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4-day trip possibilities in mid-December?

Brisketexan

By Brisketexan
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Brisketexan

Brisketexan 105464

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Wife wants to do a little getaway around her birthday. Based on other things scheduled already, probably looking at a departure on Sat the 10th, return Tuesday the 13th. Mostly thinking domestic. Possibilities discussed so far:

 

Denver

Santa Fe

(Both are places we’ve done, and like in the winter)

 

Mexico? Looked at Huatulco, flight schedules suck. If we went for warm weather destination, the goal is someplace to just “be.” We’re not looking to party or do a lot of activities if that’s the direction we go.

 

Colder weather destinations, with some gearing up towards the Xmas season:

Boston

Other New England

NYC?

 

If we wanted to kick back, do some shows and good meals, sleep in, etc. - Vegas?

 

If we wanted to take it REALLY easy, there’s a cabin we like to visit around canyon lake. Private, quiet, fireplace and hot tub. That’s definitely a “relax and just be” place.

 

So, we’re obviously open to different kinds of experiences: a city with things to see and stuff to do, a more natural destination maybe with some nice wintery hikes/scenery around, or just a place to hang and be mellow. Surely there are possibilities not on the list above, so looking for ideas and input.

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Brisketexan

Brisketexan 105464

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Telluride
Crested Butte
Jackson Hole
Vegas
Riviera Maya
Banff
Charleston

Thanks. Some of these already made the discussion. We crossed out ski towns, as were not skiers.
Is there a riviera maya destination that’s just….chill?
Banff was an early thought, but if we don’t ski, what’s it like in the winter?
I suggested Charleston; she’s already been, so was maybe thinking of a place that would be new to both of us (even though some of the places on the list would be repeats as well).
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rage-a-holic

rage-a-holic 4495

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1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:


Thanks. Some of these already made the discussion. We crossed out ski towns, as were not skiers.
Is there a riviera maya destination that’s just….chill?
Banff was an early thought, but if we don’t ski, what’s it like in the winter?
I suggested Charleston; she’s already been, so was maybe thinking of a place that would be new to both of us (even though some of the places on the list would be repeats as well).

Bacalar/Mahahual

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wild_turkey

wild_turkey 3187

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Thanks. Some of these already made the discussion. We crossed out ski towns, as were not skiers.


I think you could have a nice time in a place like Telluride without skiing. Stay at a hotel with a spa, go to the hot springs in Ouray, maybe do snowmobiling or snowshoeing one day, eat good food, enjoy the beautiful views. Same could probably be said for Park City or Jackson or many other ski towns.

But obviously it’s not for everyone, justt to depends what you want to do.
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Brisketexan

Brisketexan 105464

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11 minutes ago, SimonBolivar said:

Quebec City? I mean if you're open to cold destinations anyway.

Good suggestion.  Our daughter went there last year and loved it.  Flight itinerary may be too long for a short 4-day trip.  6-8 hours each way.

Also, maybe CDMX is on the list.

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mooseoutfront

mooseoutfront 3643

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4 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

 

Wife wants to do a little getaway around her birthday. Based on other things scheduled already, probably looking at a departure on Sat the 10th, return Tuesday the 13th. Mostly thinking domestic. Possibilities discussed so far:

 

Denver

Santa Fe

(Both are places we’ve done, and like in the winter)

If you like winter, I've got winter for you...come on up

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Telegraph_it

Telegraph_it 3360

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2 minutes ago, South Austin said:

NW Pacific likely won’t look like that in December, right? Isn’t December in the middle of the long rainy season.

That’s right, mist and sleet most likely. And it’s dark by 5. Hence why if you go plan to bunk up with plenty of food and booze and plans for extracurriculars inside. 

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CHIEF

CHIEF 5095

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Drive to Houston, and jump on a SWA flight to Cozumel. It's very laid back, when you are not around the Cruise Ship ports,  nothing like Cancun. The seafood is amazing, as are the street tacos. Go snorkeling at El Cielo, hang out with the stingrays. Eat conch ceviche at the Rasta Bar, drink margaritas at Coconuts, stroll Benito Juarez square in the evening. Hotels are cheap, you can rent an old VW Bug with the roof chopped off for $35/day. Go to the grocery store and buy Cuban rum to drink on your patio in the afternoon. Daytime highs in the 70s/low 80s, night time lows in the upper 60's.

CHIEF

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Brisketexan

Brisketexan 105464

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10 hours ago, gmr548 said:

Your initial list is pretty varied, I'd submit Santa Barbara and surrounds as something that covers nearly all bases. Just not going to get the NYC-esque winter holiday vibe.

