ugh! where do i go on vacation? (hotel, Paris, hotel)

[warmer]

my girlfriend and i need to plan a vacation FAST, before december ends.

i have off from dec 16 to january 7th. its incredibly short notice i know.

we want to plan a fast, fun vacation but im at a total loss. we live in NJ.
my first thought was Quebec City, because weve already been to Montreal and loved it, and QC is a short trip and a small city and it seems easy to plan.
but im not sure how fun it will be in such freezing cold temperatures.

my other thought was california, but ive been there several times and im not really sure "what to do" there.

we would LOVE to goto paris or europe but roundtrips cost $800 plus per person, AND with the state of the dollar, we would lose so much money in the currency conversion that it seems completely futile.

so i need to plan and book a fun, 4-day vacation before christmas. ANY IDEAS at ALL??
we HATE tourist traps and dont go "clubbing", but we love walking around and exploring and great food and drinks

[jtur88]

The dollar is worth 30% more in Europe now than it was a few months ago. Go to Portugal and enjoy the beach on the south coast. Kinda chily, but off season rates. If you're thinking about Canada, go someplace where you can see what winter is really like there. Like Saskatoon. Or Newfoundland.

Here's an idea. Fly to St. John's, Newfoundland, take a share-taxi to Fortune, and the ferry over to St. Pierre and Miquelon, the French islands a few miles off shore. They are pure France, politically, culturally, everything. Its kinda touristy in summer, but in winter, only one hotel stays open, and you'll probably be the only guests there. Just bundle up in the hotel, go to the lavish typically French dining room three times a day, and every day walk over to the shipping office and see if they have heard from the next boat yet. If the weather is not too bad, there will be one every other day or so.

Newfoundland itself is amazing. It it absolutely the most hospitable place on earth. Everybody will talk your ear off, with the most amazing stories, in their hilarious accent, and then insist you stay for dinner and give you a bed for the night.

[BlueWillowPlate]

jtr88 that sounds like a delightful trip!
I'd love to go to Newfoundland some day, and those islands sound enchanting.
I hope to go to Montreal some day, as well.
Warmer, I was just looking at your dates on ITA and saw flights to Paris or London, out of Newark for $540-$706.
The airlines that showed up were British Airways,Virgin, Continental, and Northwest.
London at Christmastime is so much fun, and I bet Paris would be, too.

[mdp_az]

If you're worried about cold, why not consider Arizona. Fly into Phoenix and enjoy a couple of days in the greater Phoenix area. Then head north towards the Grand Canyon. Here are some other places you could try and stop if time permits:

The historic mining town of Jerome
The red rocks of Sedona
Native American cliff dwellings at Walnut Canyon Nat'l Monument
Meteor Crator
Petrified Forest Nat'l Park
Canyon de Chelly
Monument Valley
Flagstaff and the San Francisco Peaks (like a little slice of Colorado)

The farther north you go, and the higher up in elevation, the cooler the temps will get. Flagstaff is a cold and snowy town, however its almost always sunny and dry, so even very cold weather is rather pleasant there. Same applies to the Grand Canyon.

[gman5431]

I think you may be able to get a last minute deal on an all inclusive trip to Punta Cana or Cancun (or somewhere else in MX). The prices on those this week usually isnt bad, especially if you can sneak something last minute. They go way up for X Mas though.

G Man

[annerk]

IMHO it's going to be too cold in December to really "walk around and enjoy" anyplace in Canada or up north. With only four days , I wouldn't waste a travel day in each direction goint west or to Europe.

I'd suggest Savannah, GA or St. Augustine, FL as options. Both have a lot of history and are "walking" cities. You can get reasonable airfare to both. Unless this cold snap continues you'll have nice weather in the 60's and 70's, perfect for exploring.

Another option might be San Juan, PR. No currency exchange, no borders to cross, and there are a ton of direct flights out of the NYC airports.

We went to Key West this past summer and loved it. We don't go clubbing, and found plenty to keep us occupied with various historical sites, looking at the architecture, and eating great food. It's a really laid back place, we walked every where. You could fly out of Newark and be there by noon. This is their quiet season, so there should be good deals on hotel rooms.