Escape cold in mid-Feb (4) nights from Michigan
 

My wife and I want to escape Michigan for 4 nights in mid-late February. Florida is the natural choice, but we're looking for other suggestions from Fodors folks about where *you* think we should go for a brief getaway from ice, snow, cold, slush and the Polar Vortex.

All suggestions will be kept in strictest confidence. :-)

Well if you have no criteria other than escaping the cold I would simply look at where you can fly to easily and economically from your nearest airport.

For example, can you get a direct flight to Palm Springs, San Diego, or somewhere else?

Check out flights to Mexico. Cancun, Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta. With such a short trip I agree about looking for flights that are nonstop to maximize your time away.

If you want to stay on the ground and not rent a car, take the Blue Water or Wolverine train to Chicago. Hang around Chicago until the "City of New Orleans" leaves about 8PM.
The train arrives in Memphis early in the morning. It arrives in New Orleans in the late afternoon.
See New Orleans for a couple days and then decide if you want to go South or west into Texas or east along the Gulf Coast to MS, AL or the Florida Panhandle.

Good ideas, keep them coming please!

I live in Fort Lauderdale and I will say this: if you want to be where it is warm and you can also be swimming in an ocean then I would fly a bit further from "natural choice" Florida. I would go at least to the bottom of the Bahamas if not to Turks or even to Puerto Rico or to the Virgin Islands.


I understand the recommendations for Mexico given that particular poster's well-known liking for such but I have this funny notion that <B>in February</B> there may not <B>be</B> very many "cheap" airline fares to Mexico or the Caribbean or Arizona or Florida but that could be depending on what you think is "cheap."

Of course, having also lived there, Hawaii would be about the most automatically guaranteed good weather place.

I go to south Florida every year late winter to visit my brother. At least half the time I freeze - coming from Boston I want sun, 70s, and if not swim at least sit on beach. It is not reliably warm in south Florida in February.

If your 4 nights are over Presidents Day weekend, you will find fares and hotels much higher than a week before or after.

Puerto Rico? Advantages are that as territory of US it is the same money, no passport, cell phones work without international charges.

If you can add on another day or two, that will increase your options and give you a better return on your investment of airfare. And it will take airfare to get you where it's actually warm and sunny. My first thoughts that are most accessible from your location are Phoenix, Naples (FL), and Mexico (Cancun, Cozumel.) Places like Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, etc. will be warm and sunny but might be a little harder to get to from Michigan.

<given that particular poster's well-known liking for such>

well Dukey, I like the Caribbean islands and Hawaii too, but they would too expensive and/or time consuming for this particular request.

My suggestion for Mexico, is to escape the cold in February, and those places often offer packages for a 4-5 day resort stays, but mostly because I think you need to leave continental USA to find truly warm weather that time of year.

Mexico is cheap all year round Dukey1, that's why there are cheap package holidays from everywhere to there. That' also why it is popular with some people. You don't see many people asking for a 5 star hotel suggestion there do you. LOL

There is no actual need to leave the continental USA for 'truly' warm weather in February. One of my favourite spots a couple of hours from San Diego or Palm Springs has an average of 72F in February with a record high of 95F.
http://www.abdnha.org/borrego-springs-weather.htm

Because of this, it is possible to surf near San Diego in the morning, lunch in the snow around Idellwyld (skiing also if you wish) and hike in the desert in the afternoon.

I'd go for a package to Mexico.

<You don't see many people asking for a 5 star hotel suggestion there do you. LOL>

Actually yes I do. All the time. On the Trip Advisor Vallarta forum people are posting weekly about luxury places to stay in PV.

I think a package to Mexico would get these folks the most bang for their buck, and a true tropical getaway. Not just somewhat warmer weather like you'll find in southern California.

I agree that Mexico would be a good choice, and love PV, ignore SJT, poster seems to be trying to stir up controversy here and elsewhere. From Michigan, not sure which would be a shorter flight, PV or Cancun for the Riviera Maya. Glad you had a nice stay suze, wasn't able to work in a trip this fall, next year.

OMG--what a way to rate a place. I think Acapulco is a dump. PV is pleasant.
I think Zijuatanejo is an interesting resort. For the east coast, Cancun/Cozumel would be pretty close. They WOULD be an escape from the cold.

Las Vegas, Phoenix, Tucson, San Diego, San Antonio, New Orleans....it really depends on what you want to do on your 4 day trip and how 'warm' it has to be. Any of those cities will be free of snow, ice and slush.

I would avoid New Orleans until after Mardi Gras.

These folks want to "escape the cold" for 4-5 days. They didn't say one word about needing Michelin starred restaurants.

<Puerto Vallarta is a dump. Has been for decades since Liz Taylor stopped going there.>

Oh you mean 50+ years ago? Hardly current or relevant to the topic.

Obviously Puerto Vallarta is not a "dump" or it wouldn't be such a wildly popular vacation destination... for Mexican nationals, for foreign tourists, for luxury travelers, for backpackers, everyone in between.

There are Brits who still believe Brighton is a world class vacation destination suze. You hanging on to PV is much the same.

No I have not been there in decades, but I know that every 'resort destination' in the world follows a cycle just like everything else. A bell curve of rise and then fall. Trying to suggest that PV is not on the falling side of that curve is hilarious.
http://tourismintelligence.ca/2006/1...on-in-decline/
That also explains the differences in the TYPE of tourists a place attracts.

OP, if you are still here... :-)

I think it depends how warm you need it to be. If you want beach weather, then Mexico, Belize, Puerto Rico, these are the types of destinations you should be considering. South Florida will probably be plenty warm enough for Michiganders, too, but again, that depends on you and your preferences. Ditto Phoenix--when we lived in Minnesota, a few days in Phoenix in the winter was heaven! Ditto southern California.

And you don't say if you want a city or the beach or hiking...

From Michigan a non-stop flight to Cozumel or Cancun would be very easy. From Cancun you can easily get to Akumal, Isla Mujeres, or even Holbox. Cozumel is a small island with wonderful reefs and excellent dining. I agree with others that a week is a better option during high season, but 4-5 days is doable. The flight is only 3+ hours and the weather will be warmer than anywhere in the continental U.S. Look at Apple Vacations or the like for some package deals.