3 FOGO ISLAND

HUNKERING DOWN — OR GETTING OUT AND ABOUT — IN NEWFOUNDLAND

Widely awarded as one of the world’s best hotels, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Fogo Island Inn hits a slower pace as locals and tourists hunker down for the winter season. A roaring fire in the front hallway sets the tone, matching the cosy reception you’ll get from inn staff; they’re all year-round island residents excited to show off their home. COLD COMFORT With 29 rooms and suites festooned with handmade quilts and handwoven textiles, including some with wood-burning fireplaces, each bedroom at the architect-designed inn is a work of art. Which is fitting, because that’s the sense you’ll get from their floor-to-ceiling views of whipped waves, craggy cliffs and variable winter skies. With all the inn’s amenities, it can be tempting to cocoon, but there’s plenty to do here in the off-season. Request a cabin excursion, and you’ll be whisked away to the island’s forested inland heart for skating on frozen ponds or snowshoeing along a rolling forest trail. After working up an appetite, you’ll enjoy a traditional fireside “boil-up,” perhaps featuring local salt cod served alongside blackberry cake, jam tarts and strong tea. For a sample of the island’s crafty heritage, spend time with a local boatbuilder in his workshop or learn how to carve your own spoon or salad tongs at a nearby fishermen’s hall in Joe Batt’s Arm. Nature lovers can join one of the inn’s community hosts and adventure guides on a foray to search out Fogo’s native caribou herd or take in a spectacular night of stargazing. Arriving back at the inn, you’ll appreciate the impeccable attention to detail, including toasty radiant floors, heated towel racks and toilet seats, and pillowy beds in soundproof rooms. Then take to the fourth-floor rooftop saunas and two open-air hot tubs and revel in the panoramic views. In the dining room, the kitchen uses mostly local ingredients, with winter menus featuring snow crab, moose tartare and sea lettuce, as well as the best of summer’s preserved, salted and fermented bounty paired with some of Canada’s finest wines. End the day reading by the fire, enjoying a cocktail over a game of cards, or watching a movie and noshing on popcorn in the inn’s private movie theatre. I dare you to imagine a better escape.

4 ON ICE

Hidden away in Quebec’s Mauricie region are 15 kilometres of Zamboni-groomed skating trails that wind through the fields and forests of the Domaine Enchanteur. It’s a magical experience, especially at night, and as an added bonus you’re invited to feed the farm’s animals along the way, including their llamas and emus. Notre-damedu-mont-carmel, Que. —Mark Stachiew

5 PRAIRIE POOL

Since its accidental discovery in 1910, geothermally heated water deep under Moose Jaw has been a benefit to the city. When the original swimming pool and mineral spa, the Natatorium, was built in 1932, it was the largest pool and spa between Winnipeg and Vancouver, and it provided a training location for Olympian Phyllis Dewar. The city drilled a new well in 1980 to build the modern Temple Gardens Hotel and Spa, Canada’s largest therapeutic geothermal mineral water pool. Moose Jaw, Sask. —Maureen Shenher 6 ART ATTACK Ever considered a winter art getaway to St. John’s? The vivid colours of the shore-hugging houses on the harbour and the downtown “jelly bean” rowhouses are best seen cold against a snowy panorama. This art-friendly provincial capital boasts the Rooms, a cultural centre for multimedia art and history exhibits, and the Craft Council of Newfoundland & Labrador. Whether you’re into galleries or simply the unmatched Atlantic views, St. John’s is a draw for winter aesthetes. St. John’s —Jack Zimakas 7 DRAWN TO FLAME Just the ticket in the lead-up to Christmas, Luminaria takes over the University of Alberta Botanic Garden in Edmonton each December, offering a calming antidote to the seasonal rush. Sip hot cider as you stroll through peaceful candle-lit pathways in the Kurimoto Japanese garden, wish upon a star and hang it from a tree, light a candle in honour of a loved one and enjoy music around a bonfire. Dazzling and peaceful at the same time. Edmonton —Maureen Shenher