Mvic

5000 AA miles on offer to the poster (or the charity of their choice) with the best suggestion on the thread at the end of May.

If I can find a good answer to this question I know that this is the place.

My 2 brothers and I (20 and 30 something's) want to do something special for our Dad when he turns 65 this Fall. We would like to take him someplace special for 4-5 days together that would be conducive to enjoying each others company with relaxed evenings of talking about the good times our dad has given us over the years and days filled with fun activities of the active variety all in a singular setting away from the maddening crowd (not sure a resort would suit us unless it was a private villa on a resort property like the Four Seasons on Nevis for example for the amenities). Our budget is US$10-15K and two of us are in Europe and the other two in Chicago.

So far we have been thinking along the lines of a private beach front villa in the Caribbean with tennis court/pool/ and sailing boat with interesting hiking snorkeling nearby or a ski-in/ski-out chalet somewhere. Or a luxury crewed catamaran charter.

A little about my dad. He is Italian, lives in Rome and Barcelona. Totally self made businessman who has been very successful despite humble beginnings from a small village in Italy. Running the Rome marathon on the 28th of this month (his 5th marathon in the last few years) and still a workaholic seemingly unable to retire and enjoy the fruits of his labor. Loves the sun and the beach (live beach front in BCN).

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated as well as any recommendations as far as villas or chalets that might fit the bill.


[This message has been edited by Mvic (edited Mar 20, 2004).]

obscure2k

Has you dad ever been to Las Vegas? This could be a real treat for him, staying at the 4 Seasons or Bellagio. Another thought is Kona Village Resort on the big Island of Hawaii. Very different,,indeed, but seems to me both would fit the bill.
Edited to add: Have you ever considered renting a gorgeous palazzo on the Grand Canal in Venice? Perhaps, this would fill a life-long dream for your dad.
Look at the Historic Houses at http://www.venice-rentals.com

[This message has been edited by obscure2k (edited Mar 19, 2004).]

belle3388

Hi, Mvic!

Just an idea, check this out:

http://www.gobarging.com

clacko

have you considered a cruise? there are 3-4 day runs out of mia/fll that are rather inexpensive. for my 70th suprise bd in fll [2 sisters & brother live there & helped put it together] , after telling me about it [my wife said they better because i might be in timbuctu or on a mr], i invited all to a 3 day cruise to nassau for 1 day w/ 1 day cruising to no where]... fri pm to mon am..

there were 39 of us.of all ages...we all ate dinner together with the rest of they day open. it really worked well...for a small party, a resort might be better if beach, golf etc activities are desired....the cost to me [fare,port charges, basic tips] was about $400 pp....i didn't cover nassau expenses or ship bar bills or casino costs...

1 of my brothers got t shirts for all...mine said i'm don, the others said i'm with don...

some discoed & slept late, the kids some were about 8] hung at the pool... it was amazing how often we would run into each other on the 2k pax carnival ship.we had 2,3, or 4 per cabin.

obviously, there are a lot of choices in the carib, some w/daily port calls on a week long cruise. any way, it was great.

Mvic

All good suggestions, thank you.

A cruise may work but only of the variety of a private crewed yatch (remember we want to be away from the maddening crowd). We also want to be able to control our own itinerary.

The barge holiday is a must if people haven't tried it before. We all did it as a family when we were young teens on the avon river, it was fun. We also did a horse drawn caravan holiday in the UK too. Too much like work though for the type of relaxing 4-5 days that I am thinking of what with all those locks and the noisy deisel engine and the driving the barge.

Hawaii would be great but it would be a long trek for the people in Europe and Chicago vs. something in Europe, NAmerica, or the Caribe.

My dad has an office in Mestre and knows friends in Venice with their own palazzo's so even a luxurious apartment there would not be that special for him. Also more of a place one might take their spouse than a place for a father's reunion with his boys(it would be different ofcoure if we were unfamiliar with Venice), also too crowded and lots of culutural activities but not too much in the way of sporting/outdoor activities. Good web site and suggestion though, thanks.

Not sure about Vegas, he is not into golf and while the Bellagio is interesting as a property it is still a crowded resort type of place in a touristy type of town. We are not going to gamble much so I doubt we would qualify for one of their villas. Also we are used to European casinos the rare times we go to casinos, like the one at Figueres or the one they used to have at Sitges, not sure we wopuld enjoy a Vegas style Casino and again no beach, no private pool and/or tennis court, sailing boat etc.

To make this a little more interesting I will give 5000 AA miles to the person (or to the charity of their choice) who comes up with the most interesting suggestion/recommendation by the end of May.

Thanks again for all the suggestions so far. While they won't work for my situation I am sure they may be interesting to others who read this thread. That barge holiday is a blast for a family vacation with youngish children.




[This message has been edited by Mvic (edited Mar 20, 2004).]

hhonorman

If you are thinking the caribbean, you might want to consider a cruise on one of Radisson Seven Seas Cruise line's Ships. They are very small cruise ships, typically about 300 passengers or less. It's high end cruising, not like Royal Carib, or Carnival, etc. Every stateroom is a suite, your suite is pre-stocked with complimentary top shelf booze; wine is complimentary with meals (very high quality wine too); there are very few "organized" activities on board unlike other cruise ships. They are more like a private yacht. You can eat your meals when you want as long as the restaurants are open, and sit with whomever you want. Because they cost more than other cruise lines, the guests tend to be more upscale and reserved, and because there are so few guests, you never feel like you are in a crowd; it really does feel like you're on a private yacht. It just happens to be a well catered one with incredible service. Their boats have a watersports deck that guests can use when they are in port, with jet skis, etc. You can usually get them to throw in on-board credit if you pay with Amex. I think when we paid with Amex they gave us a $500 per cabin on-board credit. Their on-board spa offers an assortment of relaxing treatments. It's a very comfortable way to spend a week or so, and should be easily within your budget.

