Vacation all I ever wanted

Despite all my bold proclamations about Baby Number Two, I have to say that when I discovered early Saturday morning that I was emphatically un-pregnant, I was, uh, kind of… TOTALLY FINE WITH IT. Actually, Saturday morning I was decidedly Neutral about it. Not happy, necessarily, but definitely not disappointed, either. Today, however, I am kind of excited about it. I suppose some of you might presume that means that we’re not quite as ready as we thought we were, but I’ll have you know that if I had actually gotten pregnant last month, I would have been THRILLED about it. But since it turns out that I am not, and since we must make of that what we will, I’ll admit that I am kind of stoked about drinking beer and Diet Coke whenever I want to, and also about the fact that Dave and I will now have the opportunity to take a five-year anniversary trip in October.

I think there was a span of about five minutes between the moment I discovered that I was free to eat unpasteurized cheese and the moment I hopped on the computer and started immersing myself in travel research.

Dave and I used to travel a lot, back before the invention of our child. We usually decide on the location together (that means I hound him until he agrees that YES, OK, SANTA FE WILL BE DELIGHTFUL) and then I do all the planning and research and booking myself. Because I like to, and also because if I left those tasks to Dave, all we would know about Santa Fe when we got there was which bar has the best selection of draft beer. Which is important to know, yes, but so are things like WHERE WILL WE SLEEP?

P.S. When you leave it to me, we will sleep here:





I actually really like being in charge of preparations. I do admit that whenever we arrive at our destination, I tend to get really paranoid about whatever plans I’ve made because if they happen to totally suck, well, the burden sits directly atop my shoulders. But I haven’t screwed up yet, so there’s that.

I realize that this trip in October might be one of the only times we get away together while our kids are young and needy. Also, there is hardly a better excuse for a vacation than multiples-of-five anniversaries, and another one won’t come along for an entire five more years. Immediately we started thinking about revisiting Mexico, where we spent our two-week honeymoon. Dave is an avid diver and I am an avid tanner/fruity drink drinker/lobster eater/snorkeler and Mexico is cheap enough to let us enjoy everything we want without sending us to the poorhouse. We loved it the first time around, and though we’d do it differently this time, it would be awesome to go there.

(FYI: Some of you might remember that we had originally planned to go to Hawaii in September, but after the miscarriage we decided to spend most of Dave’s vacation time this year remodeling our kitchen. In other words, we’ll probably only be able to do four nights—five tops—somewhere, and that bumps Hawaii off the possibilities list altogether.)

Anyway, that got me thinking: does the adventurer in me want to squander this vacation somewhere I’ve ALREADY BEEN? Especially since our vacations for the next, what, one hundred years are going to have to be kid-friendly and/or involve Mickey Mouse?

Clearly there is PLENTY OF TIME TO DECIDE. But I like my options, and I like my research and I like to look forward to something, even if I have to look forward for seven entire months. So tell me: where would you spend a long weekend if you could? Bonus points if you include a link to an awesome hotel or activity that you could do while you were there, or a post you wrote about your trip. We’re limiting ourselves to North America so we don’t waste precious relaxation time on an airplane and we’re excluding Europe for that same reason and because current exchange rates mean we could afford like, one baguette to share between us for the entire trip.

Comments

[natala]

I should just e-mail you - seriously I am vacation planning obsessed, especially for the month of Oct.

So we're planning our 5 year anniversary vacation in Oct. as well... um, well, I am planning it... I really am all about the place we stay in.

Some of the places we've liked or I've seen that I've liked:
Asheville, NC - if you like Mountains, and eclectic towns, it's your place. And if you go stay here: http://www.bittersweetcottage.com/
(aka HEAVEN)

Yosemite, CA stay here: - http://www.vrbo.com/163543

Keywest: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g34345-d227346-Reviews-The_Gardens_Hotel-Key_West_Florida_Keys_Florida.html

Gulf coast of Fl is really nice at that time of year. Try places between Honeymoon Island and down through Siesta Key - there are some great towns like "Tarpon Springs" which is everything Greek - how great is that? We've found hotels on the beach in one of the nicer beach towns and then visit the different beaches - a lot of which are National Parks.

Hilton Head Island: We stayed in the Hilton - ocean front. It was really nice.

Jacksonville, FL: It's more of a fun place, but a good fun place. St.Augustine is not too far, and is also pretty cool. We stayed in a really nice Quality Inn.

I've also looked into Vermont, Colorado,Oregon, Arizona, San Diego... Can you tell, I'm kind of obsessed with vacation planning, and I too want it to be perfect.

[Kimberly]

Belize!! Caye Caulker!! (But check the weather - not sure what it's like in October) This place is new - wasn't there when I went but looks really nice. http://www.seasidecabanas.com/ My friend and I stayed here... http://www.iguanareefinn.com/resort.htm. Carlos is the best snorkeling guide on the island. Oh and the manatee reserve is really cool.

