30Th Birthday Travel

If you are the adventurous type: Costa Rica - Loved it!!! Snorkeling, rain forest horseback, steam bath at the base of a volcano, white and black sand beaches, white water rafting, hiking and biking.

If you are more laid back and romantic: Kauaii Hawaii. Beautiful beaches, snorkeling, quiet night life...

Outdoorsy: Vail, Colorado... hiking, biking, beautiful scenery, artsy, downhill dirt bike riding, great pub food, wine, and brewery beer.

I also loved Sonoma, CA... The people are quaint, the scenery is gorgeous, and the wine is amazing!

1 mom found this helpful

I knew Vegas would be an answer :)
Affordable places that I want to go:
Taos, New Mexico
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Destin, Florida
Even South Padre or Mustang Island in Texas - rent a condo

Well, it depends on whether you want to stay in the US or another country. Hawaii has absolutely beautiful scenic areas including their amazing sunsets. My best friend got engaged there. A cruise to an exotic island. Outside the US there is always Paris, Greece, Italy (which I love Florence is the best) and Egypt.

I second Costa Rica or Kauai. In Costa Rica, Tabacon Resort at Arenal volcano is fabulous and so is Tulemar Bungalows in Manuel Antonio!!

http://www.tabacon.com/

http://www.4tulemar.com/tulemar.html

We like the north end of Kauai near Hanalei the best; more lush. Tons of private rentals in that area...

Good luck in your decision!

I would say it depends on what you like to do.

Vegas is fun, fairly affordable and there is a lot more to do than gamble.
We love New York City! There is always so much going on and we enjoy going to the shows.
We enjoying just sitting and relaxing and have been known to find a lake house to rent (we are not boaters or skiers) but just to sit, read and relax.

And April is correct, you need to decide if you want to travel outside the US.
We've been on several cruises all over the world.

For some reason, it's not showing me any of the other answers so this may be redundant.

Go to Travelzoo.com and sign up for their 'Weekly top 20'. They always have amazing deals on anything you could possibly imagine, like 6 days in Ireland at a 4 star hotel for $599/person including air & car rental; or all inclusive resort in Mexico $299/person including air. Things like that. I always see cruises to the Caribbean, Mediteranean, and Alaska too.

Hope that helps. Good luck and have fun!

A....maybe you could add some parameters to your question to get a better idea of what to recommend.

1. Cost an issue?
2. How long?
3. Hobbies?
4. Alone or with others?
5. Domestic or international?
6. Places you have enjoyed before?
7. Looking for romance, fun, relaxation, activity?
8. With or without kids?
9. Your idea of a "perfect vacation."

Any details you could provide on what you both like, or have enjoyed before, would give you a much better answer from people :)!

Edited - Thanks for the update on what you like...My BEST recommendation since you seem pretty open and adventurous...Go on skyauction.com. It is a website where they auction off vacations...the more open you are to dates and locales...the more options you have. I have flown to Paris from Minneapolis for $165 roundtrip, done 11 nights from Miami to Margarita Island, Venezuela in a Hilton resort on the beach for $265 per person (yes...airfare and hotel included). You can find some amazing places you would have never thought of that will provide 100 different scenarios. I highly recommend the site, and generally do not share it with too many people because the last thing I want it 100,000 more people bidding against me for travel.

Cabo San Lucas has some great resorts.

My husband and I went to an all inclusive resort in Maya Rivera, outside of Cancun, and had an amazing time. His brother went to Los Cabos, near Cabo San Lucas, but apparently for a more older crowd. Cabo and Cancun tend to get the 18-25 year olds and they can be a bit of a pain to deal with. Have you thought about a cruise. You can go out of Galveston on many cruise lines. I know you are hearing horror stories lately on the news of cruises, but I love them. The downside is if you have kids and leave them at home, it is hard to get in contact since cell phones don't work on board. Cruises and Mexico to me are the ultimate relaxation vacations; however, if you are looking for history and culture and a lot to see and do, I grew up outside of Washington, DC and there are amazing museums, shows, restaurants, etc.

I like the suggestion for Costa Rica or Kauai! I want to take my husband to Costa Rica. I've been, and it's magnificent! Summer is rainy season though. I've traveled all over the world, and Kauai is my favorite place on this planet. The North Shore/Hanelei area is a magical paradise. No tourist hordes, romantic scenery everywhere, beautiful beaches and water and the best tiki bar anywhere -Tahiti Nui! I hope I get to return soon. We stayed in a wonderful house that had been split up but was very private. It was about a mile up a dirt road on the side of the mountain by Wainiha. A river ran by it, so you had that soundtrack, and you could hear the waves crashing down below. We had a rooftop tub and the night skies were phenomenal -even better than the desert! Check out VRBO, and you can find great places to stay that will save you a lot of money. Rent a Jeep and have fun!

Did New York City for my and my sister's 30th birthday. Very fun! Great hotel, had a spa day, saw a show, went shopping, hit a comedy club, hit some great bars and clubs and had a blast! My advice is to "spare no expense" once you're on vacation. It makes it soooo much more fun! Good luck!

The Broadmoor, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
www.broadmoor.com

My husband and I go there whenever we want to celebrate a special occasion. It is a 5-star resort that just can't be beat. They treat you like royalty there. Tell them it is a special trip for the both of you and they will treat you extra special. They have three swimming pools, one of which is an indoor pool and one is an infinity pool with great private cabanas and a great cafe around it. The scenery is unbelievable. There is plenty of outdoorsy stuff for your husband and a spa that is out of this world for you. I would recommend the couple's massage for the both of you to make it extra romantic.
Wherever you choose to take your trip, I wish you happy travels!