Magazine
Where to Travel This Winter, Whether You Want Sun or Snow
Here are five places, from coastal Norway to Marrakesh, with exceptional hotels that still have availability for the holidays.
Planning a vacation for the week between Christmas and New Years can feel anything but festive. Hotel and rental rates are generally at their peak, many properties require weeklong or 10-night minimums and rooms book up fast. But below are 15 great hotels in enticing destinations that — at press time — still have openings for at least a few days between Dec. 21 and Jan. 1 and, while minimum stays vary widely during that period, many of the places included here don’t insist on more than a two- or three-night stay. (The rates listed below are for Christmas week.) Better still, use this list as inspiration for a getaway in January, February or early spring and enjoy the perks of shoulder season: lower prices and fewer tourists.
Mendoza, Argentina
For people who travel mainly to eat
In the 1980s, when Maita Barrenechea first opened her Buenos Aires-based travel agency Mai 10, the wineries in Mendoza — the central-western province in the foothills of the Andes where the vast majority of Argentina’s vineyards are situated — were mostly closed to the public. But gradually wine tourism took hold, with Barrenechea’s help, and today, more than 200 of Mendoza’s 900 wineries welcome visitors. “About a third of those now have restaurants and many have stunningly modern architecture,” she says. The region is also flush with good hotels such as the Vines Resort & Spa in the scenic Uco Valley, home to Siete Fuegos, chef Francis Mallmann’s decadent barbecue spot (from about $1,090 a night). Just up the road is the family-owned Casa de Uco, another vineyard hotel, this one with a vegetable garden that supplies the kitchen (from about $750 a night). Closer to the city of Mendoza, Finca Adalgisa, a charming century-old farmhouse in the town of Chacras de Coria, offers a small pool, an evening wine and tapas menu and cooking classes (rates from about $450 a night).
Marrakesh, Morocco
For anyone in need of warmth and adventure
December tends to be mild in Marrakesh, making it perfect for wandering the souks and gardens and lingering over bowls of tagine. Come nightfall, says Michele Reeves, the director of the travel agency Plan-It Morocco, the city slips into exuberant holiday mode, with live music and parties all over town. Accommodations range from grand hotels with sprawling grounds to tiny riads within the old walled city where meals are served on candlelit rooftops. In the first camp, La Mamounia, a perennially glamorous 1920s landmark, and King Mohammed VI’s Royal Mansour, are among the grandest of all (from about $850 a night for La Mamounia, from about $2,700 for Royal Mansour). Among the most delightful new riads in the Medina are Rosemary, a sunny dream world conjured up by the Belgian designer Laurence Leenaert (from about $315 a night),and IZZA, an art-filled complex inspired by the American architect and decorator Bill Willis, a longtime Moroccan expat(from about $280 a night).
