Vacation Spots

[DESERT RAT]

Does anyone have any recommendations on a really good place to go on vacation? Im thinking secluded Island in the Pacific! Anyone have any really great vacation spots, that you have been too and absolutley loved? Nothing, like Disneyland or Las Vegas, Preferrably out of the U.S., secluded, R/R with cocktails, hiking, and outdoor, cruises, flying to a foriegn country, something along those lines. If you have a place please include any info like Phone#'s , Travel agents, Rates, anything that would help, would be appreciated. Been married 10 yrs and have not taken a vacation, we are due!

[Your Mentor]

One of the best kept secrets is the affordability of vacationing in Puerto Rico and the surrounding Virgin Islands. A great little place is Vieques Island, a former US Navy bombing range. Now's the time, the hurricane season is coming to an end and temperatures will better. It's old world beauty although the surrounding poverty is daunting. Staying at one of the resorts is affordable and quite luxurious.

I would have suggested staying at the Furnace Creek Inn but that wouldn't be a vacation for you.

[retchp]

Mentor beat me to it Dang Him:mad:...If I could go anywhere in the world on a vacation I would go to Death Valley between Jan and April. If I could afford it I would stay at Furnace Creek. I usually stay at Stovepipe when I go there though.
By the way Rat, I love your Avatar. I assume you see yourself as Napolean Dynamite? I have seen that movie about six times. I love it.

Hawaii is very nice this time of year. I recommend a multi Island tour starting and ending on Oahau, with some time spent on a less populate island.

[dw]

Mentor beat me to it Dang Him:mad:...If I could go anywhere in the world on a vacation I would go to Death Valley between Jan and April. If I could afford it I would stay at Furnace Creek. I usually stay at Stovepipe when I go there though.


What??? I thought we were staying at Rat's pad! ;)

[propeller26]

Went to an all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic (Punta Cana) last year and had a blast. Everything is included so it takes away a lot of the stress, knowing that you have already paid for the trip beforehand. The water was great, about 80 degrees and had unlimited visibility for diving. I heard there are great deals following this hurricane season, as they are trying to get the tourist back. I checked Yahoo and Orbitz the other day and found deals including airfare from LAX from $1200-2000 per person, pretty reasonable. Let me know if you need more info.

[DESERT RAT]

RETCHP: My area office has a board with all the Officer's pictures and badge#'s, well someone put Napolean's Pic with my Badge # and name on the board, so it kinda stuck with me. Could have been worse, the new transfers got Larry,Moe,Curly.

DW- you can stay at my pad, Im taking all of July off , so since you will be here you can cover my shift, Hope you dont mind HOT cocktails, HOT - Euro-Fatals on Harley's, Hot sweaty wet spots on shirt, did I mention it is HOT here?

Prop26- Do you have a website or phone # and do you know if the weather is good in July?

[propeller26]

Do you have a website or phone # and do you know if the weather is good in July?


Check out www.debbiesdominicantravel.com, I think that is the correct site, if not, its something close to that.

[bcjack]

I went to Ocho Rios Jamaica last year. Stayed at the Renaissance Jamaica Grand Resort, an all-inclusive facility Tons of fun and not too expensive. $1500 for two of us, for one week.

(www.renaissancehotels.com and 876 974 2201, or 800 228-989:cool:. :biggrin:

[medic101]

My wife and I had the opertunity to go to Costa Rica a couple of years ago. It is incredibily beautiful with ocean beaches on both sides (pacific and carribean). There are also rain forrests inland. Very nice people and clean.

[pupdog]

Islands? Bah! My favorite place is, heehee (seriously) pretty much anywhere on YOUR beat! The Whites are definitly CA's best kept secret. Whitney is a favorite summer dayhike of mine, those lava falls are pretty remarkable, and I've passed many hours just sitting at Fr. Crowley's overlook, beholding (what's the chances of getting the Bishop office right out of the academy/how long does it take to get assigned there?)
Seriously...I've not been (my island getaway is lovely Catalina, but there's a triathlon involved...all work & play), but my boyfriend recently went to Samoa (both) with a friend and is itching to go back. Extremely affordable, lots of amazing diving to be done, fantastic people & culture, just don't drink the 'kava' unless you want numb lips & a bellyache. Instead of the usual hotel, you either stay with a family or in these beach huts...true island experience! He hasn't stopped raving about fresh young coconut, or the locals challenging them to climb trees to pick them! It's very non-touristy, you're really involved with the people, and just beautiful.

