If winter’s dreary weather has you down, take action. Vacation time?
Here are five ideas to consider.
1. Make a plan.
We all like to look forward to an adventure. And research shows that by planning ahead, more families will actually take much-need vacations and thus reap a multitude of personal and professional benefits. By crafting a strategy in advance you’ll have your pick of departures, the best cabins on a cruise ship and more options in popular resort areas. While you are at it, scan the year ahead and be the first to claim vacation days around existing holidays and school breaks, creating a future stretch for relaxation and enjoyment. Knowing good times are on the horizon will help wash the winter blues away.
2. Embrace a new winter sport and then dine in style.
Perhaps this is the year to push beyond the local sledding hill and expand your winter sports experiences. Lace up the skates, strap on the snowshoes, learn how mushers round up their sled dogs or consider an ice climb. Go downhill, cross-country, into the back-country and then warm up in a steaming hot spring. Skate ski to dinner served in a yurt or ride aboard a horse-drawn or snowcat sleigh headed to a cozy cabin where you and your family can savor supper served fireside.
Visit Beaver Creek and plan to dine at Beano's Cabin. During the winter months you'll have fun traveling through Beaver Creek's iconic aspen groves during a 20-minute open air sleigh ride pulled by a snowcat. Blankets and tarps are on board but be sure to dress warmly.
Tucked into an on-mountain meadow at the base of Larkspur Bowl, this luxurious log hideaway is elegant in a mountain kind of of way, yet comfortable with kids.
Upon arrival, tuck your warm wraps away and relax in the inviting, cozy environment where a fire is blazing, conversation is swirling and mouths are watering with the prospect of what is to come in this popular and top rated Colorado dining spot.
An open kitchen make it fun to watch the pros in action as they prepare gourmet, five-course meals comprised of traditional Colorado fare. (We sampled the elk and the venison. Both divine.) Take a look at the lengthy wine list and know that a sommelier is on hand to help with your selection. (It's nice to know someone else will be driving the sleigh home.) It's a most delicious and memorable way to end a perfect day on the slopes.
Do yourself a favor and stay at St. James Place, in the heart of the family-friendly village. It's your vacation too!
Contact: www.SunValley.com ; www.Vail.com. www.BeaverCreek.com
3. Connect with family and friends.
Geographic spread, busy careers and school and sports schedules make it more difficult than ever to spend time with the people who matter most. Check in with your clan and craft a plan to celebrate an upcoming birthday, anniversary, or to honor a family member’s special achievement, acknowledging the kind of touchstones that can be a meaningful part of a family’s legacy. At the same time, who needs an official event to enjoy the company and support of your loved ones?
Take advantage of last minute travel deals and vow to focus on the joys of winter together.
Contact: www.HotelTonight.com
4. Seek the sun.
Visit Curtain Bluff, a laid back, but luxurious, family-owned resort in Antigua for an all-inclusive experience that offers extensive water sports including water skiing, deep sea fishing, snorkeling, paddle-boating, tennis, yoga, and sailing. As the kids burn off energy with the Cee Bee kids club, relax in a hammock you’ll find tucked within the palm trees. Spend an afternoon at the spa where open air massages provide a perfect end to sports-filled day.
Closer to home, consider Southern California’s iconic Hotel Del Coronado, nestled on a wide stretch of sand with easy access to the water and a host of sea side activities. Get out your boogie board, take surfing lessons or watch Navy seamen from the nearby Coronado Island base train along the beach.
Contact: www.CurtainBluff.com ; www.HotelDel.com
5. Unplug.
According to a recent survey commissioned by
Enterprise Rent-A-Car, an increasing number of travelers plan to completely disconnect and turn their time off into an escape from the pressures of their jobs and other responsibilities. Whether you stay close to home or plan an exotic family getaway, taking a vacation from news reports, social media alerts and a never ending stream of emails can reduce stress and provide more time to pursue activities you enjoy.
Contact: www.Enterprise.com/pursuits
Plan a snowy getaway with your family.
Here are five escape-worthy spots to consider:
The Sebastian, Vail, CO.
Splurge on a ski vacation and let the resort pros make sure your high altitude holiday goes off without a hitch. The Sebastian’s amenities-on-demand program can deliver ski and snow essentials to your room along with an energy-filled breakfast. Order up an extra pair of toasty socks, hand warmers for the kiddos or another round of sunscreen. Guests can also arrange to have a steaming bubble bath drawn prior to a return from the slopes.
Team up with the adventure concierge to plan a moonlight snowshoe adventure and ice-skating for the older kids while the littlest one plays in the Tykes Room. Should the kids need a break from the mountain they can also opt for hosted crafts in the Upper Lobby where creating hand puppets, finger knitting and experimenting with snow slime are possibilities. Should grown-ups need a break, the hospitality team is on hand to make restaurant reservations and scout for a babysitter.
Contact:www.Snow.com www.thesebastianvail.com
Basecamp Hotel, South Lake Tahoe, CA.
Clever and cool, your kids will love the cozy options available at this boutique hotel, where exploring the local mountain community is encouraged. The Great Indoor Family Room sports a King bed for the grownups, adjacent to a wall tented room featuring bunk beds, a faux campfire, a picnic table and camp chairs. Designed as an alternative to a cookie cutter hotel, owners have repurposed “under-appreciated” buildings and infused them with “soul”. Happy hour includes homemade soups and stews. No surprise: s’mores are served nightly.
Contact: www.Basecamphotels.com.
The National Park Inn. Mt. Rainer National Park.
Leave your technology behind and immerse yourselves in the beauty of this majestic setting in the Park’s Longmire Historic District. Check in to one of 25 rooms in the two-story lodge. Relax in the lounge and sip hot cocoa near the massive stone fireplace while enjoying stories of the day and making plans for the next. Visit the general store, a circa 1911 log cabin, for access to cross-country and snowshoeing rentals and other goodies.
Contact: http://www.mtrainierguestservices.com/accommodations/national-park-inn
Sundance Resort, Sundance, UT.
You’ll find it difficult to emerge from the cozy lodge warmed by a roaring fire or your cabin crafted from indigenous materials. But when you do, choose from cross country and snowshoe trails that run deep into the woods or sunlit downhill runs on the slopes of Mount Timpanagos. Founded my film maker and conservationist Robert Redford, the resort offers family-friendly pottery, beading and printmaking classes in the Art Shack, winter fly-fishing and dining menus with an emphasis on organic and locally sourced ingredients.
Contact: www.SundanceResort.com
Devil’s Thumb Ranch. Tabernash, CO.
Stay in a cozy cabin or opt to sleep in the High Lonesome Lodge where ranch guests steep in expansive views of the Continental Divide and the Ranch Creek Valley while channelling the pioneering spirit of early homesteaders. The centerpiece of the lodge is a reconstructed Civil War-era barn. Choose from 31 guest rooms and four suites, each with private outdoor patios and Adirondack-style rockers. Grab the binoculars to catch a glimpse of wildlife roaming on this 6,000 acre expanse of Colorado beauty or set out on the Nordic trails for an up-close view of winter scenes.
Contact: www.devilsthumbranch.com.
During a recent outing I was reminded why they call one of my favorite sports “fishing”.
And not “catching”.