Finding a Winter Wonderland

March 25, 2018 12:37 PM

Several years ago, we took the perfect winter vacation with a group of friends. We could go back to the same place, but we'd like to experience a new location with some of the same elements.

We went to Mont Tremblant outside of Montreal. We stayed in a log cabin with a fireplace and hot tub. Some of our group went skiing, while the non-skiers got coffee, went shopping, and hung around the fireplace reading. Here's what we want:

1. Lots of snow! We'll be going between Christmas and New Year's Eve.
2. Cabins/condos to rent nearby. We don't want to stay in a hotel or lodge, but we do want a fireplace and hot tub again.
3. Decent skiing - doesn't have to be world class.
4. Stuff to do besides skiing - spa, snowshoeing, dogsledding, bookstores, etc.
5. Restaurants and grocery stores available.
6. Within an hour or two of a major airport - we'll be flying in from around the country.

What are your favorite winter vacation destinations?

posted by Barnifer to Travel & Transportation (8 answers total)

You might enjoy the White Mountains area of New Hampshire. It has all the things you are looking for in spades. Well, the snow this most recent December was kinda meh but that's climate change for you. There's normally plenty of snow by then.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 12:39 PM on March 25, 2018

You might consider Fairbanks, Alaska. In December, lots of snow shouldn't be a problem. We have great cross-country skiing. And there is a bit of downhill skiing available. Chena Hot Springs is very nice, although it's about an hour out of town and the rooms are pretty spendy. It may be pretty cold (and definitely will be dark a lot of the time) between Christmas and New Years---but hey, you'd get to experience what it's like to have the sun barely clear the horizon, hang out with sunrise for 2 hours, then see sunset for two hours before the sun goes back below the horizon. We've got a nice museum, some nice restaurants, a couple of bookstores, definitely dog sledding, grocery stores (we have the biggest Fred Meyer in the United States), northern lights...
posted by leahwrenn at 1:41 PM on March 25, 2018

Salt Lake City checks all your boxes, and does have world class skiing. I can't recommend a specific area, because I normally stay as close to Alta as possible (so in the suburbs near LCC mouth), but there are plenty of more remote places you could stay. Park City would be good too.
posted by so fucking future at 2:02 PM on March 25, 2018

I'm not sure about spa facilities (you may have to go into Ottawa), but Calabogie, Ontario was a pleasant surprise and is an hour outside of Ottawa. Spouse and I spent a very pleasant week there in late winter and spent a fair amount of time in Ottawa proper.

And Mont Tremblant was one of my most favorite vacation spots, you and your friends have very good taste.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 3:52 PM on March 25, 2018

Okemo makes for good skiing at many skill levels and probably presses a few other of your buttons.
posted by vrakatar at 6:23 PM on March 25, 2018

Come out to Banff, lots of cabins and hot tubs to be had, skiing is great. Hidden Ridge comes to mind. Also, google SkiBig3 18-19 and right now they have about 40-50% off on next season right now.
posted by furtive at 9:32 PM on March 25, 2018

Some friends and I did a long weekend at Strawberry Park Hot Springs a few years ago and it was wonderful. The park has a number of cabins for rent, including a cool converted caboose. The hot springs were open to us all day and evening, and we were a short drive to skiing, snowshoeing and other outdoors activities. There were also massages available for those of us not as into the great outdoors (or who were struggling with the altitude). It was a really, really lovely vacation.
posted by goggie at 2:17 PM on March 26, 2018

Jackson Hole Wyoming! National parks, good food, wildlife and all. Great trip.
posted by ibakecake at 8:24 PM on March 26, 2018