Canary Islands?

Tangier?

We like St. Barts and if we go in the late summer we buy travel insurance. Great beaches, no crime, loose dress code on the beach with infrequent Speedo wearers, and excellent shopping and food. BWI may have directs to Juliana in St. Martin.

What about Bermuda? Not exotic, but close and safe. I found it a little boooring, but appreciated the tidiness.

Thumbs up on Aruba. Yes, it is arid, (but humidity is the last thing you'll want) and only one area has beaches, but we enjoyed it. Bordering on the touristic, though. Shopping better in St. Barts or Bermuda.

I bet Fiji would be great, but with travel and recovery time you blow about five days' vacation. I just came back from a weekend in Sherman Island, CA and was wiped out for a day.

Hamptoons are nice, but if your cell phone works, it's not a real vacation.

If you really want to blow out the stops, book Cabo through http://www.oneandonlyresorts.com/flash.html I will have a fresh report on the Cabo resort this Friday.

ekaz' link looks beatuiful, but all reports I get from DR are that outside the resort compounds it is less than safe and a bit rough. I have some intrepid kite-surf friends who also say you have to be very careful off the beaten path, unlike Aruba or St. Barts (or Montauk).

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