As I was laying in a dark, peaceful and tranquil room getting a great massage and foot reflexology, the thought goes through my mind of “What makes an A+ vacation for me?” I know, you might be thinking massage...foot reflexology, what? Yes, I openly admit it, I am very metro! I will just get that out of the way right up front. So, here it goes... Terry Storch’s top 5 list of what makes an A+ vacation. Oh, don’t let me forget to remind you that a vacation is kid free.

1) Environment. Environment is the location in which you are vacationing. Example: Kauai, Hawaii. A great environment with 4 unique locations on the island, North, East, South and West.  The north location is primarily Princeville, it has great golf, great resorts, outstanding beaches and great food. East has great shopping, a great municipal golf course, great condos and wonderful waterfalls. South has the best great golf (Championships of Golf are played their), great food, cool and fun environments and wonderful parks. And the West, the west is not drivable, but is outstanding to view from a tour sailboat. Kauai as a whole is a perfect vacation environment. Robin and I spent 2 weeks their for our 5 year anniversary.

2) Food. Food for me is a must on vacation. I am a great food freak. A vacation spot in my opinion must have great food, with lots of unique options. My recommendation is doing a lot of research on the Internet before you head out, but nothing beats local recommendations! One of my requirements on vacation is not eating at any location that we can eat at home! Of course that does not include Starbuck’s for decaf and T-Mobile wireless (precisely where I am posting this in Beaver Creek, CO).

3) Activities. A vacation is not a vacation to me without great activities. Keys for me are golf, shopping, and seasonal recreational activities.

4) Accommodations. Hotel, condo, house, etc. accommodations are very important. Where I stay will set the tone for the trip. Great accommodations vary based on your vacation location. Example: If you are on a ski trip, a great accommodation would be a ski in ski out condo!

5) Personalization. An A+ vacation in my mind must include great personalization. Personalization to me would be all the unique pampering or outstanding activities that you would not do normally at home. This will be different for everyone. Mine include great spa’s, top notch golf and a lot of relaxation and down time.

What does your top five list look like?