12 best hotels for Christmas
(CNN) – Sparkles, sparkles, champagne and petit. We could all use a little bit of holiday glamor right now.
Hotels offer a simple way to brighten up the festive season, whether for a few nights or an elegant afternoon tea.
While many people plan to stay closer to home this year, these locations are well worth bookmarking to peruse their beautiful holiday decorations, a little escape or a future Christmas. future.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends delaying travel until you are fully vaccinated. The agency also recommends boosters for everyone 18 years of age and older.
The Fife Arms: Braemar, Scotland
This cozy outdoor patio awaits at The Fife Arms in the Scottish Highlands.
Fife Arms
Fishing, foraging and hiking lie just outside The Fife Arms, an antique 19th-century retreat in Cairngorms National Park in the Scottish Highlands.
The hotel is 9 miles from Balmoral, the royal residence in Scotland.
Guests can wrap themselves in sheepskin blankets and sip mulled wine in the sparkling courtyard warmed by the fire pits. Festive afternoon tea is served in the Clune Dining Room. The hotel’s public bar – The Flying Stag – will offer a Christmas Day menu for about $93 per person.
Double rooms start at around $600 in December.
The three-night Christmas package includes a five-course feast, a reindeer parade, a local luthier performance, and more. All-inclusive rates for two in the hotel’s Nature & Poetry rooms start at $3,895.
Plaza Athena Hotel: Paris
The children’s ice rink surrounded by tiny white lights is sure to bring a little extra winter magic to Christmas at the Hotel Plaza Athénée in Paris.
Festive afternoon tea will be served at La Galerie through January 9 (starting at around $80 per person).
Room rates start around $1,245 a night.
Shopping mall: New York
Teatime in The Palm Court
The Plaza – a hotel managed by Fairmont
Tea time and Christmas time coincide at The Plaza’s elegant Palm Court, where four holiday tea menus will be available through January 9.
Manhattan Tea ($99) features savory and sweet treats, including Bailey’s Irish Cream Bûche de Noël, with the option of adding a glass of Champagne for an extra charge.
Eloise, the famous fictional resident of the hotel, made her name in a children’s tea available for $80 a child.
Rooms on December weekends and peak holidays are sold out or are almost fully booked, but there are still some rooms available for December weekdays, with rates starting at $1,095 per night.
Ojai Valley Inn: Ojai, California
“Serenity Season” arrives on time at the Ojai Valley Inn, where spa treatments, golf, tennis, yoga and more can be incorporated into a restorative stay at this 220-acre coastal valley resort This guy.
On December 24, there’s Jingle Bell Jaunt and Santa’s elves story time. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners will be served at The Oak and Olivella, and there’s a huge Christmas Day buffet at The Farmhouse ($160/adult, wine included; $55 for children 12 years and under).
December room rates start at $619 a night.
Royal Mansour: Marrakech, Morocco
Royal Mansour is ready for vacation guests.
Isaac Ichou / Royal Mansour
The holidays are a gourmet affair at Royal Mansour in Marrakech.
A Christmas Eve menu from Michelin-starred chef Massimiliano Alajmo will be served at Sesamo, while Yannick Alléno, another Michelin-star chef, will create Christmas dinner at La Table.
The property will host a Christmas market in the lobby on December 13 with handmade items, Christmas candies and Royal Mansour goodies for sale, with a portion of proceeds going to organizations from local charity.
Hotel rates start at $1,725 a night.
Willard InterContinental: Washington
Willard hosts holiday choir performances every evening through December 23.
Willard InterContinental
In the US capital, Willard InterContinental will host free performances by local choirs and vocalists in the lobby from 5:30 to 7:30 every night through December 23.
Signature holiday cocktails – Poinsettia, Spiced Cider “Tippecanoe” or Grand Centennial – will be available at the popular Round Robin Bar
Holiday afternoon tea – with sandwiches and cakes – will be served Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through December 26 ($79 per person or $89 with a glass of champagne).
Room rates in December start around $325.
Princess Fairmont Scottsdale: Scottsdale, Arizona
Families will find a wide range of holiday activities around Christmas at the Princess festival.
Rebekah Sampson
An animated holiday light show, a four-lane toboggan, VIP igloo, two skating rinks, trains and over 6 million lights: It’s safe to say that the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess doesn’t believe it keeping Christmas.
The Balmoral: Edinburgh, Scotland
Balmoral opened in 1902 as a railway hotel.
Rocco Forte Hotels
Opened in 1902, the majestic Balmoral – with its ornate clock tower – was once owned by the Northern British Railway Company. Because of its original role as a railway hotel, the clocks always run three minutes fast so people don’t miss their trains.
A two-night holiday season package starts at around $1,425.
The Broadmoor: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Staying at The Broadmoor in Colorado can get you a white Christmas.
The Broadmoor
With its back against the Rocky Mountains, The Broadmoor features a 10-foot “Gingercake Castle,” plus children’s gingerbread decorating classes and breakfast with Santa.
Broadmoor also hosts a dinner gig in late December, performed by singer Sheena Easton this year.
Claridge’s: London
“The Celestial Snow Globe,” by Dior designer Kim Jones, is this year’s grandstand at Claridge’s.
Claridge’s
Guests at Claridge’s will enjoy horse-drawn rides and Christmas carols.
The Christmas three-night package features those festive events, plus a Christmas lunch, champagne, Father Christmas visit, socks for all, and a full English breakfast each morning.
There are still some available for vacation packages, starting at around $6,000 for a premium king.
Claridge’s drew designers to celebrate each year to create an eye-catching lobby Christmas tree.
This year’s tree, which features a hologram, was created by Kim Jones, artistic director of the Dior men’s collection.
The Cloister at Sea Island: Sea Island, Georgia
The Cloister is part of a private island resort in Georgia.
Eliot VanOtteren
This elegant private island resort founded in 1928 boasts 5 miles of shoreline, golf, fishing and a range of activities for the kids.
Every afternoon through December 24, the Sea Island “elves” will open another door on the life-size gingerbread Advent Cottage to reveal a new baked good.
Christmas Eve dinner will be served in The Cloister ballroom ($95 for adults, $30 for children).
Room rates start at $599 per night in December.
The Breakers: Palm Beach, Florida
The Breakers dates back to 1896.
The Breakers
Founded by magnate Henry Morrison Flagler of Standard Oil Co. in 1896, The Breakers Palm Beach carries on its lavish traditions even during the festive season.
This Italian Renaissance seaside resort is resplendent with twinkling lights and holiday teas available at HMF on select dates in late December for $115 per person.
Nearly all of the rooms have been cleared this December, but holiday teas and meals make the hotel’s festive flavor stand out.
A version of this story was published many years ago. This edition has been updated with the 2021 holiday programs and pricing and new hotel entries.