[bcjack]

Costa Rica must be fairly nice...I know of about a dozen firefighters that have retired and moved there. One guy is forming a volunteer fire department in his town as it has grown from just a few hundred to nearly 1,500. I personally don't know much about it...But they say it is great...

[Your Mentor]

Pupdog,
You'd be surprised how often a cadet gets the Bishop Area office. Desert Rat, like myself, did just that. I went to Lone Pine out of the Academy along with a fellow cadet (she's still there). I transfered into the main area seven months later and out to Death Valley a year and a half after that. There are four people in the Bishop office who went there out of the Academy and I know of two others who later transfered out. It's an expensive area to live but it is a great beat to patrol.

[Darth Choke]

Hey I am sure it does not sound as exotic and luxuriou but...

Catalina is a GREAT get-away for 3-4 days. Relaxing and mellow. There is a lot to do if you want, or just stroll around Avalon and relax.

[not5150]

If you really want something exotic, pick Tokyo or Thailand.

I've been to both places and they are a hoot. Your dollar will go VERY far in Thailand and you'd be surprised how cheap you can get things in Japan.

Of course the plane ticket is going to run you about $550 to $800 RT.

[pupdog]

I can't imagine giong to a place like Tokyo for a vacation. The population density is insane! Of course, Desert Rat would be coming from a placewhere it's insane the opposite way, so maybie that's good for him. For that matter, we should ship him to somewhere cold!
Have you considered Australia? It's an island, and there's nowhere like Tasmania!

[Tom]

OK - being a Navy vet and being stationed here on the west coast for almost 10 years I'll give you my detailed listings and descriptions of the far eastern travel locations -

Tokyo (anywhere in japan) -Stinks
Guam - Stinks
Hong Kong - OK, but it was in the British empire then
South Korea - OK (good place for tennis shoes!)
Thailand - rocks!
Phillipines - Stinks
Australia -rocks!

There you have it straight out of the travel books!!!!

Tom

[Ray1]

Woohoo, I would go with Tom and pupdog on this one. There will never be a place that compares to Sydney or Perth in Australia. I dont know how many times I have looked forward to those places on my 2 deployments. Hell, I dont think you could do everything there is to do in Sydney if you tried. There are real affordable airfares and hotels going there too. Seriously, I would really recommend going there if you are into traveling. Ray

[pupdog]

I had a HORRIBLE experience in Sydney! Getting there was all the fun. I came by sea aboard the 'Sprit of Tasmania' (flew to Melbourne, the Hobart, stayed in Tassie with my sister awhile, then off to the mainland). AWESOME! You can see the harbour bridge from WAY out at sea! Got some great pictures from the ship. We went under the bridge & donced at Circular Quay. Fun ended getting int he car. Driving on the left is already hair raising (I'd already had a few close calls) but the traffic patterns in sydney are nuts. To make a right turn (left/cross traffic to us) you get into a turn pocket in the far LEFT lane and wait at the stop sign! I arrived on Easter sunday, which is a big everything's closed day in Oz. No worries, mate, I was in a camper van, right? Well, that INCLUDED parking lots! Not even hotels or, yes, I swear, the hospital, had their parking garages open! Finally found one with it's gate up, and wow, it was dark in there! Turns out it was closed too, someone had forgotten to shut the gate, and the place was full of panicing tourists who were stuck! I had an idea...anyone tried manually lifting the bar? We all got out. Finally found a spot on the street by the domain, but the meter wanted $5.75 an hour! Seeing as I'd come thousands of miles to visit, I was actually ok with that, but who's got that kinda change, and where to get change? Wound up driving over the bridge just to get change, space was miraculously still there when I got back. 2 hours of daylight left, so I RAN to see all the opera house & bridge. That opera house was just amazing. Truly! Got on the highway & headed for Canberra then, but didn't get far since night driving is NOT advised in Oz due to how many animals are jumping around.
Something neat they do there for highway safety on holiday weekends...PDs & fire depts. gather up volunteers who give FREE COFFEE at as many exits as they can cover! It's paid for by donations they gather while everyone's having a cuppa.

