Your Next Vacation Destination.....?

Just got back from Cuba. Havana and went rock climbing in Viñales.

Sitting out for the summer - don’t like to travel in hot weather :lol

Sending daughter off to Japan for her trip.

Might go to Cali in October for the Game of Throne experience...

Preparing for Disney Cruise in November...

Deciding now for December/New years Peru (solo trip - windsuit, hiking and rock climbing) or religious trip Mecca, Israel, Jordan (my 40th with my dad)...

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Any recommendations for Guadalajara? Heading down there with the fam for 10 days to scope it out for possible relocation in the near future. :hat

Thinking about busing it over to Puerto Vallarta for 4 or 5 days, too. Figure if we’re that close to the beach, it’s a must.
 
Think I about Puerto Rico in August. Any suggestions? Flights are kinda high right now so I'm tracking it on Google
 
So, the end of my DR vacation... got stopped by a dog in customs, had me and my mother's carry on bags searched, and I know they searched my check in bag too because one of my shoe trees from my Concords wasn't put back inside the shoe. They confiscated my souvenir hat, which they said might have mites and that I should wash my hair soon as I get home :|. After doing the digital passport thing at customs I got in the wrong long, which was actually longer, one of the customs agents told me to get int he other line so I did, then another lady comes running up to me like I did something wrong. I told her I was just told by another worker to get in this line and she cut me off like LET ME DO MY JOB. I wanted to cuss her *** out right then and there because I was already aggravated, and of course she had to be a sista. Ugh. At least I don't have to work until Saturday.
 
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Thinking of the Amalfi coast in August/September

Post your research here if you want... because I want to do a similar trip at a similar time frame.

To get there, you have to fly into Naples first, and you should book a private car that takes you from the airport to Positano (the main part of Amalfi Coast). I used Naples Airport Transfers. There are cheaper methods but they take forever (train+bus combo) or only go at certain times of the day (ferry from Naples+bus)

It's a beautiful area, but I have to warn you, it gets extremely crowded on the beach not just because of all the couples, but because of all the aspiring Z list Instagram models. They're literally a plague out there, and they take up at least 30% of all the available chairs on the beach and spend hours taking selfies there. So if you want to get good pictures in, hit the beach early. My friends and I went to the beach from 8 AM-10 AM so it was pretty empty

Food Is just OK there and is priced and aimed towards tourists. You're mostly paying $$$ for drinking wine with some great views in the background, which is fine; that's what my friends and I aimed to do anyway.

For AirBnBs, if you don't mind taking a shuttle back and forth from the beach, I'd recommend staying in the more local area up in the Hills (it takes around 10 mins to get from there to the tourist area). You can get spots there with balconies, pools, etc. overlooking the entire coast, which is why we chose one of those instead of staying near the beach

Overall it's a great area to visit; we just thought that 1.5-2 days there were enough to get the most out of it
 
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To get there, you have to fly into Naples first, and you should book a private car that takes you from the airport to Positano (the main part of Amalfi Coast). I used Naples Airport Transfers. There are cheaper methods but they take forever (train+bus combo) or only go at certain times of the day (ferry from Naples+bus)

It's a beautiful area, but I have to warn you, it gets extremely crowded on the beach not just because of all the couples, but because of all the aspiring Z list Instagram models. They're literally a plague out there, and they take up at least 30% of all the available chairs on the beach and spend hours taking selfies there. So if you want to get good pictures in, hit the beach early. My friends and I went to the beach from 8 AM-10 AM so it was pretty empty

Food Is just OK there and is priced and aimed towards tourists. You're mostly paying $$$ for drinking wine with some great views in the background, which is fine; that's what my friends and I aimed to do anyway.

For AirBnBs, if you don't mind taking a shuttle back and forth from the beach, I'd recommend staying in the more local area up in the Hills (it takes around 10 mins to get from there to the tourist area). You can get spots there with balconies, pools, etc. overlooking the entire coast, which is why we chose one of those instead of staying near the beach

Overall it's a great area to visit; we just thought that 1.5-2 days there were enough to get the most out of it

Thanks. Any other spots instead of the Amalfi coast that you recommend?

I've seen incredible pics from beaches / water in Sardegna and Sicily, but don't know if they are any more/less crowded or worth the extra hassles to get to (ferry I assume?).
 
Thanks. Any other spots instead of the Amalfi coast that you recommend?

I've seen incredible pics from beaches / water in Sardegna and Sicily, but don't know if they are any more/less crowded or worth the extra hassles to get to (ferry I assume?).

