My wife and I are looking for a vacation for our anniversary for just the two of us and I don't know where to start. We want to do something a little more then a typical vacation which is usually driving somewhere. The wife likes beaches but I get board sitting in the sun roasting all day so if its a beach type place, I'd like other things to do in addition to beach time. I'm thinking 4-5,000 for budget and not sure what that will get us. We do not have any travel rewards or points. Thanks.

When?

Summer time (June-August) is best as my wife works for the school district and has that time already off.

There are a lot of destinations that would meet both realization and more active adventures. One key thing to think about is flight time and transportation time once in destination. I would love to help navigate this anniversary trip for you both. My contact info is in bio

Lots of couples are looking for a mix in relaxation and adventure

Nothing wrong with the second option but do want some things to do. Museums and old stuff, hikes or day trips, fun places to eat...

Mhickerson09 said:

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Nothing wrong with the second option but do want some things to do. Museums and old stuff, hikes or day trips, fun places to eat...

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Getting closer. I assume you're in Texas? What metro area (airport/drive time).

How long, 1 week?

San Diego / La Jolla should meet your needs.

Otherwise, Vegas or South Beach Miami

Spend a few days at the Fontainebleau and you'll have a whole new outlook on life

I'm about two hours from the Denver airport. A week is about as long as we can do. Kids are still pretty young so don't want to be gone for to long.

Thanks for the suggestions. We've been to all of these places. I'd prefer to at least leave the continental 48.

Mhickerson09 said:

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I'm about two hours from the Denver airport. A week is about as long as we can do. Kids are still pretty young so don't want to be gone for to long.

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So international… for a week on a $5k budget in summer with no points/miles. I think you need to expand your budget or Mexico, Central America is likely your best option. Middle of summer could be miserable.

Alaskan cruise? Vancouver with a few side trips (Whistler, Victoria Island)?

Cabo could be nice and you could do a real nice resort on that budget.

Flights much farther are going to kill that budget.

Thanks, this is helpful to put perimeters on it.

Cabo or Tahoe.

I had thought Tahoe too but since he's in Colorado, mountain American vacation probably isn't it.

That being said, I did a couple trip to Tahoe and we had an absolute blast in the summer.

Hiking, rafting, beach, golf, great meals, awesome weather.

I love the Los Cabos idea...you can enjoy the beaches there but at most places you can't get in the ocean so I think that helps with getting out and exploring the area. That's a decent budget to stay at a nice resort and there is so much to do and see.

Not sure if you've been, but Hawaii might another option to consider. You might hit your max budget but a vacation to Kauai or The Big Island for exploring would be fun and there is sun and beaches too! I think you could do 5 or 6 nights there easily.

Reach out if you'd like any help planning or booking your trip! I'd love to help.

Thanks for the offer, I'll keep it in mind. Hawaii has been on our list. Cabo is added based on everyone's recommendations.

Thanks for the offer, I'll keep it in mind.

Costa Rica - It won't kill your budget, there is beach, adventure, rainforests, waterfalls, volcanoes, etc., etc.

Riviera Maya (Mexico) - In my opinion, there is more to do here outside of sitting by the beach/pool than say Cabo or PV.

Caribbean - BVI, USVI, Turks & Caicos. Pick an island, they're all great.

Happy Anniversary!

I will throw my recs out as well as the wife and I our celebrating out ten year this coming summer and we've been back and forth multiple times trying to decide what to do. We both enjoy the beach, but like you we get kind of bored after a day or two of just lying around. We enjoy walking the city, seeing sites, bar/restaurant hopping.

We finally decided on Savannah. Tons of places to eat/drink, explore various historical sites walking the city and you're close enough to Hilton Head and Tybee Island if you want to chill on a beach for a day.

Outside US, I'd say costa rica or belize as they provide beaches as well as other activities to do once there besides just lying around drinking in the sand.

Another rec that I'd think would be good is Boston. Great city for strolling around with historical sites everywhere, North End (little Italy), Fenway Park if you're into baseball, tons of good food all without ever needing a car.

HollywoodBQ said:

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San Diego / La Jolla should meet your needs.

Otherwise, Vegas or South Beach Miami

Spend a few days at the Fontainebleau and you'll have a whole new outlook on life

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I was at the Fontainebleau for an afternoon in Sept and I came back a changed man.

Roatan Honduras

snorkling beach time low key

San Diego/La Jolla
Hawaii
mid-beach Miami, FL (I'd not do South nor Fort Lauderdale)
Charleston
Could look at Naples or somewhere with a resort on the Southern gulf side
Cabo
Also lots of Caribbean Islands that you can have activities and also beach time

Matsui said:

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HollywoodBQ said:

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San Diego / La Jolla should meet your needs.

Otherwise, Vegas or South Beach Miami

Spend a few days at the Fontainebleau and you'll have a whole new outlook on life

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I was at the Fontainebleau for an afternoon in Sept and I came back a changed man.

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what was so good about it?

Matsui said:

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HollywoodBQ said:

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San Diego / La Jolla should meet your needs.

Otherwise, Vegas or South Beach Miami

Spend a few days at the Fontainebleau and you'll have a whole new outlook on life

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I was at the Fontainebleau for an afternoon in Sept and I came back a changed man.

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Also, if you've been to South Beach on a weekend, you'll never again believe that Blacks in America don't have money.

I was there in 2002 and saw some big 6'7"+ Black guys pull up in a Rolls Royce.
2014 - literally exactly the same thing at exactly the same spot on South Beach.
2019 - yep, you guessed it. Same thing again.
Felt like a video game where you go to the same spot and encounter the same characters every time.

