<p>Jet Blue flies to Aruba (from certain airports). Florida Keys are still warm at that time of year (not summer-warm, but I’ve regularly gone swimming and worn shorts around them in Dec/Jan), and flights might be reasonable to Miami b/c it’s domestic. If it’s a bad hurricane season, Nov. might still be clean-up time in that region.</p>
<p>I’ve been told that off-season standby flights from CA–>HI are very easy to come by and very reasonably priced. This was said in reference to late April/early May (the period in between spring and summer vacations), but I assume the same is true of November (barring Thanksgiving). Something to check into if you have some flexibility, but probably not ideal.</p>
<p>Nov. seems like a fantastic time for a tropical vacation…off-season rates (at least in the northern hemisphere), still fairly warm weather, no overwhelming heat or humidity, no spring break or summer crowds…good luck with the planning!</p>
<p>Personally I think its a really good year to stay in the US and spend your money here. Miami/Keys would still be warm and wonderful in November.
If you can do w/o the beach Arizona is absolutely magnificient at that time.If you havent seen Sedona and the Grand Canyon its a great time to visit.</p>
<p>We love Turks and Caicos–non-stop flights from JFK. Grace Bay is a beautiful beach with accommodations in various price ranges. Although dinners out can be pricy you could save money by eating breakfast and lunch at your condo.</p>
<p>Singersmom, You are right about windjammer cruises going out of business, sorry for mentioning them. Too bad, I was thinking of doing another one for our 30th anniversary.</p>
<p>Bluejay, My SIL and husband went to Belize this past Spring and had a great trip. We visited it on a cruise and also loved it. Reasonably priced and lots to do.</p>
<p>Treasure Cay on Abaco Island. We stayed there a few times in a condominium. Very reasonably priced. Accomodations through private owners can be found in Flying Magazine oddly, due to the popularity of flyers frequenting the island. One of the very best beaches in the Bahamas, and opportunities to visit nearby cays reached by local ferries. Maybe a little isolated but very relaxing (no night life to speak of). Flights out of Fort Lauderdale and Miami, at the time we went some years ago, we took the 6 or 8 seater small planes.</p>
<p>Another option is Palm Island, reachable only by boat, also very quiet with beautiful pink sand beaches.</p>
<p>Also second Anguilla, but generally pricey, beaches to die for.</p>
<p>Aruba. We own a Marriott time share there. Good weather. Good beaches. Good restaurants. Nice people. We’ve been there four times and we’re going back for two-weeks in June and July.</p>
<p>Depending on when you want to go in Nov, it is still warm here on the upper Gulf Coast. Unless we have an unusually cold fall, water temps in the Florida Panhandle should still be in the lower 80s upper 70s during the first week of Nov.
Perfect white sandy baches for reading and relaxing, very quiet that time of year - too late for families, too early for snow birds.</p>
<p>Also remember that most resorts in Mexico attract people on holiday from Europe, and it’s not unusual to see topless sunbathers. If this doesn’t bother you, then fine, but just be aware before you go. I’ve spoken with a number of people who have gone down there to high-end resorts and weren’t prepared for that.</p>
<p>Mexico. Consider the Mayan Riviera (Yucatan Peninsula) – I don’t recommend Cancun, which is a circus, but near-by island Isla Mujeres, or southern areas along the coast --Playa del Carmen, Akumal, Tulum – have magnificent beaches and archeological marvels as well. </p>
<p>If you live in the western US, Mazatlan would be the cheapest destination. Or you could fly into Puerto Vallarta, more expensive but prettier scenery than Mazatlan. Both these destinations would offer a lot of choices in terms of housing/food to keep a lid on the expenses.</p>
<p>We used vrbo.com and rented a wonderful home just south of Playa del Carmen Mexico, in Akumal. It was very laid back and yet close enough to drive to Tulum as well as an underwater park nearby–can’t remember the name, starts with an “X”). We aren’t into the resort environment either.</p>
<p>We found a lovely laid back restaurant on the beach in Akumal and went there several times. </p>
<p>We had a full week and also drove inland to the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza which were fabulous.</p>
<p>Another vote for St. John. A really, really strong vote for St. John. Rent a small villa ([Caribbean</a> Vacation Rentals | Luxury St John Villas & Tortola Resorts](<a href=“http://www.caribbeanvilla.com%5DCaribbean”>http://www.caribbeanvilla.com)) to save money by doing your own cooking, or go for the campground as suggested by mathmom. Get yourself a small jeep if need be, and have a great time. November is not quite the peak season, so you should be able to find off-peak or shoulder rates.</p>
<p>In the U.S., I would recommend Sanibel Florida or Captive Florida. They are beautiful islands with not too many people and lots of wildlife and nature. The restaurants are fantastic. If you want a resort island try Gasparilla Island in Florida. Overseas, I would recommend Santorini, Greece. Santorini is on top of an old volcano. The views are amazing.</p>
<p>Sanibel is really nice. Amazing beaches. Never been there during that time of year but it wasn’t terribly crowded during the summer, so I’d expect it’d be even better during the fall. There are tons of seashells there too.</p>
<p>St. John: We went there this past spring. Stayed at the Maho Bay Campground, a 60’s style eco-resort where you stay in (substantial) platform tents and recycle everything. It was lovely, but a little lacking in the culture department (art, music, great food). Wonderful snorkeling and hiking, though, and as close to unspoiled as you are going to get without huge expense.</p>
<p>Our favorite warm vacation ever was to Guadeloupe. Similar to the description of Martinique above, except most of the lower half is French national park. Wonderful mixture of French, Caribbean, Indian cultures, beaches, rainforest, volcano you can hike on and in. Not a big magnet for Americans, so . . . nice.</p>
<p>I’ve never been to Turks and Caicos, and I probably never will (because of the culture thing). But I hear raves about Grace Bay from people who really like beaches.</p>
<p>You ought to be OK with anything south of the Bahamas in November. It is NOT hurricane season, then. That ends at the end of September. There will be a tradeoff with weather and airfare. Places like Aruba (which is practically in Venezuela), or any of the Windward Islands (incl. Guadeloupe, Martinique, Barbados, St. Martin, and others) are farther south, hence warmer and more flying time/distance/expense. Places that are farther north (Florida, Bahamas, Bermuda) are, as noted, iffy on temperature at that time of year.</p>
<p>JHS is correct that St. John is not a cultural hot spot, though there are some interesting sugar plantation ruins, and the Park Service conducts some great walking tours. It is much more of a relaxing beach vacation than a cultural one. I disagree a bit with the comment about the restaurants. There are enough good restaurants for a 5 day getaway. After a week you’ll be in repeat mode. Art and music? yeah, not where you wanna be unless by music you mean reggae and beach bands in Skinny Legs or the Cruz Bay bars. </p>
<p>But I get my culture fix elsewhere – St. John is still my favorite layabout vacation.</p>
<p>I second the West coast of Florida. It is really lovely in November. We love Naples for its beautiful beaches and great restaurants. We also like Fort Myers, Sanibel, Captiva Island and Marco Island. You cannot beat sitting in a lounge chair on a white sandy beach with your Pina Colada in hand watching the sun set on the Gulf of Mexico…ahhhhhhhhhhh.</p>