Add body heat and the combination is très cozy! Of course, it also helps to warm up before bedtime at the onsite bar or the Nordic-style spa. (As an FYI, there is an onsite wedding chapel, too, presumably designed for grooms with cold feet!). Not surprisingly, the outdoors activities available—among them sliding, snowmobiling, even dog sledding—are suited to the season, and Québec City is just thirty minutes east in case the Well Rounded Woman needs an urban fix. The downside is that hotel only remains open until April 1. Nightly rates, including breakfast, dinner, and a welcome cocktail, start at $299.
Rocky Mountain High
Having finally mastered a host of winter sports, one last challenge remains for our broad broad: skiing. Truth be told, she doesn’t really relish the idea of going downhill. (Whenever someone raises the subject she takes it personally, automatically feeling the need to suck in her stomach and re-fluff her hair). Nevertheless, the Well Rounded Woman has determined that now is the time and Colorado is the place. The state obviously has A-list resorts: Aspen, Vail, Telluride … But after her out-of-the-country escapes, she needs to find a spot that combines high mountains with low prices.
Luckily, Sunlight Mountain Resort—at the north end of the Elk Mountain Range, about 160 miles from Denver—is just the ticket. Three-day deals with lessons, lift tickets, and rental equipment are only $200, so she can afford to progress from bunny slopes to black diamond runs. As an added bonus, after a day on the slopes, she can retreat to nearby Glenwood Springs to sooth her sore muscles in the world’s largest hot springs pool for $8.75. Lodgings are equally inexpensive. For instance, log cabins at Glenwood Canyon Resort cost $109–$229 per night, and special “Ski, Swim & Stay” packages are available.
Having made a concerted effort to enjoy winter, the Well Rounded Woman has regretfully decided to revert to her old ways and swap powdery white snow for sugary white sand. Hence next month looks forward to taking a spring break in the sunniest locale possible.
