Cozumel, so an International trip is really appealing at this point.

Obviously I like to wakeboard, snowboard, surf, ect. so if that an be included someway, that would be awesome!

Are you looking for maximum adventure or bang for your buck? I go to Cancun and Puerta Vallarta regularly because I can take my wife and two kids on a week vacation all inclusive for $2000 if I shop around long enough but never more than $3000. My favorite so far however was Thailand for two weeks but that costs significantly more and probably should be an absolute minimum two week trip. Islands are often times best done on a cruise because the hotels are so expensive but if you are a scuba diver, you'll want to stay on Paradise Island Nassau and book dives through Stuart Cove. I recommend the shark dive. Either that or Grand Cayman and go to Sting Ray City among others. Get certified before you go.

I just spent a week in the BVIs on a 50 ft cat that was a whole hell of a lotta fun! Highly recommend, but Not sure I would go in May.

Paul, did you do a Mooring Vacation or a different charter? This is on my bucket list

I think I'm ready to drop 3K on the vacation and I like the idea of going scuba diving. How hard is it to get certified to go scuba diving? The hardest part about this whole idea is the more I can save the more that goes into the boat fund for next year...

puerto rico? Cabo?

The hardest part about getting scuba certified is probably getting your classroom, pool time, and open water reservations after choosing the dive shop that you go through (and paying for it). Other than that, you buy a book, spend some time in a classroom, study, take a written test, go to a pool for some underwater instruction and pass a swim test that involves a few laps of the pool (any stroke), then finish up at a lake for open water training. Some dive shops have travel deals that go along with certification so you finish your open water training while on vacation. Some hotels have what's called a hotel course that allows you to dive for the weekend or something like that. The training is limited and your diving options are very limited. Regular scuba certification is for life and you don't ever have to renew it.

BVI's or Belize..

Cancun or Cabo is good weekend trip but mexico is mexico..

Patrick, we went through Footloose. It was a little cheaper. Awesome trip!!! Different place every night.

Eric, Where do you go in Puerto V? It's on my list this year, and don't know much about it?

But I agree...mexico is......mexico, lol.

Adam if your thinking about Mexico.. then Cancun, Cabo, or Playa del Carmen..

Puerto Vallarta is nicknamed Puerto Pottie for a reason.. Acapulco. Mazatlan, and Ixtapa are pretty run down after the cartels infiltrated..

We've traveled all over and mexico is at the bottom.. We sailed the USVI and BVI's on a 42 foot cat.. Four couples, 4 berths, half of us dive certified.. and I was captain rated.... The only way to do it... We've sailed Antiqua, St Martin, St Lucia, St Barts, St Kitts, Nevis, and Grenada... Love that part of the world..

Since you are flying out of Houston, i would recommend a 2.5 hr direct flight to Roatan, Honduras. One of the best and cheapest scuba locations i've ever been to. There is a small (very) island a short boat or plane ride from Roatan called Utilla that is know as the cheapest place in the world to get certified. It is also know for being a whale shark mecca. If you have never swam with one of these monsters, i would put it on the bucket list now.! Look up Ruthless Roatan Charters. I highly recommend them and the day trip to Cayos Cachinos.

cabo. short flight. cheap.

if you go to cabo.....these vouchers come in handy...i use them every time.

http://www.loscabosguide.com/discounts/

Mexico is Mexico and although I haven't been to Cabo, Cancun and Playa del Carmen are EXACTLY the same as Puerto Vallarta. I've been to all of them recently. Same hotel chains, same mediocre quality. The big difference is the coast that you're on. No sunsets in Cancun and, unless you stayed up all night, you weren't doing it right if you saw the sunrise. Sunrises aren't as cool as sunsets anyway. The other advantage to P.V. is whale watching. They all have their advantages. Eliminating Puerto Vallarta simply because someone "clever" called it Puerto Pottie is a disservice to yourself. If you want to make sure you don't end up in a slum then you just have to do your homework. I stayed in a RIU last time which is not going to work for a snob but they did have good food and there wasn't anything wrong with it. There are a lot of newer hotels there including some really fancy ones for a price. They've extended it quite a bit into another city called Nuevo Vallarta and many of the old Puerto Vallarta hotels have been remodeled to stay competitive. You get what you pay for to an extent but Mexico has a lot of bang for your buck and when you have kids that can be a big deal.

I disagree, I don't think that PV is the same as Cancun. I think the beaches and water is far superior in Cancun. Just my opinion.

