Warm Winter Getaway Travel Tips Straight From Our Experts

In the spirit of it getting cold out there (thank you, Winter Storm Boreas), we have beaches on the brain. Our recent Twitter chat on Warm Winter Getaways was the perfect way to get tips on the best sunny destinations to visit this season.

Our panel of experts also have sun and sand on the brain, and shared the exciting warm winter getaways they have planned. T+L Senior Editor, Jacqueline Gifford is “skipping out on turkey in favor of rum punches at Petit St. Vincent island resort in the Grenadines this #Thanksgiving.”

It's no surprise that Star Clippers is sailing to some of the best destinations: “#StarFlyer will be sailing around #CostaRica this winter while #RoyalClipper and #StarClipper navigate the Caribbean.”

For what to pack, trust the experts. FlipKey said, “For a warm winter trip you should always bring sunscreen! Especially on the first day, take no chances!”

The New Potato recommends “an iPad, big scarf, snacks, and a warm mentality.”

Fathom WaytoGo packs “Bananagrams! Best game to play at the airport, at the dinner table, or on the beach.”

Viator.com opts for a “flask and sunglasses. You still need fun and sunnies anywhere you go.” Well put.

We finished off the chat by asking our panelists for three words to describe warm winter getaways. Coastal Living magazine said, “Sunny, satisfying, priceless.”

We thought Official Maui Jim summed it up nicely as well: “We don’t need 3 words, just 1. #Aloha.”

Follow @TravlandLeisure and #TL_Chat on Twitter for our next chat.

Gabrielle Blitz is the Associate Social Media Editor at Travel + Leisure.

Photo credit: Andrew Rowat

Sneak Peek: Breckenridge’s New Peak 6

It’s not every day that a ski resort massively expands out its skiable acres. Maybe it opens a new lift or on-mountain restaurant, but for a resort to increase its footprint by 20% is an enormous undertaking. Yet that’s exactly what Colorado’s Breckenridge Ski Resort is doing with its new mountain, called Peak 6, which opens on Christmas Day. And since I was out in Colorado, I stopped by Breck for a pre-opening look.

First off, the stats: Peak 6 brings 400 acres of lift-served terrain and 143 acres of hike-to terrain (skewing intermediate but pretty evenly split between intermediate and expert trails), three new bowls, eight new cut trails, and two new chairlifts. In all, it’s one of the biggest ski-area terrain expansions in North America in the past decade. And it’s on top of Breck’s existing five peaks, 2,900 acres, four terrain parks, a 22-foot superpipe, 11 bowls, and the highest chairlift in North America.

But the new area adds some elements that will make Breck even more appealing—like glade skiing. These new trails aren’t tight-packed with trees, but have them spaced far enough apart to get a Sno-Cat through to groom. It’s the kind of tree skiing I like—enough wood to make me feel like I’m a tree skier (since I’m really not), but not so much that I’d be worried about injuring myself (which I would in thick trees). The new turf also adds bowl terrain above tree line, designed for intermediate skiers—also appealing to a twice-a-year downhiller like me.

And people are psyched about this new area. I heard enthusiasm from a Sno-Cat driver (“I’ve already GPS’d some awesome secret spots”) and snowboarders sharing my chair lift on the main part of the mountain (“We can’t wait to shred the new runs”).

Maybe one of the reasons for the excitement was that Breck got a lot of people involved in this project, crowdsourcing trail names from more than 1,800 people from around the U.S. and beyond.

I wanted to hit some of those trails myself, but since the lifts weren’t quite ready last week, I and a few other journalists hopped in a Sno-Cat to do some shredding of our own. It didn’t hurt that the trails had been groomed, with six inches of fresh powder on top. It also didn’t hurt that since the area wasn’t yet opened to the public, we had the place to ourselves.

We started at the top of the lift, above tree line, and followed our ski patrol leader, cutting fresh tracks and forming figure 8’s in the middle of a nice wide bowl. As snow fell, we hit the tree line and schussed through the widely spaced pines, ankle-deep in powder, practically gliding on top of the snow. Pretty much perfect.

All this was down trails that only a handful of people had skied—ever. It was an exciting preview of a great new area. And it’s an exciting development for an already-terrific resort. I can’t wait to come back and ski it all—even with the snowboarders, cat drivers, and others who are just as anxious to get out there and start shredding.

See behind-the-scenes footage of Peak 6 here on YouTube. And get more info about Breck here.

Rich Beattie is executive digital editor at Travel + Leisure.

More Snow Means More Winter Travel

Winter storms like Hercules may have injured retail traffic, but T+L News Editor Amy Farley expects travel to boom, as told to CNBC. Anxious skiers will be hitting the slopes in destinations like Vail, Lake Tahoe, and Utah, while beach-goers are likely to score great deals to sunny spots like Florida and Aruba during January and February.

Beaver Creek Gets More Ritzy

Ten years ago, I stayed at the then-relatively-new Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch, at the base of Colorado’s Beaver Creek resort. The ski lodge was a new concept for the Ritz-Carlton, and I loved everything about it: ski-in/ski-out access, a great room with a huge stone fireplace, an outdoor fire pit for roasting marshmallows. Thankfully, all of that’s still there, but last month, the hotel put the finishing touches on a big renovation. Since I was out in Colorado, I went to take a look.

