Winter Wonderland Destinations

Encourage your clients to embrace the cold at these winter wonderland destinations in North America, Europe and Eurasia.

Green is Cool

Hotel Husafell, a self-sustainable hotel located 20 minutes from the Langjokull glacier in West Iceland, recently opened this past summer. The 36-guestroom resort-style property features accommodations inspired by the surrounding landscape built with eco-friendly materials using 100 percent renewable energy produced on site. Natural light pours into the large windows in the guestrooms, where decorations include sheepskin Icelandic-designed chairs and paintings by a local Husafell artist. Onsite amenities include outdoor thermal pools and hot tubs, as well as a gourmet restaurant serving Nordic dishes made with produce grown in nearby geothermal greenhouses. Outside of the hotel, guests can hike, horseback ride and fish in the warmer months. In addition, explore glaciers and lava caves in the cooler months. By the end of summer 2016, the property expects to complete major upgrades, including the addition of 12 new rooms and renovations to the outdoor pool.

Hotel Husafell and Extreme Iceland have joined together to offer the new Winter Wanderlust Glacier Exclusive package, available though April 30, 2016 (near the end of Northern Lights season). The package, starting at $218 pp dbl, includes a 1-night stay in a standard room at Hotel Husafell, daily breakfast (excluding arrival day), tickets to the Into the Glacier experience— which visits a man-made ice tunnel—and complimentary access to the thermal pools. Agents receive 20 percent commission on the Winter Wanderlust Glacier Exclusive package. For more information, visit hotelhusafell.com/?langID=en.

An Icy Exploration
Remote Lands is beckoning travelers to Russia with the addition of a dozen new luxury travel itineraries in Sibera—a new destination for the tour operator. Each itinerary, starting at $475 pp per day, explores an isolated region in this off-the-beaten track destination that spans all of northern Asia from the Ural mountains to the Pacific Ocean.

For example, the 15-day Classic Siberia itinerary tours the historical city of Irkutsk, visits Lake Baikal—one of the oldest and deepest lakes in the world—and goes on a trans-Siberian railway journey with time for guests to sightsee in Novosibirsk, a city filled with cultural events, quirky museums and original examples of wood-lace architecture. In Karakol National Park, guests hike across the Karakol Valley, where ancient sacred places, temples and tombs lay scattered throughout the land. In addition, a trek along the ChuyskyTract takes guests on the famous route connecting Russia and Mongolia. Additional activities include camping in authentic nomadic yurts, exploring archaeological sites, and hiking through mountains and along lakes. For more information, visit call (212) 759-7207 or remotelands.com.

Winter Outdoor Activities
The 320 Guest Ranch’s winter packages lure guests out into the Montana cold, near Big Sky, where they can drive dogsleds, tour Yellowstone Park and take a nighttime sleigh ride near Big Sky Resort. The Sleigh & Stay, Celebrating Snow, Romance and Gourmet Getaway packages, available Jan. 4 to March 12, 2016, include accommodations in the Ranch’s rustic log cabins—many with modern amenities such as complete kitchens and wood-burning fireplaces.

For instance, the Sleigh & Stay package, starting at $268 per couple for a Queen Cabin, includes a 1-night stay, a starlit sleigh ride and dinner for two in the 320 Guest Ranch Steak House. The Celebrating Snow package, starting at $1,274 per couple, includes a 4-night stay in a King Room or the McGill Cabin, a bottle of wine and a half-day of dog sledding, plus a snow coach tour of nearby Yellowstone Park, a twilight sleigh ride and dinner in the 320 Guest Ranch Steak House. For more information, call (800) 243-0320 or visit 320ranch.com.