That is not to say an overall experience will be better or worse in Cancun vs PV.....but I think there is a pretty big difference.


If I was heading back to the PV area, I'd probably try to rent a house in Sayulita.

This Spring Break we will be taking the kids to Cancun for the 4th straight year. They love it and I think I get a lot of bang for the buck. For the 2nd time in 4 years, we will be staying at the Beach Palace.

I've got two vacation rental homes in Puerto Morelos (30 min south of Cancun and 45 min north of Playa del Carmen). The Belize Barrier Reef, second largest in the world, is right out of our backdoor and has some of the best diving/snorkeling around. There are a ton of local dive shops in Puerto Morelos where you can get certified quickly and get out and go dive. My cousin recently went and got certified at Wet Set with Lisa. He loved it and recommends it highly. If Scuba is not an option, boats will pick you up in front of the house for $20 a person and take you 1/4 mile out to the reef to snorkel in 2 different spots for about 2 hours. PM me if you have anymore questions about our homes or Puerto Morelos! Good Luck!


Casa Margarita is a 5 bed 5.5 bath
http://www.vrbo.com/125509

Casa Del Sol is also 5 bed 5.5 bath
http://www.vrbo.com/345047

Wet Set Dive Shop
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...Peninsula.html

Staycation riding the whole time?

What's the Wakeworld discount on those Brett?

second the ww discount. very intrigued...

Second that on Roatan.. But the night life is better on Ambergris Caye..

We just got back from Grand Cayman and it was great... awesome beaches, great diving.. killer night life..

I'd say grand cayman, but I'm biased. I'm going in June for two weeks. I'm not sure the cost, but I've heard Belize is pretty awesome. I'm hoping to go there in 2 years, and swim with the whale sharks. Either way, do some research, and don't try to do it too cheaply, you'll regret it. Have fun, and post pics.

psudy and sandm01

I can definitely hook you guys up depending on what time of the year you want to go. From November to March is our "high season" when all the snow birds come down to Mexico to warm up. During the summer months things slow down and we can work with you. We try to accommodate every group as best we can, but if you are serious about renting from us and mention WakeWorld in your email inquiry, I'll make sure we work something out and you get taken care of. If you want to check our availability, please contact via the email on the VRBO links I posted.

Speaking of Whale Sharks... This was last year off Isla Mujeres about 30 min from our properties. Incredible experience!

Caribbean sounds like it would be hard to go wrong with, I'm going to start digging in to all these recommendations.

I'm surprised no one has suggested a trip to some of the European countries, is that just not long enough to justify the flight? Plus all the cables out there might be a nice bonus!

I don't think Europe is really a place you can visit for only a week. You're losing a day to travel each way, so you're looking at 5 days max. I think for Europe, you need a minimum of 14 days.

Thought I'd give you guys an update, just booked a flight for mid march to ride up in tahoe at heavenly. I know it's not the greatest year for snow, but a free place to stay opened up and now I can scratch that snowboard itch!

Sounds like a great trip Orion.

Do you look at (or does anybody else have experience with) Costa Rica? I've heard great things about it and we are considering it for our 10 year in June.

Tahoe is beautiful.

What Eubanks said; Costa Rica!
Wakeboard, excellent surf, kite (not in May anymore), scuba dive, raft, canopy zip lines, beaches, rainforests; it's all here. Affordable (or as expensive as you like) and easy to get to from Houston.

Eubanks: experience with CR here; been living here for 8 years. Any questions let me know!

Tahoe! If you never been.

Originally Posted by tripsw

What Eubanks said; Costa Rica!
Wakeboard, excellent surf, kite (not in May anymore), scuba dive, raft, canopy zip lines, beaches, rainforests; it's all here. Affordable (or as expensive as you like) and easy to get to from Houston.

Eubanks: experience with CR here; been living here for 8 years. Any questions let me know!

My brother is going to Costa Rica this summer, and he's found that fishing trips are extremely expensive there. Is that fair to say, or do you think it sounds like he is only checking with the touristy type boats?

Fishing trips ARE outrageously expensive. No idea what the deal is there, but they always amaze me. If I could charge half of that for wakeboarding I'd have been rich.
I don't like fishing so never looked into it, but if you(/he) like I can ask and try to find out if there's better options.

I'm headed for Croatia, Rome, Florence, and Venice. If anyone has any recommendations or "must sees" I would love to hear about them.