[stosh]

Ok so my Fiancee and I had decided to go to the caribean after our wedding, however we are getting hitched in Aug and going to the caribean in August isn't such a good idea.

So now we're brainstorming for new ideas. Anybody got anything?
We're totally open to ideas but they have to be good to do at the end of August.

 

[N8 v2.0]

 

[jacksonpt]

We went to the Caymans at the end of august... twice - had a blast, but it's totally a relax-on-the-beach kind of vaca... not a good place for active nightlifers.

 

[stosh]

Something all inclusive is what we prefer if possible...

 

[Cooter Brown]

whistler

 

[hooples3]

Costa rica!!!!! all the way!!!!! the north west coast is all beaches... I have been to many places in this world and by far Costa Rica has been the best!!!

Plus the prices are right...3 weeks in Costa rica ran us $$4500. and we stayed at top notch places

 

[stosh]

We went to the Caymans at the end of august... twice - had a blast, but it's totally a relax-on-the-beach kind of vaca... not a good place for active nightlifers.

I want something where I don't have to do anything.
I wouldnt' say we're real active night lifers... although sometimes.... Frank the Tank does rear his ugly head....

 

[stosh]

whistler

Actually I had suggested that...
Then our friend says "Oh it's wet there" and that totally threw Aubrey off the idea.

 

[stosh]

Costa rica!!!!! all the way!!!!! the north west coast is all beaches... I have been to many places in this world and by far Costa Rica has been the best!!!

Plus the prices are right...3 weeks in Costa rica ran us $$4500. and we stayed at top notch places

hey thats a great idea.
Do I need to speak spanish at all?

 

[stosh]

Costa rica!!!!! all the way!!!!! the north west coast is all beaches... I have been to many places in this world and by far Costa Rica has been the best!!!

Plus the prices are right...3 weeks in Costa rica ran us $$4500. and we stayed at top notch places

Got any suggestions on places to stay?

 

[hooples3]

nope.. but you will learn some while you are there... man, I had the best time there.. the people are sooooo nice.. they have a saying..Pura Vida!!! meaning pure/good - life/living.
seriopusly If interested i will look up all the info from my trip

 

[stosh]

nope.. but you will learn some while you are there... man, I had the best time there.. the people are sooooo nice.. they have a saying..Pura Vida!!! meaning pure/good - life/living.
seriopusly If interested i will look up all the info from my trip

That may actually be a great suggestion....

 

[hooples3]

i have a great place... 5 star all inclusive... huge pool.. biggest i have even seen.. you'll love it.. ill look for the stuff tonight

 

[I Are Baboon]

I have heard Costa Rica is awesome if you stay at one of those all inclusive places. MBC and I would consider going there. We went to Hawaii on our honeymoon and I don't think that's what you have in mind, Stosh.

 

[dh girlie]

How about Niagra Falls?

 

[blt2ride]

Whistler...

 

[hooples3]

1st place we stayed

 

[stosh]

How about Niagra Falls?

My mom suggested that in all seriousness.

 

[stosh]

I have heard Costa Rica is awesome if you stay at one of those all inclusive places. MBC and I would consider going there. We went to Hawaii on our honeymoon and I don't think that's what you have in mind, Stosh.

Aubrey keeps suggesting Hawaii.... which would be cool but I want something a tad more unique.

 

[stosh]

1st place we stayed

awesome!!

I think I've made the decision for us....

 

[I Are Baboon]

Aubrey keeps suggesting Hawaii.... which would be cool but I want something a tad more unique.

Hawaii really is fantastic, but it will cost you a fortune.

 

[douglas]

cruise alaska

 

[hooples3]

awesome!!

I think I've made the decision for us....

nice right??? id go back there in a heartbeat!!!

 

[splat]

Aruba !

 

[stosh]

nice right??? id go back there in a heartbeat!!!

I think thats exactly what we're looking for.

 

[dh girlie]

My mom suggested that in all seriousness.

I would love to see Niagra Falls...but I'm sure y'all've seen it plenty of times, huh?

 

[stosh]

Aruba !

That was another place that was suggested.

 

[stosh]

I would love to see Niagra Falls...but I'm sure y'all've seen it plenty of times, huh?

