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CNN Live Saturday
CNN Weekend Getaways: Hot or Cold?
Aired January 24, 2004 - 12:50 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, maybe about now you're thinking about a little winter getaway. Well, you've got two main choices: hot or cold.
Let's look first at the cold, Niagara Falls. It's so cold there that the famed waterfall is freezing, creating, however, a pretty amazing sight. Actually, the river below the falls freezes. The spray forms spectacular ice mountains some 100 feet tall. If anything, it makes for a great picture.
Well, if you like winter, take Upstate New York, please. The area south of Buffalo is buried under two to three feet of fresh snow. Rochester has tied a record of 19 straight days of snow this month. For half of January, temperatures have been below average in the region.
And then there's this. Just everyone all together say, Aah. Oh, that feels good. Warm, tropical -- pretty inviting,
Our guest knows all about it. In fact, he's got quite a few great suggestions for us. Jason Cochran is a senior editor at Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, and he is in the cold or the chilly spot of New York City. But, of course, it's warm right now -- talking about a little adult spring break.
Warm only because you're inside.
JASON COCHRAN, ARTHUR FROMMER'S BUDGET: Right. Thanks goodness.
WHITFIELD: All right, Jason -- yes, Jason, good to see you.
OK. We're talking a little adult vacations. It doesn't mean that they're going to be lacking in fun, it just means that maybe there won't be the wet T-shirt contests or Jell-O shots or anything like that.
COCHRAN: It's going to be lacking in noise, right. Lacking in the crowds. No Jell-O shots.
WHITFIELD: Kind of -- a little bit more sophisticated.
COCHRAN: Hopefully. Yes.
Well, we're -- we -- the cover of the magazine this month, actually, is all about this exact topic. It's spring breaks for grown- ups. If you want to get away, and I think this winter a lot of people really need to get some warmth right away, where do you go where you're not going to find the apocalyptic college crowds, you know, partying on the street?
WHITFIELD: OK. They're all very aesthetically pleasing, but there are also some fun activities.
Let's begin with Del Mar Beach, California, kind of sandwiched between Los Angeles and San Diego.
Why would anyone want to go there?
COCHRAN: You know, it's a gorgeous little town. The town itself is sort of on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. You've got a lot of outdoor cafes, coffee houses, really old palm trees. I mean, this place was a popular place in the '30s for movie stars to go down.
I don't know why it's more crowded between L.A. and San Diego like it is, but it's not. It's still one of those California towns that when you look on it on the map, it's little, tiny type. You have to sort of look for it. It's a great escape.
WHITFIELD: Wow. And you can always find a good deal going to Cancun, but maybe you don't want to stay in Cancun, but then hit the road and head to -- is it Tulum?
COCHRAN: Tulum, right.
WHTIFIELD: Tulum.
COCHRAN: It's an hour and a half south of Cancun. What you do is you just jump in a rental car -- it's really easy -- and you drive down and then you're away from the crowds. And you can have something like your own bungalow on the beach, your own hammock, your own porch....
WHITFIELD: Wow.
COCHRAN: ....your own bathroom, and you just sort of relax.
WHITFIELD: OK.
COCHRAN: It's the kind of getaway that I think a lot of people think you have to be really rich and go to the Caribbean for, but it's right there near Cancun, if you're just willing to go away from the hotel zone.
WHITFIELD: So it's really not a large resort kind of place?
COCHRAN: No, and that's why you want to go.
WHIITFIELD: Intimate settings you were mentioning.
COCHRAN: Exactly. It's a real escape, really. And it's near a lot of ruins that a lot of people don't visit either. You can actually see some of these archaeological sites on your own.
WHITFIELD: Wow. A little ruins, a little beach. Sounds pretty nice combination.
Cocoa Beach, Florida. You know, the last time we really started thinking about Cocoa Beach was, you know, "I Dream of Jeannie." So now it's time to revisit it.
COCHRAN: I don't think it's changed much since "I Dream of Jeannie."
It's -- it's sort of Florida the way your grandparents used to see it. A lot of it was built in the 50s' and 60's. It's been a launching post for NASA ever since, I think, 1961. And a lot of the buildings are mid-century gorgeous Florida architecture, the kind of thing that you -- that's vanishing, frankly, from up and down the coast.
So you go there. You go to the raw bar, you have a few beers, watch the sunset. It's just a gorgeous, you know, Florida thing to do and...
WHITFIELD: Oh, that's wonderful.
Costa Rica, a place where most people associate eco-tours. And you're saying you can have a little eco-tour and some. And this place -- is it Jaco?
COCHRAN: Jaco, right.
Well, Jaco's interesting because you don't go so much for what's in Jaco, but what's outside of Jaco -- as you said, the ecotourism, the national parks -- there's an active volcano that's been rumbling since 1968. So if you don't want to go to Hawaii to check that out, you can see one in Costa Rica.
And inside Jaco, meanwhile, at night, you can hang out at your own resort with all inclusive -- all the meals taken care of for about $80, $90 a night. So you can have the best of both worlds. If you don't want to lie on a beach all day long, you go out of Jaco, which is sort of developed, and you go into the national parks, which are usually very close.
Costa Rica is a very compact country. You can drive pretty much anywhere you want to within the day.
WHITFIELD: Wow. Nice, exotic experiences and you don't even have to spend a whole lot of money.
COCHRAN: Right.
WHITFIELD: All right. Jason Cochran of Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel. Of course, for suggested ideas and other places in that magazine and, of course, you let us know just how much of a budget we need to have when we go to these places or plan these places.
