Where to Vacation?
 

Hi,

We're moving to Ohio this year - 2 kids under 3 YO. We just had a nice holiday in Mallorca and we know we'll miss the Mediterranean. We like beach and mooching around villages/towns - where have people vacationed for that kind of experience?

Any Carribbean suggestions which feel (relatively) safe?

Thanks

W

Re: Where to Vacation?
 

You'll love Cleveland then.

Re: Where to Vacation?
 

Saint Martin


There is a dutch side and french side.

Re: Where to Vacation?
 

Saint Martin does look nice - have you been? Do you have a preference on side?

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There are several beaches in the US, FYI. More than ten, actually.

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I know there are lots of beaches, I've been to several I'm looking for the combo of nice beach and nice town to grab dinner and other things to do. Key West was quite nice - that kind of thing

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There are so many islands, resorts etc in the Caribbean that it can be hard to choose. I'd suggest getting a guidebook such as Lonely Planet's Caribbean Islands and peruse the options.

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I've not been, its on my bucket list.

I have only been to Jamaica and Puerto Rico.

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The Caribbean has a lot to offer besides beaches, of course. Each island is a little bit different from its neighbours, and my recommendation is to spend a few days on as many as you can comfortably fit into your vacation time. Families with young kids could do a week at each stop. My wife and/or I have been to maybe twenty, between us, and have lived in Grand Cayman for 41 years, after coming for a three-year working contract. It's difficult to identify our favourites. My wife might choose one of the Bay Islands off Honduras (English-speaking, from the days when they were settled by fishermen from nearby British colonies). I have a soft spot for Grenada and Cuba, and we would both recommend some of the Out Islands of the Bahamas. We loved a visit to the Florida Keys many years ago, but I don't know if they're still as charming as they were then.

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Depends on how much vacation time you have. You might find a difference from your UK allocated time to your US!

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I am not going to the US blind, having lived and worked there for several years previous.

I'm after recommendations for places people have visited with a nice beach town feel.

Thanks for the negative spin on the vacation allowance though

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I love Myrtle Beach (SC) personally, Charleston and the smaller North Carolina towns are in easy reach. Even in late October it's 75F or above most days.

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I visited Myrtle beach last year in October and had a very pleasant time, mainly around Pawley's Island. Myrtle was nice, although a little Blackpool in places.

My fave USA beach so far was Stinson Beach in CA, just not much town to go with it.

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As you know, many places in the US qualify for your broad guidelines, everywhere from Sanibel and Captiva to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. I've also been to the Outer Banks, Hilton Head and Destin, all are unique and all have their high points. Of course the best beaches in the US are likely in Hawaii. California is entire topic in itself.

The Caribbean can be nice and can be a tourist trap, I'm not a huge fan. If you want a nice, quiet beach vacation, Bermuda is nicer than anything I've seen in the Caribbean. Key West is too touristy for me.

Re: Where to Vacation?
 

Get used to it. I'm surprised nobody has started prying in to your visa status or anything like that yet. I understand people wanting to be helpful, but when people ask simple, direct questions - i'd expect or at least hope for people to respond in similar ways. Maybe that's just us.

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Apologies. I hope you enjoy any trips you make. I just mentioned it because it was hard not being able to just plan 2 weeks in the summer, 2 weeks at Christmas knowing it was normal in the UK but not so much here. But kudos to you if you are able to walk into employment that gives you plenty of time to vacation.

Good luck on a successful move.

Re: Where to Vacation?
 

I've not taken a 2-week vacation in a very long time. I'm under no illusions about the leave allowance, but with my experience etc I'm not about to take a job with 5 days vacation.

That being said, I'm looking for somewhere that has a nice town/walk around feel rather than just resort after resort - I guess I might have to spend some vacations in California and Grenada.

Ta

Re: Where to Vacation?
 

I don't think you'll find exactly a Mallorca, Ibiza, Majorca, Greek island sort of thing.
Hilton Head is a nice little community with lovely beaches.
A little further down is Costa Rica, and San Jose. Cheap. Lovely, lots to see. Have your wits about you at night in the town center.
I personally don't like to be around tourists (Brits, Europeans, Americans, Canadians) when I'm on holiday. Go native and get off the beaten path.
Of course, you're limited by your crotch goblins.

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Seconded, especially St George's.

Cuba and the Domincan Republic are also fascinating if you like culture and colonial architecture to go with your beaches. Though with Cuba you'd really need to see the interior as well.

