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Hawaii vs. San Juan, PR or any other vacation suggestion
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shopdrop




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Dec 27 2011, 6:20 pm
DH and I (without kids) are thinking of going on vacation in February for 5-10 days. I was thinking about Hawaii or San Juan or really anyplace in the Caribbean, possibly a cruise. A minyan is not a must. I would love someplace adventurous, fun, and sightseeing. I'm not looking so much for just sitting around and relaxing. I would appreciate any suggestions as to what place you would choose to go, and any information regarding what to do there as well? Also where in Hawaii would you suggest to stay?

Thanks for any information!!
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sky




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Dec 27 2011, 6:48 pm
life'sgreat wrote about San Juan here : http://www.imamother.com/forum.....art=0

I always remeber it because I dream of going. Maybe one day...
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yitta25




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Dec 27 2011, 6:55 pm
I would recommend a cruise. Very adventurous if you want. Kosher food, and you get to go to a couple of places in one week.
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rain




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 28 2011, 12:07 am
hawaii is my dream!!
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life'sgreat




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 28 2011, 12:32 am
I absolutely loved PR! Everything about it was just wondrous. If minyan isn't an issue, you can travel farther out and have some awesome sites and amazing places. But if I'd have the option to do Hawaii, I'd do that in a heartbeat. I haven't been to Hawaii, but if either are options, I'd opt for Hawaii first.
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justforfun87




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 28 2011, 1:57 am
Ok so we went to PR this past summer. I never have travelled before so it was quite a treat for me. I will say a few things. Yes PR is beautiful if you rent a car and travel out. There is def things to do there between culture and nature. On the other hand we spent way too long there, a week. I think if you were to go then 4-5 days is all you need. We rented an apt which also took away the appeal of a vacation since it was small and dinky. It was mid summer so the weather was scorching hot, limiting a lot of day time activities. It was a really nice vacation but I am assuming Hawaii is a million times better. Puerto rico on other hand is inexpensive to get to. A cruise would seem great cause they bring you to the main hot spots, you spend the day and go.
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life'sgreat




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 28 2011, 2:04 am
justforfun87 wrote:
Ok so we went to PR this past summer. I never have travelled before so it was quite a treat for me. I will say a few things. Yes PR is beautiful if you rent a car and travel out. There is def things to do there between culture and nature. On the other hand we spent way too long there, a week. I think if you were to go then 4-5 days is all you need. We rented an apt which also took away the appeal of a vacation since it was small and dinky. It was mid summer so the weather was scorching hot, limiting a lot of day time activities. It was a really nice vacation but I am assuming Hawaii is a million times better. Puerto rico on other hand is inexpensive to get to. A cruise would seem great cause they bring you to the main hot spots, you spend the day and go.

Going when it's scorching hot takes away the appeal, regardless of how beautiful the place is. We were there for a week and felt it was way too short. There was so much more to do. The rainforest was magnificent and fun. Fajardo was great as well. The boat out to culebra island, ditto. Kayaking at night in the bioluminescent bay was super fun! Old San Juan was fascinating. I could go on, but if you work it out well it can be fabulous.
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life'sgreat




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 28 2011, 2:23 am
justforfun87 wrote:
Ok so we went to PR this past summer. I never have travelled before so it was quite a treat for me. I will say a few things. Yes PR is beautiful if you rent a car and travel out. There is def things to do there between culture and nature. On the other hand we spent way too long there, a week. I think if you were to go then 4-5 days is all you need. We rented an apt which also took away the appeal of a vacation since it was small and dinky. It was mid summer so the weather was scorching hot, limiting a lot of day time activities. It was a really nice vacation but I am assuming Hawaii is a million times better. Puerto rico on other hand is inexpensive to get to. A cruise would seem great cause they bring you to the main hot spots, you spend the day and go.

