It is often not much more expensive to have a few days stopover in SF, LA, Denver, DFW. I have not heard of layovers in San Diego though. If you do come, like anything else, pace yourself and promise yourself you’ll be back instead of trying to do and see everything at one time (which just makes you & everyone with you crazy). Our “cold” weather can get down to 60s, but is usually in the 70s most of the “winter.” Each island and the different parts of each island have their own charm and attractions.
I think the OP will have a great winter escape to San Diego or any of the other places she mentioend. We have enjoyed travel to New Mexico, but the elevation IS high and it will likely be quite cold in the winter. They of course DO have snow. My friend’s H loves cross-country skiing on the golf courses there.
HIMom, we flew Alaska to SAN and celebrated New Years there. Then the next morning we flew to HNL and spent a lovely week on Oahu (I bought it as 2 separate trips; Alaska prices all itineraries per segment, no matter if it is RT or not). It was the cheapest option, believe it or not!
I agree with BB, Alaska Air has direct fly to Hawaii. Pretty cheap. Sometime direct flight is $169 one way. I’ve been watching the fares for years, not around Xmas but certainly in Dec.
Wow, don’t think I’ve often flown from HI to anywhere in continental US for that low, but usually my flight windows are dictated by conferences, meetings and things other than low fares.
S is able to get amazing airfare deals, which makes him very happy.
Hotel Del is an ‘experience’ but it is very expensive for everything! A drink, anything you need from the gift store or toiletries. I stayed there once at a conference and the room was TINY. It was fine for me, but if I’d had another person, it wouldn’t have been. I think people with kids would be better in a condo or suite hotel, and doing brunch or dinner or tea at the Del. My niece lived in Mission Beach and that was a great area for young adults. Old Town too. Disneyland is probably 2 hours (if no traffic) from San Diego. DO NOT go on Christmas day, it’s insane. Dana Point Harbor is about 1.5 hours away if you want to go to Catalina Island. There is a tour of an air craft carrier that is very interesting and you can see the military activities going on in the bay.
Whoops, you’re right, we did pay for those trolleys, the ones in downtown Denver were free. The fare was reasonable and could be purchased at convenient kiosks. It saved tired feet when we wanted to check out a farmer’s market and sample the food there. The trolley serves the gas lamp district and the area near the convention center, as I recall. It did go down to Mexico, I think but we didn’t go that far.
mamaduck, what does your family want to do on vacation? What specific activities would you like to do on vacation that you can’t do at home? Outdoor sports, shopping, dining, museums, fishing, kayaking, golfing, tennis, nature hikes, historical sites, tourist traps, bird watching, reading in lounge chair poolside, etc.? You mentioned you enjoyed historic St. Augustine…which is a small town and sleepy…Miami is a big jungle with lots to offer too. Just to be sure checking…have your kids been to Florida’s #1 family vacation destination Disney World/Orlando?
Not sure when the OP exactly plans to travel…but THE busiest week at Disney World Orlando is the week between Christmas and New Years. And that likely needed to be booked months ago. We went that week…once…and we booked one full year in advance and still didn’t get the hotel we really wanted or the exact flights.
Yeah, that’s the problem with any tourist destination in Florida that week…peak and crowded…and most expensive! I’m in Florida and I HATE vacationing in the crowded tourist spots…hate things like having to wait in lines a mile long anywhere you go like restaurants. If I wanted to relax for a Christmas week vacation in Florida, I’d go to panhandle (Redneck Riviera)…it’s off season up there and quiet…if weather cooperates and it doesn’t get too cold it can be a super vacation on the cheap.
@lizard - I took the kids to Orlando once when they were little and that was enough for me. While they would enjoy a trip to Universal, none of us want to go during peak times. Since I’m a teacher, and they’re in school, that only leave peak times available to us. I’ll take them again when I have grandkids
What we enjoy doing - historical and cultural sights, walking along the beach (but not really sitting all day on the beach - we’re so pale we burn in moonlight), soft adventure such as whale watching, kayaking, paddleboarding, eating out some (usually not expensive formal affairs, but trying new foods)
Ok. I’ll give you something different for a Florida vacation Christmas time. Fly into Tampa or Clearwater/St. Pete airport and drive hour north to Crystal River, Florida by Gulf of Mexico for a nature type vacation. Many high profile sports stars fly right into little airports by Crystal River so know one bothers them and they hideout for a week golfing at area courses and fishing in gulf. Kayaking and boating is great on nearby Crystal River, Homosassa River, Chassahowitzka River, Weeki Wachee River, and out in Gulf. You will be sure to see manatees up close swimming in rivers that time of year because they seek shelter in the warmer, spring fed rivers. Weeki Wachee State Park features the human mermaids show too. You can visit any of Tampa Bay’s tourist spots like Busch Gardens or go into historic Ybor City and dine at my favorite place Columbia Restaurant. There will be a parade in Ybor City New Year’s eve and New Year’s Day Outback Bowl football game will be played at Ray Jay Stadium in Tampa. Crystal River isn’t for everyone, but it could be a nice visit for your family. Just an idea.
