Winter is fast approaching, and at these five festive new and renovated escapes — including A-frame cabins in Vermont, a country estate in New Jersey and an Art Nouveau hotel in the heart of Vienna — you can kick off the cozy season. Apple cider toddies, cookie decorating and winter-theme spa treatments arrive amid the long evenings with fire pits and twinkling lights.
Peapack, N. J.
Pendry Natirar
Sitting atop a hill in Somerset County, this 66 room-and-suite hotel is about an hour from New York City on 90 private acres of woodland and meadows surrounded by Natirar Park, a county park.
Winter festivities begin at the front desk, where you can drop off a letter to Santa at the North Pole, compliments of the hotel. Or meet him in person on Dec. 20 for Story Time with Santa with cocoa and cookies ($48 for adults; $30 for 10 and under). Speaking of cookies, try decorating your own during a workshop (Dec. 20 and 21, $37.80), or sign up for a workshop on Dec. 23 where you can design a wreath or centerpiece at the property’s farm using evergreens, herbs and dried flowers ($90). Each night at sundown through Dec. 22, stop by Ladd’s Tavern for a Hanukkah menorah lighting and seasonal mocktails.
From now through Jan. 3, adults can enjoy a fireside “holiday boozy tea” with tea-based cocktails and treats, both savory (like smoked duck prosciutto with fig jam) and sweet (such as vanilla bean and gingerbread scones), in the hotel’s Great Room ($120 a person). On Dec. 27, don your coziest sleepwear for PJs and Pancakes, a winter breakfast buffet ($75.60 for adults; $44.10 for 10 and under).
The hotel, a mansion built in 1912 as a private residence, has inviting spaces painted in warm colors where you can curl up with a book. Try the farm-to-table restaurant, Ninety Acres, for dishes like pan-seared salmon and Berkshire pork chops, or sign up for a class at the hotel’s cooking school. Later, work off those holiday treats at the fitness center, or take a break from the hustle and bustle at Spa Pendry. Prices from $675 a night.
Stowe, Vt.
AWOL Stowe
Amid the evergreens of this popular ski town, AWOL Stowe has 35 rooms and suites (most with fireplaces), including six A-frame cabins with floor-to-ceiling windows and patios. Here you can embrace the season on a spa deck with a hot tub, cedar cold plunge pool, sauna and fire pits. A free shuttle service can take you to Stowe Mountain Resort for skiing and snowboarding. Then swing by the hotel lodge for holiday-inspired cocktails, like a salted caramel espresso martini, or an apple cider toddy. For a chilly indulgence, try the ginger snap ice cream sundae with maple ice cream and maple drizzle.
The hotel’s four-seat bar and restaurant in the lodge is only for guests, and serves bites like deviled eggs with trout roe and an alpine board with local cheeses and meats. In the mornings there’s toast with homemade spreads, as well as yogurt, fruit, coffee and tea. Explore the town or linger in the lodge near one of its two fireplaces.
Contemporary rooms have rustic touches, like walls finished in Grecian plaster, pine wood floors, and nature-themed objects and artwork. Accommodations run the gamut from a room with a king bed and forest views to a two-bedroom suite with a fireplace, kitchen and porch overlooking the pond. One-bedroom A-frame cabins along the resort’s trout pond have king beds, gas fireplaces and living rooms with a wall of windows.
The hotel is one of four Stowe properties owned by Lark Hotels and its sister brand, Bluebird by Lark. Guests of AWOL Stowe can use the amenities at nearby Bluebird Cady Hill Lodge, including its Subzero Surf Club, where you can sip hot chocolate, play spike ball and ring toss, and catch an outdoor movie from a beach chair or a river tube set on the snow. Prices from $279 a night.
Vienna
Mandarin Oriental, Vienna
In a city of lavish buildings and glowing Christmas markets, this just-opened hotel is within the Ringstrasse, the circular road that defines the city center, in a restored 1908 Art Nouveau building. Stop at the spa for the “festive harmony ritual” (available until the end of December), which includes a full-body massage and scalp massage amid scents of cinnamon and orange.
On Christmas Eve the hotel will offer a five-course dinner inspired by Austrian and Asian flavors, beneath the glass dome of its Atelier 7 Brasserie. In the morning, savor Christmas brunch with Austrian Christmas cookies.
Once a courthouse, the hotel, Mandarin Oriental’s first in Austria, has 151 rooms and suites with dark wood floors, all with views overlooking the city and a courtyard. Treat yourself to pastries, specialty coffees and teas at Atelier 7 The Café. For cocktails, stop by Atelier 7 Izakaya and Bar where, as the hotel puts it, Art Nouveau meets Japonisme. At Le Sept, the hotel’s fine-dining restaurant, seafood takes center stage. Prices from $700 a night. Packages such as “Seasons Sparkle,” which includes daily breakfast and an evening horse-drawn carriage ride through the city, may be available on the hotel’s website.
Colorado Springs, Colo.
The Broadmoor
This grand resort, with 784 rooms and suites on 5,000 acres, has reopened its Penrose Room, which had been closed for renovations since 2020. Re-envisioned by Tihany Design — known for its work with the Breakers in Palm Beach, Fla., and the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles — the lounge, where you can have dinner or cocktails, offers breathtaking views of Cheyenne Mountain. Through Dec. 31, sip a holiday cocktail like the Frosted Poinsettia (pomegranate and ginger liqueurs, cranberry juice and Frangelico whipped cream, among other ingredients). At the back of the Penrose Room, behind a faux bookcase, a speakeasy called the Polo Club at the Penrose Room awaits.
The Broadmoor, brimming with twinkling trees and garlands, has no shortage of festive events. An outsize gingerbread display inspired by the 2026 Winter Olympic Games (picture Santa on a bobsled), is on view. The resort’s holiday show (Dec. 19, 20 and 24) gets you into the spirit with jazz, swing, songs from Broadway musicals and sacred music, along with a three-course dinner. And from Dec. 21 through Jan. 1, the hotel offers activities inspired by the lyrics of “The 12 Days of Christmas,” like making a French pear tart. Holiday meals will be served at hotel restaurants, including Ristorante del Lago, where you can feast on a Feast of Seven Fishes tasting menu and lake views; La Taverne has a Hanukkah menu. Cap off the year with live music at the hotel’s New Year’s Eve Bash ($80 per person), or at its black-tie New Year’s Eve Gala ($340 per person). In addition to the hotel’s rooms and suites with traditional décor, there are roomier accommodations such as cottages and brownstones. Prices on average are from $570 a night.
Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy
Ancora Cortina
In time for the holidays and the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Cortina, this mountain escape, which dates to 1826, has reopened after a restoration by Renzo Rosso, the founder of the fashion brand Diesel and the chairman of the fashion company OTB Group. Designed by Charles & Co, the hotel is full of alpine charm, with wood, stone and mountain views. Each of the 38 rooms and suites facing the Dolomites is different and inviting, with art, woodwork and velvet touches.
There are plenty of other ways to savor winter when you’re not on the slopes of this northern Italian ski town. Outside the hotel a “baita,” or chalet stand, welcomes guests with mulled wine and snacks. After a day outdoors warm up at the spa, where there’s a hammam, a sauna and a Turkish bath. Or lean into the chill and try cryotherapy.
Each evening through Jan. 6, the hotel is celebrating the festive season with an après-ski party with dancing and cocktails at la Terrazza. Keep the party going at the hotel’s Club Brave, a bar and lounge. Prices from 650 euros a night, or about $760.
Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2025.
The post 5 Glittering Getaways, Just in Time for the Holidays appeared first on New York Times.