[Megan]

Come to Chicago! We have everything you could want - good food, great museums, and wonderful nightlife. I realize you were just there, pratically, for BlogHer, but it's fun for couples.

My husband and I would like to go to Vermont and make it a foodie-type experience. You can sample maple syrup! Go to the Ben & Jerry's tour! Eat cheese! We're also big history nerds - we'd like to go to some historic places (battlefields, etc.).

My parents recently went to South Carolina and Georgia and toured a bunch of plantation homes, etc. If you're into that kind of thing, it can be loads of fun.

[JP]

I do love Chicago; there's so much history and many fun things to do.

The Gaitlinburg, Tenn., area is beautiful, if you like relaxing and looking at country stuff. Asheville, N.C., is beautiful, too.

What about a cruise leaving from Baltimore?

[Leticia]

We took a short honeymoon to Cozumel and it was wonderful. Its a small island so you can cover it pretty quick. My husband had just started his job so we only took a 4 day cruise. Since it was a cruise...we really only spent 1 day in actual Cozumel. Planning was key. We went to Chankanaub Lagoon ( http://www.cozumelparks.com/eng/parks-chankanaab.asp ) and did some snorkeling. We visited some Mayan ruin touristy thing (I don't remember the name.) and then we shopped downtown. Yes, we fit all that in a day...but it was crazy.

I think it would be perfect for a short vacation, plus it would be great for snorkeling and diving. Not sure where in Mexico you went for your Honeymoon, so I don't know if this would be a repeat.

(PS - make sure you get passports!)

[Trilby]

You could always come down to the swamps and try not to get eaten by the alligators! But seriously... I spent a week at Beau Rivage in Mississippi. It was AWESOME! Here's the website.

http://www.beaurivage.com/

There's lots to do... or like me... you could spend the ENTIRE trip on the beach!

[Stacie]

Well we spent our 5 year anniversary in Charleston, SC. I'd never been and I figured as a permanent southeast resident, I should visit all the tourist destinations. I LOVED it. We stayed here http://www.kingscourtyardinn.com/. If you stay in downtown Charleston you may pay a bit more for a hotel room but you are within walking distance to everything you want, so you never have to drive. It was beautiful.

[Blythe]

San Francisco is the perfect place to spend a few days and the weather in October should be great. Also, there is awesome food there. And a bunch of kickass hotels:
http://www.kimptongroup.com

Portland, OR is totally underrated as a vacation spot and therefore uncrowded. Dave will like the beer here and their hotels are a hoot too:
http://www.mcmenamins.com

Yellowstone Park is spectacular. One of my life principles is No Camping Ever, so I have no specific recommendations, but I've done daytrips there twice and it was lovely.

[Megan]

Oh, I second Portland! Open-air market, shopping, sight-seeing, good weather, etc. If you rent a car, you can drive out to Tillamook and see the cheese factory (and load up on samples - yum!).

[Heidi]

Vancouver BC...lots of fun things to do and see. We stayed at the O' Canada House for our honeymoon and had a great time (www.ocanadahouse.com). If you go, stay in the Cottage Suite...is your own little cottage, out in the garden, behind the main house.

[Dorie]

My husband and I are also taking a 5 year anniversary trip in November. We already made reservations (in January - we're a little anxious) for 5 nights in Jamaica. It's the first time we'll be away from the kids (ages 3 and 1) for an extended time so we're keeping it short. It's only a three hour flight from Chicago so there's no whole days wasted on an airplane.

We went to Jamaica for our honeymoon and we loved it. It's cheap, the beaches are beautiful, the fruity drinks are plentiful, the people are so friendly, I could go on and on. We thought about going somewhere different, but we don't want to risk wasting our precious few vacation dollars on a place we end up hating. Also, like you, it will probably be another 5 years before we can take another vacation without the kids.

On our honeymoon we stayed at the Sandals resort in Montego Bay and this time we are staying at the Sandals resort in Negril. Check out the resorts online - they're beautiful.

Email me if you want more details.

[slynnro]

Mexico IS great for such things, especially for us being in Texas.

Last Labor Day, we went to the Turks and Caicos for 4 nights. It was heavenly! I have pictures! If you email me, I will send them!

I CANNOT say enough good things about this place- the people, the beach, the food, the beach! Grace Bay beach was voted one of the World's Best beaches. It is amazing.

[Jessica]

The last vacation I went on was to Santa Fe, and loved I it! My family and I stayed at Rancho Jacona (http://www.ranchojacona.com) and it was amazing! (my husband actually proposed to me in the garden there) The grounds are beautiful, they have peacocks that your son would probably love, and a very relaxing pool. We did some day-drives to check out the scenery (I'm from Seattle, so this was a drastically different area), spent a day shopping and exploring Santa Fe, did some hiking, and went to some museums.

Best Wishes planning (I'm a total planner too)

[A'Dell]

If you're taking an adults trip, go wine tasting!

