Warm up to Sun Valley, Idaho, home of world-class slopes, cozy lodges, and, at one time, Ernest Hemingway. If you’d prefer neighboring town Ketchum as your home base, the renovated Knob Hill Inn offers chalet-style decor, in-room fireplaces, and free shuttle buses.
Knob Hill Inn, 960 North Main Street, Ketchum, Idaho (208-726-8010 or knobhillinn.com).
If it’s a taste of historic Telluride you’re after, head to the New Sheridan Hotel. Built in 1891, it blends Victorian charm with Egyptian cotton sheets and high-speed Internet. During the day, take a glider tour or set off on a gondola.
New Sheridan Hotel, 231 West Colorado Avenue, Telluride, Colorado (970-728-4351 or newsheridan.com).
If Emerald Lake’s jade waters don’t lure you, its eponymous lodge will. In the midst of British Columbia’s Yoho National Park, pass your days in rustic style. Think cross-country skiing, ice skating, snowshoeing, and climbing frozen waterfalls.
Emerald Lake Lodge, 1 Emerald Lake Drive, Field, British Columbia, Canada (403-410-7417 or crmr.com).
Ski bunnies should hop to Crystal Mountain, where a 23-cabin gondola is an easy way to explore Mount Rainier. Take in the scenic trip up and glide back down. Or stop for a belly-warming meal at Summit House. Any of the resort’s hotels or condos promise a true lodge experience.
Crystal Mountain Resort, 33914 Crystal Mountain Boulevard, Crystal Mountain, Washington (360-663-2265 or crystalmountainresort.com).
Whisk the kids to Whiteface Lodge, an homage to the great Adirondack camps of yore. Ice skating, cookie decorating, cartoon making, and theme parties turn the woodsy escape into a winter wonderland for wee ones. Treat yourself to the spa, tennis, and wine tastings.
Whiteface Lodge, 7 Whiteface Inn Lane, Lake Placid, New York (518-523-0500 or thewhitefacelodge.com).
You hear “Yosemite” and think “roughing it.” A trek to The Ahwahnee will change your outlook. The award-winning California retreat has cushy rooms, rustic fireplaces, stained-glass windows, and public spaces as impressive as the surrounding natural wonders.
The Ahwahnee, 1 Ahwahnee Drive, Yosemite National Park, California (801-559-4949 or yosemitepark.com).
Take a break from hibernation in Kohler, Wisconsin. The peaceful town bundles fine dining, spas, yoga, and outdoor sports into just a few blocks. Find much of what you need at The American Club, an old-world resort; the more modern Carriage House hides whirlpool suites.
The American Club, 419 Highland Drive, Kohler, Wisconsin (855-444-2838 or americanclubresort.com).
Who says 37,000 acres of cattle ranch can’t be luxurious? At The Resort at Paws Up in Greenough, Montana, your private house includes a fireplace, cook’s kitchen, and spa tub. If you choose to venture out, skiing, ice skating, and sleigh riding are cool diversions.
The Resort at Paws Up, 40060 Paws Up Road, Greenough, Montana (800-473-0601 or pawsup.com).
If making first tracks is a priority in Jackson Hole, stay slope side at the ecofriendly Hotel Terra. After a day in the mountains, shuffle to the intimate Chill Spa for the Skier’s Recovery treatment, which uses arnica salve to relieve sore muscles.
Hotel Terra, 3335 West Village Drive, Teton Village, Wyoming (307-739-4000 or hotelterrajacksonhole.com).
When it comes to chalets, the Swiss don’t mess around. Nestled in the Bernese Alps, Gstaad Palace has five restaurants, a bar and a nightclub, a spa, indoor and outdoor pools, a gym with a Pilates studio, squash and tennis courts, and a seven-room hammam.
Gstaad Palace, Palacestrasse 28, 3780, Gstaad, Switzerland (+41 033 748 50 00 or palace.ch).
Cultural buffs get giddy over Auberge Saint-Antoine, perched atop one of Québec’s older ports. After touring museums, wrap yourself in blankets for a horse-drawn caléche ride or head to neighboring Orleans Island for dog sledding and ice fishing.
Auberge Saint-Antoine, 8 Rue Saint-Antoine, Québec City, Québec, Canada (418-692-2211 or saint-antoine.com).
Forget the North Pole and head south — way south. Abercrombie & Kent’s twenty-day cruises hit South Georgia and the Antarctic peninsula, stopping at Santiago, Ushuaia, and the Falkland Islands along the way. Twice-daily excursions get you close with wildlife (we’re talking seals and penguins, people).
Abercrombie & Kent (800-554-7016 or abercrombiekent.com).
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