Best experiences in a hot location?
 

I'm planning WAY ahead for that YUL winter weather :D I already know I'm going to need to get away from everyone and everything after the Christmas season.

My main destination requirements are:

- hot
- ocean front
- private (or at least semi-private)
- cold, slushy drinks.
- good food
- safe for a woman travelling alone
- wifi access would be ideal, especially if it reaches to the beach!
- accessible via *A, as I'll be booking through Aeroplan (points ticket, no spending there!)

Budget: $5k all-in.

I basically want to spend a week reading books, lounging on the beach, eating good food, and ignoring life; I figured if any forum would have good advice on this kind of location, this is the place to ask!

I would recommend south Florida in the Hollywood Beach/Sunny Isles Beach area. You can certainly get there on *A as it's about halfway between FLL and MIA (US to FLL or UA to MIA). There are lots of hotel choices (Marriott, Westin, Doubletree, etc.) and all are on the beach. They also offcer the semi-private feel (and safety) since you wouldn't be in South Beach or on the main strip in Fort Lauderdale.

St John or St Criox comes to mind. Not sure if it is serviced by *A though.

Go to Victoria House in Belize. I enjoyed reading there very much.

Oahu, Maui, Kauai, or Big Island. Can't go wrong on any of them.

BVI, Cane Garden Bay - stay at the Lighthouse Villas. You will be hard-pressed to find a better and safer place to lounge on the beach to your heart's content and be left completely alone. *A flies via a code-share on Winair, or you can go to STT and take a 45-minute ferry.

And did I mention that a bottle of Cruzan rum goes for under $5?

If you don't mind spending a good deal of time in the small seats (while earning a lot of miles), you could do a lot worse than Cairns in the northeast of Australia. *A flies there on Air New Zealand via Auckland, with nonstops to AKL from, at least, YVR, SFO and LAX.

The Great Barrier Reef is unique.

Four Seasons Lanai at Manele Bay.

Inexpensive for a Four Seasons.

Nothing to do but lay around the pool or beach, work out at the gym, or dine at the very nice restaurants.

Kona Village Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii. I have stayed there on my own, just when I needed some true R&R (add one more "R" for restorative).
I have always felt perfectly safe, somewhat coddled and you can have the level of privacy or service you desire. Not sure about Wifi on the beach. It is an all-inclusive resort; no extra $$ for snorkel gear, etc. Well worth considering.

If you shoudl decide to see the Great Barrier Reef in January (yes, it's fabulous) I strongly recommend staying on one of the islands rather than on mainland Australia. January is peak box jellyfish season and they are deadly.

http://www.bugbog.com/travel_safety/...sh_stings.html

There is the alternative of making sure that the place you are staying has stinger nets - but the people who organise those seem to emphasise that they make the beaches safer, not safe.

+1 for Hawai`i

January in Sydney, Australia is high summer. Unfortunately it is also school holidays and prices near the beach (no box jellyfish this far South) can be quite high. I checked out the Crowne Plaza Coogee Beach and it starts at about AUD 260 per night in early Jan after the new year. If this won't break your budget, Coogee is a great suburb with a nice beach, a couple of pubs and nice restaurants.

If you get sick of lounging on the beach or it rains (not unknown in January) downtown Sydney is only an inexpensive 40 minute bus ride away.

Just about the only inexpensive item I think. If OP didn't post a strict budget I would have recommended ^ - amazing country.

Kerala. I have been to few better places (and I loathe resort-type places, too). Fort Cochin is an idyllic spot, as are the backwaters, and beaches such as Varkala. A wonderful place.

A budget, yes...however I don't know that $5k for a week is too strict.