The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Four Thanksgiving getaways
Going someplace other than grandmother’s house for the holiday.
For millions of Americans, Thanksgiving means Dad’s famous gravy, tryptophan-fueled naps and chance encounters with former high school classmates. For others, Thanksgiving means tropical cocktails and butter-soft sand.
Although there’s no place like home for the holidays, as the song goes, there’s also no place like a half-empty beach resort in shoulder season or a European city right before Christmas. Just be mindful about when you fly: According to Google, flight searches over the last two years indicate that Friday, Nov. 22; Wednesday, Nov. 27; and Sunday, Dec. 1 will be the busiest airport days.
Here are five ideas for bucking tradition, ponying up for plane tickets and taking advantage of a short workweek to plan an unforgettable destination Thanksgiving— in many cases, without sacrificing the turkey, stuffing or gravy.
London
Who should go: Multigenerational families will find something to keep members of every age bracket happy in London. Parks and playgrounds abound, museums offer shelter on drizzly days, and the restaurant scene is diverse and exciting.
Why now: Late November means festive Christmas lights, seasonal pop-up markets and smaller crowds.
How to get there: You can fly direct to Heathrow Airport from most major cities in the United States, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, New York, Dallas, San Francisco and Los Angeles. In April, British Airways became the first carrier to connect Heathrow directly to Pittsburgh. Some major airports also offer direct flights to London Gatwick Airport with the low-cost airline Norwegian Air.
Where to stay and play: Belmond Cadogan Hotel reopened in February after a three-year, $48 million restoration. In addition to townhouse-like interiors and a swank Chelsea address, the property (from around $538 a night) offers access to Cadogan Place Gardens, a 93-acre private park. On Friday, Nov. 29, take the Belmond British Pullman train to the Winchester Cathedral Christmas Market, feasting on brunch on the way there and dinner while heading back.
The Hoxton, Southwark (around $255 a night), which opened in early September, features hip décor, robust arts programming and a rooftop restaurant with views of the Thames. Walk to the nearby Tate Modern, where a blockbuster Olafur Eliasson retrospective is on view until early January.
Multigenerational families have myriad options, from Grosvenor House Suites, a luxurious hotel-residence on Hyde Park (from $605 a night), to Sonder, a relatively new hospitality company whose modern, stylish London rentals range start around $220 a night for a one-bedroom apartment.
Americans can get their fill of holiday cheer in various ways, from a traditional feast (about $60 a person) at The Game Bird, the restaurant at The Stafford London, to a $67-a-person prix fixe dinner — complete with chicken ‘n’ waffles and pumpkin doughnuts — at Red Rooster Shoreditch, Marcus Samuelsson’s restaurant at The Curtain hotel.
Miami
Who should go: Real and aspiring snowbirds can get a head start on the beach scene and explore buzzy neighborhoods like Wynwood in relative quietude. Miami has evolved well past its Jell-O-shots rap, but if you’re yearning to break out that bedazzled crop-top, fret not: Ariana Grande will perform at AmericanAirlines Arena the night before Thanksgiving.
Why now: Miami hotels are about 14% less expensive over Thanksgiving than they are at Christmastime, according to Google. Thanksgiving falls right before Art Basel Miami Beach, the world-renowned art fair that brings a crush of events (and crowds) to the city; come early and you’re likely to catch a glimpse of the work as it’s hauled in and displayed in hotels, boutiques, galleries and outdoor spaces.
How to get there:: Miami is the rare warm destination that’s served by reasonably priced nonstop flights from major cities on both coasts, plus smaller markets like Hartford, Connecticut, and Savannah, Georgia.
Where to stay and play: Miami Beach has a string of stylish hotels, including EDITION, 1 Hotel, The Confidante and The Betsy Hotel. Millennial and Gen-Z travelers will be pleased that Arlo — whose New York City “micro-hotels” double as co-working spaces — just took over the Nautilus hotel in South Beach (around $259 a night). Their deeper-pocketed parents might prefer The RitzCarlton Bal Harbour, Miami ($617 a night), which has only two suites per floor, or The Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club, a luxurious oceanfront hotel (from $1,160 a night) that melds an original 1930s building with a glassy Richard Meier addition. On the other end of the price spectrum, most of Sonder’s sleek Miami apartment rentals cost less than $150 a night at this time of year.