Nope, never saw it! I almost couldn't be further from it and still live in NY.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Italy. Go to Italy.

 

[JRB]

TX - beautiful in August.

 

[dh girlie]

TX - beautiful in August.

HA!!!

 

[Crazy Sweeper]

try www.travelzoo.com

 

[stosh]

Italy. Go to Italy.

I want to go there badly and it was on the top of our list.. however I want to go to relax and if I go there I'll need to plan the whole thing out...

That and Italy is expensive and after paying for our wedding we need something somewhat cheap.

 

[Slugman]

Got any suggestions on places to stay?

My wife and I did Costa Rica in April - it was amazing!!!

I ended up writing a 6 page document about it for my friends and family... I'll spare everyone all the details – here is the section about Tabacon Resort which I HIGHLY recommend!

We stayed at “Tabacon resort and Spas” (http://www.tabacon.com/); this was probably Christina’s favorite spot.

This place had EVERYTHING – you can take a guided hiking trip ON the volcano, you can take another trip on a near by ridge (best done in the evening around 4ish since the setting sun allows you to see the glow of the magma – one of our friends saw an explosion shoot magma into the air!), they have repelling down waterfalls, horseback riding, white water rafting (daytrip), ATV tours of the surrounding area, windsurfing/kitesurfing (Arenal lake is nearby) and of course – the hot springs and Spas. The springs are free if you stay at the resort, $29 pp otherwise... and worth it. The Spa treatments you’ll have to pay for…but after the previous 2 days I was more than willing to toss down some $$$ for a massage(and other treatments) for the wife and I. The romantic way to do this is get the VIP deal – they take you to a private bungalow out in the forest… we didn’t do it that way but the honeymooning couple highly recommended it.

The springs themselves are fun, but the water was just too damn hot for this New England native (I was told to add that Christina LOVED THE HOT SPRINGS, they were not at all too hot for her)… I hung out in the main pool (water slide and swim up bar), and even that was pretty damn hot!!! They have some other pools that are cooler, but the main attraction really is the super hot springs.

A great thing about these hot springs is that they DO NOT have that funny sulfur smell, an important reasons why it is so pleasurable. Plus not all the springs are pools that they pump the water into… although pools are spread about, it’s mostly hot rivers and waterfalls designed to feel like nature.

In order to experience all the pools (and rivers) your will walk through a beautiful forest and gardens area. The gardens and flowers there were an attraction just on their own! This is also the place where we first saw our favorite animal – a beautiful green lizard that has a weird shaped head that looks like a leaf. It blends in with the surrounding so well that you see it one second, and it’s gone the next. This is a lizard that will stand up and flee on its hind legs only, and can run fast enough to skim across the top of the water. Our white water rafting guides (below) called it the “Jesus Christ lizard”. I assumed that it was because of its ability to run across the water, but they insist that it’s because whenever someone sees it run for the first time they say ‘Jesus Christ!’ (Their joke, not mine…).

One bad thing about this area – forest, water, and people, what do you get… BUGS! We didn’t see any during the day, but at night there were some fantastic examples of BIG bugs. We saw a cicada that had to be 1” wide, a ‘hissing cockroach that was easily 4 inches long, and some moths that look like they could carry away a child. Plus random bugs I can’t even describe… they were actually quite beautiful, unless you are like Christina and hate (cough fear cough) flying insects…

There is dining at the resort or the hotel (they are a short walk from each other – shuttle buses are available), but we heard that the best meal around was at the local steakhouse (as a general rule the steak in Costa Rica is GREAT!). The steakhouse is just UP the road past Tabacon on your left.

If you have to stay in San Jose for any reason…

Our last night in Costa Rica was spent in San Jose, I will reserve judgment on the city itself since we only saw parts… but lets just say our hotel saved it for us. We stayed at “Hotel Grano De Oro” (http://www.hotelgranodeoro.com/), an absolute Oasis in the middle of…never mind. The hotel’s food was wonderful, the staff was great, the gardens and fountain were very nice and calming, even the building itself was beautiful.

 

[SkaredShtles]

I want to go there badly and it was on the top of our list.. however I want to go to relax and if I go there I'll need to plan the whole thing out...

Plan the whole thing out? It'd be more fun if you didn't.

