Where to spend Christmas near to, but not smothered by, family?

March 3, 2008 7:11 PM

Where to stay for Christmas? I need snow, a central lodge, separate rooms or outlying cabins (ideally with kitchenettes), and a charming village, in the US or Canada.

For several years now, I've hosted the extended family for the holidays. Having borne the only grandchild on both sides, I have the blessing and the curse of being the focus of all Christmas events. I've loved it, but frankly, I've also had enough. I need a break from planning every meal, every snack, for a family with allergies and diet restrictions and (for some) a pathological fear of spices; making sure everyone has the preferred kind of pillow; entertaining; and trying to keep my sanity. I need to have someone else do the work.

This is what I am looking for, in order of importance:

1. A white Christmas.

2. A place where everyone will stay in their own room, or cottage, or whatever. I am not interested in renting a house, because then I'd be back to cooking for everyone, this time without my extensive collection of gadgets. It would be super nice if these places had kitchenettes, so that we could get away with not eating 100% of our meals in restaurants.

3. A central lodge where people could meet -- everyone in the family could meet each other, and the more social members of my extended family could meet complete strangers.

4. A nearby village or city or town or something, so that non-skiers could have something to do with their time. (I mention the skiing just because winter lodges tend to be associated with ski resorts, but we're not looking for a ski resort per se. We can take skiing or leave it, either way.) My parents, for example, wouldn't ski if Jaws (a reference to a Bond villain, not to the cartilaginous fish) were coming after them and this was their only means of escape. They're also not ostentatious shoppers. They'd like something to do besides looking cool in their apres-ski clothes (the thought makes me limp with laughter) and buying crap they don't need. What else is there? I'll admit, I don't really know either. But if you know of something, please suggest it.

5. Ideally some place that has some organized celebration of Xmas. We're atheists, but we love the whole winterfest thing, so whatever form it takes is fine; we're not picky as long as baptism isn't involved.

6. And ideally it won't completely break the bank, but this is not a do-or-die requirement. We're thinking on the order of $200-300 a night, but if the only possible option is $800 a night, well, it just means that the parents might opt out, as it were. And that's not the end of the world (or at least it doesn't seem that way in early March, so soon after the 2007 holidays).

7. And as a total fantasy wish: a place that is accessible by train. This is just gravy, icing, whatever. But we all love trains, and this would be cool as hell.

So, if you happen (off the top of your head) to know just the place, or are somehow trapped in front of a computer with high-speed internet access and nothing to do for the next several hours and you want to search this out, I'd love to hear suggestions. I'm sure reservations will get harder and harder to make as time passes, and figured the hive mind was superior to my own, so I start (for the most part) with y'all rather than with Google. Many, many thanks for your help, in advance.

posted by Capri to travel & transportation (12 comments total)

What area in the US or Canada are you looking at - anywhere in particular? My family has been spending Thanksgiving at Lake Lawn Resort in Delavan, Wisconsin, ever since I can remember. They've just renovated and it would fit many of your criteria: Christmases are generally white, there are a variety of different kinds of rooms (the suites have kitchenettes but the regular rooms have a microwave and a fridge), there are a bunch of places for the whole family to meet up, it's near Lake Geneva (and there are also things to do in Delavan), and they do have Christmasy events. (Plus they do a wonderful job of decorating for Christmas - it is just beautiful)
posted by SisterHavana at 7:47 PM on March 3, 2008

Elk View Lodge in Fernie is really nice. There is a central dining area and then a bunch of funky units surrounding it. Hot tub on the roof, terrifically friendly people who run it, and spectacular skiing (or mountainbiking in the summer... the trails go right from the lodge).

Even more spectacular is Home in Golden, BC, near Kicking Horse ski resort. This is run by a British couple and is staggeringly great, with wonderful food and terrific accommodation.

