Dream Holiday - where to?

tomcollins97

Well it’s like this – since 2006 I have been waiting to go on a ‘dream’ holiday with my other half. For various reasons in each year since something has happened which has halted planning at the earliest stage and a resigned “we’ll do it next year” has been uttered.

Thinks aren’t much better this year financially but I reckon it is now or never and its time to dip into savings and take the plunge. The holiday would need to come in under 4k for the holiday itself and spending money. That is the ultimate limit, if we can go for less all the better.

The problem is I don’t really have a clue what to do! I want it to be memorable, sort of a honeymoon without the wedding bit! So, a bit of info:

We are both 30
We like a bit of night life but nothing too mad.
I don’t want to lie on a beach for 2 or 3 weeks but a bit of that could be good.
Time of year doesn’t really matter but I would rather warm than cold
I would like to see something, something that I would never forget
I don’t want a very ‘rough’ trekking holiday but it doesn’t have to be luxurious
We both like wild animals but I’m not sure if I would be the safari type, Madagascar yes but I think there is unrest there at the moment!
Flight length is not a problem as long as what’s waiting is worth it
Lots of photo opportunities is a must
Must have the ‘WOW’ factor – I want to tell my grandkids about this!
I don’t want it to involve a lot of self-driving or a lot of time on a buss
Multi centre is an option we would consider.

I will edit the above if I think of anything else.

So, really what I am looking for is experiences that others have had that can fit a 2-3 week holiday.

Cheers,
Tom

undo

I have traveled the world quite a bit. After all those travels, one place that left me totally stunned was Istanbul. It is an unbelievable mix of cultures and it has many absolutely impressive sights to offer. Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapı Palace, Grand Bazaar are all unbelievable sights. We had dinner on a boat cruising along between Europe and Asia; we visited the Asian side of Istanbul; we went to the Princes' Islands just off the coast. Because we were short on time, we did all that in just like four or five days, leaving us dead and exhausted. You could spend say a week and a half in Istanbul and visit its sights at a more leisurely pace. Then, head over to some nice place on the beach for a few days to relax. If you want to see even more, Turkey is a large country, you could drive/bus/train/fly over to another location.

Another place that I can recommend very highly is New Zealand. My parents visited me when I was living there and I believe it was the trip of a lifetime for them.

Geezer1000

Hard to beat the states.
Vegas, Grand Canyon, Yosemite etc doable on a single trip.

I spent a week in New Hampshire and thought it was amazing. I was there in off peak time so there was nothing open an it was still great. Rented a cabin in the woods (vrbo.com).

Personally I love florida too. Lot more to it than disney.

On a different note Bali is class. A week is enough in it though. We spent a week in Singapore and a week in Bali. Deadly.

tinkerbell

Maldives! You don't have to lie on a beach all day - plenty of water activities to do, etc. and it would be a dream holiday.

SuperStarHoney

I'd recommend South Africia, certainly the best holiday we've ever had. There is such a variety of things to do from relaxing on the beach to wonderful safari's. The scenery is stunning also, you definitely wouldn't be short of photo ops.

The flight would be the biggest cost but if you're flexible you should be able to get something reasonable. There's loads of accommodation options from guest houses to luxury hotels and it is quite cheap when you get there.

Toto Wolfcastle

I have heard fantastic things about South Africa but the only thing is that the World Cup is on there this year and accommodation prices will rocket. After the Cricket World Cup a couple of years ago the prices remained high for awhile. That's something to keep in mind.

shanagarry

janeybabe wrote: »

I have heard fantastic things about South Africa but the only thing is that the World Cup is on there this year and accommodation prices will rocket. After the Cricket World Cup a couple of years ago the prices remained high for awhile. That's something to keep in mind.

It's highly unlikely that prices will remain high once the world cup is over as it's off peak.

Another recommendation for South Africa here (I'm a bit biased as I live there!) but you really have the whole range depending on what you want - cosmopolitan city, beach, rural scenary, safari. Accommodation isn't that cheap (though the standard is excellent) but food and drink is a giveaway by Irish prices.

tomcollins97

Thanks for all the suggestions - I had looked at the Maldives as an option and also South Africa. To be honest, I hadn't thought of New Zealand and Istanbul never even crossed my mind! I have a lot of research to do!

