Perfect Vacation

Parents Forum Parent Cafe
#1

<p>Just got home from vacation... and I must say I feel soooooo rejuvenated and rested and ready to kick butt. I did pop online to check messages and forums a few times during my trip but mostly I separated myself from the non-vacationing world. The past few weeks have been crazy stressful and it was great just to chill out!</p>

<p>We had an ocean front room with a balcony... I could lay in bed and look out my window and the ocean was right there.. it was so peaceful just to lie there and listen to the ocean. We decided we just wanted to relax and take a break from everything. Weather was 70 and overcast most days with some wind and over night rain... but I somehow still managed to get sunburned. :( We watched a few movies, played a couple of board games, spent a day reading on the beach, spent a day reading by the pool, went to a museum, did some shopping, and ate out at delicious restaurants for lunch and dinner. Went on a brewery tour and spent the rest of our time reading out on our balcony overlooking the ocean. Each of us finished two books by the end of our trip. Hotel gave a coupon for 50% off a stay in October so I think I will be booking another get away!</p>

<p>Anyone else have any trips coming up or trips that you have taken recently?
Now that I'm home I have a few things to catch up on.. laundry, grocery shopping, etc but I decided I am going to make room for a massage tomorrow. Technically I'm still on vacation till Sunday so I think that will cap it off nicely. :)</p>

#2

<p>Wonderful!!! I went away a few weeks ago and had a great time. It's important to do that for yourselves every now and then, Glad you had fun and refueled!</p>

#3

<p>So where were you? Sounds great!</p>

#4

<p>FenderGirl -- I envy you! It sounds like you had the perfect combination of great setting, great weather, and most of all, the right attitude to enjoy your vacation. Not checking in too much, and whoever you were with was in sync with your desire to just chill out.</p>

<p>IME, the best hotel/spot in the world can't guarantee a relaxing trip if one of you is always wanting to get up at 7 am so they don't miss breakfast, or they have to see every museum and make you feel guilty for not wanting to do the same. Every one has their own way of relaxing, and it's great when it meshes.</p>

<p>I personally find looking at the ocean very soothing. I have no desire to jump in -- I just love watching the waves build, crest, and break. I can feel my breathing slow down and my heart rate drop. </p>

<p>I hope your vacation tranquility will last a long time.</p>

#5

<p>Our family vacation is coming up in June. We are going to Italy for 2 weeks and it will be just four of us. This probably will be our last long vacation for a while because D1 is graduating and starting work, so she will get very few vacation days.</p>

<p>We have an apartment rented around the Spanish steps. We got a very good lead to a tour guide from a CC'er. After spending a week in Rome, with tours and shopping, we are off to a villa by a seaside in Tuscany. I see us taking a lot of naps, sitting by the pool, reading books and eating a lot of good food.</p>

<p>With both kids gone this July, H and I will try some spa and beach towns around Mexico over long weekends.</p>

<p>Few years ago we rented a townhouse on a beach in Delaware. We did what fendergirl did. We just sat on the balconey and watched people on the beach. There is something about the sea, it is very calming.</p>

#6

<p>H and I returned Tuesday from a week in Rome (1 block from the Spanish Steps). We very much enjoy walking and viewing the sites, however by the 5th day I felt something was missing. It seemed like all we were doing was heading from one site to another without stopping to really "feel" Rome. So we spent the last 2 days wandering, getting lost, stumbling upon delightful surprises and spending day time hours sipping wine at a sidewalk cafe, etc. It was just what we needed!</p>

<p>oldfort, let me know how your seaside villa works out.</p>

#7

<p>Rome....my favorite place. Hope to go back there next year. I'm planning a 2 week trip to Italy (though hubby and son are pushing for Africa, so we will see). We travel internationally all the time and have found there is usually a point at which we get 'burned out' on the touristy stuff and just need to wander around without an agenda. It's great, particularly when you stumble upon the places where the locals hang out.</p>

#8

<p>Glad you enjoyed your vacation. It would have been torture for me. I can't just sit and listen to the ocean. I need to be active especially on vacation when I have limited time. To each...</p>

#9

<p>We are going crazy here trying to decide where to go. Just can't seem to come to a place of agreement.</p>

#10

<p>The Beaches Resort at Turks & Caicos is a great vacation spot for families. (Although, not ideal for teens...more for younger kids to do, to free up parents to relax and have grown up time.)</p>

#11

<p>I'm glad you had such a relaxing vacation. I love the beach also. We spend a week at the Delaware beach every summer and my family considers it essential. We also try to take a more active vacation each summer while our daughters (21 and 17) are still interested.</p>