Area 31, the 16th-floor rooftop restaurant at Kimpton EPIC
Hotel in downtown Miami, will serve a Thanksgiving dinner inspired by chef Alex Olivier’s South African heritage, including a bobotie casserole made with ground turkey and, for dessert, a classic South African milk tart ($75 for adults and $35 for children).
Belize
Who should go: Beach bums and adventure-junkies will find Belize an easy getaway: no visas, language classes or serious jetlag remedies required. Travel insiders have been talking up the country as the next hot Central American destination for a few years, extolling the virtues of its lush jungles, Mayan temples and pyramids, snorkelingfriendly reefs and overwater bungalows.
Why now: Belize’s wet season usually ends by mid-November and, like other Caribbean destinations, hotel rates rise sharply starting around Christmas.
How to get there: Although some airlines begin their direct flights to Belize City in December, various Southern cities offer quick nonstop service yearround, including Miami, Houston, Dallas and Atlanta. In 2017, Southwest Airlines launched a nonstop flight from Denver.
Where to stay and play: Four Seasons isn’t expected to debut in Belize until 2021 (in the form of a private island), and Blackadore Caye, an ecoresort owned by actor Leonardo DiCaprio, hasn’t opened yet either. But even before those projects raise the high end of the Belizean hotel market, there are plenty of family-friendly options that meld luxury, sustainability and adventure.
On Ambergris Caye, Mahogany Bay Resort & Beach Club, Curio Collection by Hilton (from around $144 a night), Hilton Worldwide’s first hotel in Belize, offers a mini-town of sorts, complete with 205 British colonial cottages and villas, a beach club with overwater cabanas, a full slate of restaurants and operators for just about every adventure imaginable, from scuba diving to cave tubing. Mahogany Bay will offer a classic Thanksgiving buffet featuring live music.
Most Airbnb rentals in Placencia, also in the south cost between $150 and $300 a night. And many have beach access.
Italy
Who should go: Anyone in search of the unfamiliar in a well-trodden destination will find magic in offseason Italy.
Why now: By November, regions up and down Italy have settled into one of their most tranquil periods of the year. Hotel rates in Rome tend to drop starting Nov. 3, two days after All Saints’ Day; booking a hotel around Thanksgiving instead of four weeks prior can yield savings up to 32%, according to Google.
How to get there: Alitalia and its SkyTeam alliance partners (Delta, Air France) operate multiple daily flights from major East Coast cities (New York, Boston, Atlanta, Washington, D.C. and Miami) to Rome, Venice and Milan. Once you arrive, Trenitalia makes rail travel a breeze, and sites like Omio (formerly GoEuro) can cobble together domestic itineraries from trains, busses and flights.
Where to stay and play: Ski families can get a head start on the season in the Aosta Valley, in Northwestern Italy. A high altitude gives the Alpine resort Breuil-Cervinia good snow as early as October, all against the backdrop of Monte Cervino, what Italians call The Matterhorn. The range of accommodations there include Aux Pieds Du Roi, a self-described “eco maison” with funky interior design and easy access to the lifts (rooms start around $461/night).
Finally, in the town of Fasano, in Puglia, three- and sevenday wellness retreats at Borgo Egnazia (from around $296 a night) include therapeutic sessions with a “Master of Laughter,” spa treatments and more. Around Thanksgiving, a twinkly holiday market opens in the resort’s on-site piazza. In Gagliano del Capo, visitors can immerse themselves in Apulian culinary traditions through orecchiette-making classes and vineyard and olive-grove tours at Palazzo Daniele. In November, rates at the new nine-suite boutique hotel, which is housed in a 150-year-old palazzo, start around $260 a night — less than half the summertime price tag.