Posted: 5/23/2006 10:37:13 PM EDT
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I'm taking a vacation with my family in early June, that much is a given. Where should we go? I looked into a week's stay in Hawaii. It costs about $6k. The hotel reviews on teh Fodor's web site were not the best despite the famous names and high price - Grand Hyatt, Four Seasons, Fairmont, Ritz-Carlton. Food costs double normal mainland prices (dinner is over $100/nite). $2000 for airfare and a rental car. It's EXPENSIVE ! House boat on Lake Powell - $3k per week and I'll be scorched (sunburned) in no time flat. RV rental - what can I say, $3k rental plus gas with maybe 10 mpg and I have to do the driving. It ain't cheap. Honestly, I think it's all a rip off. The thing is, the Sierra Nevada have the heaviest snow pack in recorded history this year and they're not expecting the trails to clear out until July or August (or at all) before the next snows. This is what the hotel owners will admit to on the phone knowing they will lose your reservation. What to do, what to do????? Where's a nice place to go? |
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My ideal for a vacation is to get away from "life" - namely, urban environments, people, and the irritating modern "conveniences" like cell phones and television which we've all become addicted to. So, I'd say: spend $2k and get the family some good camping gear, buy some food, load up the cars, and go to a secluded area and spend a week there. Cheaper, and you have valuable gear you can use again (and, given how things are going, might have to use again, if you get what I mean). Besides, it'll be a better family bonding time if everyone is hot, miserable, and complaining. :) Oh, and for what it's worth... you really need to spend like, 3 weeks with your family, non-stop, to get past that "we're modern Americans and can't get along" stage most families experience on vacations. Not that you necessarily have that much time for an excursion. Save the "extra" $1k you'd have spent on the other vacations and invest it in household SHTF preparation, savings funds, gold, investments, whatever... Of course, I doubt that would fly with your average suburban wife. If not, leave her home... 
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What do you enjoy doing? How old are your kids? Hawaii could be cheaper depending on which island you plan on going to. Look up vacation rentals. No maid service, but you can get a 3 bed room house with a full kitchen, washer and dryer near the beach for around 100-150 a night. We did that on Kawai(sp). Two rivers or something like that. Nice little stream that flows out to the ocean you can ride pool floats on till it hits the ocean. Uncle billy's hotel on the big island was very inexpensive. Not a 4 star or anything, but a good place to sleep. With free parking in town. There is one on both sides of the island. If you just wanted beach, St. Thomas, Jamaca(sp) places like that have like fun jet vacations fairly cheap for a week. |
It's a good idea and it was the original vacation plan. As I stated in my post, the local mountains are still snowed in - a record snow pack. |
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Florida Keys It is another world down there and one you wont want to come back from. There is a place there called the Cheasapeake Resort -check it out online. I have stayed there and it is first class. I'm doing the Outer Banks this year but heading back to the Keys next year. |
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Moonlight bunny ranch. J/K What about renting a place in Santa Cruz for a week. I don't know......I think "traditional" vacations are pretty much a waste of money too. I went to Ireland for a week in 2001, spent $4K, and when I got back I needed a vacation to recover from that vacation. Best vacations I ever had were just visiting my sister in Northern Cal for a week or so. No expectations, no schedules, laid back atmosphere, great weather, laze by the pool, BBQ and grilling every night, spur of the moment winery tours, etc. |
The Chesapeake Resort looks nice. That's now on the list. Cheapeake Resort As long as I was looking at Florida, I added Long Boat Key (near my sister's house). Of course, I added Disney World, too. |
Is this area going to be snow-free by early June? |
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Here's an update: I found a web site that lists MANY vacation rentals. You can rent a condo, cottage or a real house for a day, a week or a month. Prices are MUCH lower than the resort hotels. Many are on the beach. You can cook your own food if you want to further reduce the cost of the vacation (restaurant food in Hawaii is supposed crazy costly). Oh yeah, they have rentals all over the world. This is a HUGELY COOL vacation resource. Here's the link: VRBO (vacation rentals by owners TRW was commenting on his trip to Ireland. I found a CASTLE for rent in Tipperary, Ireland. You get the whole CASTLE! I'm not kidding, check it out and scroll down:Lisheen Castle |
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Spend a week or two tent camping in Custer State Park in South Dakota...You will see tons of buffalo, big horn sheep, lots of wildlife... Largets state park in America... Drive the needles highway... Visit Wind Cave and Jewell Cave National Parks...see Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse...then hit I-90 and set up camp in Badlands National Park...after that...take the kids to Wall Drug... All kinds of old fashioned tourist attractions on I-90...1880 town is another good one... Or drive down to north western Nebraska...after you tour the black hills and see Fort Robinson..where Crazy Horse surrendered..it is beautifully restored, operated by the Nebraska game and parks commision, and offers camping facilities...or you can make reserevations to stay overnight in the original baracks... Absolutely gorgeous up their...you will not want to leave... an awesome, cheap vacation...that I have taken twice... Southern Idaho is gorgeous this time of year as well... |
Good info, PV74, thanks. |