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

[jim584672]

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

 

[Nemo2]

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]

Any idea what might have been in the water?

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]

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]

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/monteverde-rentals/monteverde-rental-house.html

 

[Moemg]

Travelzoo has some interesting Costa Rica tours reasonably priced

 

[Meadbh]

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]

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.

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

Seconded!

 

[omni550]

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]

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]

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.

 

[garyt]

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.

Good reason to go skinny dipping

 

[sengsational]

For those who went to Costa Rica:

1) Did you rent a car or use a tour bus for getting around?

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?

1) Rented a car. Talked to people that did long-distance public transport, and they were not too happy with it. The roads I drove varied from ok to nearly impassable. If you go out on the Nicoya Peninsula, the roads are horrific with huge pot holes if paved and really bumpy if gravel. If you rent, get a big 4 wheel drive truck. Around Arenal and La Fortuna back to San Jose, the roads are fine, even for a small car.
2) I went to surf, but also hiked volcanoes. I can't answer "must see", but their waves and surf temperature on the Pacific are good any time of year.
3) Maybe find a place that caters to what you want to do. Once place was high-class but had cheap rooms. They had tours you could buy from them (where they probably made-up for the cheap rooms). Another place included room, two meals a day, and surfing lessons.

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.

Stinging hydroid maybe?

 

[brett]

One hotel that we would highly recommend is the Marriott Hotel San Jose. It is a beautiful hotel on an old estate. It is in Belem, fairly close to the airport.

We have stayed there twice prior to our flights. We were there this past March....it is as good as ever.

 

[omni550]

Has anyone been to Costa Rica since Hurricane Nate? I'm wondering what the conditions there are as a friend of mine is currently spending 6 months in Nicaragua (just north of Cost Rica). She said there had been quite a lot of damage from Nate. Here's one item I found on a quick google search Voices of Nate: Five first-hand accounts of Costa Rica’s devastating storm – The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate

Being less well-off economically, it may be a while before things in Central America are restored to 'normal'. Anyone thinking of traveling there may want to do a bit more research, fwiw.

omni

 

[simple girl]

Thanks so much for that insight omni.

I was having second thoughts (even before your post) about going to Costa Rica or anywhere that requires planning or extensive travel. I'm just so tired with my new job this fall that I'm not feeling inspired to do anything but just sit on my butt and vegetate for my birthday, lol!!!

Keeping an eye on last minute simple cruises since that would be a major easy button, not too expensive, and definitely would be a good place to "vegetate", lol!

 

[omni550]

Thanks so much for that insight omni.

I was having second thoughts (even before your post) about going to Costa Rica or anywhere that requires planning or extensive travel. I'm just so tired with my new job this fall that I'm not feeling inspired to do anything but just sit on my butt and vegetate for my birthday, lol!!!

Keeping an eye on last minute simple cruises since that would be a major easy button, not too expensive, and definitely would be a good place to "vegetate", lol!

If you're a bit flexible on timing, you might be able to avail yourselves of last-minute cruises out of Tampa, Fort Lauderdale (aka Port Everglades), or Miami. I've never tried a last-minute cruise, but I've heard they can be quite a deal...and without needing to arrange flights and accommodations before and after, you're in a perfect position to take advantage, especially if you're not set on an itinerary. Might be worth a look.

omni

 

[Moemg]

Tampa has some decent cruises scheduled in January . I love going out of Tampa absolutely stress free .Plus you could always start the party at Ybor city the night before .

 

[simple girl]

If you're a bit flexible on timing, you might be able to avail yourselves of last-minute cruises out of Tampa, Fort Lauderdale (aka Port Everglades), or Miami. I've never tried a last-minute cruise, but I've heard they can be quite a deal...and without needing to arrange flights and accommodations before and after, you're in a perfect position to take advantage, especially if you're not set on an itinerary. Might be worth a look.

omni

Thanks, that's exactly my plan! I am watching them on vacationstogo.com. They have a 90 day last minute search feature which I have used with great success in the past.

Tampa has some decent cruises scheduled in January . I love going out of Tampa absolutely stress free .Plus you could always start the party at Ybor city the night before .

Thank you! Love the idea of checking out Ybor city the night before - have heard it is a very cool area. Great idea!

 

[cathy63]

Have you signed up for emails from the cruise lines? I've been getting a ton of "drop & go" emails from Princess lately with some really low prices for Caribbean itineraries and Panama Canal partial transits in January.

 

[simple girl]

Have you signed up for emails from the cruise lines? I've been getting a ton of "drop & go" emails from Princess lately with some really low prices for Caribbean itineraries and Panama Canal partial transits in January.

Have not, but will check it out - thanks!