Warm, but cool

November 10, 2022 12:59 PM

Looking into taking a long weekend (4-5 nights) somewhere warm and swimmable in January. As folks who really enjoy museums, parks and gardens as much as the beach, where should we go?

Considerations that we're looking at we choose a destination:

• easy-to-get-to beaches, not too crowded (but we don't need to be the only people for a quarter mile, either)
• lots of good options for food and drink, especially vegetarian options. We eat meat, especially on vacation, but prefer seafood and veggie options.
• a location where there are other attractions beside the beach in walking, transit, or taxi distance (we do not want to have to rent a car). As mentioned above, we love museums and botanical gardens; archeological sites would potentially scratch both those desires.
• Ideally, it will be in a safe neighborhood for a 40-something couple to walk around in after dark (where "safe" is roughly equivalent to Manhattan or Rockaway).
• not too far flying from the US Northeast, and without major time zone changes (roughly UTC-3 through UTC-8, though an hour either way would be preferred).

As a baseline, our favorite beach is the stretch of Far Rockaway in NYC that's accessible by subway: not pretentious, lots of food and drink options, and decent surf. Which spoils us, because an hour in the other direction and there's all the cultural destinations in the city.

We both speak a little Spanish (me around B1+/B2, wife closer to A2), so we should be able to navigate hotels, restaurants and day-to-day life, if necessary; we would need a translator if, god forbid, we had to go to a hospital for an emergency.

Three places we've vaguely discussed are San Juan, PR; Mazatlán, MX; and Cartegena (de Indias), CO. (Mazatlán is also high on the list for the 2024 eclipse.) Any advice for or against those locations, suggestions for things to do there, or recommendations for other cities or places are welcome!

posted by thecaddy to Travel & Transportation (2 answers total)

Best answer: I was in San Juan in October and liked it. I can only give you a limited perspective as I was attending a conference all week and didn't see much of the city, but I very much enjoyed the little I saw. There are nice beaches (one at my hotel) and cultural sites (like the Castillo San Cristóbal, which I didn't make it to) in fairly close proximity, easily reachable by short rideshare trips. I ate well. (I hear the high-end vegetarian restaurant Marmalade is excellent.) El Yunque (the nearby rainforest) was spectacular. It's a drive away, and I didn't have a car. I joined a tour group, which picked me up from my hotel and had a grand time. Let me know if you have any particular questions I might be able to answer. Have a splendid trip!
posted by reren at 4:11 PM on November 10, 2022 [1 favorite]

I live on St. Martin. It is pretty accessible from the NE, one hour different than EST in winter, definitely swimmable, not a lot of museum type stuff, although my nonprofit does have a museum, better if you rent a car, but you could cab it, especially if you are staying on a beach and do that for a couple days. To me, 4-5 nights seems like a pretty short time anywhere. Aruba could be another good option, or Bonaire. January is high season in the Caribbean, so anywhere will be more expensive and busy, but that’s also because it is a great time to get away to the Caribbean.
posted by snofoam at 6:09 PM on November 10, 2022