99 replies to this topic

[chinacat46]

DBD it's just you.

[Fin-again]

Here's my criteria:
Must haves:
- excellent diving
- beautiful beaches
- uncrowded ... the fewer people the better (no other people would be ideal)
- no kids

Nice-to-haves:
- decent spa treatments; massage on the beach is always a good thing
- reasonably affordable
- good food and wine (no, I'm NOT drinking Merlot! ;-) )
- reasonably accessable (I live in Los Angeles);

Well the most Romanic place I ever been was Bali, Indonesia.

It fits all of your criteria and then some.

I wasn’t diving at the time but I hear it’s a great place to dive.
Very beautiful beaches with gorgeous blue water & Terrific Sunsets.
Oh... those massages on the beach with coconut oils (but watch out if you have a sunburn - it’s hard to get them to stop once they have started)
Fresh Coconuts picked & opened just for you… right on the beach.
The Beach Cabañas are romantic and affordable.
Very good food - and I used to know the wine distributor for the whole island.
Cultural events and Senic villages to visit on your way up the volcano.
Inexpensive cotton dresses made by the villagers that she'll love because they feel so light and look so good on her suntanned body.
Beach Bars with open air roofs and live music.
Colorful buildings and beautiful scenery.
Native crafts and colorful artwork to take home.
Driving on the "Wrong" side of the road.
They can speak English in the shops / hotels / bars
Your money goes a long way
And you can get there from LA; I did through Singapore also a very nice place.

I was traveling with friends at the time I visited Bali, but sitting on the beach and looking at all the tanned couples enjoying the romance of the place – I thought to myself if “I ever get married again I want to take my honeymoon here�.

But I will agree with Walter Romance is what you make of it. Bali is an Island – if you don’t bring it with you, you may not find it there.

That’s my two doubloons….

Fin-again

[jextract]

Thanks, all, for your help and contributions. Very good feedback!!

Yes, DBD, that's her. She's been to the board as a guest but hasn't joined ... yet. She's even met Dr. Bill quite a few times when we've been over to Catalina and met Ana (Wrinkles) as well.

[Neptuner]

Such a wise man Jex... good luck in your endeavor! I'm sure she'll be happy wherever it is.

[dustbowl diver]

DBD it's just you.

Thank you for keeping me honest!!!! (LOL)

DBD

[dustbowl diver]

Yes, DBD, that's her. She's been to the board as a guest but hasn't joined ... yet. She's even met Dr. Bill quite a few times when we've been over to Catalina and met Ana (Wrinkles) as well.

Thanks Jextract!!

Congrats and best of luck to you in the future!!!

DBD

[steelemagnolia6]

wow I smeel matching neoprene in the air here!!!!


Now where did I put that catalog of perfect gifts for the diving couple....

[drbill]

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

DrDiver- you had to get a reference to DIR in this romantic thread?

Jamie- if this thread means what we all think it does, congratulations and all the best to you both!

Dr. Bill

[WreckWench]

I'm working on a few destinations for our first 'couple's' trip that will qualify as well for your criteria...

1. Dominica...wow! Isolated yet full of amenties. Spectacular views above and below...incredible rain forest, waterfalls and rugged scenery. Historic and fun. The resort is small but looks like a honeymooner's dream...yet still VERY reasonably priced. More later...
2. St Lucia..if you know the right places...very much like Dominica
3. Grenada (has a very unique private beach resort...hammocks for couples everywhere...ONLY COUPLES allowed...dinner served whenever you custom order it...all chaise lounges are designed for 2 people...all rooms overlook the ocean...did I mention private shore diving right there? Spa amenities without horrendous spa prices...very very lovely! (I ate at this resort and checked it out last fall when I was there. It was odd being the only 'single' person walking around.)

More to come...

[capt_cu2]

Anse Chastanet in St. Lucia. Very cool place. Beautiful unique rooms with handcrafted furnishings out of native wood. The whole misquito net over the bed and everything. Which you need by the way. The rooms are open air with no AC.

I would say Moorea, but I went there with a guy! We stayed in these crummy little shacks on the beach but it was awesome. A last minute internet deal too cheap to pass up. His wife was 8 months pregnant. She took off to visit her mother and sister, so boys could be boys,etc. Man was she pissed when she found out our cheap dive trip was actually in French Polynesian! Come to think of it, she never did like me.

