Seeking winter vacation advice

1,656 Views | 18 Replies | Last: 1 yr ago by ChoppinDs40
Bob_Ag
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Wife's 40th bday is coming up in January and we are gonna ditch the kids and go somewhere 3-4 days. She's not a beach person and neither of us ski…I think she's wanting something like a nice, picturesque romantic winter vacation with some awesome views. I think it would be sort of a bonus if it was somewhat remote but just close enough to a city if we wanted to check out some breweries or sights.

I have zero idea here but from what I've researched maybe places like Salt Lake/Park City, Nashville area or western North Carolina, maybe somewhere Washington state?
Really could use some suggestions.
bam02
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Maybe Banff.

*Edited for spelling. I can't talk good or spell good.
TXTransplant
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Came here to post Banff. It's perfect for what you say she wants.
Wicked Good Ag
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My thought is also in Canada. Montreal. A cleaner NOLA and in winter can be unreal

But Banff is great also
ChoppinDs40
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Jackson Hole
AustinCountyAg
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Banff or Quebec City would be my suggestions. Banff being the smaller ski town type of feel, and Quebec City feeling more European Christmas with small streets/shops in the old district of town.

Quebec City:






Pahdz
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Vermont
ChoppinDs40
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I forgot Lake Tahoe. One of the prettiest places in America. You can find a little cabin or stay at a super nice hotel. Nice restaurants. Activities. Close to a couple major airports.
ChoppinDs40
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Bob_Ag said:

Wife's 40th bday is coming up in January and we are gonna ditch the kids and go somewhere 3-4 days. She's not a beach person and neither of us ski…I think she's wanting something like a nice, picturesque romantic winter vacation with some awesome views. I think it would be sort of a bonus if it was somewhat remote but just close enough to a city if we wanted to check out some breweries or sights.

I have zero idea here but from what I've researched maybe places like Salt Lake/Park City, Nashville area or western North Carolina, maybe somewhere Washington state?
Really could use some suggestions.


You mentioned Washington State. You could do around Mt. Bachelor in Bend, OR.

That area of Oregon is very rural and Bend is one of the coolest little cities in America. (Microbrewery capital of the US). Could also stay around Mt. Hood area.

Fly into Redmond for Bend. Or Portland and drive the 4 hours. Cool drive over Mt. Hood.

Bend is also not very far from Crater Lake NP. One of the coolest sites in the PNW.



OldAg92
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We are looking at a similar trip and are considering Stowe, Vermont and Leavenworth, Washington. Both seem to fit your parameters
VikingNik
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The drive to Leavenworth in winter pre Christmas will make you want to kill yourself. Just FYI...
RangerRick9211
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I'm in PDX. ^ Stevens Pass can suck absolute balls this time of year if you're trying to play between Leavenworth and SEA. It's actually shut down a few times this week with the current storm.

Santiam Pass from PDX to Bend can also suck at times. You can head to Hood / Govy on 26 for Blue Box Pass, but time of day will have you fighting ski traffic which can be brutal. The sure fire route for PDX to Bend is 84 to The Dalles, 197S. It's longer, but dem veiws. We're in TX for X-mass, then land and straight to Bend / Bachelor for the rest of December.

Around Bend: Sunriver, Black Butte (anything on VRBO / their site) or Sisters (5 Point Lodge) for the romantic winter vacation. The whole area is special in the winter!

Another idea for WA is Olympic Peninsula. We've stayed here: https://www.domainemadeleine.com/accommodations/. It's on the coast with views of Victoria, San Juans and Baker on a clear day (coffee and sunrise views are damn nice). You could fly in, dinner in Seattle (explore a day) and ferry direct to Port Angeles (treat in itself with views of the skyline, Olympic range, Cascades and Rainier on a clear day). Bainbridge is nearby and quaint as ***** You're 30 minutes from the top of Hurricane Ridge for some chill skiing (one lift) / snowshoeing and taking in the views. Take the 1 hr and change ferry to Victoria, BC for a day. Or day trip around the nat park: Hoh forest, Sol Duc (waterfalls and resort for hot spring / massage if it's not closed yet), the beaches, etc.
Schall 02
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Chateau Lake Louise outside Banff, in/out of Calgary.
Rocky Top Aggie
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Not Nashville. Tennessee in January is too unpredictable. Could be 65 degrees and sunny. Could be rainy and muddy. Could have an ice storm. Maybe all three in 24 hours.
It is not a picturesque winter scene around here typically.
TexasAggie008
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Stowe is great, and can tack on one or more of Boston/Burlington/Montreal

for closer and easier to get to (from TX), fly SWA or American to Montrose, CO and drive less than an hour to Ouray….most picturesque mountain town in the American West IMO, but since it isn't a ski town you'll have a pretty modest amount of fellow tourists to deal with unlike in Telluride, Crested Butte etc
10andBOUNCE
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Wife and I stayed here once for our anniversary. I would highly recommend and is pretty remote for being so close to Denver. Obviously lots to do in the area along I70 if you need to be active. But a nice romantic place to stay put also.

https://thesilverlakelodge.com/
RangerRick9211
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TexasAggie008 said:

Ouray
It's hard to beat the mountain amphitheater of Ouray.

Another "Swiss" of America town is Joseph, OR. There's even a Matterhorn in the Wallowas (https://traveloregon.com/things-to-do/destinations/lakes-reservoirs/taking-in-the-wild-wallowas/). But there's no easy way to get there.

Another easy one is flying into Spokane, WA and a quick drive to Coeur d'Alene, ID. That would tick the winter wonderland with city proximity box.
Bob_Ag
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Man you guys are awesome. I thoroughly checked out all of these suggestions and came across many during research.

I should have mentioned that I had a Southwest flight credit to burn so it needed to be SWA accessible.

Well, we booked our flight and am trying to reserve the hotel if Capital One Travel comes back online. We are going to fly into Montrose, CO and shuttle over to Telluride/Mountain Village. Trying to book The Mountain Lodge. Although we aren't skiers and its not next to a big city, it did check a lot of boxes. Very scenic, looks easy to get around via gondola, still has stuff to do in town and outdoor activities and definitely seems romantic for couple's getaway.

I haven't booked the hotel yet, just flight, so unless you guys know of any firm reasons this is a bad idea please do let me know. Alternatively, if you've been there I'd love to hear your experience.
ChoppinDs40
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Bob_Ag said:

Man you guys are awesome. I thoroughly checked out all of these suggestions and came across many during research.

I should have mentioned that I had a Southwest flight credit to burn so it needed to be SWA accessible.

Well, we booked our flight and am trying to reserve the hotel if Capital One Travel comes back online. We are going to fly into Montrose, CO and shuttle over to Telluride/Mountain Village. Trying to book The Mountain Lodge. Although we aren't skiers and its not next to a big city, it did check a lot of boxes. Very scenic, looks easy to get around via gondola, still has stuff to do in town and outdoor activities and definitely seems romantic for couple's getaway.

I haven't booked the hotel yet, just flight, so unless you guys know of any firm reasons this is a bad idea please do let me know. Alternatively, if you've been there I'd love to hear your experience.
good choice. Telluride is uppity so you'll be able to do some good people watching and eat some nice meals and have good drinks.

Look into the mountain activities that aren't skiing for some fun.

I suggest... snow tubing, sledding, snowmobiling... even maybe doing ski bike or something like that. Gotta get out and get the blood flowing somehow.
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