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Hawaii ️

Costa Rica Lots of animals to see.

Hawaii is so cliche but I have lived there 3x in my life and could probably be a tour guide. That and I know a bunch of private beaches, local hang outs, ziplining, food vendors (shrimp trucks, anyone?), the best island jumper tours, a bunch of different Luau options (theatrical, traditional, or cultural), waterfalls, undersea tours, etc. All three times I lived on Oahu; however, I have spent much time island hopping and vacationing on other islands.

@yellowbeach: As I stated, I lived on Oahu so I'm partial to Oahu and know EVERYTHING there; however, the Big Island has so much to offer (retreats, resorts, waterfalls, mountain hikes, Kona tours, Luaus, native exhibitions ...), Maui has a plethora of parks and reserves, and Kauai is absolutely gorgeous with all of the gardens and lush greenery (* we took my husband's parents there ... they are master gardeners). I love them all and, honestly, would love back a 4th (and final) time if it were possible.

Here is a link for deciding which Island fits your vacation needs best:
https://www.hawaii-guide.com/content/posts/which_hawaii_island_to_visit

@yellowbeach: There are amazing discounts for the season at the Hilton downtown (Honolulu) and you can walk to all destinations in the vicinity... plus, it has both beach and pool access. On the opposite side, there are bunches of hotels and rentals near Germaine's Luau. The Four Season's, the Embassy, and the Hampton Inn is up that way, as well as, Disney's Aulani Resort (PERFECT for Having a toddler) ... all surround the lagoons (which I used to frequent on my days off from work). It is the Ko'Olina, Kapolei area.

Affixed is a pic collage I made showcasing a few photos from the lagoon area.... Yes, you can see sea turtles there, as well.

Canadian here, Ontario specifically and we get crazy snow and cold. Tremblant in Quebec is super and beautiful and lots to do, buuuuut I would not do a winter vacation with a kid that young. Especially if you want to focus on doing activities that you technically need to learn to do like skiing or skating and if you have a kid who wants to burn off energy. We find the winters terrible for keeping young kids occupied, though we aren’t at a fancy resort of course! You can only build so many snowmen/forts and sled so much ha Ski vacations are so fun as a couple but we are just starting to be able to enjoy winter activities now our son is 4.

If you really want to go skiing, maybe look at BC/whistler/etc. Where the weather is more temperate? I’ve only been in springtime which is great so not sure about winter peak snow season. I would hate to travel somewhere and be hindered by weather with a stir crazy kid.

@yellowbeach: @Kaohinani: I’m a big fan of staying in Ko’Olina, we just rent a car so you can drive to Honolulu, the north shore, etc, but we stay at the Marriott (my parents have a time share) and it’s awesome. This time we brought DD to a character breakfast at Aulani, so fun. And we went in January, weather was perfect.

It’s not international, but I agree with Hawaii! We did Oahu and The Big Island just before LO1 turned one and it was so beautiful and relaxing. I probably wouldn’t do Europe at that season since it will be cold. And I also wouldn’t do a ski/snow vacation with a 2 yo (we did a ski weekend with a 2yo but I wouldn’t want to do nearly 2 weeks).

@gotkimchi: just took our 5 & 2 year olds to Lisbon and the Algarve this summer. LOVED it!