Travel advice requested ...

I'm hoping to take my folks on a week-long vacation someplace warm and tropical in the late summer/early fall. No passports, and they don't like flying so Hawaii is about the furthest I could convince them to go (though I don't plan on telling them much). Parents are in their 60s, with minor arthritis, so I'm not looking for hiking or paddlesurfing. Moreso just relaxing, wandering, shopping, eating, etc.

Friend of mine suggested US Virgin Islands. I was thinking Hawaii. Another friend suggested San Juan.

Anyone have any experience with any of those, or have any other ideas? I'd like to take them off the mainland/someplace they couldn't just drive to.

 

Hawaii is about as relaxing as it gets. Maui is less crowded than Honolulu; Big Island even less.

 

US Virgin Islands are OK if you get away from St. Thomas, which has problems with gang violence.

 

Ocho Rios or Montego Bay or Negril.

 

Hedonism II in Negril

 

Yeah, IJAG said she was looking for relaxing, wandering, shopping, eating.. and the rippin' and the tearin'. The rippin' and the tearin'.

 

Bermuda is all Britishy, so that makes it better!

 

We stayed at the Sandals next door to HedoII. It was a scary place. But Negril itself is awesome. Duty-free shopping rocks.

 

Problem with Virgin Islands or San Juan that time of year is that you are in hurricane season. It could be fine or you could end up in a hurricane or at least get the residual effects. If you want the Caribbean in the fall you have to go below the hurricane belt to an island like Aruba but that involves a passport.

Hawaii is the gold standard but flight is long.

I would look at San Diego - not tropical but petty nice that time of year.

 

IJAG, my kid honeymooned here and came back raving about it -- it's all-inclusive, very very clean, lots to do, and no kids.

http://www.secretsresorts.com/royal-beach-punta-cana

 

I'm not kidding: St. George Island, on the Florida Gulf Coast, southwest of Tallahassee and east of Destin. If all they want to do is relax -- and eat outstanding seafood on the Island or in nearby Apalachicola -- it's awesome. And dirt-cheap for nice condo rentals. It's old-school Florida, the way Key West and Lauderdale must have been 50 years agol.

Best place to check for rentals: http://www.resortvacationproperties.com/?ref=brand