travel destinations in January w/temps in 60's/70's & interesting adventures

[mpeirce]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gumby One timing note on a potential Madeira trip. You fly to Lisbon and change planes there. We left NY (JFK) on a Friday evening, got to Lisbon at about 6:00 am on Saturday and were in Madeira in time for brunch at the hotel.

Good to hear. When she stopped in Madeira on an Atlantic crossing cruise last spring we though it's be a really nice place to spend some time some winter.

But having to fly through Lisbon to get there seemed rather daunting. I'll have to look into it more closely.

I think we could spend a week or two just walking the levadas.

[kcowan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by simple girl Right now Costa Rica is ranking high on our list.

OK for a visit but not to live. It was a deal 10+ years ago but its popularity has caused prices to escalate. A few of our friends escaped there from Mexico and are now returning.

Costa Rica vs Mexico

[AltaRed]

Visiting is all that the discussion has been about.

It is a fine place to visit for a Central American country. Highly varied climate and topography depending on what one wants. Have not been there but I understand the NW quadrant accessed out of Liberia is where the more recent American style development is. The Pacific coast beach towns are where the big hotel chain resorts are and where surfers go. Best to google a bunch of information to decide what experiences one really wants. It is that varied.

[kcowan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AltaRed Best to google a bunch of information to decide what experiences one really wants. It is that varied.

Agreed. There are forums on TripAdvisor that give you a feel for the local issues as well.

Example

[brett]

There are still beautiful beach areas in Costa Rica and Panana that are not tourist traps. We stayed at several this past winter. In a few cases we were often the only people on beach or at most there were two or three other couples. It really depends where you go. This has been our experience for the past two visits.

Would we go back? In a flash. Given the choice between Hawaii or Florida Costa Rica would win hands down for us. Same with Panama. We went from deserted beaches near David to the mountains in Boquette and then over to the Pacific.

[jim584672]

Canary Islands look interesting, average highs in the 60s in the winter. Anyone have any experience with them?

[Nemo2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim584672 Canary Islands look interesting, average highs in the 60s in the winter. Anyone have any experience with them?

Stopped in more than once, as many here have, to Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote......don't care if I ever return, but taking transatlantics as we do, we likely will.

Long time friends, who have friends who 'winter' in Tenerife, (and who were referred (favorably) to people leasing out apartments), became extremely frustrated (about two years ago) when none of the landlords/leasing agents would even return/acknowledge their e-mails.

Our friends got the impression, (reinforced by their friends), that there are so many 'return regulars' that newbies trying to lease apartments might/will have an uphill battle.

Added: Given the relatively close proximity, DW & I would give preference to Gumby's suggestion of Maderia over the Canaries.

[simple girl]

For those who went to Costa Rica:

1) Did you rent a car or use a tour bus for getting around? I have been reading everywhere that you really shouldn't rent a car as the roads can be in bad shape and unpredictable. I read that regular public transpo (buses) are less expensive than tour buses, but they are less direct and may take much longer.

2) What would be your "must do's" if you had about 7 to 10 days for vacation?

3) Any lodging you would highly recommend?

I am intermittently researching but have limited time due to a new part-time job I took turning out to be nearly full-time (eeeks!). I may just go to AAA and see what they have to offer. Typically I plan these things myself but I don't think I can pull that off this time!

(For the person who suggested the private guide earlier - thank you. Unfortunately, I looked at the website, and I can tell it is going to be way above what we would want to spend.)

[brett]

We have been to Costa Rica twice. First time was for six weeks. Rented a condo in Cocoa Beach for a month, toured by car for two weeks. We had a car for the entire six weeks. We toured often from our base in Cocoa Beach. We had no issue driving,no issue with the roads. We only drove at night on roads we became familar with.

Last winter we took a bus from David, Panama to San Jose, Costa Rica. Picked up rental car and drove to Hermosa Beach (the one in Guanacaste) to meet friends for five days. Then we went on our own down the coast to Playa Samara(south of Nicoya). We very much preferred this beach area. Far less tourists than the beach areas around Tamarindo.

We did in fact meet an American couple in Samara who came from San Jose by bus for a week at the beach. I think they were arranging for a van back to the airport in San Jose.

You can do buses. They are fine but you will loose a great deal of flexiblity.

We found the roads the coastal areas better than the roads around Arenal.

On our previous trip we drove south for San Jose and stayed in a quiet beach area just south of Jaco. Roads were fine. We stayed at small resort. Again, one of our fellow travellers who stays at the resort on a regular basis does not rent a car. He arranges for van transportation from the airport to this area. Apparently there are, or were scheduled van services to and from San Jose airport. No doubt if you book a hotel/B&B someone will help you arrange this or provide details. Try also tripadvisor.

[omni550]

Not meaning to derail this discussion, but as there are multiple people who have vacationed in Costa Rica, perhaps someone might know the answer to my question.

In Dec. 2013, I spent 3 weeks in Granada, Nicaragua with a meetup group. One day, we rented a minivan and had the driver take us over to the west coast. The first place we stopped (a busy surfing and cruise ship town) we could see Costa Rica. We then drove a little bit further north along the coast (on HORRIBLE rutted dirt "roads"...glad it wasn't my car) to a beautiful idyllic cove with clear, calm water. It looked like something out of a movie. There were a few scattered tourist cottages nearby, but we basically had the place to ourselves. We lolled around in the water, enjoying the view of the sandy beach surrounded by palm trees and nearby ridges of solidified lava that ran down into the sea. After we'd been the water for a bit, someone called out and said they'd been bitten or stung underwater...but couldn't see anything. A few minutes later, the next person reported a similar occurrence. Within 10-15 minutes, we'd all felt something painful bite/sting our legs...but couldn't see anything in the clear water. It was painful enough that we got out and never went back in. IIRC, the pain wore off quickly. But between the pain and the 'not knowing' we opted out of going for another dip. There wasn't anyone around to ask. It was such a shame, as this was just so private and picturesque.

