Vacation to Warm Climate

February 7, 2004 5:54 PM

A quick, cheap 3-5 day winter vacation - to somewhere warm. Any suggestions? It doesn't matter where, but beaches are a big plus.
posted by troutfishing to Travel & Transportation (13 answers total)

Since you're in MA (according to your profile), this would seem reasonably difficult. Even LA isn't that 'warm' at this time of year. Mexico is probably your only bet, or a few days in a sauna. Hawaii is typically expensive, although if you can find a good deal on the flights, may be do-able for you.

If you were in Europe, I'd recommend North Africa or the southern coasts of Spain. I'm not sure Morocco is quick or cheap from the Atlantic coast of the US though ;-)
posted by wackybrit at 6:05 PM on February 7, 2004

Hawaii for 3-5 days from Boston has to be around 1-3 days tops after travel time is taken into consideration. Your best bet is Florida, maybe the Keys.
posted by substrate at 6:18 PM on February 7, 2004

San Diego. Lotsa beaches. Great zoo. Balboa Park. Fantastic Mexican food. Seaworld. Maritime Museum. Perfect weather.
posted by y6y6y6 at 6:35 PM on February 7, 2004

Puerto Rico. The flight is pretty short - not much longer than to Florida - and not so expensive. Vieques or Culebra - both easily accessible from San Juan - have great beaches and informal atmosphere and aren't too dear. No passport needed but it's still kind of exotic and interesting.
posted by TimeFactor at 7:00 PM on February 7, 2004

Moab, Utah is nice right now. Not super warm, but amazing scenery and few crowds.
posted by mecran01 at 7:27 PM on February 7, 2004

cancun or costa rica. A friend just came back from a trip down there. It's warm and plenty of gorgeous beaches.
posted by vacapinta at 8:07 PM on February 7, 2004

I second Puerto Rico: affordable, easy (it's like a whole other country, right in the US!) , and beautiful. San Juan has that old-world charm, and Culebra/Vieques are nice and remote. The weather is typically great this time of year...
posted by mr_roboto at 8:50 PM on February 7, 2004

Cuba!

Oh yeah... that's right... the war isn't over yet. You're missing out. Oh well! BTW: Edsel did make a nice car. Still runs.

Maybe this post can help you if you make it a side trip. It's sure nice and warm! :-)

Ciao!
posted by shepd at 11:49 PM on February 7, 2004

Response by poster: shepd - maybe there are some amphibious buicks running tourists over to Cuba?
posted by troutfishing at 1:00 AM on February 8, 2004

If you're coming down to Puerto Rico I'd recommend a small inn in Ocean Park while in San Juan. Ocean Park is a small residential neighborhood in between the more touristy Condado or Isla Verde and is the most popular beach in the metro area for us locals. Rincon or Aguadilla on the west coast have some great beaches and are a two hour drive from San Juan.

The island of Culebra has some of the most amazing white sand beaches in the world and is highly, highly recommended, much more so than Vieques. You can rent a small cottage for a few days. Fly there, try to avoid the ferry.

For some non-biased recommendations in the Caribbean I would suggest St. Johns in the U.S.V.I., Virgin Gorda in the B.V.I. or Bonaire. ...and I love Costa Rica, but their beaches are not like in the Caribbean, trust me.
posted by venegas at 3:30 AM on February 8, 2004 [1 favorite]

If it was 4-6 weeks ago I would have suggested New Orleans. Mardi Gras is in a couple of weeks so the prices spike accordingly, but New Orleans is fantastic place to visit. If you are prepared for all that is NO during Mardi Gras, go anyway.
posted by spartacusroosevelt at 11:44 AM on February 8, 2004

venegas - what are the beaches in costa rica like? i've been thinking about traveling there.
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 12:08 PM on February 8, 2004

Costa Rica has two coasts one on the Pacific and the other to the Atlantic. Both side of the country have great beaches and if you stay for over a week I'd recommend going to both. The Pacific side has mostly hilly, cove type beaches with coarse ground-shell type sand but if all you want to do is sit on beach for a few days then the Atlantic coast has nicer, flatter, open beaches with better powdered sand and warmer water like the kind you find here in the Caribbean. I prefer the beaches here, but Costa Rica has plenty of other cool things to do.
posted by venegas at 1:08 PM on February 8, 2004