Cheryl J
Chef Extraordinaire
OK.
Thanks for expressing your view Andy - it's a fair comment - many people have no interest in Mexico for vacationing.
I'm curious though - may I ask what type of vacation you find appealing ?...
Wondering if you two are travel agents, RMM and BBQ...?
We started with one timeshare week then added a second. It was terrific while it lasted.
...It seems that you found a lot of value doing the timeshare route. Did you go to the same place every year or did you trade it for a different place? Was this cost effective?
We don't take pricey vacations...we paid for college for two kids.
All kidding aside, we're more the "choose your own adventure" kind of travelers. I like to plan, I like to have a selection of possible options along the route, and we live to be surprised if something comes along that we didn't know was there. Almost all of our vacations/travels have been via auto. I bet a pilot wouldn't divert his flight if I commented "hey, that looks interesting - can we stop?", but Himself is always ready to go off-route. We usually build in an extra day for travel on the "out" side of vacation, just in case we want to explore. The "back" can take even longer, as long as we don't have any commitments - you know, doctor appointments. My FIL gave us his Fort Myers Beach timeshare week in 2001, when he became too old (81) to travel. We would swap it for somewhere different each year when Himself was working, in case he would get called back to work to assist a client. Once that ship sailed, we do go to FMB each year for a week in lieu of retiring to FL. I've been (very slowly) working at getting us moved back to OH, which is home, so that we're closer to a lot of things we'd like to see. We've never bothered getting passports; we're still working our way through so many wonderful places to see in our own country. So far, 34 states down.
As long as you enjoy these vacations, carry on. As long as we can manage driving ourselves around and exploring, I think we'll stick with our plan. BTW, you mentioned that you prefer these vacations "as you've aged". If you don't mind my asking, at what age did you feel these were best for you? Asking for a friend...
For 18 years, SO and I spent our winter vacations in Aruba. We started with one timeshare week then added a second. It was terrific while it lasted. We made a lot of friends while we were there. We have since sold our timeshare and now if we want a winter break we go to FL where we have relatives.
Where are you located in California, Cheryl ?
It strikes me that wherever it is, you could likely fly direct to either Los Cabos, or Puerto Vallarta, very inexpensively - thereby cutting your cost of one of these vacations quite significantly.
It's been quite a few years since I lived in L.A. - but I seem to recall that we could fly to Cabo for about $200./person return, or less.
I hope that resort is all you hope it to be, RMM.Only about 50 sleeps till we leave on vacation to Villa Premiere in P.V.
Can't wait !
Over the years, my wife and I have undertaken a lot of different types of vacationing - from month long car tours of European countries - (loved France & Italy for this )- to visits to a number of Asian hot spots like Bali, Singapore & Hong Kong - to renting oceanfront villas cost-shared with friends in several Caribbean islands - some more than once - to building and enjoying our own an oceanfront villa in Provo, in the Turks & Caicos, as a shared investment, rented out for 5 years, before selling when it got to be a lot of work.
But of course as we've aged, we've moved on to easier vacationing approaches, to be closer to home, have less 'getting there' hassles, and of course at less cost - and found that all-inclusive mexican resorts in excellent climate & weather have fit the bill recently.
RMM, thanks for your most interesting reviews of the Mexican resorts. You should have a wonderful time on your next trip south. Places like that were my choice too in my previous life with my late husband. We stayed at several, both in Mexico and Jamaica and although we enjoyed them, they are part of my past. Western Mexico has no magic for me anymore. I much prefer Hawaii.
When I met and then married Steve the "Souschef" known here, my travel experiences expanded beyond my wildest dreams. You may be interested in reading some or all of our extraordinary adventures.
Travels Around the World With Steve & Kathy
Thanks for your kind words, Kay.
I'll definitely have a peek through your travels....
We go on one big trip every year.
Australia, Bora Bora, Morocco and this year Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Bali and Dubai. Taking an Orient Express-type train from Bangkok to Singapore.