San fransico to where???
Replies: 12 - Last Post: Feb 4, 2013 10:01 AM Last Post By: getyoung
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San fransico to where???
Hi I am 29 and planning my 30 th in September . After some advise on here I have decided to go with Sanfransico for 4 days over La!!Next question is where do I fly after my city break ? Looking for island relaxation 10 days, wow beaches , snorkelling great food . Any ideas ?
I have so far looked at hawaii ( bit too expensive accommodation in sep ) caribean islands . Il be returning to my hometown in London .
Don't worry about my budget just looking for for some ideas and inspiration
Thank you
1
Well, if you ever wanted to go to Hawaii, doing it from SF is a good idea since airfare is relatively cheap.Cabo (Mexico) is another option.
Anywhere in the Caribbean is great too. Cancun is good, Miami is good, Belize is great, Cuba is amazing, Dominican is good, Panama is good. Many of the smaller islands in the Caribbean have great beaches and snorkeling, but I suspect they might be as expensive or more than Hawaii.
Note that September is hurricane season in the Caribbean. Most likely you will be fine and still have plenty of sun, but just something to keep in mind!
3
Are you going by yourself? What type of island vibe/town do you want? Are you into nightlife? Do you need to be able to walk to restaurants and bars? If Hawaii is too expensive, it sounds like budget matters. Then most of the Caribbean that's targeted to packaged tourists is not for you. Also, 10 days is a long time in one place. Do you get bored easily?Here are some of my suggestions that are very budget friendly and have a lot of people your age traveling. Keep in mind as mentioned above that September is not the best time for the Caribbean in terms of weather, so places on the Pacific coast would be better.
- Caye Caulker, Belize (there isn't an amazing beach, but there is a swimming spot and good nightlife and lots of people your age you will easily meet). You can also do day trips to other islands nearby like Ambergris which has more resorts, but also better beaches
- Bocas del Toro, Panama - lots of stuff to do, great nightlife, lots of young people
- Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica - 3 hrs from Bocas, lots to do, hippie relaxing beach town, good nightlife, easy to meet people
- Tamarindo, Costa Rica - beach party town
- Montezuma, Costa Rica - surfer's beach town
- St John, US Virgin Islands - not a cheap option at all, but an amazing island with lots to do, 70% nature, good nightlife, may need a car if not staying in Cruz Bay (main port area)
- Tulum, Mexico - near Cancun, but more backpacker/younger people spot with fewer huge concrete resorts
- Isla Mujeres, Mexico
- Cartagena, Colombia (more of a interesting colonial city, but has good beaches nearby at Playa Blanca etc)
- Aruba - Can get a good deal on a hotel here (try Holiday Inn), decent nightlife, amazing beaches, not the cheapest destination (US prices for food etc)
4
The Dominican Republic has some of the best-priced package deals from the US.5
As far as cost goes, I think Cancun, Mexico might be your best option. Strangely enough, it is often cheaper to fly there from California than it is to other closer places in Mexico like Cabo San Lucas or Puerto Vallarata.And, relative to places like Hawaii or the Carribean, you will find many more cheap lodging options in the Yucatan. Look to one of the cheaper little backpacker places in Tulum or Playa Del Carmen.
6
How flexible is your travel plan?For cheap fare to Hawaii from San Francisco, you fly out of Oakland. There is usually a fare sales in the summer. In 2012, you could have flown from OAK to Kauai for less $300 between end of August to Nov. This was unusually low but you would likely find one for under $400 to HNL for same period in late July or early Aug.
Second option is fly to Miami/Ft Lauderdale from SFO. Miami Beach is superb. One catch: it is hurricane season down there in Sept/Oct.
September is the best month to be in San Francisco. The sky tends to be clear and warm. This year could be a busy month because of the America's Cup event.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/youngadventure/sets/72157629619369474/
11
For flights within the US (inc Hawaii) nothing beats Itasoftware. You can search multiple airports and an entire month at the time. I'd consider SJC airport too, it's easy to get to from SF. Some airlines are not covered though, Southwest and Allegiant for example, check them separately. You may also try Skyscanner.For flights from the US to other countries, use Itasoftware, Momondo and Hipmunk.
12
You can use the 3 sites below to track cheap flights from SFO/OAK. The first 2 you probably can bookmark the departure city page. On Fly, you can see that you can fly to Maui right now from OAK for less than $300 return.For HI, Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Air are your best bet in finding a good deal to HI. You can sign up for Hawaiian Airlines email for deal announcement. If it has one, chances are Alaska Air will match it. Both airlines have above average service.
For Miami, Spirit Airlines likely the cheapest, but they are like Ryan Air, charging you for everything. United and AA are the 2 big airlines that have regular flight there from SFO at competitive price.
http://www.fly.com/Flywidgets/CalendarSearch.aspx?OriginInput=Denver%2C%20CO%20-%20Denver%20Intl%20%28DEN%29&DestinationInput=&DepartDate=02/18/2013&FormatedDepartDate=02/18/2013
http://www.airfarewatchdog.com/cheap-flights/from-san-francisco-california/1399/?depsub=0&c2calert=0&deal_alert=0
http://matrix.itasoftware.com/