If you don't want a cruise and just want to hang on a quiet upscale island, you might consider Peter Island.

http://www.caribbeanvacationguide.com/peterisland.html

Conde Nast named it one of the best places to stay in the world. It's an 1800 acre private island with accommodations for only 52 guests. It's high end, but I don't think you'll be disappointed.

[This message has been edited by hhonorman (edited Mar 20, 2004).]

joelfreak

Call me altruistic, but maybe giving back would be what your father would like. It sounds like he has had a very enriching life...does he have a passion he might want to see developed? Maybe a scholorship or a trip for disadvantaged kids...If he is used to luxury, maybe sharing it with others, family included, is what he would like - or at least part of it.

Mvic

The cruise ship, even a smaller one, is just not our scene. A 62 ft crewed morrings cat is more along the lines of the crusing we would go for. The island that you mentioned thought, well now we are getting somewhere though looks like our budget ($15K) may be wayyy too low but that is what it is as $5K is the upper limit for the youngest brother(airfares should not be considered part of the budget as I am using miles for F for my Dad. The villas look great, have private pool and private location but are about $9K a night (wow! must be an amazing place) and not beach front. Also come with butler/chef and SUV!

So far the Peter's island idea is the leader but over budget. Thanks HH, great place.

Mvic

Valid points JF, thing is my father, while he is used to the type of luxury higher level business travellers are used to he doesn't ever really splurge for himself. We want to give him a vacation that he would never lavish on himself. Also part of the point of this is to bring 4 people who rarely have the time to spend all together together for 4 or 5 days that are free from any work related or admistrative distractions. Now that you mention it, it is something that I will bring up with my father when we are on the trip as I know he has been thinking about things like that the last few years. Thanks for the suggestion.

HH is still in line for the miles at this point.

[This message has been edited by Mvic (edited Mar 20, 2004).]

GG

Along the lines of Peter Island, but cheaper, is Petit St. Vincent. Some friends of ours have been and enjoyed it. He went there to finish a book, and afaik found it plenty private. But according to the website, there's snorkling, a boat available, tennis, etc. as well. However, it seems to be closed during Sept. and October - which of course is Hurricane season in the Carribean. If 1st November still counts as the Fall for you, it might work.



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ibtraveling

If you like sun and the beach, Cayman Islands without a doubt. Best water in the Caribbean. Great snorkeling and scuba. Good restaurants. Private beach home with pool(forget a villa) "Windsong" or "Far Tortuga" will run you around $5,000 for week- No casinos on island so if you want gambling go to Atlantis in Bahamas (my second choice)-- Be sure and fly direct or thru Ft. Lauderdale not Miami-- Miami is the pitts on Int'l flights.
For private villas--Contact Georgia S. at Cayman Villas, (345) 945 4144. www.caymanvillas.com

[This message has been edited by ibtraveling (edited Mar 20, 2004).]

sosafan

You might consider a 3 day canoe trip in the boundary waters canoe area (BWCA) with an outfitter out of Ely Minnesota. And visit the Soudan mine while you're there and the wolf museum.

A similar possibility is to rent a house/BB in Gustavus Alaska and go kayaking in Glacier Bay. There is a ferry to Gustavus from Juneau, so you can add in whale watching, a helicopter trip to a glacier with dogsledding.

Leona Helmsley

If he lives beachside, why would you want to take him to a beach? You said he's very active - what about the rest of you? The reason I ask is that I think he might enjoy hiking the Grand Canyon (if he runs marathons, this won't be a problem) - it's a pretty unique experience. First night stay at the south rim, then hike out early morning to the north rim, stay at the lodge one night (or two, if the rest of you need more time to recover). Or if that sounds like too much work, take a rafting trip through the canyon. It's a pretty awesome experience to see it from the bottom, and the trips are a riot.

Then head south and stay a few days in Sedona. Since it would be within your budget, stay at Lauberge. Get a cottage on the creek with a fireplace and a private porch for sipping your favorite beverage and talking about old times. The scenery around Sedona is like nowhere else on earth. Take a pink jeep tour (4-wheel) to really see the area. It would be very easy to spend a couple of days there exploring. There are excellent restaurants in and around Sedona.

Just my $0.02.

highgamma

Well, if I wanted to really get away and yet be pampered, I'd ask my kids to take me here.

http://www.lhw.com/property.aspx?propertyid=522

I'm sure there are similar excursions where you can rent your own island with butler service.

tehg

You should easily be able to charter a crewed 60-65 foot cat in the Virgin Islands (BVI or USVI)for about 10k per week and you get to choose your itinerary.

My favorite island has to be St. John in the USVI, quiet enough that you can have certain public beaches all to yourself, but with ferry access to the BVI.

If you prefer to stay grounded, whatever island you are looking at in the carribbean www.unusualvillarentals.com has some breathtaking properties listed. This is not a place to look at yachts though, as they tend to be very highly priced(7k per day and up). It even has an area for private island rentals, it looks like a few of them might be in your price range.