[not5150]

Different strokes for different people.

If you expect things to compare with the USA, then yes Japan will probably be a bad vacation spot. But I tell you the place was one of the most relaxing spots for me (well other than sipping a Coke and a Thailand beach).

Yes the place is darn crowded... but you actually get used to it after a day. Oh, being able to take a stroll at 3AM without any fear of being mugged is pretty nice too.

Good tip for a vacation... just block out a week and go to someplace exotic. Don't make a hard schedule for the day/night.. just wander around. Then there isn't that time pressure of "OMG I have to get there".

Oh since you are married, women LOVE the vacation planning probably more than the actual vacation. They like getting all the travel books and brochures.

[Tom]

Absolutely Not5150,

Different strokes for different folks. My travel advise WAS NOT sanctioned by Zagats:cool:

Everybody likes different things.

Tom

[PharmGirl]

OK - being a Navy vet and being stationed here on the west coast for almost 10 years I'll give you my detailed listings and descriptions of the far eastern travel locations -


Phillipines - Stinks


There you have it straight out of the travel books!!!!

Tom

Navy brat here.....I was born in the Phillippines...Sangley Point actually...always wondered what it was like there...thanks for the info LOL

[not5150]

Wohoo... going back to Thailand in mid-February. Ten days of well deserved vacation.

Now the tough part is picking Bangkok, Chiang Mai or the beach.

Plane ticket just over $700 (RT)

[Lucky Seven]

Well Rat, I personally am counting the days until I can take vacation and head for DV. (RP can't take vacations here from Dec to end of March).

Anywhere on the 395 corridor, out of state RVing (Oregon, Washington, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, etc).

Other then RVing within the US my choice would be Maui or one of the other islands. Decent dive conditions, decent food, great weather, nice scenery.


My .02 cents.

:smile:

[redhead]

Plane ticket just over $700 (RT)Cathay Pacific??

[not5150]

Plane ticket just over $700 (RT)Cathay Pacific??

No... EVA Air. Although Cathay Pacific, China Air (aka Death Airlines) and Korean Air (aka Death Airlines Squared) are in the same price range.

I like EVA Air to Thailand because they have an LAX flight that departs at 11:30 PM. That means I can work a whole day and then leave for the airport. At that hour, I'll be very tired and get a little bit of sleep.

The flight lands around 1 PM in Bangkok and you have most of the day left to do stuff.

All the other flights land at 2AM and it takes 1 1/2 hours to clear customs and make it to your hotel.

[redhead]

Thank you for the info. EVA does have some nice flights compared to Cathay.

[redhead]

I like EVA Air to Thailand.....
Have you heard of Ko Lipe?
And where do you normally go? Ko Samui is overrun now from all accounts and Ko Phangan is right behind Samui in being over taken by the Ozzies and Kiwis from what I understand.

[not5150]

I hate to admit it... but I've never been past Bangkok and Pattaya. Maybe this trip I'll try out Chiang Mai.

Pattaya has an OK beach, but you really wouldn't want to swim in the water. The islands, from what I hear, are much better.

I just looked at the exchange rate at the dollar is slipping a little against the Thai Baht... it's now 39.3 baht per dollar. I've gone on trips where the exchange was 44 to a dollar.

[MW]

Isn't the Pioneer Point Inn (Resort) in Trona still open?

Ha ha !!

[redhead]

I hate to admit it... but I've never been past Bangkok and Pattaya. Maybe this trip I'll try out Chiang Mai.

Pattaya has an OK beach, but you really wouldn't want to swim in the water. The islands, from what I hear, are much better.

I just looked at the exchange rate at the dollar is slipping a little against the Thai Baht... it's now 39.3 baht per dollar. I've gone on trips where the exchange was 44 to a dollar.Hey 5150, are you back, or still over there?

I just booked my flight on EVA for the 16th of March. I will be on the ground in Thailand for 10 days. I plan on flying to Bangkok and then that same day down to Samui. From Samui, I will be heading up to Koh Tao by boat. I am very excited about this, and hopefully it will give me that much needed vacation that my brain needs. AS well, I plan on getting my Diving Cert over there. Since I have not heard any word from my BI, I know I am not making the March 6th academy, and the vacation was booked.

First time I have a had a true week off of work since August of 2002.

