dizzydallasdi

I just found this forum and am so happy I did! I am a 50-something female (still think I'm 35 - HA!) in the beginning stages of planning a 7-10 day trip in April. Must-haves are a beautiful beach, fabulous room, spa facilities, wonderful weather, some shopping activities, and a hotel not over-run with kids. Also, I don't want to spend a day getting to/from my destination...I live in Dallas. Cost is not as big of a consideration as the relaxation and enjoyment factors. I've been driving myself crazy researching this trip and hope you can give me some advice.

Thank you so much!!

suze

I love going to Waikiki/Honolulu solo. It has everything you request.

I also enjoy solo trips to Puerto Vallarta Mexico which also meets your requirements (except obviously it's not the US or Caribbean).

dizzydallasdi

Thank you, Suze! I've been considering Mexico as a destination, as well. Can you recommend a hotel in Puerto Vallarta?

Thank you!

suze

hola dizzy~

I don't think my favorite hotels are what you have in mind since you mention beautiful beach, fabulous room, spa facilities! My usual are more of the inexpensive funky 3-star overhead-fan Mexican variety -lol!

But for what you describe I can suggest the Villa Premiere, as one of the best, it is walking distance to all the fun things to see and do in El Centro (downtown)... shopping, restaurants, galleries, etc.

The Casa Magna Marriott in the Marina.

Or Dreams (for an all inclusive on its own beach south of town) or the Lindo Mar (also overlooking the beach south in Conchas Chinas area).

beachdreams3

If you can travel Saturday to Saturday (there are weekly nonstops from DFW) and can live with limited shopping, Providenciales (aka Provo, airport code PLS) in the Turks & Caicos islands may be a good fit for your other requirements. I'm female (early 40s) and made two solo trips there last year, and I felt really safe and comfortable there. In April, you may encounter more families depending on accommodation choices and school breaks. But, Grace Bay Beach is an amazingly beautiful and relatively quiet long, white sand beach with turquoise water, and there are many nice, new accommodation choices. For an upscale hotel with a spa, the Regents Palms is probably the best choice. Non-guests can also book treatments at the Palms. If I wasn't concerned about cost, the Somerset (next to the Regent Palms) would be my first choice. Other upscale options that I don't think would have many kids include the Villa Renaissance (no restaurant), Turks & Caicos Club, and Point Grace. Also, the Grace Bay Club has an adults-only part. There is some construction on Provo, though, which is a problem for some people. There are a lot of posts about Providenciales and these hotels on the Caribbean forum, so if you are interested, I'd suggest reading more there.

dizzydallasdi

Thanks for the great suggestions, beachdreams! I've also been looking at Jamaica Inn and it looks like exactly what I need, except I usually like to watch TV while I'm going to sleep and they don't have TVs in their rooms. I'm sure I could adapt

Can anyone give me some input on a solo female staying at Jamaica Inn?

Thank you!

rayannne

Have you considered Belize? I went there solo last month, loved it so much, I'm going back in a week.
There are beautiful beaches, great weather, and depending where you stay, great shopping.

alikic

One of my fav's is Carmel, CA - great for solo trips. To meet people, walk to the beach and the great shopping, I stay at the Sea View Inn (http://www.seaviewinncarmel.com/)
Plenty of spas in town.

Second favorite (with spa) is the Ariel Sands in Bermuda - all that you're looking for.

dizzydallasdi

Rayannne - Where do you stay in Belize? It looks like a beautiful country but I don't know where the best spot would be. Most of the resorts that look perfect for me are really remote and I'm not sure how safe that would be?

Thanks to all for your wonderful suggestions!

rayannne

For my solo portion of the trip, I stayed on Caye Caulker. I found it to feel very safe. There is as much or as little adventure as you want from there. I went on snorkeling day and half day trips, hung around the island, went sea kayaking. The people are super nice (locals and other tourists) I met a ton of new friends.

For the jungle portion, I went to San Ignacio and stayed at this family run place called Crystal Paradise. (by this time my mom had joined me) It would also be a great place to go solo. They run trips from the resort, and you eat family style, so you really get to know the other people who are staying there.

My mom and I also went to Placencia, I do not recommend that for a solo traveler. You are so isolated there, that even with the two of us, we went stir crazy!

Let me know if you have anymore questions. As I said, I had a fantastic time! and when I found out I had an unexpected week off, i booked a ticket back (after being back home for only 3 1/2 weeks!)