Good to see you, Jason.
COCHRAN: You, too. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 24, 2004 - 12:50 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, maybe about now you're thinking about a little winter getaway. Well, you've got two main choices: hot or cold.
Let's look first at the cold, Niagara Falls. It's so cold there that the famed waterfall is freezing, creating, however, a pretty amazing sight. Actually, the river below the falls freezes. The spray forms spectacular ice mountains some 100 feet tall. If anything, it makes for a great picture.
Well, if you like winter, take Upstate New York, please. The area south of Buffalo is buried under two to three feet of fresh snow. Rochester has tied a record of 19 straight days of snow this month. For half of January, temperatures have been below average in the region.
And then there's this. Just everyone all together say, Aah. Oh, that feels good. Warm, tropical -- pretty inviting,
Our guest knows all about it. In fact, he's got quite a few great suggestions for us. Jason Cochran is a senior editor at Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, and he is in the cold or the chilly spot of New York City. But, of course, it's warm right now -- talking about a little adult spring break.
Warm only because you're inside.
JASON COCHRAN, ARTHUR FROMMER'S BUDGET: Right. Thanks goodness.
WHITFIELD: All right, Jason -- yes, Jason, good to see you.
OK. We're talking a little adult vacations. It doesn't mean that they're going to be lacking in fun, it just means that maybe there won't be the wet T-shirt contests or Jell-O shots or anything like that.
COCHRAN: It's going to be lacking in noise, right. Lacking in the crowds. No Jell-O shots.
WHITFIELD: Kind of -- a little bit more sophisticated.
COCHRAN: Hopefully. Yes.
Well, we're -- we -- the cover of the magazine this month, actually, is all about this exact topic. It's spring breaks for grown- ups. If you want to get away, and I think this winter a lot of people really need to get some warmth right away, where do you go where you're not going to find the apocalyptic college crowds, you know, partying on the street?
WHITFIELD: OK. They're all very aesthetically pleasing, but there are also some fun activities.
Let's begin with Del Mar Beach, California, kind of sandwiched between Los Angeles and San Diego.
Why would anyone want to go there?
COCHRAN: You know, it's a gorgeous little town. The town itself is sort of on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. You've got a lot of outdoor cafes, coffee houses, really old palm trees. I mean, this place was a popular place in the '30s for movie stars to go down.
I don't know why it's more crowded between L.A. and San Diego like it is, but it's not. It's still one of those California towns that when you look on it on the map, it's little, tiny type. You have to sort of look for it. It's a great escape.
WHITFIELD: Wow. And you can always find a good deal going to Cancun, but maybe you don't want to stay in Cancun, but then hit the road and head to -- is it Tulum?
COCHRAN: Tulum, right.
WHTIFIELD: Tulum.
COCHRAN: It's an hour and a half south of Cancun. What you do is you just jump in a rental car -- it's really easy -- and you drive down and then you're away from the crowds. And you can have something like your own bungalow on the beach, your own hammock, your own porch....
WHITFIELD: Wow.
COCHRAN: ....your own bathroom, and you just sort of relax.
WHITFIELD: OK.
COCHRAN: It's the kind of getaway that I think a lot of people think you have to be really rich and go to the Caribbean for, but it's right there near Cancun, if you're just willing to go away from the hotel zone.
WHITFIELD: So it's really not a large resort kind of place?
COCHRAN: No, and that's why you want to go.
WHIITFIELD: Intimate settings you were mentioning.
COCHRAN: Exactly. It's a real escape, really. And it's near a lot of ruins that a lot of people don't visit either. You can actually see some of these archaeological sites on your own.
WHITFIELD: Wow. A little ruins, a little beach. Sounds pretty nice combination.
Cocoa Beach, Florida. You know, the last time we really started thinking about Cocoa Beach was, you know, "I Dream of Jeannie." So now it's time to revisit it.
COCHRAN: I don't think it's changed much since "I Dream of Jeannie."
It's -- it's sort of Florida the way your grandparents used to see it. A lot of it was built in the 50s' and 60's. It's been a launching post for NASA ever since, I think, 1961. And a lot of the buildings are mid-century gorgeous Florida architecture, the kind of thing that you -- that's vanishing, frankly, from up and down the coast.
So you go there. You go to the raw bar, you have a few beers, watch the sunset. It's just a gorgeous, you know, Florida thing to do and...
WHITFIELD: Oh, that's wonderful.
Costa Rica, a place where most people associate eco-tours. And you're saying you can have a little eco-tour and some. And this place -- is it Jaco?
COCHRAN: Jaco, right.
Well, Jaco's interesting because you don't go so much for what's in Jaco, but what's outside of Jaco -- as you said, the ecotourism, the national parks -- there's an active volcano that's been rumbling since 1968. So if you don't want to go to Hawaii to check that out, you can see one in Costa Rica.
And inside Jaco, meanwhile, at night, you can hang out at your own resort with all inclusive -- all the meals taken care of for about $80, $90 a night. So you can have the best of both worlds. If you don't want to lie on a beach all day long, you go out of Jaco, which is sort of developed, and you go into the national parks, which are usually very close.
Costa Rica is a very compact country. You can drive pretty much anywhere you want to within the day.
WHITFIELD: Wow. Nice, exotic experiences and you don't even have to spend a whole lot of money.
COCHRAN: Right.
WHITFIELD: All right. Jason Cochran of Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel. Of course, for suggested ideas and other places in that magazine and, of course, you let us know just how much of a budget we need to have when we go to these places or plan these places.
Good to see you, Jason.
COCHRAN: You, too. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
