Glitter, glamour and luxury hit the highest possible chord one night of the year — December 31. Pay your respects to 2013 over bubbly-filled Roaring Twenties celebrations and welcome in 2014 in hot Havana Nights style. From counting down to the new year with Tiësto to dining on ultimate Five-Star feasts, here are 10 spots to make this New Year’s Eve one to remember.
Wickaninnish Inn Tofino
Storm watchers will delight in staying at the dramatic three-story cedar inn in Tofino, Canada. New Year’s Eve festivities at the Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star lodge begin early with complimentary daytime activities, including nature walks, surf lessons and guided boat tours. A champagne toast awaits as the evening cruises toward midnight with live swing dancing driven by the talented Dinah D’s Contraband Swingclub. The Stormy Weather Getaway package also includes an elegant New Year’s Day brunch for two at The Pointe Restaurant.
Cozy up in the A-list Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston at the luxurious Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star hotel with the NYE at XVB package. New Year’s Eve revelries kick off with a lavish fireworks display on the exclusive rooftop deck. Enjoy a quiet night in front of the fireplace with a complimentary bottle of champagne or a festive one out with the city’s annual First Night celebration; this year you can ring in 2014 in Copley Square with other revelers in the midst of an off-the-charts 3-D projection display. Brunch for two awaits you on New Year’s Day at the Forbes Travel Guide Recommended Mooo, where you can take your time as late checkouts will be granted to guests.
The Setai, Miami Beach
The show-stopping finale to Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star The Setai, Miami Beach’s holiday schedule will celebrate Cuba’s golden age with a Havana Nights New Year’s Eve fête. Guests will indulge in a five-course “La Cena de Havana” menu served in Forbes Travel Guide Recommended The Restaurant and The Setai Grill, with dishes ranging from Wagyu tenderloin to arroz bomba (the rice that’s often used for paella). Rumba in the new year with the musical prowess of Miami’s soul stirring Grupo Nostalgia, as they pay homage to the greats of “Old Havana.” And join in the long-held Cuban tradition of eating 12 grapes for good luck at the stroke of midnight.
Innisbrook, A Salamander Resort
This Forbes Travel Guide Recommended Tampa resort has more to offer than a spectacular golf course. Everyone can ring in the new year over five courses featuring mouth-watering dishes such as filet of beef, lobster ravioli and duck terrine at Packard’s Steakhouse. Dinner is followed by live entertainment and Innisbrook signature martinis (a smooth, fruity and potent combination of muddled blackberries and blueberries with a shot of Jack Daniel’s single-barrel Tennessee whiskey) in the high-end Osprey Bar.
Old Edwards Inn and Spa
Begin the new year with European luxury in the Blue Ridge Mountains at this Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star resort. Bid adieu to 2013 with a celebration of food, drinks, champagne toasts and music. Then, ease into 2014 with a special New Year’s Day brunch at the Forbes Travel Guide Recommended Madison’s Restaurant and Wine Garden (though it’s not included in the package), a Bloody Mary and mimosa bar at both Art’s at the Lodge and Hummingbird Lounge, and live music in the Hummingbird Lounge.
New Year’s Eve is off the charts at this Forbes Travel Guide Recommended Miami Beach resort, which is home to some of the city’s hottest restaurants and nightclubs. Afrojack and Pharrell perform at a poolside party, while Tiësto sends 2013 out with a bang at LIV nightclub, or opt for DJ K Razor at Bleau Bar. Foodies can delight in a culinary night to remember with four- and five-course menus at Gotham Steak, Forbes Travel Guide Four-Stars Scarpetta Miami Beach and Hakkasan Miami.
The Umstead Hotel and Spa
Contemporary elegance sets the tone for this Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star hotel in Cary, North Carolina. Deck yourself out in formal attire and head to a gala celebration where you can nosh on small plates offering everything from chilled seafood to charcuterie, sip premium cocktails at the open bar and cut the rug to Motown and Big Band classics from the 14-piece Deanna Jones Orchestra. Alternately (or additionally), foodies can delight in a special four-course New Year’s Eve dinner in Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Herons over selections like beef filet and short rib with foraged mushroom pudding, and farm apple soup with scallops.
The St. Regis Monarch Beach
On some levels this Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star venue resembles Jay Gatsby’s Hamptons mansion with its cascading fountains and glamorous pool. So it’s only appropriate that a setting like this host a Roaring Twenties Great Gatsby-themed New Year’s Eve party complete with flowing mint juleps and gin fizzes, culinary stations, live music, and multiple DJs spinning tunes that sprawl over two grand ballrooms.
Holiday accommodation packages at this luxuriously cozy Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star hotel on the coast of Maine include amenities such as afternoon tea and a six-course feast at the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star restaurant (think foie gras, lobster bisque, local venison and decadent Kahlua soufflé). Don your top hat and fancy mask to glam up for the New Year’s Eve Broadway-themed extravaganza brimming with musical entertainment from theater stars alongside an evening filled with dancing and champagne.
Encore at Wynn Las Vegas
In one of the most high-profile New Year’s Eve destinations on the planet, ring in 2014 with eye-popping packages at Surrender nightclub in Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Encore at Wynn Las Vegas. As the “Ultimate VIP,” treat up to 10 of your most worthy friends to a tasting menu at Andrea’s (imagine champagne-marinated tai snapper topped with caviar), followed by a night to remember at Surrender that includes premium seating, an engraved bottle of Dom Pérignon Rose Gold, three magnums of Grey Goose and one magnum of Don Julio. If you’re still standing, you get to countdown to the new year with DJ superstar Diplo — in the DJ booth nonetheless.
Photo Courtesy of The Setai
