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Something different.. hmm. I guess Montreal would be a little "different," depending on how much one travels.
I think I might recommend going up to Vermont or New Hampshire and stay at an inn with a good restaurant and others nearby. I am partial to the Inn at Pleasant Lake in New London, NH as I know the chef personally and he is fantastic. It is fit for foodies for sure. Nearby you also have some other nice restaurants in New London plus a number further up the road in Hanover. Skiing is also right around the corner.
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There's a junket on 27 December to Atlantic City for 3 days, which departs from BOS. (BOS-ACY-BOS, which is a 45 minute flight) Would probably be around $700 to $800 for 3 people, roundtrip air, transfers and 2 hotel rooms.
Definitely fits the 'foodie' category, if you spend most of your time @ Borgata. (you have Flay, Mina, Puck etc. etc. etc. all in one location; and a few other nice restaurants over @ The Pier)
We actually did my wife's bday dinner @ SeaBlue (Michael Mina) last December, and it was great. (The caviar parfait is to die for) --- I'm also a hugh fan-boy of Mina restaurants in Vegas (Michael Mina @ Bellagio and SeaBlue @ MGM, though I give the AC restaurant a slight edge).
Unfortunately, AC is not very friendly to those under 21. They have a great indoor pool @ Harrah's (one of the world's largest), but it's 21+. The pool at Bally's is large and just OK (and under 21 friendly), but gives one flashback to the 1980's.
I really enjoy the boardwalk in the winter, but that's just me.
OK... just had lunch with her.... No to Montreal...
She is now thinking a "Cooking School" experience would be different... I am not sure anything would be going the week after Christmas.
Any thoughts?
At The Essex, near Burlington, Vermont (a great little college town in its own right), you can have a nice New England getaway and take cooking classes.
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Blumie,
This looks fantastic.... do you have any personal experience there?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blumie
At The Essex, near Burlington, Vermont (a great little college town in its own right), you can have a nice New England getaway and take cooking classes.
This looks fantastic.... do you have any personal experience there?
I do. The inn itself is nice -- not as nice as they try to make it appear on their website, but certainly nice enough -- clean, spacious and comfortable.
We ate one meal in their casual restaurant, which I though was pretty bad. Based on that experience, I would skip meals at the inn and eat in Burlington instead, which has some really good options. (Search the New England board on chowhound.com for recommendations.)
My daughter and I did a baking class with "Chef Courtney," which we really enjoyed.
All in, I'd give the inn itself a B+, the casual restaurant a D, and the baking class an A-. But it is a great setting and a good location from which to explore Vermont, including Burlington and Stowe.
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I have no experience with that inn, but Burlington is a great place for a getaway.
Couple of warnings: it *will* be cold and there *will* be snow. The drive from PVD area may or may not be ridiculously annoying depending on the road conditions.
Couple of warnings: it *will* be cold and there *will* be snow. The drive from PVD area may or may not be ridiculously annoying depending on the road conditions.
True and true. I will say, however, that Vermont does an amazing job of keeping its roads clear. Absent driving in a snow storm -- which of course is a possibility that time of year -- I've never had a problem driving in Vermont in the winter.
