7.Los Cabos, Mexico
There is never really a bad time to visit Cabo, but the abundance of sprawling 5-star resorts that dot the tip of Mexico’s sunny Baja California Peninsula are particularly alluring in December. Thanks to the region’s feverish development over the past several years, you’ll be spoiled for choice when it comes to accommodations. At the Esperanza, an Auberge Resort, this month will be especially eventful. On December 21, to celebrate the winter solstice, an astronomer will be on hand to guide guests through an evening of storytelling and stargazing (Cabo has a long history of celestial observation thanks to its dependably clear skies). Then over the last two weeks of December, a specially curated dinner series will celebrate cooking styles from around the world while also paying homage to the four elements: water, fire, earth, and air.
8.Quebec City, Canada
If you can brave the cold, Quebec City provides all the winter wonderland charms of a quaint European village for a fraction of the flight time. Think: pretty snow-dusted cobblestone streets, heaps of fondue and mulled wine, the grand Notre-Dame Cathedral, all situated within the 400-year-old walled city center (which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site). Stay at the family-owned Auberge Saint-Antoine, a 95-room Relais & Châteaux in the heart of the Old Port, which also happens to sit on top of a major archaeological site—hundreds of artifacts from the French and British colonial regimes, dating back to 1608, are on display throughout the hotel.