I was in both these places in the fall. Fernie is a better town than Golden to spend time in (Golden is a bit of a railroad stop) but Home is just spectacular, one of the nicest places I've ever stayed anywhere.
posted by unSane at 7:53 PM on March 3, 2008

NB I think both of these places are accessible by train.
posted by unSane at 7:54 PM on March 3, 2008

NB2 neither of these places is particularly ski-oriented. They are both a ways from the main ski area and there's a non-resort town associated with both. There are terrific restaurants in both Fernie and Golden -- email me for recommendations.
posted by unSane at 7:56 PM on March 3, 2008

Yosemite.

There are plenty of different accommodations available. At the Wawona you can have several connecting rooms to build your own suite. For dining, you could have one glam meal at the Ahwanhee and there are plenty of other restaurants.

You can take Amtrak there (sort of). At some point, you switch from the train to a coach which gets you to Yosemite.

Plus, when your family annoys you there is the entire park to explore.
posted by 26.2 at 8:01 PM on March 3, 2008

Estes Park, Colorado. I stayed there for a few awesome days once in July. It's Colorado, so I'm thinking you can assume a white Christmas. It's gorgeous, cabins are nice.
posted by Medieval Maven at 8:13 PM on March 3, 2008

We recently went to Mont Tremblant near Montreal. Quite a few options for lodging -- we stayed at the Fairmont on vouchers. It was awesome - we had suites with kitchens, and there were plenty of "common area" type places. Skiing is decent, town has a variety of shops, restaurants, etc. Good time was had by all!
posted by dpx.mfx at 9:50 PM on March 3, 2008

My recommendation is for Jasper, Alberta. I have never spent Christmas there, but I live about a four-hour drive away and we try to go at least once a year. The town itself is charming and cute, it's accessible by train, and apparently Jasper Park Lodge does a bang-up job of Christmas celebrations. The JPL is not cheap, but sometimes you can get package deals.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 11:42 PM on March 3, 2008

Park City would seem to fit the bill.
posted by trbrts at 8:31 AM on March 4, 2008

This is basically what Banff is made of. I've spent Christmas there (while I was working there) and it is very... Christmassy. You'll get a hell of a white Christmas.

Here are some accommodation recommendations. Anything located in the Banff township specifically is good, since it's got a cute little walkable downtown with anything you'd need, including grocery stores, liquor store, movie theatre, bars & restos and shopping. There is public transit in Banff, though, plus taxis, so the places on the outskirts (like places that say they're located on Tunnel Mountain) are still accessible without cars. There's skiing at Norquay in Banff, but lots of people go to Sunshine just outside town.

The Lake Louise area is also nice, and there's the ski hill there, but there are fewer services available. There are some lodgings in the "downstairs" half (the foot of the mountain) and then the iconic Chateau Lake Louise and a few other places "upstairs", about a 5-minute drive up the hill.

Canmore is also really nice, and has more services since it's more of a real town (and is outside the national park). It doesn't have the charm of Banff or Lake Louise, in the sense that it's a bit more utilitarian, but still has the scenery. I think you'd still have to go in to Banff or a little further to Sunshine for skiing, but I'm sure there's a shuttle or easy transport. In general it's no problem to get between Canmore, Banff, Lake Louise, and Calgary by bus -- there are tonnes of shuttles and buses and such.

Prices for these places vary a lot, but the earlier you book the better, of course, and watch for packages.
posted by loiseau at 8:51 AM on March 4, 2008 [1 favorite]

H'm, Estes is ok, but Grand Lake, CO, on the other side of Rocky Mountain National Park is the bomb! There are a bunch of little cabin places that rent multiple cabins out- sorry, I don't have hours to scour the internets, but I'm sure a quick googling will reveal them. They have fun activities in the winter, a gorgeous library with a crackling fire that's open year-round, snowmobiling, horse rides, shopping (touristy for the most part), a ski hill in Winter Park 20 miles away and a lake with a marina that rents stuff (though who knows what you could rent in the winter)
posted by arnicae at 10:49 AM on March 4, 2008

For anyone checking this thread, we'll be staying at Emerald Lake Lodge in the Canadian Rockies.

No kitchenettes, but it meets all of our other desires. Many of the above suggestions were instrumental in me finding this place, and all of the suggestions were excellent. This one just fit my winter fantasy perfectly.
posted by Capri at 8:47 AM on April 10, 2008