If you live on the West Coast, a weekend getaway to Hawaii is doable, and who wouldn’t rather be surfing the waves on an outrigger canoe at Waikiki Beach?
We often envy Europe for being a hub, a place where you can easily jet off to Barcelona or Rotterdam for the weekend. They've even got a word for such getaways: the mini-break. But there are a remarkable number of spots you can fly to from across Canada that take you into just the sort of different world you sometimes need in the middle of a long, dark, white winter without taking anything more than maybe an afternoon's worth of vacation time. Good news if you're coming to the end of the holiday season and realize you've used up all your vacation days to bicker with family over dry turkey. So, pack a carry-on, and get away.
FROM TORONTO OR MONTREAL
Toronto – Bermuda
American Airlines 3188 leaves Toronto Friday at 12:30 p.m., or Air Canada 942, Friday, 8:15 a.m.; return on WestJet 2711, leaving Bermuda Sunday, 6:05 p.m.
Bermuda is not in the Caribbean. This means two things: First, you can get to it more quickly, since it's only as far south as North Carolina. Second, it's warm, not hot. To snowbird extremists, this may sound like a problem, but having just come back, let me tell you it's a feature. Bermuda's 16 to 20 C temperatures let you walk, cycle and generally avoid having to prostrate yourself for the duration. Bermuda is not a beach destination in winter. It's more about sipping Dark 'N Stormies on patios in the land and season that gave them their name, with all the character, variety and visual drama that comes with them. Winter in Bermuda is also ideal for a spa getaway: Head for Old Bermuda hotels and spas such as Elbow Beach and Cambridge Beach.
Toronto – Nashville
Air Canada 7333 leaves Toronto on Friday, 4:55 p.m., return flight (AC 7332) leaves Nashville Sunday at 6:35 p.m.
Music City is just two hours and seven minutes from Toronto. Two hours and seven minutes away from RCA Studio B, where Elvis recorded 200 of his songs, the Grand Ole Opry, the just-expanded Country Music Hall of Fame. You can get the blue-plate special at M. in Cummins Station, or take a Tennessee-whiskey distillery tour and buy a bottle at Collier and McKeel or high-end Corsair, both in town, or take a 90-minute drive to Lynchburg or Normandy for Jack Daniel's or George Dickel. It can get chilly at night, but days go as high as 15 C. And if your sense of linguistic ridiculousness can stand it, you could even stay at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. And be back home in time to have a last sip of that whisky before bed.
Montreal – Washington
Air Canada 7654 leaves Montreal on Friday, 7:10 p.m.; return flight (AC 7655) leaves Washington Sunday at 4:35 p.m.
Washington is undergoing a renaissance. It seems finally to be taking advantage of the fact that it's the diplomatic and political crossroads of the world, and is putting up restaurants, shops and infrastructure to suit all tastes. It's also great for cycling. Union Market is at the centre of a new neighbourhood worth checking out, and the market's Righteous Cheese can give Montreal fromageries a run for their money. Then, there's the whole National Gallery-Lincoln Memorial-White House-Kennedy Center continuum that makes the city a global cultural centre. Daikaya, with its ramen first floor and izakaya second floor on 6th Street Northwest is one of the new standouts, just opened last year.
FROM CALGARY
Denver
United Airlines 6478 leaves Calgary on Friday, 6:41 p.m.; return flight (UA 1619) leaves Denver Sunday at 7:42 p.m.
When you land in Denver, take the Sky Ride bus for $11 downtown; it will drop you at the bus station, just a couple of blocks from the Renaissance Downtown hotel, opened this year in a grand old bank. The three-storey lobby atrium is worth the price of admission (about $200 at winter rates) with its enormous murals by Allen Tupper True. From there, you could decide to ski Echo Mountain, 55 kilometres away in Idaho Springs, check out the perspective-changing exhibit of First Nations art at the Denver Art Museum or have a friendly consult with one of dozens of legal pot-dispenser experts you can find with the GPS-based Leafly app. There's also a big microbrew scene going on right now, best sampled at the Denver Beer Co., which usually has one food truck or another parked out front.
Whitehorse
Air North 528 leaves Calgary Friday, 7:40 p.m.; return flight (via Vancouver, Air Canada 290) leaves Whitehorse Sunday at 3:50 p.m.
I spent a weekend in Whitehorse once. Here's what I recommend: The hotels in town are not great, so book a couple of nights with one of the cabin operations in the wilderness outside of town. I stayed at the Fox Bay Retreat on Lake Laberge (pronounced "Labarge"), where I went dog mushing, ice fishing and midnight snowmobiling through frosted trees that caught the immense amount of starlight beaming down on us. On your way out, stop at old standby resto Giorgio's for some early supper escargot and local Arctic char, or G&P Steakhouse and Pizza for the best Chicago-style pizza I've had outside Chicago (believe it or not), and head back to the airport.
FROM VANCOUVER
Palm Springs
Air Canada 1824 (direct) leaves Vancouver on Friday at 11:10 a.m., while AC 5158, via San Francisco, leaves Friday at 7:23 p.m.; return direct flight (WestJet 1725), leaves Palm Springs at 7 p.m.
Palm Springs, Calif., is the land of the extraordinary hotel. My weekend there was spent shuttling among them. They've got the best bars, the best restaurants and the best stories. I stayed at the Ingleside Inn, a 1920s rustic spot with individual cabins once slept in by the likes of Clark Gable and Greta Garbo. These days, it's presided over by Mel Haber, the 78-year-old owner with stories to tell. He hangs out at his namesake restaurant, Melvyn's. From there, you can pop into the Parker for a bright, sunny spa or an intentionally darkened dinner at Mister Parker's. Citron's at the Viceroy nearby is another good spot to eat, but it's the decor, with absurd pinks and yellows and bad-boy lobby art, that makes this place a hoot. The downtown antique stores can also be a treat, as old-timers divest themselves of their mid-century-modern furnishings.
Honolulu
Air Canada rouge 1831 leaves Vancouver Friday at 5:35 p.m.; return flights include AC 1830, leaving Honolulu Sunday at 11:15 p.m. (arriving Monday 6:55 a.m.) or WestJet 1865, leaving Sunday at 11:30 p.m. (arriving Monday 7:18 a.m.).
Believe it or not, you can actually go to Honolulu for the weekend from Vancouver. Now, you may want to stay longer, take a Friday or a Monday, but with both Air Canada rouge and WestJet offering evening flights, and WestJet also offering a morning departure and an afternoon return, you've got options. And do I need to tell you what you can do with your weekend in Honolulu? I could recommend Opal Thai, the food-truck-turned-restaurant on the north shore, or H2O Sports, were you can strap on a jet pack and fly over the turquoise ripples. But Hawaii is pretty self-explanatory.
Have a good weekend.
Please note: Airlines change their schedules with regularity and no notice. Unless otherwise specified, these flights were checked for a Friday, Feb. 6 departure and a Sunday, Feb. 8 return.
Editor's note: If planning a short trip from Vancouver to Honolulu, your best flight options are Air Canada rouge and WestJet. Incorrect information appeared in an earlier version of this story