Cheers,
Tom

messrs

Myself and my bf headed to Vegas for our 30th bdays - was amazing and an experience ill never forget, we spent xmas there, and Vegas on xmas day was cool, Stephens day took helicopter trip into Grand Canyon - something ill never forget and also ate in the Roof top revolving restaurant in the Strathsophere - 200 ft with glass windows, amazing view at nite time just revolving round and see the strip all light up - defo worth looking into

jester77

Have a look at Hawaii. Big Island has the active volcano, you can go to the top of Mauna Kea where all the observatories are and do a star tour, really cool and interesing, the island is also home to Kona coffee . Maui has some decent beaches, good surfing and the road to Hana is a great road trip through the rain forest. Kauai is quiet and relaxed and has some great scenery and treks that you can do and then Oahu for partying.

appleb

Travelled quite a bit. Been twice to South Africa (including Swaziland)... Really nice. Scenery fantastic. Prices reasonable.
New Zealand also one of my favourites... South Island def better than North.
What about China? Great Wall, Shanghai, Terracotta Army...all worth seeing.
What about Thailand? Cheap and cheerful. Head for the Islands. You could also take in Vietnam. Halong Bay a must see.
The list goes on.....
This is making me depressed. Heading back to work tomorrow after Christmas hols. Maybe I should just head to Dublin airport!!!

cfitz

tomcollins97 wrote: »

The problem is I don’t really have a clue what to do! I want it to be memorable, sort of a honeymoon without the wedding bit! So, a bit of info:

We are both 30
We like a bit of night life but nothing too mad.
I don’t want to lie on a beach for 2 or 3 weeks but a bit of that could be good.
Time of year doesn’t really matter but I would rather warm than cold
I would like to see something, something that I would never forget
I don’t want a very ‘rough’ trekking holiday but it doesn’t have to be luxurious
We both like wild animals but I’m not sure if I would be the safari type, Madagascar yes but I think there is unrest there at the moment!
Flight length is not a problem as long as what’s waiting is worth it
Lots of photo opportunities is a must
Must have the ‘WOW’ factor – I want to tell my grandkids about this!
I don’t want it to involve a lot of self-driving or a lot of time on a buss
Multi centre is an option we would consider.

I think visiting 2 different countries might suit you very well. That way you can suffer a bit of self-driving and travelling because it's often necessary in the places that give the biggest WOW factor but then you can spend the rest of the holiday in a more relaxed and luxurious environment.

I love wildlife, so I'd really recommend a safari plus you'll probably get plenty of other unforgettable memories from a trip to Africa. But if you know it's not really for you then it might not be the best use of your time and money.

If you were up for the challenge, India is full of sights and experiences (plus you can see wild tigers in Ranthambore). I often found India to be a struggle but if it's "unforgettable" you're looking for then it could be hard to beat.

One of my favourite trips was Morocco, visiting Marrakech, the Atlas mountains and the Sahara desert. You could do it comfortably in a week and a half then head to Cannes or St Tropez to recover!

youcancallmeal

I would recommend South Africa as well. Best way to do it would be self drive though, especially for the Garden Route.

Another option which I have met a few people doing when I was there was to go and visit Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania. Visit the Maasaii Mara in Kenya, Serengeti in Tanzania and hike the Gorillas in Uganda. A good package would mean you wouldnt have to suffer the road transport too much and could fly between the major cities. Top it all off with a week on the stunning beaches of Zanzibar.

Is your budget 4000 each or 4000 between you?

Dannyboi3k

youcancallme>al wrote: »

I would recommend South Africa as well. Best way to do it would be self drive though, especially for the Garden Route.

Another option which I have met a few people doing when I was there was to go and visit Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania. Visit the Maasaii Mara in Kenya, Serengeti in Tanzania and hike the Gorillas in Uganda. A good package would mean you wouldnt have to suffer the road transport too much and could fly between the major cities. Top it all off with a week on the stunning beaches of Zanzibar.

Is your budget 4000 each or 4000 between you?

Between them I'd imagine..

blue_morpho

tomcollins97 wrote: »

We are both 30
We like a bit of night life but nothing too mad.
I don’t want to lie on a beach for 2 or 3 weeks but a bit of that could be good.
Time of year doesn’t really matter but I would rather warm than cold
I would like to see something, something that I would never forget
I don’t want a very ‘rough’ trekking holiday but it doesn’t have to be luxurious
We both like wild animals but I’m not sure if I would be the safari type, Madagascar yes but I think there is unrest there at the moment!
Flight length is not a problem as long as what’s waiting is worth it
Lots of photo opportunities is a must
Must have the ‘WOW’ factor – I want to tell my grandkids about this!
I don’t want it to involve a lot of self-driving or a lot of time on a buss
Multi centre is an option we would consider.