We thought of Socal, but we've really done most of it.

21 minutes ago, NoName said:

have friends who recommend Montreal every single time this kind of question comes up - if they are open to cold weather, consider Montreal.

We had a kiddo living in Montreal, but Covid killed our chances to visit her as often as we wanted.  It's a possibility.  Still, what's annoying now is the same thing that was annoying then: not a great flight schedule.  All things considered, maybe we're looking at things with a direct flight, or at least a really clean connection so we don't blow 2/3 of a day each way traveling.

We did Cozumel for a destination wedding a few months ago, and liked it well enough.

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South Austin

South Austin 52636

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49 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

We had a kiddo living in Montreal, but Covid killed our chances to visit her as often as we wanted.  It's a possibility.  Still, what's annoying now is the same thing that was annoying then: not a great flight schedule.  All things considered, maybe we're looking at things with a direct flight, or at least a really clean connection so we don't blow 2/3 of a day each way traveling.

You mentioned Toronto.  I've been there three times and love that city, and the direct from Austin is pretty convenient.  But all three times were in the summer, when the weather is gorgeous, so I'm not sure what it's like in mid-December.  It might not be any colder than NYC, but it's a good bit further north.

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closetohumping

closetohumping 17484

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29 minutes ago, South Austin said:

You mentioned Toronto.  I've been there three times and love that city, and the direct from Austin is pretty convenient.  But all three times were in the summer, when the weather is gorgeous, so I'm not sure what it's like in mid-December.  It might not be any colder than NYC, but it's a good bit further north.

It's on the other side of Buffalo.  It has to be much colder than NYC

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PenelopeWitherspoon

PenelopeWitherspoon 19171

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NYC at Christmas is magical.  It is also FUCKING CROWDED.  

Still worth it, IMO.  There are tons of Christmas Markets throughout the city (Bryant Park, Union Square, Columbus Circle - The one in Union Square is really well done), the lights are fantastic, love the Department Store Windows, and it is NYC.

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South Austin

South Austin 52636

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14 minutes ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

NYC at Christmas is magical.  It is also FUCKING CROWDED.  

Still worth it, IMO.  There are tons of Christmas Markets throughout the city (Bryant Park, Union Square, Columbus Circle - The one in Union Square is really well done), the lights are fantastic, love the Department Store Windows, and it is NYC.

Agree with all of this.  When I was there in December of 2016, the only "fuck this place" moment I had was when we decided to visit Rockefeller Square before dinner to see the tree.  It was as close to a human crush as I'd ever experienced, and my then-wife and I ended up bailing when we were about half a block a way and couldn't move any further toward the Square.  So either go see the tree very late at night when the crowds are gone (if that happens), or just skip it altogether.  The crowds in the city otherwise didn't bother us, and I'd go again during that time of year.

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Pescado_Rojo

Pescado_Rojo 19443

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23 hours ago, rage-a-holic said:

Bacalar/Mahahual

I think that falls into the less than ideal travel time bucket. Not sure there's a way to get there from Austin that doesn't require at least a full day of travel. Fly into CUN and it's a 5 hr drive. Fly into Chetumal and it's 3 flights to get there. 

 

What about Holbox? Fly into Cancun and it's a 2 hr drive, plus ferry ride. 

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Brisketexan

Brisketexan 105464

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14 minutes ago, IDIOTsavant said:

Definitely in the relax category, but my wife and I spent a long weekend here for her birthday last year. It’s out in Sonora, so there ain’t shit to do outside of the resort, but it was damn beautiful and peaceful.

https://jlbar.com/

We like that sort of thing.  As I mentioned in one of my posts, we have a little cabin we like to go to near Canyon Lake.  Very private, small, private hot tub.  We cook our own meals, relax, hang out in the hot tub, and just "be."  It's one of our favorite places, and it's on the list that we're considering this time.

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rage-a-holic

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1 hour ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

I think that falls into the less than ideal travel time bucket. Not sure there's a way to get there from Austin that doesn't require at least a full day of travel. Fly into CUN and it's a 5 hr drive. Fly into Chetumal and it's 3 flights to get there. 

 

What about Holbox? Fly into Cancun and it's a 2 hr drive, plus ferry ride. 

Bacalar is maybe 4 hours if you drive slow/speed limit. I do it in under 3.5 hours.

Holbox is gonna be 3 hours, with parking/ferry. And Holbox is not "chill" during the holidays.

The difference is maybe 45 minutes - 1 hour drive time difference, not exactly a deal breaker.

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