My Dad, a native Ohioan, lives in New Smyrna Beach, Florida during the winter.He has even been complaining of the cooler temperatures lately. I heard on the news a few weeks ago that every place in the United States, including Hawaii, had snow. Granted the snow in Hawaii was in the mountains, still; Hawaii?
My Facebook page has been covered with posts expressing everyone's discontent with the weather and how people are feeling, "blue," or "ready for some sunshine," or "ready for a drink with a colorful umbrella stuck in it, laying seaside in the hot sun." Whatever your distraction from the ice,snow, and grey skies might be, travel during the winter months should be something to consider.
Winter is a good time to travel because of the obvious but did you know there are some deals out there as well? According to the Today Show, Travel Expert Mark Murphy, there are some, "Hot Weather Deals," right about now. Check out San Juan Puerto Rico,Intercontinental Hotel, airfare-4nights for $525; Miracle Springs Resort and Spa, Desert Hot Springs, CA for $119 per night; Orlando Florida, park tickets and 3 nights @ Universal Resort for $389, or how about a 4 night Baja Cruise on Carnival for $249. He also mentioned Honolulu Hawaii, Outrigger Luana at $119 per night.
Speaking of Hawaii, I did a little "surfing," the net that is, myself and found a great destination; Kauai. Kauai is the fourth largest island on Hawaii and is sometimes called the,"Garden Isle."It is the northernmost island in the chain and is draped with mountains and cliffs, waterfalls, rain forests and beaches. What attracted me is the landscape but also all the outdoor fun that comes with it. Kauai offers something for everyone with things like golf, kayaking,snorkeling, hiking, ziplining, or just laying on the beach with one of those cocktails with the umbrellas.Kauai has 50 miles of white sand surrounding the island and many of the beach areas are private and away from large crowds. There is even a version of the Grand Canyon on the island called Waimea Canyon. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
The best time for whale watching is during the winter months and a local even gives tours to do just that and chances are you'll see some dolphins too. Click here for more information on whale watching.
Are you into surfing or want to learn? The Kauai North Shore Surfing School offers surf lessons for the beginner and for the more advanced surfer who wants to improve their skills. The school also has Stand- up Paddle board lessons and snorkeling tours. My kids love surfing, so while they are in a lesson I could learn to stand up paddle; how cool is that?!
Talk about deals. I found a hotel called Kauai Palms Hotel that offers deluxe rooms for $75 per night. The rooms are clean, plantation style, centrally located and near the airport and beach. For a few extra dollars they offer rooms with kitchens; can you say families? Hello. It's definitely worth checking out.
A dream of mine has always been to own a second home. A beach property or a lake property would be so great. After seeing all the great things that Kauai has to offer it got me thinking that a more permanent dwelling would even be better so I started searching for some real estate in Kauai just to see what was out there. Like many places in the country with the recent housing crash, I was surprised at some of the deals there as well, especially foreclosures.
My husband should have some airline points from his work travel, combine that with the winter deals out there and wha- la we have a winter vacation to an exotic place like Hawaii; even if he doesn't know it yet...
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| Na Pali Coast Kauai |
Kelly
I loved reading this. it actually made me feel warm. changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes.
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