I think Cancun and Punta Cana are two good options from NYC because there are a lot of direct flights. Cancun has dry heat in the summer so it is not as hot as other islands. There are a lot of good all inclusive resorts with different price points. We tend to go to ones where there have good accommodations for children, which you do not need.
Punta Cana tends to be less expensive, but food is also not as good because they import a lot of food.
Melia is a good chain for all inclusive. they have both adults and family sections. The adults section is less expensive and they also have adults only restaurants.
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We loved Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach (there is another one but we liked Coral Beach) in Cancun. We also used Costco for great pricing on All Inclusive including air fare and airport transportation.
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A friend has a timeshare in Mexico, and I’ve been with her to the one in Riviera Maya 3 times and the one in Neuva Vallerta once. Riviera Maya is more jungle with lots of animals on the grounds and birds. My friends are more into that. The first year we went to Tulum to the ruins and swimming with sea turtles and at a cenote which was fun but a really (really) long day. This year we went the day after the riots in Puerto Vallerta (and one person I was with had a friend whose bus was taken over and burned) so we just stayed on the resort property. There are a ton on all inclusive resorts but some of the properties (like the ones I’ve stay in) are remote from the towns so everything off property requires a taxi or a tour.
The resort at Neuva Vallerta is very close to a town with a couple of restaurants and 7-11 type store. I liked that as it was more casual. I also liked the beach a lot more. To get to the airport and into Puerto Vallerta is much closer but still requires a taxi.
Going solo I’d say go to Puerto Vallerta or Cabo. There are more things to walk to and explore.
You also might consider a cruise as there would be a lot of tours to go on with others, people to eat with, things to do on the ship and in the ports.
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If you would consider a cruise Norwegian NCL, has solo cabins, a solo lounge and a solo coordinator (I think).
I hear it’s easy to find other singles to go to dinner with and shows.
When we did our Viking Ocean cruise, we met singles (I’m not recommending Viking as it’s quite pricey for a solo). I felt that a cruise could be a good way for a single to have alone time and also meet other like minded individuals to get dinner with. There was a meet up for singles.
I guess it depends on how much you are comfortable doing things on your own while also having avenues for meet ups that are planned.
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Great information @deb922. I went on a Viking cruise with a teaching colleague/friend & her mom last summer and incurred all the extra costs for having a solo cabin. I will have to remember the option of Norweigian if I am pulled to do another cruise. Even if I can find a friend to join in, I want a solo cabin.
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When I went on a cruise, they had tables of singles all assigned to eat together. One night my friend and I changed our dinner time and they sat us at the single’s table (8 or 10 seats). Most of them wanted their own cabins so chose single with the extra charge and a few were working so needed a solo room to work while at sea. Sometimes the cost is double the price of one person (which is pretty unfair since you aren’t eating twice as much and you aren’t sleeping in 2 beds that need to be changed) but often the single supplement charge is much less. A few of the travel agencies put together single cruises and host a few activities and tours.
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On the topic of the single supplement, I was looking at what it would cost for us to bring one kid on our African safari, on Scenic USA. I thought maybe they’d have a reasonable single supplement, but the cost for one person was higher than the cost for two. I called to make sure I wasn’t misreading the fares, but nope. That is completely nuts. I guess they want to discourage singles.
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DS went to Palmaïa - The House of AïA an all inclusive wellness retreat in Playa Del Carmen Mexico (flew into Cancun) in December. He said the food was amazing, the staff attentive, and the beach relaxing and beautiful. I think there are times when there is smelly seaweed on the beach, so that is something to investigate (it was not an issue when he was there). Let me know if you have any questions. Probably not cheap, but he went at the very end of hurricane season which was less expensive.
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I think the justification for charging more than 100% of the price for a single supplement is that the ‘ghost’ second person is not paying tips, for extra drinks, for knick knacks and stuff while on the cruise costs the cruise line profits. I don’t really buy that, but that’s what they say.
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The Red Tide was there the first year I went and it was so bad we couldn’t really even walk on the beach. The resort I was at was shoveling it into trucks every day, but it was terrible. The other 2 years weren’t as bad and I sat on the beach a lot and swam in the ocean.
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I don’t think they could claim that for this travel company, since everything is included, drinks, tips, excursions. Though I guess some cruise lines could have a point, all that extra money they get out of you, they’d be losing out on a single cabin.
Has anyone else been using TSA Touchless ID Precheck?
On each of my flights these days with a different airline, I’ve been signing up for TSA Touchless ID precheck. You have to sign up individually with each airline, but if the airport has it, you go through an even faster line than Precheck. Faster, I think, than CLEAR, which I have through one of my credit cards. When you get to the front of the line, they scan your face and if you clear, you just walk through.
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Yes…it’s done at our local airport at TSA precheck. Really makes it fast. I don’t recall ever signing up…it’s just what they do.
They do have an alternate TSA PreCheck line for those who prefer not to do the facial recognition.
ETA…Passport control at JFK also uses facial recognition. And is also so fast. They didn’t even want to see our passports when we reentered the U.S.
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I’ve been using it for a while at Newark (seemed to have been one of the early adopters) and like it. It’s quick! But it’s not unusual for them to have to stop the line because the baggage screening can’t keep up. And then, it’snot so quick.
We’ve used TS Touchless ID Precheck a few times in Denver. One of the times the TSA rep advised that we might want to consider not using it since there were only 2 baggage search belts with it, quite crowded (but no big deal since there were few lines anywhere that day).
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I use the touchless option all the time at my local airport ( MSP). I’ll be using it this morning.
I think I had to opt in to use it, but that’s all.
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I use it in ATL and had to opt in on my Delta app. I believe I also had to opt in for Southwest, but haven’t flown with them since I did so. I don’t fly a ton, but those are the only two airlines I have flown in over 15 year!
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Seeking sage advice from Coloradans (& those who ski there)…? 
Looking to rent a place near Copper Mountain area for two months in Jan & Feb. Most places are (of course) way expensive (and even fewer options cause we bringing our kitty!).
Wondering if Leadville is a decently commutable distance? Or Fairway? Google Maps say 30 and 45 mins for each but not sure if that means the same thing in winter? Idaho Spring seems feasible but been told “the tunnel” makes it less desirable option…
Looking to ski about 3-4 x a week (in an ideal world!) and have Ikon pass. Thanks much for any thoughts!
Hmm… I think of Leadville as being pretty far away. Do know that it is very high elevation (10,000 feet), bothers some people. You are right that Idaho Springs has the tunnel factor.
In the Silverthorne area, there are lots of condos waaay uphill at Wildernest. But I suspect 2 prime months would be costly. Of course, with last year’s lack of snow perhaps owners would be glad to have a solid stretch of booking.
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My BIL worked in the Moly Mine in Leadville for a few years but lived in Silverthorne. He’d work early and leave work early a few days a week and take the last few runs of the day at Copper, so it’s not that far. Of course there will be days you won’t be skiing because of the roads no matter where you are staying. It’s going to be 30-45 minutes on most days even if you are driving from Silverthorne or Dillon because you just never know what highway has in store for you.
Idaho Springs is a lovely place to hang out. A friend owns the laundromat and her family used to own the gold mine (she grew up there). She drives all over as she used to work in Glenwood and still owns a place there and comes to Denver all the time. The thing about the tunnel is it isn’t bad on weekdays, and if you become a local, even if only for 2 months, you might not be skiing on weekends anyway or you’d have an hour head start on traffic to get thru the tunnel or can ski later and let everyone have a head start on you going back. If you get a pass for Loveland you could always ski there on days when the tunnel is bad.
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