Vacation desination suggestions, please.
 

I really want to get away somewhere, I haven't gone on vacation is so long. Has anybody gone somewhere they loved that they want to recommend? I've been saving up, so we can fly somewhere, I just don't know where I want to go. :dizzy:

I went to New Orleans in March (I know, pre-hurricane) and I absolutely loved it, though watching what you eat can be difficult there. The shopping in the French Quarter was great! We're planning to go back very soon!

We also love New Orleans, but our absolute favorite place is Jamaica! Especially Negril. We've been the past 3 years and already have next year's trip planned.

We just took a mini-honeymoon to Telluride, CO. I grew up about 2 hours from there but had never been there. As someone who grew up in the middle of "ski-town Colorado" I was BLOWN AWAY. I felt like I was in a whole other state. Soooo gorgeous. We stayed at the Peaks Resort and Golden Door Spa. They were offering a $99/night rate when they are usually well over the $200 mark. I lived in complete luxury for 5 days and wouldn't trade it for anything.

http://www.thepeaksresort.com/

I'm gonig to New Orleans for the first time around the begining of the year!! I'm excited.

A few of my favorite places:
*Taos, NM* Seriously. Like my #1 favorite vaca spot.
Denver, CO
Check out DC if you haven't yet, it's usually humid now though. Take a short trip to NYC to see all the famous sights would be neat. Maybe wait a bit and go to NYC for New Years (a dream of mine).
Seattle is nice, and (probably) not raining this time of year.
Your in Cali, have you been to the Red Woods or Mt. Shasta? Those are great sights.
St. Louis
The northwest coast would be nice this time of year. Tillimook, Seaside, Vancouver Island, Portland (a bit more inland, but really great). There is a historic highway that goes the length of the coast (Interstate 1? I-5? Something with a single digit, dont remember). Fun road trip.

Or... Tour Europe!! Another dream of mine....
Never been to Mexico, but it's always sounded fun. Sandals? A cruise? :)

It's so nice to see Taos listed as a fave! I live in Albuquerque. The BF and I went to Truth or Consequesnces NM for July 4 (our anniversary) and satyed at a great place with a hot mineral spring tub in our room-my skin was so soft for weeks!
Also on my want to go back list-Toronto. The place was so clean and the people were uber-nice.

Hi!
You don't say when you want to go, but if you are going before the snow starts flying, there are 2 places we've been that we just love to go back over and over. Yellowstone National Park in Wy and the Black Hills in SD. They are both incredible places for scenery and relaxation. Right now there would be lots of color from leaves changing in SD. We have stayed in several different places in the Black Hills and in West Yellowstone and Gardiner, MT while at Yellowstone. Both places in MT are a little touristy, but fun to visit shops and stuff if you're into that.

Wherever you decide to go, have a really great time!:D

I personally LOVE LOVE LOVE Miami and the Keys.

My vacation destinations always include places in Canada (even though I'm from Boston)....I have been to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, and BC. My goal is to hit every province at some point!!! haha

Vegas is always a good time, now is a great time to come to New England because of the fall foliage, or Florida might be a good choice as the weather turns cooler. All the kids are back at school, so it probably wouldn't be as crowded. When we went to Disney the first time, we went two weeks before Christmas and it was great because no one was there and it was warm and toasty for us New Englanders who were leaving snow behind!!

The only real vacation I've ever been on was to Wisconsin Dells. It was awesome! My boyfriend and I were just there a couple of months ago. It's kind of cool because everything is within walking distance, and it's kind of cool to see Lake"less" Delton. You'd have to research though because they have different things going on at different points during the year, and some hotels close for the fall/winter season.

Are you looking for somewhere within the US?

I absolutely LOVED Greece and it is very friendly for Americans. English is their second language and it is a great place to be. I really loved Crete but the other islands are nice too.

I really want to go to Ireland which I've heard is nice as well.

Within the US, I'm biased but I love DC. Lots of stuff to do and the weather is decent most of the year.

I also really like Albuquerque, NM. I would recommend it for a fairly short trip but it has quite a few things to do plus the food is yum.

if you have the money ITALY...absolutely wonderful place!

My favourite place on earth is Jamaica. Runaway Bay, Jamaica. I've spent lots of time there.

The only other vacation spot I've been is Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. And I didn't like it very much. The sea just isn't as pretty as it is in Jamaica. Plus they don't have white sand in Puerto Plata!

