You: Adventurous
Your Trip: Six days in Kauai
Day 1: Depart Sacramento International Airport for Lihue, Kauai. Arrive in Lihue, rent a car and drive to Poipu on the South Shore of the island. Check in at the Sheraton Kauai Resort, which offers an oceanfront lounge, two pools, a spa, three restaurants, five shops and has rooms starting at $281 a night. Head out to Poipu Beach Park for some snorkeling, hit up The Point, the Sheraton Kauai’s oceanfront lounge, to take in the view.Day 2: Start your day with a morning scuba dive in Koloa Town and greet a few Kauai natives, such as snowflake eels, lizardfish and green turtles. After your dive, head to the town of Hanapepe and the Hanapepe Café for seafood cakes and hummus sandwiches. Take a shoreline hike on the cliffs of Makawehi next to Shipwreck Beach and look for fossils in the sandstone. Eat dinner at Sidepools at the Hyatt.
Day 3: Drive up to the North Shore. Stop at the Wailua River experience the best kayaking on the island. Travel north to Princeville and check in at the Princeville Hotel, then jaunt to Tunnels Beach for some snorkeling or Anini Beach for windsurfing.
Day 4: Spend the first half of the day on a zipline adventure tour on 17,000 acres of former plantation lands with Kauai Backcountry Adventures. The company offers seven lines to glide over lush tropical forests and deep valleys. The $110 per person fee includes lunch and swimming in a stream. Spend the afternoon tubing through the historic irrigation system of the former Lihue Plantation. Float on open canals, through tunnels and flumes.
Day 5: Fly a powered hang glider. You can rent one from Birds in Paradise for $115 per person for a half-hour in-air lesson. Spend late afternoon and evening on a dinner cruise off the Na Pali coast, which was the setting of the Jurassic Park movies. Tours last four to six hours, can include snorkeling and often are graced by dolphin visits.
Day 6: Depart Lihue, Kauai for Sacramento.
Total Cost: $3,500*
*Car rentals and other transportation costs for all locations will vary by season and some discounts may apply.
You: Active
Your Trip: 11 Days in New Zealand
Day 1: Depart San Francisco International Airport for Auckland International Airport, New Zealand (Note, airfare is much cheaper in our summer months, which is their winter).Day 2: Arrive in Auckland. Buy a three-in-one Travelpass, which includes national bus travel throughout New Zealand, an Interislander ferry crossing and a rail journey. Take a sightseeing tour of Mt. Eden, the Auckland Domain, Harbor Bridge, the Auckland viaduct and the city’s waterfront. Stay at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Auckland.
Day 3: Travel to Rotorua. On the way, stop at the Waitomo Glow Worm Cave. Journey to Rotorua and visit geothermal hotspots and sulfuric geysers. Visit a bathhouse for a dip in the sulfur pools. Entertainment includes a Maori cultural performance and Hangi (food cooked authentically underground) at Tamaki Maori Village.
Day 4: Rotorua. Take a gondola ride up Mt. Ngongotaha for views of Lake Rotorua, then enjoy a luge ride down from the top. Visit Te Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve to see the famous Pohutu Geyser, then Rainbow Springs to see some of New Zealand’s native birds and plants, including the prehistoric tuatara, New Zealand’s “living fossil.”
Day 5: Depart Rotorua for Wellington. In Wellington, ride a cable car above the city to view the beautiful gardens and Carter Observatory. Eat lunch at the Skyline Restaurant overlooking the city. Visit the Botanical Garden and St. Paul’s Cathedral, then the Wellington Land and Sea Museum. Walk to Queens Wharf for restaurants with water views and exceptional food. Stay at the InterContinental Hotel Wellington.
Day 6: Depart Wellington for Blenheim. Travel by ferry across Cook Strait to Picton. The port of Picton is the gateway to the South Island with an array of boating trips available to go out and about in the Marlborough Sounds. From here travel to Blenheim, the center of the Marlborough region. Stay at the Hotel D'Urville.
Day 7: Blenheim to Kaikoura. Continue by rail south to Kaikoura on the TranzScenic–TranzCoastal. The ride allows for a close-up view of seals basking on the rocks. Kaikoura is world-renowned for whale watching. Dolphin, seal and sea bird watching, fishing, diving and a large number of other land and water-based activities are also available.
Day 8: Kaikoura to Mount Cook. The Aoraki Mount Cook National Park includes the highest peak in Australasia (Australia, New Zealand and neighboring islands). More than one-third of the park’s acreage is permanent snow and glacial ice.
Day 9: Mount Cook to Queenstown, New Zealand’s adventure capital. Seasonal activities include: snowboarding, skiing, bungee jumping, skydiving, mountain climbing, rafting, kayaking, fishing, horseback riding, cycling, scenic flights, sailing, river surfing, jet boating, canyoning (rappelling down canyons) and heli-skiing (helicopter skiing). Stay at the Crowne Plaza Queenstown.
Day 10: In the morning, choose among the many activities available in Queenstown. In the afternoon, depart Queenstown Airport for San Francisco.
Day 11: Arrive San Francisco International Airport.
Total cost: $6,500
You: Romantic
Your Trip: Seven Days in the Monterey/Carmel Valley Area
Day 1: Drive from Sacramento to Monterey. Check in at the Monterey Plaza Hotel and Spa on Cannery Row. Eat at Schooners Bistro on the Bay and enjoy their "Best Margarita."Day 2: Walk to Old Fisherman’s Wharf for excellent clam chowder at Old Fisherman’s Grotto and a whale-watching cruise through Bay Watch Cruises. Return to the hotel and take advantage of the “Spa for Two” package, which includes two 50-minute spa treatments.