Fly to SFO or Sacramento, drive about 90 minutes to the Napa Valley and stay in one of the many adorable B&Bs in the St. Helena area. The weather is always nice, the food is fabulous and the wine is well - awesome.

I know a girl who works at this winery that has a B&B on property - it's so cute and you'll love it. Plus, the wine here is really tasty.

http://www.sunnyacresbandb.com/

[Cobwebs]

My vote is for Napa Valley. Go to the V. Sattui winery, pick up picnic supplies in their excellent deli, and lunch on the grounds.

There's Sterling Vineyards, which sits on top of a hill and is reached by aerial tram; the view from the top is spectacular.

The Oakville Grocery has the most gourmet foodstuffs packed into the smallest space that you will ever see, and the French Laundry (http://www.frenchlaundry.com/) is a fabulous restaurant.

Also the Wine Train, where you ride a sightseeing train around the valley and get served wine. (Whee!)

Is that enough?

[Ashley]

Portland is wonderful, but it starts to get coldish during October.

My recommendation for October is Miami...South Beach, specifically. Now I know what you're thinking - isn't a super party place with all kinds of clubs and blah blah blah. But seriously, it's beautiful. The beaches are goregous, the restaurants on ocean drive are to die for...seriously. To. die. for. I can't even tell you how much we ate there. It was like an orgy of good food and so much laying in the sun reading a good book and drinking mai tais.

we stayed here:

www.clintonsouthbeach.com - it was superb. we ordered breakfast in bed every morning.

that's my 2 cents :)

[Deb]

i am doing the occasional delurk that i do because having a fabulous, relaxing, and affordable vacation is something i AM ALL ABOUT. and you, writer extraordinaire, totally deserve it. here is a link to a place the husband and i just went (2.5 hours via air from atlanta), and where we plan on returning to IN JUST A FEW SHORT MONTHS. which is something i never do, since i am generally an avid adventurer-explorer type... who loves to be able to relax. check this out: www.bluecavecastle.com

[Aunt Becky]

I'm thinking Chicago is nice this time of year (hint, hint).

[C]

Portland is a great city, but you could get lousy weather in October.

What about Puerto Rico? The rainforest is gorgeous, and there's plenty of beaches. Belize is also fantastic and the diving is unbelievable.

I say go someplace warm and sunny so you have a nice warm memory to carry through the February ick.

[Kathryn]

Dorie---you will absolutely love Couples Negril. We stayed there for a week in May 2006. It is so relaxing. There's diving and snorkeling and fruity drinks and great food and tropical trees on the beach that keep you from getting fried. LOVE IT!!!

[Ann]

We went to the San Diego area for our honeymoon and really enjoyed it. We stayed in La Jolla, an artsy town just north of San Diego, at the Hotel Parisi (http://www.hotelparisi.com). The hotel is a modern, boutique-style hotel and the town had some interesting art galleries and great food (including at least one local brewery for Dave). You can plan day trips south to San Diego and all of its sights or north to some of the other beach communities.

Enjoy your vacation planning!

[Sadie]

Puerto Rico. Direct flights, Caribbean beaches, the rainforest, Old San Juan, fruity drinks. Go!

[SJ]

Hi there! I read avidly but hardly ever comment, until today - I wanted to add my two cents on your request for vacation destinations.

Estes Park, Colorado would be my vote. It's heaven on earth (as is ALL of Colorado!). And yeah, call me biased since I live in the state, but whatever.

My husband and I spent our 1st wedding anniversary in Estes Park, Colorado and it was fantastic. We stayed at Sunnyside Knoll (http://www.sunnysideknoll.com/) which I HIGHLY recommend. I loved it so much (Hello HOT TUB in the living room!) that I cried when it was time to go home.

Check it out - email me if you want to know more (sj1026(at)gmail(dot)com.

GOOD LUCK!

PS: Second vote would be for Vermont. Specifically Burlington.

[Katie]

www.hiltonheadhilton.com

Beach, sun, and Savannah is a short drive away.

[Nothing But Bonfires]

Well, I'm totally throwing in my vote for San Francisco, but that seems a bit self-serving, really, since I would likely be all EMILY LET ME SHOW YOU WHERE TO FIND THE BEST BURRITOS, and you would be all EXCUSE ME, I'M TRYING TO HAVE A ROMANTIC VACATION.

Someone else above me said Charleston, and I'd second that in a heartbeat -- loved it when I lived there, and feel certain you would too. Plus it's an hour-long flight from DC, and I could give you a list a MILE long of things to do there. Stay downtown and you can walk on cobbled streets, admire the beautiful architecture, and (more importantly) SHOP in all the great little boutiques. The dining scene is phenomenal (trust me, I know all about THAT), beaches are a 15-minute drive (and they're beautiful beaches), and the weather will be GORGEOUS in October (that's the best time to go.)

Email me if you start considering it seriously -- I am a FONT of travel information! There's nothing I love more than planning a trip, which is kind of why I love my job more than life itself.