Thanks for answering back and letting me know where it is. We will definately be checking out the region.

travelrene, here's another vote for Paris. But, to be fair to the UK, how about Bath? You could do a week in Bath and a week in York or Edinburgh. To get more ideas for the UK, you could post a separate thread asking specifically how to spend two weeks in the Cotswolds, etc.

Also, the latest Travel & Leisure has a spread on where to head for Christmas--I haven't read mine yet but the usual suspects are on the list.

Best of luck and have a wonderful time w/your husband.

My husband and I are also first time empty nesters this Christmas but he has used up all his vacation time. I keep saying I am going to go on my own but it does seem cruel to leave him here alone over the holidays! But there's always next year! But we have been hesitant to travel here in the US or to the Carribiean at Christmas because of the outrageous prices charged at that time of year. Is that the case at European destinations, say Paris? Also has anyone been to Barcelona or Amsterdam at Christmas - those are two cities we have enjoyed at other times of the year.

We went to Paris on one of the go-today.com Christmas package deals -- we paid about $1500 for the two of us including airfare from Boston and hotel with breakfast for 6 days. It worked out very well for us, and we were perfectly satisfied with the hotel.

I think you do have to book those pretty well in advance though. If you try to book your own airfare around Christmas, it's hard to get good deals.

Go-today does have quite a few Christmas packages, so you might want to check them out.