Looking to book 5 nights in January. Looking for a tropical destination. Somewhere besides Mexico as we have been there several times. Total budget $5k - $6k

Turks & Cacaos has some great beaches

Also Paso Robles / Edna Valley if you like wines

+1 for Turks and Caicos (The Shore Club is probably closest to that range)

Would also add Belize and Panama.

My answer to this is always Costa Rica. While the beaches are not always white sand and crystal clear water, the pacific coast in Costa Rice is full of potential with excursions and January is a great time to travel there. My favorite destination is Playa Matapalo a few km south of Quepos. It is a great launching pad for some excursions and great if you want a beautiful beach for yourself and a few surfers.

If you go, stay away from Jaco. Prostitution is legal there and hookers and blow may not be your thing.

Whale watching, hiking, waterfalls, ziplining and relaxing are some of the January highlights near there.

Turks and Caicos is a great choice but it's on the more expensive side. A $5k to $6k budget seems a little tight if you want to stay somewhere nice and not pinch pennies on dining and other stuff. The mandatory government taxes and fees on lodging are +20% which doesn't help. St. John is a much more budget friendly option. Rent a villa with a pool and a Jeep and tour around all the amazing beaches and enjoy cocktails in the pool when you return in the afternoon. If you do St. John, try to include a private or group charter to BVI if you can. There are a lot of worthwhile options (Soggy Dollar, The Baths, The Caves, The Indians, The Willie T, Sandy Spit, Sandy Cay, etc.).

I've looked into St John and it looks beautiful and I like the idea of exploring the island. Any resorts you recommend or is the villa a more economical option? It is just 2 of us so thinking a resort would be better for us. We have been to Costa Rica a few times so looking for something different.

You can stay at Grande Bay Resort, it's right in town or the Westin but I think the Westin is still undergoing hurricane clean up. We like renting a villa but depends on your budget. It's a great island, rent a Jeep and beach hop.

We always do a villa so I don't know much about the resorts. When we took our kids for the first time, I recall villas being a more affordable option once everything was factored in. That was a long time ago though. Rental prices range pretty widely between villas but also between seasons. I really like Palm Hill Villa (location & views). There are tons of other options. If you do go the villa route, keep in mind that while it's a small island, the driving time from Coral Bay to Cruz Bay is about 30 minutes on winding, sometimes steep roads, and most of the restaurants and other activities are in Cruz Bay.

Any thoughts on Belize?

Hawaii

Looking at Punta Cana DR. Any resort recommendations?

maverick12 said:

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Turks and Caicos is a great choice but it's on the more expensive side. A $5k to $6k budget seems a little tight if you want to stay somewhere nice and not pinch pennies on dining and other stuff. The mandatory government taxes and fees on lodging are +20% which doesn't help. St. John is a much more budget friendly option. Rent a villa with a pool and a Jeep and tour around all the amazing beaches and enjoy cocktails in the pool when you return in the afternoon. If you do St. John, try to include a private or group charter to BVI if you can. There are a lot of worthwhile options (Soggy Dollar, The Baths, The Caves, The Indians, The Willie T, Sandy Spit, Sandy Cay, etc.).

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What about Casa de Campo? It's one of our favorites.

Surprised there's no recommendations for Aruba. Could easily stay in budget.

The Aruba resorts I looked at were pretty pricey. Any recommendations?

Belize:
- Turtle Inn or Alaia Belize

Logistics in Belize are a little more involved since most of the resorts required either ferry rides or a second plane ride to local air strips.

Aruba:
- Ritz Carlton

Punta Cana:
- St. Regis Cap Cana

These should all be right around the $5k - $6k number.

La Romana, DR.