That and Italy is expensive and after paying for our wedding we need something somewhat cheap.

Yeah - damn exchange rate. When we went the Euro was something like $.85. Things change.

 

[MtnBikerChk]

Also check the Dominican Republic. A woman I work with went to an all inclusive there in August and said it was awesome! Top shelf liquor was included too!

 

[SkaredShtles]

TX - beautiful in August.

Please observe my .sig.

 

[stosh]

My wife and I did Costa Rica in April - it was amazing!!!

I ended up writing a 6 page document about it for my friends and family... I'll spare everyone all the details – here is the section about Tabacon Resort which I HIGHLY recommend!

We stayed at “Tabacon resort and Spas” (http://www.tabacon.com/); this was probably Christina’s favorite spot.

This place had EVERYTHING – you can take a guided hiking trip ON the volcano, you can take another trip on a near by ridge (best done in the evening around 4ish since the setting sun allows you to see the glow of the magma – one of our friends saw an explosion shoot magma into the air!), they have repelling down waterfalls, horseback riding, white water rafting (daytrip), ATV tours of the surrounding area, windsurfing/kitesurfing (Arenal lake is nearby) and of course – the hot springs and Spas. The springs are free if you stay at the resort, $29 pp otherwise... and worth it. The Spa treatments you’ll have to pay for…but after the previous 2 days I was more than willing to toss down some $$$ for a massage(and other treatments) for the wife and I. The romantic way to do this is get the VIP deal – they take you to a private bungalow out in the forest… we didn’t do it that way but the honeymooning couple highly recommended it.

The springs themselves are fun, but the water was just too damn hot for this New England native (I was told to add that Christina LOVED THE HOT SPRINGS, they were not at all too hot for her)… I hung out in the main pool (water slide and swim up bar), and even that was pretty damn hot!!! They have some other pools that are cooler, but the main attraction really is the super hot springs.

A great thing about these hot springs is that they DO NOT have that funny sulfur smell, an important reasons why it is so pleasurable. Plus not all the springs are pools that they pump the water into… although pools are spread about, it’s mostly hot rivers and waterfalls designed to feel like nature.

In order to experience all the pools (and rivers) your will walk through a beautiful forest and gardens area. The gardens and flowers there were an attraction just on their own! This is also the place where we first saw our favorite animal – a beautiful green lizard that has a weird shaped head that looks like a leaf. It blends in with the surrounding so well that you see it one second, and it’s gone the next. This is a lizard that will stand up and flee on its hind legs only, and can run fast enough to skim across the top of the water. Our white water rafting guides (below) called it the “Jesus Christ lizard”. I assumed that it was because of its ability to run across the water, but they insist that it’s because whenever someone sees it run for the first time they say ‘Jesus Christ!’ (Their joke, not mine…).

One bad thing about this area – forest, water, and people, what do you get… BUGS! We didn’t see any during the day, but at night there were some fantastic examples of BIG bugs. We saw a cicada that had to be 1” wide, a ‘hissing cockroach that was easily 4 inches long, and some moths that look like they could carry away a child. Plus random bugs I can’t even describe… they were actually quite beautiful, unless you are like Christina and hate (cough fear cough) flying insects…

There is dining at the resort or the hotel (they are a short walk from each other – shuttle buses are available), but we heard that the best meal around was at the local steakhouse (as a general rule the steak in Costa Rica is GREAT!). The steakhouse is just UP the road past Tabacon on your left.

If you have to stay in San Jose for any reason…

Our last night in Costa Rica was spent in San Jose, I will reserve judgment on the city itself since we only saw parts… but lets just say our hotel saved it for us. We stayed at “Hotel Grano De Oro” (http://www.hotelgranodeoro.com/), an absolute Oasis in the middle of…never mind. The hotel’s food was wonderful, the staff was great, the gardens and fountain were very nice and calming, even the building itself was beautiful.

Ohhhhhhhhh that first place looks even better.....

 

[JRB]

Please observe my .sig.

You suck, hippy. Go be negative somewhere else. :mumble:

 

[stosh]

Also check the Dominican Republic. A woman I work with went to an all inclusive there in August and said it was awesome! Top shelf liquor was included too!

Hurricanes are a problem in Aug.