Oh, and I am doing this all alone, first time to Asia too :smile:

[not5150]

I just booked my flight on EVA for the 16th of March. I will be on the ground in Thailand for 10 days. I plan on flying to Bangkok and then that same day down to Samui. From Samui, I will be heading up to Koh Tao by boat. I am very excited about this, and hopefully it will give me that much needed vacation that my brain needs. AS well, I plan on getting my Diving Cert over there. Since I have not heard any word from my BI, I know I am not making the March 6th academy, and the vacation was booked.

First time I have a had a true week off of work since August of 2002.

Oh, and I am doing this all alone, first time to Asia too :smile:

Yes got back a few days ago and jetlagged to all hell....

I suggest that you spend 1-2 days in BKK first before heading to Samui... You will be thrashed from the plane flight and those two days will give you time to decompress.

Book your hotels now!!! When I landed I didn't have any reservations and it was the second time in a row that I did it. Luckily, I have a thai mobile phone and phone numbers of most of the major hotels. It's now the "cool" season and most of the hotels are full.

I'll be posting full reviews (on another website) with mucho pictures of all the hotels I stayed at.

[redhead]

I suggest that you spend 1-2 days in BKK first before heading to Samui... You will be thrashed from the plane flight and those two days will give you time to decompress..
I was going to do this, but the flight to Samui leaves about 4 hours after I land and I figured, whats another 1 hour flight after 19. And then I can relax/sleep/recover on beach instead of a city. ;)

How long did it take you to clear customs in BKK?

PM me the link of your other write up when you get that done!

[not5150]

I dunno... After that flight I really wouldn't want to do another flight, but that's just me. Bangkok is one hell of a city to pass up.

Takes about about 1 1/2 hours to clear immigration, grab your bags and clear customs.

Bring your own pen and fill out the immigration form on the plane. For some strange reason, there are no pens at any of the counters before immigration.

[redhead]

I dunno... After that flight I really wouldn't want to do another flight, but that's just me. Bangkok is one hell of a city to pass up.

Takes about about 1 1/2 hours to clear immigration, grab your bags and clear customs.

Bring your own pen and fill out the immigration form on the plane. For some strange reason, there are no pens at any of the counters before immigration. I will be heading back to BKK and will spend a day there before my flight home. Thanks for the info!

[redhead]

jsut wanted to check in and say hello from Thailand. It is so beautiful, as my avatar shows. Hope all is well stateside, and will post pics when back home.

Best

r


www.kohtao.com << island I am on right now

[Cameron]

Oh, I'm jealous... enjoy yourself, man.

[DESERT RAT]

Well, I started vacation back on June 1st. Man..... Of course no vacation is complete without visiting murphys law for a time. Yeah you guessed it, right smack in the middle of my vacation I got scheduled for a felony trial. And of course no continuance. So, I wait and wait and wait and wait and of course the night before court the DA calls and lets me know the guy pleaded guilty and took a year...."No court"! So, I stuck around the area for no reason. I could have been gone!

Well, anyway I have spent the last week up at June lake, WOW! Good fishing and really pretty area. Went fishing out on a boat for two days.... lets just say the next toy will be a boat, my wife and kids are sold on boats, so it should be easy to get the big boss "Momma" to sign off on it. Next week I will be heading to Yellowstone for 3 weeks during 4th of July. I recently bought a fifthwheel toyhauler, man it is cool. I dont think I will ever tent camp again. Well, to all my Brothers & Sisters out there, stay safe, keep up the good work, and please GOD, let the 415d be gone when I get baaaack!

[not5150]

Nice Desert Rat.

I just came back from yet another trip to Thailand and Taiwan. One week in Taiwan for business (convention) and then spent one week in Thailand (BKK/Pattaya) on vacation. Spent two days afterwards in Taipei for some sightseeing that I didn't get to do during the convention.

I'm slowly populating my Flickr gallery with pictures - http://www.flickr.com/photos/43554726@N00/

[ten2go]

desert rat:

I also have a fifth wheel camper and am looking to go to, among other places, Yellowstone. Never been there. Can you tell me the best sites to camp at? My wheel is 40' long and needs a little breathing room. Any info would help, thanks

[Tiredmotor]

Most Federal parks have a 29' limit on trailers nowadays...be sure to do you're research prior to leaving. I have a 34' toy-hauler and I am extremely limited in most fed parks I have come across.

