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Where should I take my wife on a surprise kid-free vacation?

Where should I take my wife on a surprise kid-free vacation?

Old Nov 10, 2004, 8:01 am
  #1  
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Where should I take my wife on a surprise kid-free vacation?

I'll have about 200k ff NW miles and maybe 100k Hilton points.

I want to take my wife somewhere as a surprise in February. I'm going to fly my mom in from North Carolina to watch the boys and we will likely leave for 3-4 days.

Where should we go? Distance is NOT a problem. I want to totally blow her mind.

Her likes? She loves to ski, sit and relax on the beach, browse old antique shops and look at old buildings. She enjoys hiking also.

I have thought about flying to Austria, France, or Switzerland for a ski weekend but don't know how close the airport is and am not real fond of renting cars in Europe. Also, with it being just a 3-4 day thing, it's hard to get over jetlag in that short of a time period.

We could even fly to South America somewhere and hang out on a beach .
I only want to spend $1200-1700 excluding airfare and lodging so I can't go insane.

Any suggestions?
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Old Nov 10, 2004, 8:06 am
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Marriott Resort in Cancun or go for the Ritz next door....
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Old Nov 10, 2004, 8:13 am
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If you're concerned about jetlag when going to Europe, you'll probably can't go too far in South America, either. You could consider Central America. And, as an added bonus, countries like Costa Rica would allow you to live pretty well for not very much money.
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Old Nov 10, 2004, 8:22 am
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You don't mention where you are coming from, but I'm going to assume that it's someplace with not-so-pleasant weather in February...

My vote would normally be for Hawaii, but if you are coming from the East Coast you just won't have enough time to enjoy it. Other good options are something Carribean (if there's anything left after the hurricane season) or the gulf cost of Mexico.
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Old Nov 10, 2004, 8:23 am
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Originally Posted by cheapie
I'll have about 200k ff NW miles and maybe 100k Hilton points.

I want to take my wife somewhere as a surprise in February. I'm going to fly my mom in from North Carolina to watch the boys and we will likely leave for 3-4 days.
For just 3-4 days, you might want to reconsider travelling outside 3 or more time zones. Also, if your travels are in February, you might come across kids no matter where you go especially if you want to be at a resort. Public schools are off in February around George Washington's Birthday weekend. Of course March many of the private schools and colleges have spring break.

What about travelling in January? You might do much better.
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Old Nov 10, 2004, 8:42 am
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thanks all!

i live in kalamazoo, MI. not the place you want to be in february.

and as far as kids, i don't mind if there are kids at the places we stay. as long as they're not MINE! lol. i have a 1yo and 3yo. we haven't been away from them for more than 1-2 days and this winter would be a perfect time to do so before we have another one in the next year or two.

also, the reason i chose feb is because i'll be in vegas in jan and then again in march. also, i'm trying to fit a ski trip in sometime in late jan/early feb, a bike trip to utah in april, and a trip w/in-laws to yosemite in may. so feb is the only good month for us.

and yeah i get to do a lot of fun travel. i have about 4 weeks of vacation including christmas.

Last edited by cheapie; Nov 10, 2004 at 8:45 am
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Old Nov 10, 2004, 1:35 pm
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A surprise vacation with no kids? You rock!

What about Key West? It's beachy, historic, active and laid-back. Perfect for unwinding and it would eliminate the jet lag problem! Looks like Hilton has a resort there too.

Keep us posted about what you decide to do!
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Old Nov 10, 2004, 1:39 pm
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Originally Posted by Nymph
A surprise vacation with no kids? You rock!

What about Key West? It's beachy, historic, active and laid-back. Perfect for unwinding and it would eliminate the jet lag problem! Looks like Hilton has a resort there too.

Keep us posted about what you decide to do!

last time we went to florida w/o any kids was approx. 9 months before my oldest was born. don't want to do that again!
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Old Nov 10, 2004, 1:52 pm
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If you're willing to burn 200K, you should definitely make sure the destination you choose has award seats in F available & use the miles for premium seating vs. sitting in Y.
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Old Nov 10, 2004, 1:57 pm
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Originally Posted by bhatnasx
If you're willing to burn 200K, you should definitely make sure the destination you choose has award seats in F available & use the miles for premium seating vs. sitting in Y.

good point. i can use 150k miles to go to hawaii in F. that would impress her.
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Old Dec 14, 2004, 7:30 pm
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well...we decided to go to utah skiing in feb with some friends. i'm flying my mom in from NC and she's gonna watch the kids while we spend a few days on the slopes. it's a pretty cheap trip. i used miles for my mom, wife, and myself and i have enough hilton points to pay for the homewood suites we'll be staying in. i think i'm going to surprise her with some nice jewelry or something since i'm not really spending much money on the trip.
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Old Dec 14, 2004, 8:43 pm
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Take her to Anguilla. With your NW miles you can fly on CO to SXM and take the ferry over to Anguilla. Or see if you can fly direct to Anguilla (AXA). There are several top notch resorts and there are some great restaurants. I recommend CuisinArt Resort, Cap Juluca, or Malliouhana for lodging. You will not be disappointed. PM me if you want more details. It is a very quiet island (not a lot of night life). Great beaches, great place to relax.
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Old Dec 15, 2004, 11:07 am
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Jet lag is not so bad when going to South America because they are in the same time zone as part of the US (depending on the country and where in the US).

Some people like Rio de Janiero. I enjoyed Chile but some may find it boring.

I think you are limited to South America, US, Caribbean, and major Western European cities (go too far or too small and it takes half a day or so to get there, eatting up time).

Go to a bookstore and look at the travel books. If you see a place you like, buy the book and go there. Online, there are many travel sites, including www.virtualtourist.com , www.fodors.com , www.lonelyplanet.com and many others.
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Old Dec 15, 2004, 11:49 am
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Originally Posted by cheapie
well...we decided to go to utah skiing in feb with some friends. i'm flying my mom in from NC and she's gonna watch the kids while we spend a few days on the slopes. it's a pretty cheap trip. i used miles for my mom, wife, and myself and i have enough hilton points to pay for the homewood suites we'll be staying in. i think i'm going to surprise her with some nice jewelry or something since i'm not really spending much money on the trip.

uh.... i've already decided and bought the tickets guys. thanks tho'....
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Old Dec 16, 2004, 12:10 am
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Banff, ALberta Canada

It's about 90 minuets west of Calgary. Beautiful scenary, and plenty to do. Ski, Hike, mountain bike ride, helicoptor tours etc. PLus the exchange rate is great.

BTW what bring you to Vegas? CES and NAB I assume?

Last edited by LV702; Dec 16, 2004 at 12:14 am
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