I actually reactivated my account to answer your thread, your requirements just scream "Costa Rica" at me. It has tropical weather and some gorgeous beaches and some good nightlife in the beach areas, but it also has some things I will never forget seeing, like sleeping in a room with a view over an erupting volcano, or watching a massive thunderstorm with fork lightening in a cloud forest, or being woken up at 6.30 am in my jungle villa by monkeys jumping on the roof on the way down to hang out at the beach for the day, or feeding hummingbirds, or just sitting and watching bluebirds and blue morpho butterflies just flying past you, or sitting in a little private corner of a stunning hot springs resort at 10 o clock at night, or whitewater rafting through the Pacuare River in otherworldly scenery (waterfalls coming down the side of these mile-high gorges and splashing you as you float through on your raft) the list is endless, definitely plenty to boast to the grandkids about! We travelled around between volcano, beach, jungle, rainforest and cloud forest, stayed in some amazing luxurious accommodation and paid for all transfers and the whole holiday cost €3500. I could not recommend it highly enough, I still think about it all the time, it was the best holiday of my life by a long shot, it has everything on your list, trekking, heat, beautiful beaches, animals\wildlife, amazing photos, and definite WOW factor!

As you can probably guess I enjoyed the trip a lot PM if you want any info on accommodation, logistics etc. Some of the places I stayed if you want to look at them were

Arenal Observatory Lodge
Tabacon Resort
Buena Vista Villas and Casas Manuel Antonio Beach
Peace Lodge

Swindon

blue_morpho wrote: »

I actually reactivated my account to answer your thread, your requirements just scream "Costa Rica" at me. It has tropical weather and some gorgeous beaches and some good nightlife in the beach areas, but it also has some things I will never forget seeing, like sleeping in a room with a view over an erupting volcano, or watching a massive thunderstorm with fork lightening in a cloud forest, or being woken up at 6.30 am in my jungle villa by monkeys jumping on the roof on the way down to hang out at the beach for the day, or feeding hummingbirds, or just sitting and watching bluebirds and blue morpho butterflies just flying past you, or sitting in a little private corner of a stunning hot springs resort at 10 o clock at night, or whitewater rafting through the Pacuare River in otherworldly scenery (waterfalls coming down the side of these mile-high gorges and splashing you as you float through on your raft) the list is endless, definitely plenty to boast to the grandkids about! We travelled around between volcano, beach, jungle, rainforest and cloud forest, stayed in some amazing luxurious accommodation and paid for all transfers and the whole holiday cost €3500. I could not recommend it highly enough, I still think about it all the time, it was the best holiday of my life by a long shot, it has everything on your list, trekking, heat, beautiful beaches, animals\wildlife, amazing photos, and definite WOW factor!

As you can probably guess I enjoyed the trip a lot PM if you want any info on accommodation, logistics etc. Some of the places I stayed if you want to look at them were

Arenal Observatory Lodge
Tabacon Resort
Buena Vista Villas and Casas Manuel Antonio Beach
Peace Lodge

wow sounds amazing

househunter

For the budget you have I think South East Asia would be great. Thailand has great beaches but also exciting trekking, cities etc. Vietnam would be a great place to visit for 3 weeks and is easy to get around (also had some nice beaches). Cambodia and Laos would be more hard going in terms of transport etc. but I was there a few years ago so it may be easier now.

One of the best holidays I've had was in the US though. NY for a few days and then Colorado & Utah and Grand Canyon (camping road trip) and then finished in Vegas. Was abasolutely fantastic. Great weather (Sept) and amazing scenery plus loads of exciting things to do, like white water rafting, horse riding etc. plus all the city stuff too. It would definitetly be within budget too and internal flights are good value, plus the dollar is weak against the euro at the moment so good value for money. San Francisco and Yosemite also amazing and probably less driving. Plus you could include Vegas and Grand Canyon in that trip by adding a flight or 2

jester1980

I did an around the world trip a few years back and have recently been to Maldives and South Africa.

The 3 countries on my around the world trip that stood out where NZ and Argentina. Not sure it's what your looking for though as you have to trtavel to see the best of each country.

My honeymoon last year was in the Maldives for 7 nights on a big resort which had loads to do, the place is amazing, couldn't praise it enough.We travelled through Dubai so went on the way back for 5 nights and loved this as well. A little expensive but great place, has a mixture of great nightlife, relaxation and loads to do during the day.

