So with Alison's birthday coming up (and it's a big one!) I'm planning a surprise trip (she never reads BE anymore!) somewhere tropical.

Thing is, we've never been on a tropical vacation.

I'm looking for somewhere with great weather over the Xmas period, great beaches and sea life for snorkeling, and ideally some tropical rainforests to explore inland.

Ideally not Disney-style commercial/touristy, but I'm quite keen on the idea of all-inclusive.

Any of you many globetrotters out there have a great recommendation of somewhere you've loved? Doesn't have to check all the boxes above if you've got a really strong feeling about a place!

Cheers!

p.s. I should add that we're taking the two 12-year-olds, and that we're not exactly minted right now!

Just returned from a sojourn in Costa Rica. Came back through Houston and the SJO to IAH leg was 3 hour 50 minute flight. Something to look into.

In Costa Rica, the phrase "pura vida" is used as slang for "awesome," "excellent," "really good" etc etc. Costa Rica es pura vida.

Penang, Malaysia...massive flight so might not be a goer as it's not cheap....but hotels and having fun is....gorgeous area, don't know if it ticks all your boxes though.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Penang

Anywhere in the Far East. Thailand or Vietnam,both very popular or one of my favourite Laos.
Malaysia has nice spots besides Penang and most speak English. All are long haul from where you live but cheap and worth it.
Sounds to me you can do Central America anytime being close by.

Thank you all. Given that Central America and the Caribbean are right on our doorstep, I think I'll give long-haul flights to the other side of the globe a miss this time around!

Cozumel? I was there last thanksgiving for our first tropical getaway. Snorkelling just off the hotel beach and the sea life was all about. The reefs at the southern end of the island are meant to be some of the best around. There are a few Mayan ruins to explore, but since we were only there for a few days we didn't get out and about.

Has to be Grand Bahama Island for me. Been there twice with out timeshare and I absolutely love it, very laid back, felt very safe at night and the jewellery shops are fantastic. Never been at Xmas time right enough but the weather's always been fantastic when we went and the beaches are awesome. Enjoy, wherever you end up

We went to Paradise Island, Bahamas at Spring Break.
Stayed at the Comfort Suites across the road from Atlantis.
If you stay at the Comfort Suites you get free access to Atlantis which usually costs $100 per person per day.
The girls would love it leaving you and Ali time for some R&R.
Not sure about the weather at Xmas though.

Also a friend of mine has been raving about Belize, but I no nothing about it!

JAMAICA.!!..a kid friendly all inclusive..cant be beat..

I think you'll find this ticks all the boxes....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GSeX6CtTLg

You cheeky bugger!

BTW, we wonder if we go next time that we might fly to Liberia rather than Juan Santamaria and spend time on Pacific Beaches only. The common tourist route for Costa Rica is Arenal Volcano, MonteVerde Cloud Forrest and a beach.

FWIW, I would eat salads and fresh vegetables with no concern in Costa Rica -- something I would not do in Mexico. Also, the tap water was safe.

So... has anyone here been to Belize?

It looks like a great mix of tropical forest, beaches and Aztec ruins... but I like to hear from people who have been themselves!

I haven't, but it's only list of places I want to go to.

Partly because a mate from uni did a trekking and mountain bike touring holiday through there and a couple other South American countries. The photo's were amazing.

In 2009 we spent a week here:

http://www.ottleys.com/

St. Kitts itself is very beautful and not too touristy. It was very quiet on the days there were no cruise ships (which was most of the time). Plenty of lovely beaches, a volcano to climb, snorkeling and a genuine Pirates of the Caribbean style fort.