I went with a brick paver patio, mostly because I thought I could do it by myself, which I did (well, with just a little help from my Dad!).

Pros - 1) it didn't cost a whole lot (I got most of the gray stones for free from a friend of my Dad who scavenged them from a county dumpsite) and I was able to buy a truckload of the other colors each weekend for about 2 months for about $40 a load, plus around $700 for a dump truck load of sand & gravel. 2) It doesn't hurt your bare feet. 3) It should (hopefully) last a long time. 4) I like the way it looks.

Cons - 1) I have to brush sand into the little gaps between the pavers once or twice a year (but we just put the patio in last year, so it may just be an issue of giving it time to "settle"). 2) I do occassionally have to pull up a weed from in between the pavers. 3) Laying the pavers is absolute hell on your knees!

Overall, it was a fairly simple do-it-yourself project (even for a girl!).