<p>4 years ago I got some great advice and had a great family trip to Palm Springs. This Christmas may be the last family vacation, as D1 graduates in May, so I’m looking for other ideas, although a return to Palm Springs is not out of the question.</p>
<p>Traveling w 21 & 17yo kids, plus my 85yo mother, who is mobile, but not adventurous. She’s happy to stay at the house and read a book while we go hiking, etc. Florida is out, as D1 & I are doing a roadtrip there in mid-January. </p>
<p>Our needs:
Warm weather (daytime high near 70 or higher)
Prefer max 5-6 hr flight from NYC area, with airfare under $600/ticket, since we need 5. This rules out most of Caribbean.<br>
Outdoor activities. All but mom are scuba certified.
Ability to rent house/condo, so we can cook most meals.</p>
<p>Don’t need culture or sightseeing, as this is more of a relaxing/unwinding vacation. </p>
<p>I’d recommend Mexico – the Yucatan in particular – but don’t know if you can manage the airfare with your budget. As an alternative to Palm Springs, maybe Arizona? </p>
<p>Belize is known for scuba…
Also agree with Arizona…Sedona is gorgeous if you haven’t been there before…known for their scenery, arts, spas…Sante Fe?
Key Largo has fabulous snorkeling and scuba…</p>
<p>Las Vegas for the shows/Zion Bryce national Parks for the outdoor beauty? Zion is a 2 1/2 hour drive from Las Vegas but might not meet your temperature requirements.</p>
<p>thanks all. We definitely want 70s during the day, which rules out many places. Based on my research, this is why I’ve ruled out Arizona and NM. Please correct me if I’m wrong, as NM is one of the 6 states I’ve never been to and is on my bucket list. </p>
<p>Will be going to Orlando and St Augustine area a few weeks later w D1, which is why that’s not high on the list. </p>
<p>We HATED Las Vegas when we stayed there one night on way home from National Park trip in 2008 - too glitzy & fake. </p>
<p>Looks like Palm Springs is staying at the top of the list, with some consideration to southern Florida. </p>
<p>If you are going to Orlando and St. Augustine, then try either Key West or Marco Island/Naples. These are so very different than where you will be in Jan. Lots of homes and condos to rent in both locations, the weather should fit the bill, lots of things to see and do. You can go on an airboat ride through the Everglades, walk through Corkscrew Swamp, Indian Reservations, first class dining, boat rides, zoo, etc. from Marco Island. Key West is an experience in itself! We are in St. Pete Beach but the temp.may be slightly cooler, (low 70’s), than what you are looking for. Airfares can be found in the low range of your budget. </p>
<p>We retired to Tampa and there is plenty to do in this region. You could easily fly to the Gulf coast Tampa-St Pete area and pick any number of good places to explore outside the theme park experiences and veg out at the beach. I would not spend an entire week in Zephyrhills, an afternoon would suffice. Many good choices along the Gulf coast. Those who want to can day trip to the Space Center and Cocoa Beach- two coasts! If you reconsider the Gulf Coast of Florida I can suggest many different ways to enjoy it. We saw the corkscrew swamp when son was small- and have seen many worth revisiting places over the years of visits and now living here.</p>
<p>I adore San Diego and want to move there, but it’s iffy about getting into the 70’s at that time of year. The average high in December is 65 and average low 48.</p>
<p>I also love Sanibel; you wouldn’t be able to scuba but it’s very relaxing and lots of opportunity to bike, kayak, etc. Average high in December is 77 and low is 56. You have to go pretty far south in Florida to be (relatively) sure of warm weather in the winter.</p>
<p>Have you considered a cruise? You couldn’t cook your own meals, but a cruise is always worth considering when there’s different generations involved. There are some Carnival and Holland America cruises out of Fort Lauderdale that look reasonably priced.</p>