mamaduck - I have lived in San Diego since I came for college many years ago. An Airbnb someplace like Mission Hills would be a great choice. If you stay there try the Red Door Restaurant/Wellington. Hiking at Torrey Pines is a fun couple of hours then go to Gliderport and watch the hang gliders. Take a walk around downtown La Jolla. A few places we like to eat in La Jolla are George’s (either upstairs on the patio or downstairs you have an ocean view), Brockton Villa for brunch (you may need to eat inside as the sea lions are stinking up La Jolla Cove), Herringbone is a nice place for dinner or drinks as is Eddie V’s, but both are more pricey. When in La Jolla walk above the cove down to the Children’s Pool and look at the seals. There are also a number of murals painted on walls in La Jolla that are fun to walk around and look at. If you go to La Jolla Shores to see the tidepools you can grab a great fast lunch at the Cheese Shop or Jeff’s Burgers. If you want a nicer place to eat in the Shores try Piatti’s. The happy hour at the bar at the La Jolla Hotel has a great ocean view.
Balboa Park is a great way to spend a day. Visit Old Town and have lunch and a margarita! Take a walk in the evening at the Hotel Del to see the Christmas tree and decorations. They also have ice skating outside during the holidays. If you go to Julian try to do it during a week day as weekends are busy. A day trip up to LA to go the the Getty and then somewhere like Santa Monica is fun. The desert is lovely in the winter. Borrego Springs is not too far from San Diego or you could do a day trip to Palm Springs, but that would be a long day. Make sure to visit a Rubio’s for a fish taco or any of the local taco shops like Roberto’s and try a California burrito. Rent bikes and ride around Pacific Beach, Mission Beach and Mission Bay. Have lunch or brunch at Tower 23 in Pacific Beach or grab a great sandwich at Board and Brew in PB. The zoo is world class and there is also Sea World if you are interested. Disneyland is decorated up for the holidays, but is very busy and will be a long day. Drive up to the cross on Mt Soledad for a great view on a clear day.
I still vote for San Diego. There are twelve really nice museums in Balboa Park alone. Plus the zoo. For the museums, you can get a weekly “passport” that gives you admission to them all. The variety is from air and space, to trains, to Native Americans…and more.
Then you have the rest of the area to explore. The seaport area is great. There is some boat docked there (I forget which) which has excellent tours.
You can spend a day at the fabulous zoo…which is like a gorgeous lark that happens to have animals. But that will likely be crowded during the holiday break.
I kind of fell in love with New Mexico when I was there several years ago with my son for a competition. We got to do some sightseeing, and found the landscape to be amazing, and we kind of liked Albuquerque (not that I can spell it!), it had a kind of funky vibe to it, especially along the old Route 66 with all these junk stores and such, that we liked (we weren’t that impressed by Santa Fe, for all the ‘artiness’, given our sensibilities the high end stores and art galleries didn’t do anything for us, though I am glad there are artists making decent money on their paintings and such). I also was especially happy when we went to a nature preserve, where I was disappointed that I didn’t see any road runners (hey, after Bugs Bunny and the Road Runner cartoons, how can you resist Albuquerque? lol). We were walking to the parking lot, and a road runner appeared to pose for some pictures, had this look on his face like “okay, I get it, you can take my picture, pain in the *** tourists”…
I remember stepping in Pacific Ocean first time at Newport Bch., Ca. and thinking Pacific looked exactly same as Florida’s Gulf of Mexico…big body of water with sun setting to west. Florida’s po-boy version of San Diego has to be St. Petersburg with its downtown marinas and all on Tampa Bay.
But San Diego is not as humid as Florida. Plus California has no crocodiles, only at the zoo. That’s the thing that still scares me about Florida. I have never been there, even though I’ve heard Key West is the place to visit, maybe it’s the Hemingway thing.
