The place to Travel Subsequent: Vacation spot Inspiration for Winter 2026

When it involves winter journey, you’ve received two tempting choices: Embrace the coolness with snowy adventures and comfy retreats or escape to warm-weather bliss with swimming pools, spas and seashores. 

 

Both paths actually have their enchantment. To enable you resolve which path to take, listed here are our picks for standout locations which might be excellent for a winter getaway.

 

Prince Edward Island

 

For an surprising winter trip, head to Prince Edward Island, Canada’s smallest province. Located off the east coast within the Gulf of St. Lawrence, this vacation spot is best-known for lobster and lighthouses in the summertime—however winter brings a unique form of escape. Try ice fishing for oysters with Tranquility Cove Adventures, then shuck and benefit from the contemporary, briny bivalves on a snowy financial institution by a crackling hearth. For a comfy retreat, keep at Mysa Nordic Spa & Resort on St. Peters Bay, the place you’ll be able to slink into heated swimming pools and loosen up in saunas, all surrounded by serene wintry views. Cross-country snowboarding and snowmobiling spherical out wintertime itineraries.

 

Oahu, Hawaii

 

On Oahu, vacationers can trip the waves with surf classes at iconic Waikiki Beach, which was as soon as a favourite retreat for Hawaiian royalty, or hike up the picturesque Diamond Head crater at dawn (reservations required).

 

For an iconic keep, e-book a room at Halekulani, a beachfront resort steeped in custom. Savor the legendary coconut cake at House Without a Key, an indoor-outdoor restaurant shaded by a 130-plus-year-old kiawe tree. Later, unwind at Lewers Lounge, the place dwell music and Jazz Age-inspired cocktails set the temper. The on-property spa additionally affords zero-gravity pedicures and sound therapies that use acoustic and vibrational frequencies designed to lull you right into a dream-like state or restore your power.

 

Jackson, Wyoming

 

Surprisingly, winter is Jackson’s low season. But don’t mistake quiet for boring. Bundle up for a sleigh trip via the 25,000-acre National Elk Refuge, then stomach up on the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, the place saddles double as barstools. For skiers, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort delivers with greater than 450 inches of snow annually.

 

Hang your hat on the Rusty Parrot Lodge and Spa, which is a brief stroll to the artwork galleries, retailers, and eating places in downtown Jackson. The 40-room boutique resort has loads of locations to unwind and heat up, together with a spacious sizzling tub and a second-floor library the place fresh-baked cookies are set out every afternoon. Warm up by the hearth within the Wild Sage Restaurant & Bar. 

 

Banff and Lake Louise, Alberta

 

Nestled among the many snow-capped Canadian Rockies, Banff and Lake Louise shine within the winter. Glide throughout Lake Louise on ice skates, hike to frozen waterfalls at Johnson Canyon Upper Falls, and preserve your eyes peeled for the aurora borealis. New for this winter, Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is debuting a model new thermal wellness spa, BASIN, which affords self-guided circuits that embrace saunas, steam rooms, sizzling stone therapeutic massage rooms, Himalayan salt lounges and extra.

 

Punta Mita, Mexico

 

For a sun-soaked escape with loads of luxurious, Punta Mita is a standout possibility. Located simply north of Puerto Vallarta, this unique enclave is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean on three sides, providing a way of seclusion and serenity. Golf lovers can tee off on the famend Pacifico Golf Course, residence to the enduring Tale of the Whale, a one-of-a-kind, bucket-list gap set on a pure island. (You’ll have to time your tee time with low tide to play it!)

 

For a five-star keep, verify into the St. Regis Punta Mita, the place you’ll discover breezy Mexican-Mediterranean design, a beachfront sushi bar, quiet swimming pools and nightly sundown rituals. And you received’t be the one one chasing the hotter climate right here: Humpback whales cross via from December via March. Keep a watch on the horizon to identify their dramatic breaches and misty blows.

 

Cancun, Mexico

 

With nonstop flights from Denver, it’s straightforward to take pleasure in an extended weekend in Cancun while you want a winter warmup. For a luxurious trip, slip away to Rosewood Mayakoba, which is surrounded by an emerald-green jungle and set on the shores of Mexico’s Riviera Maya. Unwind on the spa, situated by itself island, with signature therapies like a conventional temazcal ceremony. Led by a neighborhood shaman, this historic ritual makes use of steam, warmth, and sacred intention to cleanse the thoughts, physique, and spirit.

 

For an all-inclusive expertise, Hilton Cancun Mar Caribe is a should. The resort’s spa is beautiful, with an out of doors hydrotherapy circuit that’s primarily based on Mayan therapeutic practices. Upgrade to a Hilton Enclave room for a hotel-within-a-hotel expertise. You’ll be capable to hear the waves crashing out your window and take within the views of the ombre blue waters beneath. Upgraded company even have entry to Chala, an unique rooftop bar with cocktails and regional ceviches.

 

Maui, Hawaii

 

On Maui, you’ll be able to scuba dive in a submerged volcanic crater or sort out the legendary Road to Hana, a winding drive with 620 curves and numerous roadside stops for waterfall swims, backyard strolls, banana bread, and scenic vistas. From November via April, it’s additionally koholā season, when humpback whales migrate via the encircling waters.

 

For luxurious, keep on the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea (which you would possibly acknowledge from the debut season of “The White Lotus”). Dine at KOMO, a sushi spot with a 14-seat interactive bar, and be part of instructional experiences just like the Bee Wonders tour, the place you’ll find out about native pollinators and pattern honey within the Chef’s Garden. Or, set sail on a Wayfinder’s Journey—a cultural, culinary and celestial voyage led by a conventional navigator who shares the methods historic Polynesians used to cross open oceans.

 

This story initially appeared in Travel Boulder’s winter/spring 2025-26 print problem. Read the full magazine on-line.