Going when it's scorching hot takes away the appeal, regardless of how beautiful the place is. We were there for a week and felt it was way too short. There was so much more to do. The rainforest was magnificent and fun. Fajardo was great as well. The boat out to culebra island, ditto. Kayaking at night in the bioluminescent bay was super fun! Old San Juan was fascinating. I could go on, but if you work it out well it can be fabulous.
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shopdrop




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 28 2011, 7:46 am
Thanks so much everyone for the suggestions keep them coming...

Sky- That is actually the thread that got me thinking about San Juan in the first place, I still remember it from 2 years ago too. I was pregnant at that time, so opted to do the key west then instead, since too many activities weren't possible to do then, and I didn't really want to travel out of the mainland being highly pregnant.

Yitta25- Thanks! A cruise to which islands? I would love to know where would be most interesting to go to. I do think on a cruise most of the days of the week is spent on the ship and not too many days are actually spent going to islands, although I never went on one so I might be totally wrong. I think a cruise is more relaxing, and I would love to get to go to places instead of just sitting around on a ship. Also with a cruise there is the issue of shabbos, hard to figure out that the ship shouldn't be boarding on shabbos, or landing on an island on shabbos. So if anyone went on a cruise I would love to know where to which islands?

life'sgreat- Thanks for popping in here!! I know I actually asked you about PR back 2 years ago, and I really appreciated you telling me about it then. If I decide to go there I might still make you a bit crazy about it. A minyan is a plus, but not a must. So where would you have traveled out in PR where there isn't a minyan? Thanks for telling me you would choose Hawaii over it, but where in Hawaii would be most interesting?

justforfun87- Thanks so much for the feedback!

I wish I could just do everything at once! Not sure when the next opportunity will be for a vacation without the kids if there will be one, so I would need to pick just one for now. Where in Hawaii would be most interesting to go to? I like to go to places, or do water activities, I also like historic museums not so much sit around and relax on the beach a whole day.
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yitta25




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 28 2011, 9:03 pm
Yitta25- Thanks! A cruise to which islands? I would love to know where would be most interesting to go to. I do think on a cruise most of the days of the week is spent on the ship and not too many days are actually spent going to islands, although I never went on one so I might be totally wrong. I think a cruise is more relaxing, and I would love to get to go to places instead of just sitting around on a ship. Also with a cruise there is the issue of shabbos, hard to figure out that the ship shouldn't be boarding on shabbos, or landing on an island on shabbos. So if anyone went on a cruise I would love to know where to which islands?

Whenever I look for a cruise, I check for those that leave on sunday and return on Sunday. We make sure that there are no stops on shabbos. Usually, its traveling back for sunday arrival. The ones ive been on made 3 or 4 island stops. 3 was plenty. There is so much to do on the ship itself. Entertainment galore.
Ive been to the following islands:
Peurto Rico,
St Thomas
St Maarten
Belize
Caymen Islands
St Kitts

All the islands are beautiful. For us, the boat is what mattered more. Its a great experience!! You get to do many different things in many different places.
The ships have everything regular hotels have plus much more.
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sky




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Dec 29 2011, 3:48 pm
shopdrop wrote:
Sky- That is actually the thread that got me thinking about San Juan in the first place, I still remember it from 2 years ago too.


At least I'm not the only one. But I'm not going anywhere without kids for a long time...
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life'sgreat




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 01 2012, 12:21 am
shopdrop wrote:
life'sgreat- Thanks for popping in here!! I know I actually asked you about PR back 2 years ago, and I really appreciated you telling me about it then. If I decide to go there I might still make you a bit crazy about it. A minyan is a plus, but not a must. So where would you have traveled out in PR where there isn't a minyan? Thanks for telling me you would choose Hawaii over it, but where in Hawaii would be most interesting?

No problem, just ask. Honestly, I don't remember right now where we wanted to go that didn't have a minyan accessible. If you are serious, I can try to look it up.

I don't know a thing about Hawaii, but know that it's nicer than PR.
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33055




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 01 2012, 1:10 am
Maui is my all time favorite vacation spot. I think it is has also been voted the best for the last decade and a half. It is amazing.