I'd do Seward Alaska and the surrounding areas. Fly to Anchorage and take the train.

Stay at the Kenai Fjords Wilderness Lodge for a few days (it's all inclusive and the food when we were there was amazing)

https://www.alaskacollection.com/lodging/kenai-fjords-wilderness-lodge/

Or if you're up for something a little more rustic, stay here
https://orcaislandcabins.com/

AustinCountyAg said:

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Matsui said:

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HollywoodBQ said:

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San Diego / La Jolla should meet your needs.

Otherwise, Vegas or South Beach Miami

Spend a few days at the Fontainebleau and you'll have a whole new outlook on life

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I was at the Fontainebleau for an afternoon in Sept and I came back a changed man.

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what was so good about it?

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Fontainebleau in Miami is the same resort featured in James Bond Goldfinger back in 1964.
Obviously it's been remodeled and expanded since then.

Today, they've got like 7 different pools, a day club in one of the pools, a night club indoors, access to the beach, a nice bar near the beach, a great gym in case you want to work out.

Also, if you want to go further down to South Beach and try different restaurants, there's a free shuttle out front.

Basically, it's kind of like going to Vegas but without the gambling.

I was there for a company event and a few guys still managed to find a way to get themselves fired due to their out of control behavior.

Oh, one more thing. Women are required to wear a wrap over their swimsuits while walking through the lobby but.. covering up doesn't mean they have to wear an abaya (burqa if you like). Some of those wraps don't leave anything to the imagination.

Both my husband and I were blown away with the beauty in Whitefish Montana - we visited Glacier National Park - did a boat tour hung out at the fun bars in Whitefish and enjoyed Whitefish lake. There are also awesome golf courses nearby and plenty of hiking, rafting and good food.

Mhickerson09 said:

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Thanks for the suggestions. We've been to all of these places. I'd prefer to at least leave the continental 48.

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Well, you didn't specify leaving the Lower 48 in your original parameters now, did ya?

So, seriously, you also didn't specify the month so that could be a factor too.

My top 3 outside the Lower 48, without getting too crazy are:

• Cabo San Lucas - biggest decision is if you want to do an AI, stay close to Cabo itself or closer to San Jose del Cabo. Also, any excursions you want to do.
• Puerto Rico - I recommend getting out of San Juan and either going to the northwest corner (Rincon), or the northeast corner (Fajardo), or the southeast corner (Humacao)
• Alaska - There's a good resort 40 minutes outside of Anchorage - Alyeska. And I've gotta put in a plug for my former hometown of Valdez.

Frankly, it all sort of depends on what your appetite for adventure is.

You could work with a travel agent and do a package including all your transfers or, you could do what I do and make it up as you go along doing all the reservations yourself on the internet.

The only advice I'll share if you go to PR is, if you're using Air BnB or whatever, you're incentivized to stay in one place for many days due to the cleaning fees which are always like $200 regardless of whether you stay there for 2 days or 7 days.

Another thing to remember is, the more remote you go, fewer flights are available so you might have to make some concessions about how many days you stay based on flights.

My last trip to PR back in March, I had to skip staying in Miami for a few days during the World Baseball Classic because I couldn't get the flights to work out to my satisfaction (didn't want to connect through Philadelphia or Newark to fly between San Juan and Miami).

Wound up working out OK watching Team Rubio in bars/restaurants in Puerto Rico. Frankly, during the next WBC, I'm going back to Puerto Rico to watch the game with other Puerto Ricans.

csnole said:

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Both my husband and I were blown away with the beauty in Whitefish Montana - we visited Glacier National Park - did a boat tour hung out at the fun bars in Whitefish and enjoyed Whitefish lake. There are also awesome golf courses nearby and plenty of hiking, rafting and good food.

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Did Whitefish and Glacier National Park in July 2022.
It was amazing.
I also highly recommend the Thursday night Rodeo at Blue Moon Cafe in Columbia Falls.

Frankly, I wish I would have known about that place 20 years earlier.

Mhickerson09 said:

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Summer time (June-August) is best as my wife works for the school district and has that time already off.

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I'm a broken record, but Oregon coast:

• Cannon Beach / Manzanita / Depoe / Newport - beaches are very pretty and dramatic, lots of breweries (Pelican, Rogue, Buoy Beer, Public Coast) lots of old light houses, lots of hiking with pretty overlooks (Cape Falcon, Oswald, Hug Point, Ecola, Arcadia), including big waterfalls and even bigger old growth. Pick-up a OR Pinot in Cannon, start a fire near Haystack and watch the sunset - you'd be the GOAT husband.
• Once you're tired of the beach, head east an hour back to the valley and wine tour: McMinnville, Newberg, Yamhill, Carlton, Dundee, Dayton, Amity. Fancy restaurants like Okta ( https://www.tributaryhotel.com/gallery ). You get bored drinking wine, head to Silver Falls and hike 10 waterfalls in one loop ( https://www.friendsofsilverfalls.net/waterfalls-of-silver-falls ).

Soo many great ideas!! Love reading this!

Costa Rica is amazing! Not sure if it would work with budget but lots to do and see with beaches and jungle.

Ahh Oregon coast! I still talk about my trip there a few years ago and wish I could go back.

While not prime season of fall

Maine, Price Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland is amazing

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions. I've got a lot of research to do now.

Based on all OPs parameters I think Costa Rica is a great option.