The holidays are a great time to travel — whether you want to spend time with family, or go out of your way to avoid them. Here are some fun, festive spots and ideas that range from relaxing at the beach to tearing up the slopes or partying the night away on New Year’s Eve.
FUN IN THE SUN
* Even Santa needs to leave the North Pole to catch some rays once in a while, and five of the most massive Santa statues you’ve ever seen are in Curacao, a Dutch Caribbean island off the coast of Venezuela. Each year, the government picks a foundation to be in charge of decorations, the electric company puts up lots of lights, and the capital city of Willemstad turns into a colorful winter wonderland with its pastel Dutch-style buildings and twinkling lights.
Be sure to try ayaka, a traditional holiday food, which is polenta stuffed with meat and rolled in banana leaves. The Santa Barbara Beach & Golf Resort (santabarbararesortcuracao.com) is currently offering up to 35% off rates and a $25 resort credit to those who book the “Fall into Paradise” offer. Rates at the resort, set on a nature preserve, start at $189 a night and the offer is valid for booking and travel now through the end of the year.
* While it’s not hot in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina this time of year, you’ll only need a light jacket here, plus prices and crowds have dropped. Nonstop flights start at about $100 on Spirit Airlines for long weekends in December. The Marina Inn at Grande Dunes (marinainnatgrandedunes.com) along the Intracoastal Waterway (there’s a shuttle to a private beach) is offering a Carolina Opry Theater package — it includes a two-night stay and admission for two to the show, “The Christmas Show of the South,” starting at $315.
One of the most popular attractions in the area is Brookgreen Gardens’ Nights of a Thousand Candles. This former rice plantation, now a gigantic outdoor sculpture garden, is turned into a holiday wonderland with 5,500 hand-lit candles (volunteers light them every night) and even more sparkling lights, with holiday music and hot cider (brookgreen.org, $20). Ripley’s Aquarium gets in the holiday spirit with Festival of Trees, featuring themed holiday trees representing each of the 50 states (ripleyaquariums.com/myrtlebeach; adults: $27.99, children: $17.99).
WINTER WONDERLAND
* Go north, way north, this Christmas. Tallinn, the capital and largest city of Estonia, claims that it put the first Christmas tree up on display in all of Europe, dating back to 1441. You can see the latest version at the Tallinn Christmas Market (visitestonia.com/en/tallinn-christmas-market), where Santa and his reindeer greet children and there are traditional Estonian holiday treats and handicrafts.
If it’s cold enough in early winter, the Baltic region country will open its ice roads, which are (sort of terrifying) shortcuts across the Baltic Sea between the mainland and islands on roads made, you guessed it, entirely of frozen ice. Another reason to go? Estonia has interesting restaurants and world-class spas at rates way cheaper than neighboring countries. Kau Manor (kau.ee), a funky boutique hotel outside of Tallinn, is offering November and December specials that start at less than $120 a night.
DAY TRIPS AND LONG WEEKENDS
* Less than two hours from New York City by car, Sullivan County in the Catskill Mountains (sullivancatskills.com) are a base for all sorts of winter sports, including snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, ice fishing and snowmobiling. The Villa Roma (villaroma.com, rates start at $159) is offering family-friendly holiday activities, including visits from Santa. It also has indoor activities like a pool, game room and a bowling alley for when it’s too chilly to venture outside.
If you want to learn to ski, check out the “Own It!” program from Windham Mountain Resort (windhammountain.com) in the town of Windham in nearby Greene County. For $299, get three-days’ worth of ski or snowboarding lessons, rental equipment and lower-mountain lift tickets (does not include hotel). At the end of the three days, you get a new set of skis or a snowboard to take home with you.
* More family-friendly fun awaits at Sesame Place , which transforms into a holiday wonderland for “A Very Furry Christmas” from Nov. 18 through Dec. 31 (on select dates). The theme park in Langhorne, PA — just a 90-minute drive from NYC — is based entirely on “Sesame Street.”
Perfect for a day trip, the park will be illuminated with millions of decorative lights and other festive displays. There will also be special Christmas shows and a Neighborhood Street Party Christmas Parade. Visitors can take a train ride through the Twiddlebugs’ Gingerbread Cookie Factory on the Sesame Place Furry Express. And new this year at the tot-geared extravaganza, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer will be available for photos with guests in Rudolph’s Winter Wonderland.
Tickets for “A Very Furry Christmas” start at $32 for those 2 and up, and are valid for two visits, at sesameplace.com. Check site for days and hours.
CELEBRATE
* What better city to party at in the U.S. than New Orleans? The sticky humidity has finally eased up and the French Quarter is lit with Christmas lights. Another big bonus? Off-season prices. The swanky Pontchartrain Hotel (thepontchartrainhotel.com, use code NOLA) near the Garden District is offering a holiday package that starts at $379 a night and includes a large double suite, a living room with a sofa and real Christmas tree, parking, cookies and milk and streetcar passes.
If you want to stay a bit longer, you can ring in the New Year on Bourbon St. or at one of the creative cocktail bars through the city, like Cane and Table (caneandtablenola.com) and tiki favorite Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29 (beachbumberry.com). Next year is the city’s 300th anniversary, and the Hyatt Regency (neworleans.regency.hyatt.com) hosts one of the biggest galas in the city, Big Night New Orleans (bignightneworleans.com) with more than 3,000 guests, nine different party areas and multiple bands and DJs. Tickets start at $95 and include drinks.
* If you want to hit the beach in South Florida and then celebrate the New Year while reliving the ’80s and ’90s, consider hitting the Rock the Block party at Boca Raton Resort & Club, a Waldorf Astoria Resort (bocaresort.com), The Dec. 31 concert will feature performances by Salt-N-Pepa, Wang Chung, and a Flock of Seagulls, followed by midnight fireworks. Tickets start at $150 for adults.