40th surprise trip for dh--where to go?

[willrun4wine]

thinking key west in january, or napa. any other suggestions? we are on the east coast. probably only do 4 or 5 nights b/c we have another big fam vaca planned a few months later. just wanted to go something with just me and hubby for his bday though.

thoughts? i can't decide. another option was spring training in march. he's been there before though.

wanted to stay in US since it's a short trip.

thx!

[mdgirl]

The pro of Napa at that time is that it will be really quiet (although President's Day weekend will be a little busier), so you're more likely to find good rates for hotels and tastings won't be crowded. The con is that the weather has a good chance of being overcast and rainy, and the vines are dormant so it's not as pretty.

My husband's birthday is in January, too, and for his 30th we went to Jamaica. I think it was for 3 nights, but with direct flights the Caribbean isn't that much farther than Florida.

[osumelissa]

If you are flying from the East Coast, you can be in Mexico or the Caribbean faster than you can be to the west cost of the U.S.

If you definitely want to stay in the U.S., look in Arizona. You could do the whole 4-5 nights in Sedona, or you could split and do a few in Sedona and a few in Phoenix/Scottsdale. January was one of my favorite months temperature wise when we lived in Arizona.

[willrun4wine]

opps i guess i should add we are flying on miles and staying at a marriott on points. so that is why i wanted to stay in us, less miles b/c we are going out of the country a few mths later also on miles.

thx for the suggestions!

So far Key West and Napa are the same on miles just about.
Aruba is out too many miles.
We are going to Grand Caymans later in the yr.

[willrun4wine]

costa rica also too many miles, we've been wanting to go there too. it's on "our list".

[jewel]

Oct 3, 2012 12:22:19 GMT -5 willrun4wine said:

costa rica also too many miles, we've been wanting to go there too. it's on "our list".

Bummer...I was going to recommend Costa Rica! We went in January, a few years ago, and it was awesome.

Personally, I don't love Napa that time of year. It is a lot less crowded, but as PP mentioned, the weather can be gloomy and the vineyards are down. If it's a trip you really want to make, I would wait until the summer or early fall.

Do you guys like to ski or snowboard? What about a snow trip somewhere - maybe Colorado?

[osumelissa]

I stick by my Arizona suggestion. There are some nice Marriott resorts in Scottsdale.

[willrun4wine]

Oct 3, 2012 14:01:08 GMT -5 jewel said:

Oct 3, 2012 12:22:19 GMT -5 willrun4wine said:

costa rica also too many miles, we've been wanting to go there too. it's on "our list".

Bummer...I was going to recommend Costa Rica! We went in January, a few years ago, and it was awesome.

Personally, I don't love Napa that time of year. It is a lot less crowded, but as PP mentioned, the weather can be gloomy and the vineyards are down. If it's a trip you really want to make, I would wait until the summer or early fall.

Do you guys like to ski or snowboard? What about a snow trip somewhere - maybe Colorado?

Where in Co would you recommend? I did try Col springs but US airways said it didn't allow miles to go there. I've been dying to go to Colorado.

I think we are going to probably wind up going to Key West. It looks good for the miles, although the marriott is cat 7 so it's a lot of points! But my dh has a lot of them, so I guess it's OK. I want to make sure we have enough for the Grand Caymans and Costa Rica the following year most likely.

So many places to go!

Thanks for all the input!

[Deleted]

i took my H to vegas for his
he loved it

[wineenthusiast]

I was .joust in Napa with H during prime grape harvest time. While I loved it, H didnt think it was spectacular. He liked it well enough for a day bout his favorite part was being in the vineyards where he could pick grapes. He did however love the drive down the coast from Jenner.

We both liked Key West but it could be kinda chilly there in Jan. Chicago is always fun if you dont mind the cold. CO is great if you fly into Denver and then drive somewhere like Breckenridge. Otherwise I second pp suggestion to AZ.

[jewel]

I don't have any specific recommendations in Colorado, but I'm sure someone else around here does. We've been to Denver and Ft. Collins, and loved both. I think it is such a beautiful state with a lot of options.

Another vote for Arizona, if you're not looking for a cold vacation.