The big news? A brand-new, three-meals-a-day, open-kitchen restaurant called Buffalos, which serves up its namesake in several forms, like a buffalo steak and eggs, a bison burger, and something I wasn’t expecting to like as much as I did: bison tartare (washed down with a few Colorado craft beers). The hotel’s other restaurant, Spago, didn’t exist when I first visited, but since 2007, it’s been turning out Wolfgang Puck’s sensational seasonal dishes. And as I sampled his stupendous pumpkin-filled pasta, bonus—Puck himself was dining with his family a couple tables away.

Also brand-new: Bachelor’s Lounge, an “adults-only” space (since Puck isn’t the only one who comes here with his family). It’s a welcome addition, as nightlife isn’t one of the Bachelor Gulch area’s strengths. The contemporary spot makes a great last stop for the night, and even includes an outdoor cigar lounge with heat lamps. I passed on the stogie and the brisk air and opted for a drink in a big comfy chair indoors while a piano player crooned some Elton John.

The 180 spacious and comfortable rooms and suites remain structurally intact, but they’ve had a refresh; the new color scheme, lighter blues and greens, bring a brighter feel to the rooms. And while I almost universally hate hotel art, the new wildlife artwork is modern and even pretty cool.

And, oh yes, the skiing. It starts with the ski valet experience, which was redesigned to be more efficient. Walk out to the back patio, ask for your boots (kept in a heated room, of course), drink a hot cocoa around the fire, then clomp out to the snow where your skis are waiting for you. (No equipment? No problem. The hotel’s upscale Gorsuch shop can get you set up, complete with an in-room boot fitting.)

From there I hopped right on the Bachelor Gulch Express lift to find great snow all over the resort, from the main Beaver Creek Mountain over to Arrowhead Mountain. It didn’t hurt that I was demoing amazing Zai skis (which retail for up to $10,000); as a New York City resident, though, I was so anxious to get out there I would have been happy with my old skinny skis (ok, maybe only mildly happy). 

After hitting the bumps, it was time to hit the outdoor hot tubs and the sprawling spa, which also features an outdoor heated pool, indoor grotto, lots of treatment options, and super-comfortable single-sex lounging areas, which even include ovens with heated neck pillows.

I love little details like that, and the new renovations here have wrapped those details up in a fantastic package—one that’s even nicer than what I experienced 10 years ago.

Rich Beattie is executive digital editor at Travel + Leisure.

Photo credit: Don Riddle / Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton

Four Affordable Winter Getaways for February

Snowfall shouldn't stop you from getting away for the weekend. Whether you'd rather be lounging along Florida's coastline or skiing the slopes of the Berkshires in Massachusetts, T+L's Mark Orwoll has a set of affordable getaways perfect for February. Read on for where to go and stay during your visit.

St. Pete’s Beach, Florida
Postcard Inn, $179/night.

San Juan, Puerto Rico
Condado Plaza Hilton Hotel, $249/night

Berkshire Mountains, Massachusetts
Briarcliff Motel, $90 to $125/night

Lake Tahoe, California
Basecamp Hotel, $99 to $129/night

Flying With Skis

Q: Any advice on flying with skis? —Hitomi Ueda, via e-mail

A: Most airlines treat a collection of sporting equipment as a single piece of checked luggage—so your skis, poles, and boots count as only one item, not three. We recommend Park Accessories, a new line of bags made with Italian coated canvas. Shown: the Northern Lights, which holds two pairs of skis ($1,150).

Related Articles:
Lake Tahoe Ski Vacation 2.0
Video: Behind the Scenes at Vail Mountain
How to Get Through Airport Security Faster

Have a travel dilemma? Need some tips and remedies? Send your questions to news editor Amy Farley at tripdoctor@timeinc.com. Follow @tltripdoctor on Twitter.

Photo by Park Accessories

Ski Deals and Beach Plans for Presidents' Day Weekend

It's official: Every state in the continental US—minus Florida—has snowfall. And with a long weekend coming up, it's the perfect opportunity to head to the hills for some skiing. Sites like Liftopia, Snow.com, and GetSkiTickets.com are offering last minute deals all over the country. Our favorite savings? Liftopia's $14 ski pass for New Hampshire's Ragged Mountain tomorrow—that's a 79% discount. They're selling out fast though, so act fast!

Tired of the snow? Here are some tips to book a last-minute beach vacation.

Peter Schlesinger is a Research Assistant at Travel + Leisure, and a member of the Trip Doctor News Team. 

Photo credit: Cultura Creative/ YAY Media AS

Ice Caves Form at Lake Superior Thanks to Polar Vortex

For the folks of northern Wisconsin, the frigid temperatures have, for the first time in five years, caused Lake Superior to freeze over, granting the tough-skinned tourist access to the string of ice caves spanning the shoreline. 

Nearly 40,000 people have already made the mile-long trek across Superior’s frozen surface to see the intricate webs of hoar frost and the dramatic ice formations emerging from the caves’ glittering mouths.  

The site gives us one reason to be thankful for this year’s polar vortex, which has sent temperatures plummeting to a record-breaking 18 below zero, causing statewide cancellations, massive power outages, and hundreds of burst pipes in the bitter cold. 

Melanie Lieberman is an editorial intern at Travel + Leisure. 

Photo credit: Yuan Ding

From Thrillist: Japan's Massive Annual Snowball Fight

Recognizing there's a better way to survive the Polar Vortex than hurling boiling pots of water into the air, modern-day Japanese warriors took to the battlefield recently in Hokkaido to hurl something else—snowballs. At each other. In a giant sanctioned snow war.

READ MORE AT THRILLIST.COM

Photo Courtesy of the T+L Photo Contest