<p>Last summer we went to Italy (Rome, Venice, Florence) and Paris. It was wonderful. This summer we're flying to Pheonix and then doing a 5 day road trip to Sedona, the Grand Canyon and ending in Las Vegas. We're all very excited to see that part of the county. A few days ago I was able to book two cabins in the park at the Grand Canyon, so we will be able to see the sunset and sunrise.</p>

#12

<p>Went to a beach in MD w/ my BF. He was in agreement with me on doing "nothing", lol. But I did get him to go shopping with me and I went on the brewery tour with him so that worked out nicely. </p>

<p>His only other request is that he didn't want to get up before noon on any day. I can't sleep that late even if I tried so when I got up (around 9 or 10, which is sleeping in for me) I just played on my computer a little bit or went outside with my book. </p>

<p>I like active vacations to but the past few weeks have just been crazy and we both needed a few days or so just to chill out.</p>

<p>I'm pretty excited because when we were shopping we stopped at a book outlet and bought a bunch of books... Can't wait to read them!!</p>

<p>My guess is that my tranquility will end quickly when I go back to work on Monday but for now that is out of sight out of mind!</p>

#13

<p>Oh and we played a couple rounds of miniature golf too. We spent one day in DE.</p>

#14

<p>Well hey Momjr:</p>

<p>I'm used to "talking" to you on another thread!:)</p>

<p>Our family went to The Grand Canyon a few years ago and loved it! We started in Las Vegas and ended back in Vegas. Sedona, Arizona is GORGEOUS. We did a "pink jeep tour" there and had a wonderful time. Also saw the Hoover Dam. It really was a very fun vacation. If you are like us, we tend to pack in a lot of things on our sightseeing trips. The views were breathtaking. We were there in July. The weather was hotter in Las Vegas than in the Grand Canyon. In fact, I needed to buy a sweatshirt in the Grand Canyon giftshop to stay warm....in July! It was cooler on top of the mountain.</p>

<p>That is a wonderful vacation you will really enjoy! Have fun!</p>

#15

<p>Fendergirl, sometimes, doing nothing except sunning on the beach by your beachfont cottage or hotel is the way to go. My H and I just returned from a mini-vacation in Maui. We rented a car and wanted to go places, but as soon as we stretched our sun-deprived bodies out on the warm Maui sand, we decided that we wanted to spend the entire vacation doing nothing. :) We swam, snorkeled, sat on the beach, walked to the nearest shopping center to get macadamia nut ice cream.... We ended up using only 2 gal of gas in 5 days. It was perfect! I already booked our next flight to Hawaii for fall.</p>

#16

<p>We got back from our vacation four weeks ago. Something new and something old. New--we were in Istanbul for a week, someplace unexpected and wonderful. And then two weeks in Paris in an apartment in a neighborhood we are very familiar with. Though we did a lot of exploring and sightseeing in Istanbul, Paris was strictly for slowing down,eating, and strolling. I really like going back to "the same old places", and I would like to make Istanbul a habit as well.Fantastic food and wonderful people.</p>

<p>Just a little tip ---- I had planned on only going to Paris, but after seeing a documentary on the Hagia Sophia I explored how much it would cost to fly to Istanbul. Much to my surprise, the cheapest flight was Air France and happen to be an added leg to the non stop LAX-Paris we usually take. BUT it was actually $110 per flight CHEAPER to fly LAX-PARIS-ISTANBUL than just fly LAX-PARIS> So I added on a great trip to Turkey.</p>

#17

<p>Got an hour long massage today!</p>

#18

<p>We found something similar to what musicamerica found with Airfrance last summer. We flew from Dulles to Rome and then home from Paris back to Dulles. When I added Florence to Paris in the middle, the total cost barely went up, but the individual Florence to Paris flight was $600.</p>

<p>Choc: Hi! I'm going to pm you to get more advice for our Grand Canyon trip.</p>

#19

<p>Wow...nice fendergirl. Hubby and I got our first ever "couples massage" when we went to the islands in January. Real nice. Good balance of activity and hanging out on that particular vacation. Vacations are SOOOO nice.
Off to Acadia in Maine this summer. Bringing our bikes. Love that place. The sweetest lobster I've ever tasted. Wild blueberry pie. Mountains overlooking the oceans. Great hiking and biking. Can't wait. Staying at a very cool looking B&B!</p>

#20

<p>Friend of mine works as a massuse at a place near by... but she only works there physically like three days a week and does in home appointments the other days where she comes to you. She's great. She came over and set up her massage table, brought scents, put on music, darkened the place, everything.. for a decent price. (I think like 30 for a half hour and 50 for an hour). I was really happy and I told her I'd definitely have her come back some other time.</p>

<p>Would love to do a couples massage but my other half doesn't seem too interested. I think if he did it once he'd be begging for more, lol!</p>