[chinacat46]

W A K A T O B I

[Marvel]

Recently, Island Girl and I were very lucky to meet and spend some time with a couple of our French members. They are both delightful people. I also have wonderful dive buddies from the UK. We need to remember, we'll run across SOBs from all countries, but we also find wonderful folks in those same countries as well. Don't forget, there is an image of the "ugly American." That image is well earned, but it is far from universal. Don't be quick to judge others based on their nationality.

I agree, Walter! I too met Nathalie & Alain & found them quite wonderful people. i only wish I'd had a chance to dive with them.

But Walter, I have to point something out here. The term "ugly American" is constantly misused (& always annoys me for no earthly reason ). It's the title of a book published in 1958 & the title refers to the hero of the book. Well, I'll let a piece of a review explain it:

The book's title is deliberately ironic. The "ugly American" is Homer Atkins, a smart, hard-working engineer with no patience for diplomats and other fools. "His hands were laced with prominent veins and spotted with big, liverish freckles. His fingernails were black with grease. His fingers bore nicks and tiny scars of a lifetime of engineering. The palms of his hands were calloused. Homer Atkins was worth three million dollars, every dime of which he had earned by his own efforts..." But who is really ugly here? Atkins is one of the book's heroes. It isn't the engineer's skin-deep ugliness that drives this story. It's the ugliness of short-sighted, conceited, self-important fools. To this day, more than forty years after its publication, the phrase "ugly American" is invoked to embody America's incompetent, heavy-handed foreign policy.

Here's the link: The Ugly American

[Walter]

Darlin',

That was the origin of the term, but it's come to mean something else.

[jextract]

Recently, Island Girl and I were very lucky to meet and spend some time with a couple of our French members.  They are both delightful people.  I also have wonderful dive buddies from the UK.  We need to remember, we'll run across SOBs from all countries, but we also find wonderful folks in those same countries as well.  Don't forget, there is an image of the "ugly American."  That image is well earned, but it is far from universal.  Don't be quick to judge others based on their nationality.

I agree, Walter! I too met Nathalie & Alain & found them quite wonderful people. i only wish I'd had a chance to dive with them.

But Walter, I have to point something out here. The term "ugly American" is constantly misused (& always annoys me for no earthly reason ). It's the title of a book published in 1958 & the title refers to the hero of the book. Well, I'll let a piece of a review explain it:

The book's title is deliberately ironic. The "ugly American" is Homer Atkins, a smart, hard-working engineer with no patience for diplomats and other fools. "His hands were laced with prominent veins and spotted with big, liverish freckles. His fingernails were black with grease. His fingers bore nicks and tiny scars of a lifetime of engineering. The palms of his hands were calloused. Homer Atkins was worth three million dollars, every dime of which he had earned by his own efforts..." But who is really ugly here? Atkins is one of the book's heroes. It isn't the engineer's skin-deep ugliness that drives this story. It's the ugliness of short-sighted, conceited, self-important fools. To this day, more than forty years after its publication, the phrase "ugly American" is invoked to embody America's incompetent, heavy-handed foreign policy.

Here's the link: The Ugly American

At the risk of touching the 'Third Rail' of the board, the implicit assumption in that quote is that our foreign policy is indeed "incompetent" and "heavy-handed" ... there are many who would disagree, including millions now participating in elections and attending school who were denied those activities until recently.

Now back to our regular programming....

[Trimix2dive]

Oh call me the hopeless romantic, but....

I would have to say on a hill overlooking the concrete processing center in Midalothian, TX with a chilled bottle MD 20/20 and with a girl whose name I can no longer recall in the glee of what is youth. On a hot sticky August summer night on the hood of my burnt orange chevy nova, we peered across a thick dust cover haze which seemed to stain the sky a varying dull shade of grey at the cow pond in field beyond.

Watching the cows frolick in the field, well - only as cows can frolick.

Thats right, it was just me and (aaaaaaahhhhh??? whats her name) ... alone ... in what only could be considered a norman rockwell picture post card happening.

If every there was a kodak moment, this must surely be one of them.

Dear friends, I hope this only goes to open ones eyes that romance is not a place - it is a state of mind ... either straight, or chemical or alcholically altered ... it matters not. It is only that you enjoy the moment and being with that, uh, other person.

Thanks, Trimix
I have to go take my medication now.

Edited by Trimix2dive, 26 May 2005 - 06:31 PM.