Aruba is also a great spot with many activities. You can take a plane to Venezuela. I think it is about 15 miles away. There is cave art.

I loved Cozumel. Cancun was not for me. I would take a trip to Chichen Itza to see the pyramids.

Anguilla was really beautiful. You can take a boat over to St. Martin.

I enjoyed Peurto Rico as well; but I would pick the others first. The advantage is how close it is. I enjoyed staying in Old San Juan.

All of them fufill your criteria for being "adventurous, fun, and sightseeing."

Have a great time.
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JollyMommy




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 01 2012, 9:40 pm
Of your options I've been to Hawaii, but I LOVED the Bahamas (better than Hawaii in my opinion) if you go stay only at Atlantis hotel= WOW! You can get Kosher food at the hotel but it's $$$ for very, very little.

You can do everything in Bahamas in a week for sure, so if you're going a long time then do somewhere else.

It's so exciting to plan a trip! Have fun!
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amother


 

Post Fri, Aug 08 2014, 10:28 am
Squishy wrote:

I loved Cozumel. Cancun was not for me. I would take a trip to Chichen Itza to see the pyramids.


We're thinking about going to Mexico for vacation. What did you like/dislike about Cozumel and Cancun?
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dancingqueen




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Aug 08 2014, 10:40 am
justforfun87 wrote:
Ok so we went to PR this past summer. I never have travelled before so it was quite a treat for me. I will say a few things. Yes PR is beautiful if you rent a car and travel out. There is def things to do there between culture and nature. On the other hand we spent way too long there, a week. I think if you were to go then 4-5 days is all you need. We rented an apt which also took away the appeal of a vacation since it was small and dinky. It was mid summer so the weather was scorching hot, limiting a lot of day time activities. It was a really nice vacation but I am assuming Hawaii is a million times better. Puerto rico on other hand is inexpensive to get to. A cruise would seem great cause they bring you to the main hot spots, you spend the day and go.


I agree with this. Assuming you are ny area go to Hawaii if you have 10 days and pr if you have 5. I think cruises are actually a good option for traveling with kids bc of the convienience and babysitting.
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tichellady




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Aug 08 2014, 2:13 pm
I have not been to PR but I have been to Maui and Kauai and I have been on cruises to Mexico and Alaska. Cruises are fun, but I don't think it's the best vacation style for a couple without kids. I think cruises are more family oriented. It's obviously a matter of personal taste, but my husband and I prefer land trips (vs. cruises) when it's just the two of us so we can explore the location more and get a real sense for the culture of the land. Cruises are very convenient and comfortable, which is great, but also makes the travel part a drop less exciting and adventurous.

I love Kauai and think it's great for a romantic getaway. It's less commercialized than Maui. Rent a condo with a kitchen and you can make simple meals based on what you can find in the grocery store. The island isn't very big and you can really see most of it in a week. If you decide to go to Kauai, I can recommend some specific things that we enjoyed.

I have not been to PR, but there may be something especially fun or stressful (depending on what you like) about being somewhere with a different culture and language.
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loveit




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Aug 08 2014, 5:46 pm
Kauri is definitely best if it's just you and do since you can find so many private beaches. It's more rural, less commercial than Maui and Oahu. However if you are on the east coast, Hawaii is a loooong trek. It's a five hour flight from CA alone and you still have to get from east coast to CA. For that reason I would pick somewhere off the east coast. Much less time wasted on traveling.
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copypaste




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Nov 10 2015, 2:35 pm
Hi,

Anyone here want to help me plan my winter vacation?
Was thinking about Hawaii or california/surrounding places. I Like to hear from people's experience the pros and cons of their trips. We are planning a 8 day trip from NY.
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return2You




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Nov 10 2015, 2:55 pm
Following too!
Is there kosher food in the Bahamas or Hawaii?
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