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From the parameters you laid out, I would give Pensacola a good look. White-sand beaches (buy a pass to Gulf Islands National Seashore), and the Pensacola historic quarter is one of the oldest in the United States. Pensacola is also big enough to have a good selection of restaurants etc. You can also get there pretty easily from Ohio.

One of the earlier posters mentioned Destin, that's about an hour from there, but I would recommend staying in Pensacola because of the old town and its size. The Ft Walton Beach/Destin area doesn't really have that.

There's also a string of towns along that bit of coast to car-hop to and from. from Biloxi-Gulfport (Mississippi) to Port St Joe (Florida). Biloxi has casinos.

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I should have mentioned in the above post, it also depends on the season. Central and North Florida do get cold in winter and can be subject to freezes (one of which brought down the Challenger all those years ago . . .), so if you are looking to swim, Pensacola in winter would not be a great choice. If you're just looking to stroll on the sand it will be fine. Swimming is fine in the other seasons though.

Re: Where to Vacation?
 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerald_Coast


Do not listen to those middle class snobs who call it "The Redneck Riviera"

Re: Where to Vacation?
 

Re: Where to Vacation?
 

The link to the wikipedia page takes me back a bit . . .

"Redneck Riviera" is by no means a new or recent name for the area.

There are a huge number of Waffle Houses there, perhaps more per capita than any other town in America. I consider that a plus. I do miss scattered, smothered and covered from time to time.

Gulf Breeze was a UFO "hotspot" and there were waves of sightings in the 1990s.

The Blue Angels are based in Pensacola and their big show is an annual highlight.

Mobile is bigger, but really ugly and industrial. You can smell the stench from the paper mill from the I-10, from miles away, even with your windows rolled up. But, it does have good and big Mardi Gras parades. Don't bother with Mobile unless it's Mardi Gras.

Somehow, ice hockey took off in the region and Pensacola has a long-standing minor league team. Biloxi had one for about 15-20 years or so too.

North of Pensacola, the area gets really rural and agricultural. No real reason to head north. Stay on the coast.

Anyways Biloxi-Gulfport is only 90 minutes from Pensacola and Ft Walton Beach/Destin an hour on the other side. The Wikipedia article mentioned New Orleans being 3 hours away. I think that's a bit optimistic but you can day trip it in a very, very long day. I love New Orleans and it is one of the world's most unique cities - but you do have to watch yourself there, and choose where you stay carefully.

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Ha! I did a road trip to Pensacola on my first trip to the US in '94. The X-Files was just starting, and my friend was heavily into UFOs (ironically, I'm not sure).
So we drove up from Lake Mary (friend was on secondment there) to Pensacola to track down Ed Walters. That was a blast.

Destin is pretty, too. I don't mind the redneck riviera.

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Thanks for the recommendations on Pensacola - it looks pretty interesting. I had a trip planned there a few years back - the idea was to spend ~3 days in New Orleans and then over to Pensacola for a few days. Didn't make it out of NOLA, stayed there the full 6 days - can't remember much but came back with a headache, a load of plastic beads and some great recollections of zydeco music.

Loved the phrase 'Crotch Goblins' BTW - ROFL!!

Ta

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Southern California has lots of great beach towns. Carlsbad, Leucadia and Coronado in San Diego County are nice. We vacationed in Carpinteria (near Santa Barbara, north of LA) and was terrific, also.

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The beaches along the gulf in Mississippi have all been redone since Katrina and they are beautiful. They were dreary and dismissal prior to Katrina. From Biloxi down through Long Beach (those are the beaches I'm familiar with as we are only a few miles north), the beaches have been rebuilt with sea grass, palm trees, sand dunes, occasional bench and table areas for picnics. Lovely wooden sculptures by local artists can be found in the median's along the roadway. The restaurants on the beach areas feature the pre-requisite southern seafood, catfish, alligator, with hush puppies and fried green tomatoes thrown in. Nothing to write home about but good none-the-less if you like sampling the local fare. The casinos offer a more upscale eating experience and there are some great shows. Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian have been rebuilt and are a great day trip if you aren't staying there but close by.

Since the start of this thread and the coming ashore of Michael, you might want to stay away from some of the Alabama gulf coast areas. Pensacola and Gulf Breeze made it through okay but they have become a haven for the displaced residents of decimated towns such as Mexico Beach, AL.

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When I drove out from New York to New Mexico last Nov., I took the I-10 route and stayed in St. Augustine for a rest. Highly recommended for history, beauty and southern charm. Passed through Ft. Walton Beach and it looked like a place I'd like to go back to.

The worst and most aggressive drivers I have encountered anywhere, anytime were in Florida. Just saying.