I have a lot of "favorite" places. I do a lot of travelling for business and I always try to get in some sightseeing when I am scheduled to go to a new city. Here are the ones that I'm happy to return to again and again:

New Orleans (I lived in Baton Rouge for a while and fell in love with NOLA)
Key West
Washington DC (if you're a history geek, esp)
Philadelphia (again, history geek central)
Santa Fe
San Francisco
Chicago

Love Crete (and most of Greece) and Ireland but my number one favorite destination is Iceland. In the winter, you can't get into the countryside like you can in the summer (although there are specialty tours to the glaciers, etc), but either way Reykjavik is a great, small, walkable city and there's the Blue Lagoon for spa fun. I spent New Year's Eve there, which was a blast (literally) plus very Christmas-y. Summer's great for those long days and trips to springs, waterfalls, etc. WOnderful hiking.

Photochick's post reminded me of 2 more places.

I don't care for Key West but I loved the other Keys. I would definitely be willing to go visit the other keys, although I didn't care for Florida as a whole and probably wouldn't go without it being work related.

I am heavily biased toward California in that I visit it twice a year but if I was going there on vacation, I'd head to Northern California but places south of San Francisco. I love Monterey.

New Mexico is way underrated! It doesn't get the attention it deserves. Santa Fe, Abq, Taos, White Sands... all so wonderful. I was born on Holloman AFB so I'm a little bias though!!! Moved when I was 2 so it's not like I remember living there. :( Wish I were there longer. But I'll settle for vacations!

I agree with you about Toronto. I forgot about it when doing my post. Nice, but $$$$!

Yay for vacation! I guess it all depends on what you want to do..hike, sightsee, lay on the beach, relax, shop...lol...anyway just a heads up on the Florida thing. I live down here for school right now and its getting ready to start "season" so it gets kind of crazy in the more touristy spots and difficult to get into places.
Let us know what you decide...and most of all have fun!!!!!!

People actually VACATION to Toronto? ****, I pay money to get outta here! haha.

The Rhine valley in Germany is awesome. I would go back in a flash!!

We've had a great time in Quebec City, and also in San Francisco. There was so much to do in each place, and we were in QC in May, when all of the tulips were in bloom and the weather was still cool-ish. Actually, we did both vacations in May, different years.

We've been looking into Oregon or maybe San Diego for our next vacation. All of that is up in the air until my husband finishes school.

I totally forgot about Montreal. I'd like to go back to Quebec again but Montreal was a really nice city to visit. They have a great subway network and we didn't even need to rent a car.

Since nobody's mentioned it yet, I'll suggest Austin, TX, especially if you're into nightlife and music. Lake Travis is really nice and the downtown area near UT has tons of unique shops and places to eat. The 6th street area has a lot of bars that can cater to pretty much any age group or taste in music.

Edited to add: If you're really into music and film, you might want to look into going during SXSW which is usually sometime around spring break. It will be crowded though, so if you choose this option you'll want to book a hotel room early and get tickets to concerts and stuff as early as possible.

I live in San Diego and love it here. It's a great place if you have a family. Sea World, the Zoo, aquariums, museums, parks, beaches, etc...

The other place I would recommend is kinda silly...but what about Disney World? I went for the first time as an adult and DH and I had a blast! We did each park in a day and were completely exhausted at the end but I would go back again in a heartbeat. Definitely not a laid back kind of vacation, but hey different things for different people, right?

I lived in Farmington, NM for six years. I love Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Northern NM is beautiful. One of my favorite places is Chimayo. Interesting little place.

Oh...I miss NM chile.

What do you like to do? My favorite vacations involve lots and lots of outdoor / sports activities.

If budget is tight -- we go to Gatlinburg Tennessee and play in the Great Smoky Mountains national park. If budget is a non issue, I love going to any Club Med where I can play all day long .... different activities every hour on the hour!

There are all kinds of neat places here in the states it just depends on what you are looking for. My husband and I honeymooned on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, Massachussets and it was wonderful. Beautiful islands, some history, laid back lifestyle but lots of money there so they have more upscale things to do if that is what you are into. We also have really enjoyed San Antonio as well as Niagara Falls, although we didn't really explore much of toronto while we were there. We really enjoyed Washington D.C. and seeing all the government buildings, the White House and Watergate Building, etc. We went to Oceanside, California earlier this year but since you are from SoCal that is probably not something you're looking into!