<p>Another vote for Costa Rica - beaches and rain forest. We were there for spring break this year, it was 90 degrees everyday. At the bar we watched the WTC tennis tournament that was in Miami that week - people were wearing winter coats and gloves, near freezing at night. We specifically went that far south since we have often had cool weather in Florida and even once in Cancun. </p>
<p>I haven’t been to the Four Seasons mentioned above, but we loved the Westin Playa Conchal. The new airport in Liberia has many flights to the major southern U.S. hubs (Houston, Dallas, Atlanta) for easy connections to anywhere in the U.S. For a small fee we upgraded to the Royal Beach Club at the Westin which included a private pool with swim-up bar and premium liquor with the all-inclusive (plenty of chairs at anytime of the day), separate check-in and a personal conceirge for reservations and requests.</p>
<p>I have not been to Belize, but my parents went for the first time in May and said they will not go back. The timeshare they stayed in was very nice, but when venturing out they were uncomfortable with the high level of poverty in the country. My Dad wanted to give money to everyone when they were in the city. </p>
<p>We live in San Diego and no one visits here in December for the beaches as the water is way too cold. Even in July the ocean temp is only 68 degrees.</p>
<p>I will not stay in any time share or any resort unless it is all inclusive. 68 degrees water is fine with me as long as there snorkeling off shore.</p>
<p>Re San Diego – We always go to the beach there, even in December, just because I love the ocean. But we never go in the water. But, love the zoo, Balboa park, and Mission Beach, and well, there is a lot to do there. And now that we live in MN, I hope to spend some serious time in California in the winters in the future, once my last kid is done with high school. Although, most of the people here in Minnesota seem to head to Florida. However, this thread seems to be about more exotic places, and I have no experience with that, except for Hawaii (which is fantastic, BTW), and so I will just sort of lurk, and gather information myself for future trips I hope to take in the winter. Or summer.</p>
<p>Actually – saw this one on FB – a friend of mine was there recently, so I’ll throw it out for consideration – Grand Solmar Resort in Cabo San Lucas. Looks really nice.</p>
<p>I suggest part of the time to raft into and stay at the Pacuare Lodge. See the link below. The lodge also has an affiliated tour company that I used for 10 days for my 20 y.o. son and I to see the mountains and the Atlantic coast area as well. It was great. The per night rate at the Lodge was not as high when included in the overall package.</p>
<p>Something that always slays me is how some Florida winter vacationers spend most of their visit in the hotel bar…they could have done the same thing back in a Minnesota hotel lobby bar without even traveling. Get outside and get some sun!</p>
<p>Thank you for all of the great suggestions. We have come back around to Hawaii. It actually looks like it is the easiest place to get to for us. We can drive to Minneapolis or Omaha, fly to Phoenix and then direct to Hawaii. The ticket cost out of our city is around $2k plus per person and would require an extra leg. It looks like we could get it as low as $1k out of Minneapolis or Omaha. A 2 or 4 hour drive would be worth it for $5k! </p>
<p>So is there some particular island in the chain where it is generally warmer than others? It would be a bummer to leave single digit weather at home and then get marginal vacation weather. Granted 60 degrees would feel pretty good to us! We would want plenty of activities near by, but would not need to spend every day doing touristy things.</p>
<p>We love Mauai. There are lots of things to do there, for different types of people. if you are very into hiking and nature, then Kauai is a lovely island to visit. I don’t think the weather is drastically different from island to island, but I’m not sure. If you are definitely going, I highly recommend the blue “… Revealed” books to get some great ideas about what to do, where to eat., etc. If you are going to Maui, I could give you some advice, but won’t bother until you make a decision. I do think you should consider making reservations fairly soon, as that’s a very popular time to go. I know many people use VRBO, but we used a company both times we went.</p>
<p>Maybe Himom will answer the weather question. I have a niece in Honolulu and have visited her in December. It was gloomy and rainy, (light rain), every day. Nov. starts the gloomy and wet season with 40% cloud cover. Weather also varies greatly on different parts of the islands. The leeward sides of the islands are drier and less windy. Kona would be drier than Hilo on the island of Hawaii. The Wailea and Lahiana areas of Maui and the Poipu Beach area of Kauai may be sunnier and drier. The last 2 weeks of December are also very busy and condo and car rentals are high. I love Hawaii and have been there many times, but consider the length of the flight and time difference if you are only going for one week.</p>
<p>There are lots of microclimates in our state. The part if Oahu where I love is mostly sunny most of the year. Poipu on Kauai has a reputation of being warm and sunny while Kauai also has one of the wettest spots in the world. </p>
<p>I distinctly recall one year in 2006 when we literally had 40 days and nights of rain, but that was extremely unusual. It was March/April I believe. </p>
<p>The Christmas and summer breaks do tend to have higher prices for vacation rentals, because demand is highest then. The more flexible folks are on dates, the better the chance of getting a better deal. </p>
<p>Keep in mind, even if it drizzles in HI, the temps are generally 70s-80s and there are still tons of folks who don’t let a bit of dampness affect their plans. We rarely ever get lightening, so no need to worry about lightening strikes, even when in the water or golfing in the drizzle. Rain in many parts of our state (especially Waikiki) is very fleeting.</p>
<p>We will have anywhere from 9-11 days including travel time. That should give us a minimum of a full week to enjoy the island. I understand the prices will be higher during the time we are scheduled to go; however we are limited to these particular dates due to the school schedules of the 4 college students going with us. Price is not a major issue in our decision on where to stay or when to go. I have been looking at VRBO and it looks like there are plenty of options still available for our required dates (the prices are fairly high, but we are willing to pay a premium for nice accomodations.) We have a travel agent working on the arrangements for us.</p>
<p>HImom - Oahu or Maui are the islands we are leaning towards. Would you mind posting or sending me a PM on the particular part of Oahu that you think would be the most enjoyable (weather/activity wise)?</p>
<p>OK, sending a PM. Sorry, I don’t know Maui too well, as I have rarely spent much time there. Can you refresh my memory of what you are all interested in doing on your vacation?</p>