JordyC

Hey All...

I'm not much of a resort-goer, but my grandma (in her late 80s, but very independent) is looking for a warm weather vacation to shake off the winter blues. Her criteria:

1. Warm with nice beaches
2. Hotel pool
3. Pretty views from the room if possible

She's concerned that Florida won't be warm enough and is happy to travel internationally. She'd like it to be fairly luxurious, but probably doesn't need some of the features that drive the price up for young couples (i.e. nightclubbing isn't that important to her haha).

What places come to mind? She'll be renting a car, but is ambivalent about which airline/destination she settles on.

UPDATED CRITERIA:
Flying from EWR/NYC. Would prefer to fly non-stop, with total flight time being less of a concern. Travel would be in 3 weeks roughly. I don't have an idea about budget, but certainly not top-end luxury...just a "nice place," I'd imagine a $200-400 per night would be acceptable if that's reasonable in this part of the world.

ABG

Does she live in Boston? What's the budget?

zigzag

The Peninsula House, Las Terrenas DR. They will look after her like she is their own Grandmother. Easy non-stop flight on Jetblue. Transfer to hotel is 20min. They will drive her up and down to the beach club and she will have one of only 6 rooms. Its a very nice place and my 80 year old parents enjoyed it as well. www.thepeninsulahouse.com

RichardInSF

Since this isn't specifically about luxury hotels, I am going to move it to the Caribbean forum where it will likely get more knowledgable repies.

RichardInSF, moderator, luxury hotels

JordyC

Thanks for the redirect, and apologies for the incorrect placement.

She'd prefer to fly from EWR, but could probably do LGA or JFK if necessary. For the record, what qualifies as "luxury." $300 a night? $1000 a night? I'm more of a backpacker, myself...

slawecki

almost all islands are hot, really hot from march to thanksgiving. i think they lie about temps. from virgin islands down, expec 90+ days in the sun. does grannie drive narrow mountain roads? wrong side of road? (left hand side). most of the islands are not that big. take a cab or a jitney.

JordyC

She's still a pretty solid driver, except for driving at night. I think she would do narrow roads, probably wouldn't enjoy British side of the road.

This is such a naive question, but are the islands similar? Do they vary widely in culture/cost?

arubalad

if you want weather that is pretty much guaranteed, Try Aruba Radison or Hyatt for good hotels on beach

singlemalt

I don't know about your grandma, but the older I get (I'm 56), the more I despise large hotels and the hordes of people that get up at 6:30 AM to stake their claim on the best poolside real estate by throwing a towel and a magazine on a lounge chair.

For less than $400 a night, she can get a supreme room with a plunge pool at Ottley's Plantation Inn in St. Kitt's. It rates very well on Trip Advisor. We're looking to go in February, '14.

slawecki

peter island would work. that place on the northeast end of Porto Rico would work(has a new name every year). aruba/abc's are hot, but desert.

BostonFlyer1624

Check out Scrub Island in the British Virgin Islands...it is a Marriott resort.

It is basically a private island, beach, sand, ocean, and quiet.

jerseygirl

Westin in st john us virgin islands nice hotel beautiful island, fun to ride on jitneys and get to talk to friendly drivers passengers
Cute town of Cruz Bay with local jewelry, interesting restaurants
Think Peter or scrub island would be boring for more than a week for your grandmother

JordyC

All very good answers so far -- much thanks!

She's mentioned Punta Cana more than once. Does anyone have any opinion of how it rates compared to the other options?

The more private/unique places that people have mentioned (like Scrub Island, for example) seem great, but I'm worried the extra plane transfer will make them less appealing overally for her.

Aviatrix

Another vote for Aruba - we were there a couple of weeks ago. Aruba is quite windy at this time of year, which makes the heat bearable - a great plus. They drive on the right (former Dutch colony), and the roads and other infrastructure are excellent.

Can't recommend a specific resort as we stayed in a self-catering place inland - which was perfect for us but obviously isn't what your grandmother would be looking for.

menton1

Kinda late in the season, Florida is quite warm now going into April. Cheaper and easier than the Caribbean.

If you are talking about next winter, surely the Caribbean is 10 degrees warmer than Florida, it is a good distance more South. Easy non stops are to Aruba, St Martin, and Barbados. Different feel to each. Aruba is all about the beaches, is very stark and white. St Martin is a bit greener, but chock full of tourists. Good choice of restaurants and beaches. 2 Countries on 1 island, a bonus. Barbados is greener, tropical rainforests, very British, driving on the wrong (left) side of the road can be a little disconcerting.

St Croix/St Thomas are the easiest, no passport, no immigration issues, part of the USA. St Thomas has had some issues in the past, but St Croix is beautiful.

P.S. Renting a car in her late-80s to drive on unfamiliar roads? More power to her! Great!