[DESERT RAT]

Hey 10togo, Search google for West Yellowstone Grizzly RV park. They are right outside of the Park or try any KOA , so far I have stayed in 2 KOA's and they have been really nice. Make sure you call really far in advance,(Months) or you wont get a spot. Right now I am in Teton Village KOA and it is sweet, they have WiFI and the sites are really nice. In two days I will be at Grizzlys for 3 weeks, so I will update you. Man, wouldn't you know it. My 9 yrs old son pulled a 3lb rainbow trout yesterday in ELY, Nevada. I haven't caught anything worth bragging about. If you wanna stay in the parks they have accomodations for your 40' er. The hardest part is reserving your spot. So, if you are planning on going within the next 5 months, you better call now.

Well gotta go, Momma and the two Hobbits are waiting for a game of RUMMY!

[makakona]

i hate this thread. i turn absolutely green every time i read it! :smile:

we're june lake folk. we stay there frequently and have for years with our family. in fact, after my husband's graduation, my dad swiped my husband's truck and spent a week meandering south, hitting the lakes and rivers before settling in at june lake. it was never a huge sacrifice for my husband to live apart from us for six months, thanks to the great fishing near the academy. he kept his float tube and waders in his truck and locker and was set each weekend!

i think the navy and chp conspired against us to ruin our big yellowstone trip last year. we had anticipated him being ctc iii-05 and had planned a huge extended family vacation to yellowstone in between his military separation and entering the academy. my husband was crushed (he's never been, though i've been a dozen times), but it did allow us to spend his 60 days of saved leave island-hopping and visiting maui, moloka'i, big island, and kaua'i. not too shabby.

we do "real" camping, haha, so if anyone's ever interested in tenting at yellowstone, i recommend madison. there's a great spot on the back, as secluded as you can get in a campsite, right where the gibbon river turns into the madison. lovely!

my dad hasn't had much luck lately, but caught a 15 pound rainbow trout recently, in lake jennings in san diego, of all places. lyons and o'haver mounted it for him and he... gave it to my mom as a birthday present. :rolleyes: must be love, eh?

[makakona]

stupid double posts...

[bigj]

Ive been to Hong Kong and to the Philippines. Both places I like, however I prefer the Phils, (I know I may be strange :rolleyes::biggrin:) If you can get past the humidity, pollution, and can stay away from some of the slum areas of Manila, it can actually be a wonderful place to go. Go beyond the Metro area to some of the Provinces, and you can really experience the culture. Baguio City in the Northern part is actually the coolest part of the islands. Its also one of the cleanest cities there. About 90 % of the locals are extremely nice. (the other 10% might try to rip you off :lol:) Your dollar goes a long way as well. A taxi ride across the city will only cost you about .75 cents to a dollar, depending on what city you are in, and a 32 pack of beer is less than 5 bucks. Batangas and Boracay Island are extremely popular tourist spots. Nice beaches, snorkeling, etc etc. But Im more of a drink the local beer, eat the local food and mingle with the locals type of person I guess. So I try to stay away from the major tourist areas. So I guess it depends on what type of vacation your looking for. I like to learn about local culture by roughing it. :biggrin: Again just a personal preference. Stay away from Mindanao? :noidea: Ive never been there, but Ive heard its dangerous. :think:

[Yzeman]

... but caught a 15 pound rainbow trout recently, in lake jennings in san diego, of all places.

A 15lb rainbow in LAKE JENNINGS!!??...are you sure it wasn't a sucker fish that someone painted up?:biggrin:

If anybody's looking for a nice place to camp....IN CALIFORNIA...I would suggest the Robinson Creek Campground in Bridgeport...IMHO there is no other place, outside of Yosemite, that comes close in beauty. If you plan far enough in advance, you can get a spot right on the creek...VERY NICE!, and the hikes are amazing!! You are in the shadow of the east border of Yosemite, and there are tons of day hikes that can take you to some of the most beautiful high elevation lakes around! I would also suggest a short drive to the Lake/Mt. Emma trailhead...when you get there, you will own the lake...and the lake is kept full by a spring that flows right out of the side of the mountain....and the water coming out of the spring tastes better than the best cold beer I've ever had....and I've had a few!!

Just my two cents.