I haven't been to other beach areas in Southern Italy, but I do know there are ferries that go from Positano to other nearby islands/beaches. To get to Sicily, taking a ferry would take far too long. You'd have to take a one-two hour shuttle bus to a different town and then take a ferry that'll take a day to get down there. It's better just to take fa flight to Sicily from Naples
 
I just spoke to someone that went to the Amalfi Coast. He said the best tip about the trip is to not drive and try and go by boat. He said the roads are just insane and takes way too long.
 
Highly recommend Costiera Amalfitana. As sfc415 sfc415 mentioned, the easiest way is flying through Napoli, which is worth the stop for pizza alone. Positano is the biggest tourist lure, we've all seen the stunning cliffside images from IG. Amalfi is the transit hub. Many tourist buses go through there, serving as a switch point to Ravello, etc. Ravello is my favorite town in the entire Costiera Amalfitana. Hidden gem because it's difficult to reach and less-talked about compared to Positano. Villas Cimbrone and Rufolo are spectacular to see, with majestic views. Best limoncello I've had in my life. Many of their dishes inspired with lemon influence. Ravioli, etc.

Some like to stay in Sorrento as a base to visit the Amalfi Coast. I believe there's a fairly convenient train from Napoli to Sorrento. Hotel rooms are significantly cheaper, but you obviously lose the magnificent views of the sea. The public Sita buses take approximately 45 minutes to reach Positano. About 80 minutes to Amalfi, if you want to switch buses to go deeper, into Ravello.

If you want to go the honeymoon, romantic route, you can rent a car for the most privacy and best views. I warn you, the roads are extremely narrow and winding. Car traffic understandably moves slowly. Not for the faint of heart or those prone to motion sickness. The more common route is to hire a car service. I recall a direct Benz from Napoli Airport to Positano running near 120 euros last summer. I finagled the price down to 100 euros with some aggressive negotiation. It's in the range of 150-160 euros for the same service all the way to Ravello.

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Forgot to mention, there are also ferry options from Sorrento to Positano, and I believe Amalfi too. Takes over an hour for the former route. During peak season, there's two ferry lines that run like 14 times each per day. I would do my best to avoid the absolute peak times, unless you have the patience to deal with hordes of tourists.

Capri is worth the visit by boat regardless of where you opt to stay in Costiera Amalfitana. For the grottos. Food prices are jacked up significantly, don't be surprised.
 
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Im curious to what type of travelers some
of you all are..

Luxury (Hotel) / Tourist - Resort
Independent planned Explorer - researcher with Airbnb
Backpacker - winging it with hostel or figuring it out when you get there
 
Last tidbit on Costiera Amalfitana: If any of you do opt to visit Positano, DO NOT stay at Marincanto. The worst customer service I've experienced in all of Europe, for 350 euros nightly. Paid for a suite to surprise my girl. Food in the hotel was beyond awful. Tasted like a frozen TV dinner you'd cop from the grocery store. No flavor in the sauces. Served warm beer when I asked for a Chimay. Their response, "We don't have Chimay prepared cold because clients don't order it often enough." Ordered breakfast delivered to our room and found hairs inside. Gross. I'm well aware Positano as a whole has a moderate ant problem, but Marincanto was extreme. The pool was nice, only positive thing I can say about this falsely branded four-star establishment. Avoid at all costs. I'm an overwhelmingly positive person but this had to be said.
 
this deal too good to pass up

https://slickdeals.net/f/13113574-l...-on-delta-klm-be-limited-travel-sept-dec-2019

La to Madrid for 290 roundtrip

I paid that price to go to ****in atl last month lol

Im curious to what type of travelers some
of you all are..

Luxury (Hotel) / Tourist - Resort
Independent planned Explorer - researcher with Airbnb
Backpacker - winging it with hostel or figuring it out when you get there

Independent planned Explorer - researcher with Airbnb fo sho
like to get in a couple Michelin star restaurants and get a nice Airbnb close to everything
 
Im curious to what type of travelers some
of you all are..

Luxury (Hotel) / Tourist - Resort
Independent planned Explorer - researcher with Airbnb
Backpacker - winging it with hostel or figuring it out when you get there

Depends on the trip and how I'm traveling (group/couple/solo).
- My first solo travels to Central and South America were hostels. Thought it was good to meet other travelers. If I was in a place that wasn't a major city, that's the only option that was available anyway. These were also nicer hostels.
- I rarely do a pure relaxation trip, but if I do, I'm usually getting a nice luxury hotel or staying at an all-inclusive resort to feel pampered.
- If I'm traveling with a group of friends or traveling for a music festival etc., we'll just get a huge airbnb so everyone's comfortable with the budget.
 
Independent planned Explorer - researcher with Airbnb fo sho
like to get in a couple Michelin star restaurants and get a nice Airbnb close to everything

This how I'm doing Japan in the fall.

Want to hit up a Michelin star restaurant as my last lunch or dinner there
 
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