Was in SA 5 years back and this was prob my fave country i've been too, we did the safri for 4 nights and then travelled the country taking in scenery, things to do and then alot of relaxation at the end.

When i was there laot of couples seemed to be doing safari for a few days and then heading to Mauitius, maybe look into that.

tomcollins97

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions – I now have loads to look at!

Costa Rica – it does look amazing. Might be on the expensive side but if planned well would definitely be worth it.

I have taken a look at Cuba as a way of combining some city culture along with beach relaxation. Possibly something similar in Mexico.

US – the more I think about this the more I like the idea of it. Though as only one of us drive and road trip wouldn’t really work.

India – I would love to see it but I really don’t think I would be able to cope with the poverty.

Lots of research ahead!

Dione

i totally agree with blue morpho, i went to Costa Rica for six months last year and had da most amazing amazing time, its def does tick all ur boxes and u will come bak with plenty of photos and memories to tell da grankids!!

manuel antonio is one of da best places to go, it has da no 1 national park in da country wit plenty of beaches and hiking and animals to see, da people are friendly

where ever u go i hope u have a great holiday and good luck choosin!!

Iused2likebusts

Did an around the world trip myself New Zealand and South America definetly the highlights. I would personally advise Brazil. British Airways currently doing return flights for 550. Rio is an amazing city with lots to see Christ the redeemer, Sugarloaf etc. Great nightlife and amazing beaches. There is a number of resorts outside Rio that you could get a bus to, I went to a place called Buzios probably the most romantic place Id ever been. Then you could get a flight to Iguassu Falls(where the Mission was filmed) on the border with Argentina its a massive waterfall in the rainforest unbelievable scenery. If your budget allowed top it all off with a trip to Buenos Aires a great city.

Four of a kind

Iused2likebusts wrote: »

Did an around the world trip myself New Zealand and South America definetly the highlights. I would personally advise Brazil. British Airways currently doing return flights for 550. Rio is an amazing city with lots to see Christ the redeemer, Sugarloaf etc. Great nightlife and amazing beaches. There is a number of resorts outside Rio that you could get a bus to, I went to a place called Buzios probably the most romantic place Id ever been. Then you could get a flight to Iguassu Falls(where the Mission was filmed) on the border with Argentina its a massive waterfall in the rainforest unbelievable scenery. If your budget allowed top it all off with a trip to Buenos Aires a great city.

whats the climate like in brazil/argentina during the July/august time of year? I know its their winter, but is it cold/dry?

Iused2likebusts

Four of a kind wrote: »

whats the climate like in brazil/argentina during the July/august time of year? I know its their winter, but is it cold/dry?

I was there in August myself, Buenos Aires for 5 days weather was like October in Dublin there was some rain, Rio was 25-30 and sunny most days over the course of 9 days, its just above the tropic of capricorn so the temperature rarely drops below 25. I think the average is about 8 days of rainfall a month.

tomcollins97

blue_morpho wrote: »

We travelled around between volcano, beach, jungle, rainforest and cloud forest, stayed in some amazing luxurious accommodation and paid for all transfers and the whole holiday cost €3500. I could not recommend it highly enough, I still think about it all the time, it was the best holiday of my life by a long shot, it has everything on your list, trekking, heat, beautiful beaches, animals\wildlife, amazing photos, and definite WOW factor!

As you can probably guess I enjoyed the trip a lot PM if you want any info on accommodation, logistics etc. Some of the places I stayed if you want to look at them were

Arenal Observatory Lodge
Tabacon Resort
Buena Vista Villas and Casas Manuel Antonio Beach
Peace Lodge

Hi blue_morpho,

Did you book a package or book everything yourself? The thought of arranging a complicated trip like that on my own seems quite daunting.

Cheers,
Tom

tomcollins97

Hi,

Has anyone been to Cuba for a city & beach holiday?

Any thoughts?

Cheers,
Tom

blue_morpho

It wasn't too bad to arrange at all, we booked flights with Continental from Dublin-San Jose via Newark. Once we had decided which parts of the country we wanted to go to we just booked the hotels using Tripadvisor and then used a bus service called Interbus which will transfer you from hotel to hotel around the country. We travelled around a lot while we were there and I was nervous beforehand, but actually it was very easy, people will go out of their way to help you and most Ticos we met had decent English.

PM if you want any more info