I've wondered what caused our painful bites/stings? I looked for signs/evidence of jelly fish, man-o-wars, small fish and could see nothing.

Any ideas? (We were close enough to Costa Rica that whatever was in our water could easily have been in Costa Rican beach water too.)

omni

[Nemo2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by omni550 I've wondered what caused our painful bites/stings? I looked for signs/evidence of jelly fish, man-o-wars, small fish and could see nothing. Any ideas? (We were close enough to Costa Rica that whatever was in our water could easily have been in Costa Rican beach water too.) omni

Sea lice?

[travelover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by simple girl For those who went to Costa Rica: 1) Did you rent a car or use a tour bus for getting around? I have been reading everywhere that you really shouldn't rent a car as the roads can be in bad shape and unpredictable. I read that regular public transpo (buses) are less expensive than tour buses, but they are less direct and may take much longer. 2) What would be your "must do's" if you had about 7 to 10 days for vacation? 3) Any lodging you would highly recommend? I am intermittently researching but have limited time due to a new part-time job I took turning out to be nearly full-time (eeeks!). I may just go to AAA and see what they have to offer. Typically I plan these things myself but I don't think I can pull that off this time! (For the person who suggested the private guide earlier - thank you. Unfortunately, I looked at the website, and I can tell it is going to be way above what we would want to spend.)

I've been twice. The first time pre-internet, I rented a 4x4 and drove myself around and stayed at hotels I'd booked.

Second time I went with Earthwatch, to study monkeys, then added on my own trip using local drivers that I booked via the internet. Rented a house outside Monteverde booked through a local coop that provided tourist services in the Monteverde area which was awesome. They also ran us to the airport.

http://www.monteverdeinfo.com/montev...tal-house.html

[Moemg]

Travelzoo has some interesting Costa Rica tours reasonably priced

[Meadbh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nemo2 Stopped in more than once, as many here have, to Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote......don't care if I ever return, but taking transatlantics as we do, we likely will. Long time friends, who have friends who 'winter' in Tenerife, (and who were referred (favorably) to people leasing out apartments), became extremely frustrated (about two years ago) when none of the landlords/leasing agents would even return/acknowledge their e-mails. Our friends got the impression, (reinforced by their friends), that there are so many 'return regulars' that newbies trying to lease apartments might/will have an uphill battle. Added: Given the relatively close proximity, DW & I would give preference to Gumby's suggestion of Maderia over the Canaries.

When I lived in Europe, I had two (2) two-week winter vacations in Gran Canaria. That was in the early 1980s. Madeira was a port of call on a transatlantic cruise in 2016, so I was there for less than a day. Gran Canaria is quite dry and desert like. There are some nice beach resorts, but I wasn’t too impressed with my visit to Las Palmas. I was more about the beach, the pool and the disco (hey, I was 20 something!). Of course, each Canary Island is different. Madeira was very mountainous and lush. I didn’t get to the interior but would like to on a future visit.

[Nemo2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meadbh I was more about the beach, the pool and the disco (hey, I was 20 something!).

BTDT......as a young guy, residing in Oz, there were times when I almost lived on the beach.....later Spain, etc, etc......nowadays I couldn't care less, there are other (more important to me) things to do.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meadbh Madeira was very mountainous and lush. I didn’t get to the interior but would like to on a future visit.

Seconded!

[omni550]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nemo2 Sea lice?

This (below) doesn't sound like what we dealt with, as we were 'hit' on our bare legs mostly, and it was 'instant'... not between our suits and skin nor 4-6 hrs later as is common with sea lice.

[Nemo2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by omni550 This (below) doesn't sound like what we dealt with, as we were 'hit' on our bare legs mostly, and it was 'instant'... not between our suits and skin nor 4-6 hrs later as is common with sea lice.

Well, I think we can also rule out Orcas and Great Whites......odd though isn't it, be interesting to know if you ever find out what caused it.

[eastnortheast]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brett Thailand. Spent three winters there so far, going back again this year. Beaches, different culture, great food, interesting cities, hiking in the north. Both places are warmer at that time of year on the beach but the breeze takes a fair bit of the heat away.

A second for Thailand. I have spent a lot of time in Thailand, and January is a good time from a weather standpoint. Temps are still in the mid 80's+, but humidity is lower. If you go north into the mountains, it can get downright cool at night.

Another suggestion in Asia is Taiwan (which is a bit overlooked) . Eastern two thirds of the island is stunning. Northern part of the island (think Taipei) averages 68 in January and Kaohsiung (southern part) avg is 77 in Jan. North does seem to get dreary and gloomy during the winter (IMO) however.

[Nemo2]

Did someone say Egypt?

Egypt police suffer scores of casualties in ambush | ISIS News | Al Jazeera

[Totoro]

Don't go to Egypt, unless you enjoy being heckled, hustled and annoyed. Every single dirty tourist trick I've experienced in my travels I encountered there, multiple times a day.

Very unfriendly too, and thinly hidden anger (hostility even) towards visitors. I went there beginning of this year for the pyramids now the tourist numbers are down, but never ever again.

Regarding Tenerife/Lanzarote/.. it's indeed a regular return thingy for longer stays (4 weeks up to several months). My grandmother and mother being among them. Even they have sometimes issues with getting stable accommodation, even though they book up to a year beforehand. But it's a great place to be.