Day 3: Start the day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and cuddle in the dark exhibits of exotic sea creatures. Then drive along Ocean View Boulevard to Pacific Grove. Check in at the Gosby House Bed and Breakfast, a cute Victorian that offers wine and cheese and breakfast. Stroll to Lover’s Point Park and Beach and sit on the benches beside the ocean. Eat dinner at Pasta Mia Ancora.
Day 4: Take Seventeen Mile Drive, the scenic stretch of highway that runs between Pacific Grove and Carmel and passes Pebble Beach. The road snakes along the California coast and through the Del Monte Forest. Arrive in Carmel and check in at the Carmel Valley Ranch that overlooks its gold course and the Carmel Valley.
Day 5: Start the day with an in-room couple’s massage. At sundown, sit on your balcony and watch the deer that come into the valley to feed. End your evening with chocolate-covered strawberries by the fire.
Day 6: Enjoy the 6,234-yard championship golf course or the California-style tennis club. Take advantage of the private yoga, mediation and Pilates instruction or the scenic hiking, biking and running trails winding through the 400-acre grounds. Finish off the night with an outdoor deep-tissue massage on your balcony.
Day 7: Drive up coastal Highway 1 and turn inland in San Francisco for your return trip to Sacramento.
Total Cost: $2,700
You: Socialite
Your Trip: Four Nights In Vegas
Day 1: Depart Sacramento International Airport for Las Vegas. Take taxi to (and check in at) the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Stop in at the music-themed Hard Rock Hotel and its Peacock Lounge for high-rolling players. Then walk to Body English (also located in the Hard Rock) to dance the night away.Day 2: Walk to the Forum Shops adjacent to Caesars Palace. Stroll ancient Roman streets under painted panoramic skies. Browse the luxury shops and dine on signature pizza and fresh salads at Spago. Head back out to the Strip and watch the fountains at the Bellagio, choreographed to music. Return to Caesars for the Legends in Concert at the Imperial Palace. If you make the 7:30 p.m., 90-minute show, you can still catch the 10:30 p.m. show of Zumanity, a Cirque du Soleil production, at New York New York. Don’t miss the Manhattan Express roller coaster before you cruise to the Coyote Ugly Saloon, also in New York New York.
Day 3: Eat at the House of Blues in Mandalay Bay—the closest you can get to a blues revival without trekking to Louisiana. Take a romantic gondola ride at the Venetian and experience a vocal performance by your personal gondolier. Later, get your groove on at the multilevel Voodoo Lounge at the Rio, which offers 180-degree views of the Strip.
Day 4: Go to Paris Las Vegas for a trip to the Eiffel Tower and a spectacular view. After dinner, finish the night off at the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino, where you’ll be treated to the Buccaneer Bay Pirate Show. Visit the Tangerine Lounge and Nightclub, reminiscent of 1920s speakeasies, and treat yourself to burlesque performances.
Day 5: Hop on your return flight from Las Vegas to Sacramento.
Total cost: $1,800 (gambling not included)
You: Culture Seekers
Your Trip: Eight Days In Spain
Day 1: Hop on an overnight transatlantic flight from Sacramento. Arrive in Barcelona. Take a taxi from the airport to Le Meridien Barcelona hotel.Day 2: No trip to Barcelona is complete without a look at some of Antoni Gaudi's works, especially La Sagrada Familia. This unfinished cathedral features three different facades, each with four intricate spires and a dome that towers more than 500 feet. Stroll La Rambla, the most famous boulevard in Barcelona, and soak in its vendors and sidewalk cafes. Take a bus ride to Montjuic, Barcelona’s seafront hill and the main site of the 1992 Olympics.
Day 3: Granada/Ronda. Buy a Eurail Spain Pass for train travel throughout the country. (It is quicker and more convenient than renting a car.) Ride from Barcelona to Granada, located in the foothills of the snow-capped Sierra Nevada. Visit La Alhambra, a majestic palace built by Moorish rulers, with incredible fountains and light-reflecting water basins. Continue on to Ronda. Set high above Tajo Gorge, the setting has attracted artists and writers seeking inspiration.
Day 4: Ronda/Andalucía/Seville. Spend the morning exploring Ronda, renowned for its historic bullring, Moorish architecture and dramatic views. Following lunch, depart through Andalucía; view small, whitewashed towns that become more picturesque with the ascent in altitude. Arrive late in the afternoon in Seville; in the evening, attend a flamenco show and dinner.
Day 5: Seville. Start your day with chocolate con churros. See the treasures of Seville including Parque de María Luisa, displaying buildings from the Spanish-American Exhibition of 1929, and Palacio de San Telmo. A walking tour includes a visit to the world’s third largest cathedral, featuring the tomb of Christopher Columbus. The Barrio de Santa Cruz is a labyrinth of old streets.
Day 6: Córdoba/Madrid. Travel to Córdoba. A beautiful maze of small streets and narrow alleyways awaits exploration. Take a walking tour through the historic Jewish Quarter, and sip some sangria. Journey on to ornate La Mezquita, the third largest mosque in the world. Continue by high-speed AVE train to Madrid.
Day 7: Madrid. Enjoy a sightseeing tour of the city, beginning with a visit to Museo del Prado, one of the world’s most renowned museums. See Palacio de Oriente, the opulent royal palace built in the 18th century; Puerta del Sol; the Neptuno and Cibeles fountains; grand avenues such as Gran Vía and Castellana; El Parque del Buen Retiro, designed in the 18th century for Spanish nobility; and the bullring. Enjoy a last dinner featuring traditional Castilian entertainment.
Day 8: Journey home. Depart Madrid’s Barajas Airport for Sacramento.
Total Cost: $5,000
